yesterday, i tried to catch up with some reading on ck and i quickly stumbled upon the 2 sides of ck. the good side was in my inbox. i received several emails thanking me for, well thanking me for just being here. apparently, karen (archimedes) suggested we send PMs to the folks on ck who have inspired (helped, been there, etc.) us in anyway. i was pleasantly surprised by my in box and thanks to all who wrote to me. what a wonderful suggestion from karen. i have a few pms to send out over the next few days myself.

i then discovered that karen's suggestion was a reaction and an effort to counter the bad side of ck which i came across shortly after. i was so appalled by the trash i read regarding trishierunner and what prompted her to leave. i know it's not exclusive to ck. there are rude and obnoxious people everywhere. but seeing vicious words typed as a comment on a blog makes you realize how open and vulnerable we all are. awhile back i was hurt by comments in a forum so i can imagine how terrible trishie feels. i am sorry these ugly words took ck away from her. it is our loss too. hopefully the person who wrote those awful things is silenced now. she is obviously bitter and sad, but still that's no excuse. and there isn't any room on here for that nonsense.

well, i am going to do my part to end 2007 on a much happier note and i will start with another recipe from my collection. it's another gem. these are a hazelnut chocolate chip cookie from food tv. giada de laurentiis, host of everyday italian usually has some awesome recipes. these are a bit expensive to make because of the hazelnuts, but a terrific alternative to the basic chocolate chip cookie...as i said yesterday, enjoy in moderation and share with gusto!

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces English toffee candy (recommended: Heath or Skor bar), finely chopped
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, and chopped
1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Finely chop the oats in a food processor. Transfer the oats to a medium bowl. Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the toffee, hazelnuts, and chocolate chips.

For each cookie, drop 1 rounded tablespoonful of dough onto sheet, spacing 1-inch apart (do not flatten dough). Bake until the cookies are golden (cookies will flatten slightly), about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. (The cookies can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Note: I did everything in the food processor instead of messing up my mixer too. You'll have a little flakes of the oatmeal in the bowl of the food processor, but it doesn't mess up the cookie dough.