Stuck in a rut... with a cookbook?

I’ve owned the Junior League of Gwinnett and North Fulton’s cookbook, “At Your Service” for four years.  I’ve tried MANY recipes out of this book: the Chocolate Cola Cake, Pork Chops in Mushroom Sauce, the Fruit Salsa.  All amazing! And I love this cookbook so much that I’ve bought one for many of the women in my family.

Of course, I haven’t been able to try EVERY recipe in this cookbook.  But I thought that I’d found all the really fantastic ones that my family and I love.  These select ones have been my go-tos.  My tried and true recipes that never fail me. 

While I love having this relationship with “At Your Service”, I had no idea I’d gotten too comfortable with it.  Who knew you could get stuck in a rut with a cookbook?

It took my step-mother-in-law, Judy to point this out to me and show me the light of a fantastic new recipe that I’d never noticed before: Urban Legend Cookies.

Why hadn’t this recipe stuck out to me before?  I was floored that I hadn’t ever tried this nutty, chocolaty cookie before!  How had this recipe really been in my cabinet for four years without me ever noticing?

This made me realize that I had another reason to love this cookbook even more!  There was still so many recipes to try that I had yet to discover!  And I’m so excited to jump in a try more in 2015!

In the meantime, I’m going to share the Urban Legend Cookie recipe with you! And if you haven’t purchased the “At Your Service” Cookbook from JLGNF you’re really missing out. But you can buy it here!

2 ½ cups rolled oats
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
4 ozs premium milk chocolate, grated
1 ½ cups pecans, finely chopped

Process the oats in a food processor or blender to form a fine powder.  Mix the processed oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

Cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  Stir in the flour mixture.  Add the chocolate chips, milk chocolate and pecan and stir to mix well.

Drop the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 375 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 5 dozen.

- Megan Blair, 2014/2015 V.P of Communications

A Transfer's Experience

I left a magical place, Verona, NJ, nestled in Essex County, only 30 minutes from New York City. Verona was a place of happiness, safety and a beautiful county park. The teachers at school are all married to the local policemen. The elementary school consisted of only two classes per grade and no buses. I walked my kids to school and everyone showed proper thanks to our crossing guards at holidays and year-end. Magic, I tell you.

In Verona, I was an active member of the Junior League of Montclair Newark (JLMN). That League's mission was (and is still) Children at Risk. I joined JLMN because a number of my friends were already members. I also felt it was an organized and social way that I could give back because I have been blessed with three perfect, healthy children and there isn't much more to life than that.

In 2013, my family decided to seek employment in/around metro Atlanta. While I loved almost everything about Verona, the insane property costs, snowy weather (my nemesis), parking issues, and the fact that you can't do u turns in NJ got to me. While most folks relocating to a new area look at schools and real estate, I immediately checked out the local Junior Leagues.

My research led me to learn that the Junior League of Gwinnett and North Fulton Counties would be the geographically logical League to join. I reached out via the proper channel. That led me to Renee Adams, my transfer chair. 

Not everyone will have Renee as a Transfer Chair. We realized we were both Keller Williams agents and our children attended the same preschool. Later we discovered we both gave a son the middle name of James, we are both December babies, and left-handed. Our friendship turned into magic.

But it didn't stop there. While not all JLGNF members and I lead parallel lives, everyone I met made me feel as if I had known them forever. Everyone I met was sweet, smart and sincere. I immediately loved everyone. I felt closer to these women after the first General Membership Meeting (GMM) than after a year in my other League. The acceptance was immediate, both administratively and emotionally. The Board was quick to "process" me, and everyone else was quick to make me feel like I belonged without having to be sponsored or invited. I was able to begin this transition into my new world immediately.

This all-inclusive, open-armed League is the perfect fit for me right now. I would not have wanted to wait to become established in order to join the JLGNF. I am thankful that they allowed me (and other transfers) to join first and establish later.

When my friends in NJ ask me how I like Georgia, without missing a beat, I tell them it's magical.

-- Melissa Boozikee, Active Member; Attic Sale Co-Chair

Never had I ever thought I could have such influence on another person

I always seemed to be one step ahead of my college friends and one step behind friends who were having babies. My friends who lived in town made friends with other young people who lived in town. My friends with babies made friends with other people with babies. I was stuck in the “in-between” with no place to meet anyone who seemed to be where I was in life.

And so when I joined JLGNF in the fall of 2013 my main goal was to find one or two friends with whom I had something in common and were in similar places as me in their lives. But in all honesty, I expected to get very little out of the experience.  Little did I know, JLGNF would offer so much more!

“Make new friends, but keep the old… one is silver and the other gold….. “

“Make new friends, but keep the old… one is silver and the other gold….. “, “To help people at all times” and “to make the world a better place” – These were some key messages I was taught in my younger years and also what I encourage my two daughters to do.  Then I realized, I’m not doing what I’m asking my daughters to do….other than through their associations (Girl Scouts, Beta Club, Chorus, their friends’ parents, etc., etc. etc.).  It was time to do something on my own!