I found my way to the kitchen again.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you might be thinking that Brady only writes about running. And, you'd be right. I've been spending more time along the lake front than in the kitchen.

I started this blog three-plus years ago to show my family and friends that I could master being a domestic diva. Well, at least I tried. This blog has evolved a bit since then because I wanted a forum -- in addition to Twitter and Facebook -- to write about my affair with running.

As I've become more serious about running, I tend to tune out other aspects of my life. I know I need to strike more of a balance. And, I was able to do that Friday when I hung out in the kitchen. Inspired by the holidays and an opportunity to bake for a friend's birthday, I tried my hand at Paula Deen's Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies.

I evaluate whether to try new recipes according to the number of ingredients and the complexity of steps. The fewer the opportunities to screw up, the better -- at least when I'm at the stove. I liked the chocolate gooey butter cookie recipe for this reason: they were simple* to make.

Would I make them again? Sure, they're easy to whip up. And, I think my chocolate-loving friends would like them. The recipe made about 18 cookies, and I gave nearly all of the cookies to my friend for his birthday on the chance he might share them at his party. Ben ate the remaining cookies in less than 24 hours -- what a compliment!


*I burned a few cookies. Hey, I'm not perfect. Those cookies remained at home.

Packaged and ready to deliver to Fabian.