Cookies and Convection Ovens

 I've been craving cookies for a few months now.

Homemade chocolate chip cookies with oatmeal and perhaps a few cherries thrown in for good measure.

For the most part I've been able to ignore the cravings.

That is until today.

A pop up thunderstorm created just the atmosphere for summer cookie baking.

I've been playing around with a new to me feature in ovens...

the convection feature.  It was a success with the cookies.

After all these years of using a plain old oven, I'm trying to decide when it is best to use the convection feature or is it best to always use it?  Just wondering if you have any thoughts on the matter?

I'd be happy to share a cookie with you.

Since that's not possible I'll do the next best thing.

Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookie recipe can be found here.

Enjoy!

Post Vacation Garden Notes

Shortly before last week's vacation I snapped a picture in the side garden.  At that time the hostas and coreopsis were filling in nicely along the trail.  The hydrangeas were coming into bloom with the promise of their best show since planting them a few years ago.

While checking out post vacation progress this morning, I see that the hydrangeas and coreopsis are happily pulling a disappearing act on the stepping stones.

Shown from the opposite end of the trail.

The watering can that was hanging above the plant is now being swallowed up by it.  Yikes!  Looks like it's time to reposition the watering can or prune the plant.  Perhaps both.

Another hydrangea along the trail.

This one is also growing profusely and encroaching onto the stepping stones.  I'm content to bypass the path for awhile to enjoy the beauty.

I'm happy to see the purple coneflowers popping out.  They perform really well here which is something I need to remember for my next garden.  Our next garden will be teeny tiny so I am trying to stick to the plants that perform the best.

Our temperatures are supposed to be in the mid 90s for the next few days.  Laundry, closet cleaning and a bit of reading are scheduled for today.  I should pay a visit to the grocery store, but don't really feel like it.  Surprisingly my garden provided enough greens to fix a little salad for lunch or dinner.  I planted the lettuce from seed a little late in the season and was beginning to think there would be no harvest before the heat set in.  

Our travels took us through Georgia where a produce stand was set up right beside the gas station.  While he filled up the tank, I selected a pair of tomatoes and a small basket of fresh peaches.  I hope they taste as good as they smell.  I'm thinking it might be time to take that frozen pie crust out of the freezer and whip up a peach pie.  Come to think of it maybe those tomatoes could pair with the lettuce and the bacon in the freezer to whip up a BLT for dinner.

Now that that's settled it looks like I can postpone a grocery trip for another day or two ;).