Let me start off by saying I have two wonderfully supportive brothers who love to show said support by constantly giving me a hard time about everything possible.  To the general public, they can sound harsh and mean as they tease me to make me a better person.  It works and I do have to say, it did build my character and has molded me into the woman I have become: one not afraid to constantly challenge traditional gender norms, be fiercely independent, able to lift heavy things, out run boys and be proud of it, all while not taking myself so seriously.  I think it’s a good thing.

Let me share an example of this rather odd dynamic we have:

On a recent sibling shopping trip to Lowe’s, I had to get a new water filter for my fridge.  It has been two years since I moved in, and I thought it would be a good idea to change it (I don’t drink water from my fridge, I just use the ice from it).  However, I’ve been having a lot of trouble unscrewing the filter housing inside the fridge to access the filter itself.

While I was looking up the model number of the filter that I needed, I noticed that a particular part was offered along side with the filter.  A silly plastic wrench that you could slip around the filter housing with a handle that would allow you some extra leaverage to apply some additional torque if needed.  So, after the sales guy showed me where to find the filters and locate the right one, I ask him about this wrench and this is the conversation that happened (paraphrased):

Me:  So, is there a wrench part that I can also get to help me unscrew the filter housing?

Sales Guy:  No.  All you need to do is reach in and unscrew it.

Me:  Oh, okay, but what if I’m having trouble unscrewing it?  Because I think mine is stuck.

Sales Guy:  Well, I don’t know, I mean, you should be able to use just a hand to unscrew it.

My brother (very loudly and matter of factly):  Sylvia.  You just need a man!

Now, while anyone listening in would be shocked (I’m sure the sales guy wasn’t sure how to react) and expect me to be offended.  Instead loud hearty laughter then filled the appliance section of Lowe’s.  To me, I understood his point…I needed to stop whining and just figure out how to do it myself.  I love my brothers…and that is how we roll…

And now for some Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies…

2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
5 tablespoons bourbon (I used Jim Beam Honey)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350degF.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In the bowl of the mixer (with the paddle attachment), combine the butter and sugar and cream until smooth.

Add in each egg one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Add in the bourbon and stir till combined.

Add in the flour mixture and combine by hand. Add in the chocolate chips and walnuts and combine.

Drop spoonfuls onto parchment lined sheets (give them some space to spread) and bake for about 10 minutes until edges are about golden brown.

When baking, these spread out a lot.  I think it’s because there’s essentially two stick of butter in them.  Plus I don’t think it helped when I reduced the sugar so much.  Nonetheless, they were nice and chewy.  I was assured that the bourbon flavor was definitely present in the cookies.  For whatever reason, I can never tell.  Probably because I ate so many and just became desensitized.

They lasted a few days.  I made them on Monday, and I brought whatever was left (a good amount) to my kickball game on Thursday, and they were finished off.

And to follow up…After a few tries, I finally got it!  I don’t need a man, I am just as capable!  Thank you very much!