Dulce De Leche Cookies

Whew! I'm on the uphill climb and I can't wait for Thursday evening. One album down, another one begun and I have a major project due Tuesday in my art ed class. THEN, on Thursday, I teach!!! It's kind of nice to get my week of teaching done early in the semester, but I still feel a bit unprepared and nervous. I have to make 70 people (60 of them children) listen to me all at once and get them to learn something. I want to teach, and it's very exiting, but this group is so big and so unruly. Last week someone taught them the color wheel. I spent two minutes at one end of my table (the 3rd graders), and by the time I got to the other end, those kids had painted their hands :). Thomas gave me some really great ideas and I just need to get my props together.
Speaking of Thomas, he gets really excited when the monthly issue of Martha Stewart comes in because the last page is the cookie of the month. This month's was especially delicious. He begged for a week or two before I had time to make them, but it was well worth the wait. I don't know how hard it is to find dulce de leche in other states, but this south it's in every grocery store.

Dulce de Leche Cookies
Makes 18
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dulce de leche

1. Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg, yolk, chocolate, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour.

2. On a lightly cloured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch think. Cut 36 rounds with a 2-inch cutter, and space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 375. Bake until set, 7 to 9 minutes. Let cool. Top half of the cookies with 1 heaping teaspoon dulce de leche and top with another cookie.

Whew! How did I go from trying to live a slow life to being this busy?! There really hasn't been that much baking... or blogging.... lately. There hasn't been much of anything aside from school, work, and albums. School is great. We teach K-5th graders, 60 all at once, in an after school program on Thursdays. They're so cute! I'm a little stressed about school and I don't know why, but I've had a few anxiety dreams. You know, the kind where everyone in your class, your teacher, and your friends all stand around and tell you you're going to fail? I think the real root of my anxiety is an opportunity I've been given to expand my album design business. Jill sent me a link to an album design company out of California who is growing too fast and needs a few part time designers. In a crazy moment of "what could happen" thinking, I sent them an email with links to some of my work. They responded mostly positively and have invited me to design a sample album for them in October as an interview. What am I thinking!?? It would be great if this took off and I could quit my job, but that would take me believing my work is at the professional level. This is a jump I am not ready to take and I'm terribly fearful of rejection. So, yeah, anxiety much?
Despite everything going on, I did find time to put in a last ditch effort to accomplish a few of my summer plans before school got into full swing. I have an herb garden again!

This garden is not nearly as cool as the one Emily and Tex gave us as a wedding present (the cats aren't getting fresh catnip anytime soon), but it's so nice to have fresh basil and oregano again. Our favorite bean salad is much tastier with fresh ingredients. It's perfect for days when you want a light meal and don't have much time.

Texans complain a lot about the weather, but lately, it has been perfect! Low 80s, good breezes, clear skies. I've found myself on the porch a lot in the last week studying (it's also quieter outside, than inside with Thomas :) ). Every once in a while a good breeze comes and all the smells from my herbs get stirred up. While making the salad below, I was able to stab myself with a new knife, injuring my hand badly enough to make me think I needed to have stitches. Three hours later in the emergency room I was being handed a band-aid and feeling very sheepish. Oh well, better safe than sorry. A big thanks to Anna for taking me :). Don't worry, the food wasn't contaminated. Thomas was sweet enough to finish it for me.

Herbed Black Bean Salad
from Better Homes and Gardens Smart Diet
a present from Cyndi (THANKS!!!)
1 15oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
1/4 cup snipped fresh oregano
2 green onions, sliced
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a medium bowl combine the garbanzo beans, black beans, tomatoes, basil, oregano, green onions, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Let salad stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend.
We always serve this salad with cornbread.