Father/Daughter Bonding in Boston. And (More) Cookies.

Earlier this month, I played hostess once again. My dad flew out to Boston for a long weekend. We had been planning this weekend since January. His birthday weekend just happened to coincide with the Twins/Red Sox series at Fenway. And I knew my dad had always wanted to see Fenway with his own two eyes, so I knew it was meant to be!

We really did have a weekend of nonstop fun. He arrived Thursday afternoon, so I picked him from the airport and stopped at a great local Charlestown pub. A burger (veggie for me!) and beer was the perfect fix for a morning of flying. Then we headed to my apartment. Jakers went BONKERS. For only seeing my dad a few times a year, he is obsessed with him. I tried not to take it personally...until Jakers chose him over me at bedtime. But I've since forgiven him. :) After a little down time, we headed over to the North End for some of the finest Italian I've ever tasted!

Jakers goes NUTS when he sees Grandpa! (alright, so this is pic is actually him yawning, but I like it)

Friday morning we were up early and opening presents. Since my gifts included our whale watching and Red Sox tickets, we needed to get these opened up before heading to the harbor for our whale adventure! We had a great morning -- the whales, they were a-leapin'! I was so glad it was such an active day on the water. Then in the evening we headed towards Fenway for a night of excitement. The Twins did not disappoint -- we watched an extra-innings win!

Twins fans at FENWAY!

Saturday morning was the Boston Duck Tour. AWESOME. I hadn't done this yet, but see the ducks all over the city. It was really cool and we learned a lot. It was also a good way to show my dad parts of the city that we wouldn't have otherwise visited. Then, we headed over to Beacon Hill for (drum roll, please) CHEERS! My dad has seen every episode of "Cheers" at least a thousand times. So this was a thrill for him - and I must admit, kinda neat for me, too. :) After ordering both a beer and a bloody mary with his meal, so he could have the souvenir glasses, we headed home for some down time. Then in the evening, we drove up to the north shore and enjoyed a seafood dinner on the water in Gloucester. A perfect end to the perfect weekend.

Making dreams come true :)

I'm really close with my dad, but we can also both be really stubborn and have our issues. So I was happy that we had such a nice time together and didn't have any disagreements. And Jakers & Mabel were delighted to have Grandpa here for a visit.

  VEGAN Boston Cream Pie for the birthday boy!

So, segueing into a recipe, *another* one of my gifts included a tupperware filled with cookies for Dad to take home. I made my Aunt Carlotta's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They are SO decadent, and have a secret ingredient that gives them just a little crispy surprise. SO DELICIOUS. I like to keep a stash in my freezer as a sweet treat after dinner.

Carlotta's Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Corn Flakes!)

• 1/2 c margarine (room temp)
• 1/2 c shortening
• 3/4 c vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp milk (I use almond milk)
• 2 Tbsp vanilla
• Ener-G Egg Replacer, equivalent of 1 egg 
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 c granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 c flour
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bag chocolate chips
• 1 c oatmeal
• 1 c Corn Flakes

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Blend  in sugars. Add in flour, soda and salt, combine. Add in chips, oatmeal and corn flakes and mix. Drop teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet (I prefer a baking stone) and bake at 350-degrees for ~12 minutes. Keep an eye on them - you want them to *just* start browning.