For the Love of Sushi and a Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

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I recently watched a documentary film on Netflix called 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi'. It follows Jiro Ono, a master Sushi chef, who at 85 years of age, still strives for perfection in the art of Sushi making.
           It gives us a glimpse of the discipline and dedication with which Jiro works in his world famous restaurant. He expects the same high standards from his sons and his apprentices. His mild yet determined mannerisms made me forget that this is not the story of an underdog but of a world famous chef. As I watched the film, I found myself cheering him on thinking "you can do this, you can achieve your dreams". I guess that is the secret of his success. He believes he has a long way to go before he can achieve perfection in the art of sushi making. So he keeps working at it. Passion like that is so inspirational to me.
           I dream of being an author but I am struggling to turn my dream into a reality. It is definitely not because of lack of support though. I have a cheering squad of three between my husband and two sons who believe in me and want me to have a book published. I have tried blogging a couple times before and even started working on a children's book but gave up after a while. But after watching Jiro, I have a renewed sense of  determination to keep writing.
         Part of my struggle with writing, is to put my thoughts on paper without doubting myself. So to improve myself, I now look to the books I read to be my mentors for my writing. I pay attention to the style in which the author describes the characters and situations in the book and try to apply the same when I write. But the key in doing this is to learn to write from the authors but to maintain my own voice through it all.
         I also follow a few blogs whose authors inspire me to be a better writer. When I read posts by these authors, I want to sit down and write a blogpost right away. 
         I follow a lot of these blog and book authors on Facebook and Twitter as well. Their posts give me a glimpse of their day to day struggle with writing meaningful, relevant words. Watching this has made me develop a lot of respect for the effort they consistently put in on a daily basis. It is a Herculean task to create a book from start to finish. I am not sure which is harder, a cookbook or a novel. So I am now acutely aware of what it is going to take for me to fulfill my dream.    
        Like the authors I follow, Jiro too believes that to be successful at something, you have to be focused, committed and consistent. But hearing him say that made me accept something I have long known but not really accepted. The reason I don't have a published book yet is that I want to try it all and do it all. I want to be a blogger, author, chef, baker, runner, gardener and artist. Did I mention I would like to be a reader of all good books out there too? I wish I could just pick one thing, work on it and get better at it. But I cannot decide what I like best.
    

  I cannot blame my lack of a book deal just on my ADD though. I blame it on my amazing friends and family who inspire me with their daily lives to want to do it all and do it well. Two such people who started it all for me are my mom and dad. I hope to be half as amazing as they are. In honor of them, I share the recipe for the world's best chocolate chip cookies. With their buttery goodness of these cookies, I am sure they make every other cookie want to be like them.
         And I promise, that you guys will be the first to know when I make it big as a blogger-author-chef-baker-runner-gardener-artist! And maybe become a renowned sushi chef like Jiro, while I am a it. And while you are at it, make these cookies guys! You won't regret it.

      

Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

Recipe Source: http://allrecipes.com

Recipe makes 1 1/2 dozen

    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
    1 cup packed brown sugar
    1/2 cup white sugar
    1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    1 egg
    1 egg yolk
    2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
    Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
    Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
    In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
    Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.