Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

What did you want to become before the adults in your life guided you in your career selection? Perhaps you wanted to aim for the stars and become an astronaut. Or maybe you desired a noble profession, envisioning yourself as a doctor. At the age of 8 years old, I knew that I wanted to become a baker. My decision to be a baker was shaped by my experience of baking in the kitchen with my mother. 

During the holiday season, mom and I baked scratch-made chocolate chip pecan cookies. These moments left an indelible impression on me. However mom advised me not to take it too seriously and not to enroll in any home economics courses. In my junior year of high school, mom recanted and made an exception. 

That year, determined to make her proud, I entered our chocolate chip cookies into a local fair. Our cookies earned 2nd place, just one point short of the blue ribbon. As of today, I still bake this same, scratch-made cookie recipe. I hold this recipe near and dear to my heart and all of the memories surrounding its creation.

In the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving season, I hope that you'll reflect on and give thanks for the responsible and nurturing adults in your life. There are still so many reasons for which to be grateful. I leave you with these parting words:

"Believe you can and you're halfway there." -Theodore Roosevelt