Grad School...It's Real.

Forward your VCR, a few years later, I have decided to start writing posts again, as I have time.  I originally did this for a grade for my undergraduate English class.  I got an A, which was great! Since that time, I have started a Master's in Epidemiology program and am currently living the #gradschoollife.  Life got real post-grad. Since my boyfriend lives in Canada, I am at a new university and don't know a ton of people yet, and I have alot of time out of class (which I should be using for reading the 5908435 pages assigned each night) I have been baking and cooking quite a bit.  I have certainly grasped the concept of "Cooking for One" and have altered recipes based on what I have (a trick I am stealing from one of best friends who is in Vet School and dealing with similar stresses/financial situations). I love going grocery shopping, but when I have a lot to do, it becomes a chore. Changing the recipe or "forgetting some stuff" has helped me financially and time wise for sure.  I have also become a huge fan of Aldi, same goods, half the price. Who needs name brand garlic? Garlic is garlic, my friends, garlic. is. garlic.

I decided to start this post tonight, as I have had an EXTREMELY rough day and came home to "bake it out." I had a spoonful of nutella when I got home to cope. (judge ye lest ye be judged) It gave me the idea that when I was in France (a book I have verbally written to everyone within a ten foot radius), I had about 20 crepes au chocolat (crepes with Nutella).  I was thinking that nutella is good with LITERALLY everything. I also have a friend at my new university, who was having a bad day on Monday and I thought, wouldn't it be nice to make cookies for myself  my friend since she was having a bad day? I turned to pintrest for a Nutella Cookie Recipe.  I found this one:

http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/08/nutella-banana-cookies/

but it called for shortening. What single, financially disabled, female, graduate student has a tub of Crisco laying around? Not this one. So I googled and found that  I could replace Crisco with regular stick butter, and so I left my hobbit hole in search of adventure.

I conveniently had bought bananas a week or so ago, as I was trying to be healthy...and conveniently they were ripe, which is what this recipe called for and made me feel validated that I was "eating healthy" and that I hadn't wasted my two dollars on bananas!

I made the recipe just like above (+/- a spoon of nutella here and there) EXCEPT: I used 3/4 of a cup of salted butter rather than the shortening and I didn't have oats.  I used salted butter and I wish I had used about half the amount of butter as A. I could have considered them skinny B. I think they would have turned out a bit better. I did leave the butter out to soften, which I smartly laid on the stove while it was preheating. I added some chocolate chips to the last batch, which definitely did not ruin the taste.  My batch made 36 cookies. I'll have to pull out the ol' weight watchers book to tabulate how much they are to record my losses...and gains.

 I think they turned out great! Very tasty with a tall glass of milk! I do plan on sharing some when I go home home this weekend and will share some with my friend on Wednesday too! I'll freeze what I don't share/don't eat and pull them out for another "Spoonful of Nutella" kinda day!

PS. Yes. My apartment does have a very cute, green retro Stove.  The stove is finicky sometimes, but I love the character it adds to my little one bedroom!