I am a terrible baker...I've told you before.
If any day of the week is a 'cooking day' here, I suppose it would be Sunday. Not that I marathon cook every Sunday, goodness no...but it's a good day to kind of get your kitchen working for you: I usually get most of the groceries on Saturday, and I'm trying to use up week old produce and other odds and ends that have been 'chillin (ha-literally) in the fridge for a while, and it gets me in some sort of mode to assess the meal situation for the rest of the week. Whatever that means.
OK, let's bring it back to the baking. I did some today, among other things. I have pulled pork slow simmering away, potatoes baking in the oven, and I made minestrone for lunch. All that cooking got me thinking of sweets (weird, huh), and of course nothing I have in the house is good enough. I stumbled upon a recipe for oatmeal cookies that called for browning the butter. Ooooh. HAD to do it.
I made a few modifications to the original (courtesy of Food Network Kitchens), but it's one of those recipes that is derived from a classic cookie recipe and so that's one too many stupid links for this lazy blogger.
Here's what I did, which clearly is more important:
2 sticks of butter, browned (melt in a pan over medium heat, and watch and stir until butter turns light brown, like the color of whiskey...then stop cooking it)
3/4 C packed brown sugar
3/4 C granulated white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2.5 C flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 C oats
1/2 C (generous) of dried cherries - the original recipe called for raisins. How boring.
1/2 C coarsely chopped walnuts - original recipe had none -- crazy if you ask me.
Allow the brown butter to cool. I put the pan outside because I'm impatient.
Beat the butter with all the sugar. This smells amazing because the milk solids are caramelized. OMG.
Add the eggs and vanilla.
Beat some more.
Add flour, soda, salt, and beat until fully incorporated. Stir in oats, cherries, and walnuts.
Scoop table-spoonfuls on to un-greased cookie sheets.
Bake 350 for 12-15 minutes. Mine took 13:30, and they appeared perfect, and were indeed.
Take the sheet out, let cookies sit for a minute, then transfer to cooling rack with spatula.
Eat all of them, then go to sleep.
If you like, bake half the dough, and freeze the other half for another day. That's also what I did.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wanted
Open design, newer 3-4 bedroom home, including:
Updated, tasteful kitchen w/ quality appliances and an island or peninsula.
One-and-a-half to two-and-a-half updated, tasteful bathrooms.
Wood floors throughout main living areas, bedrooms can be carpet, but prefer wood.
Lots of natural light throughout, coming through great windows.
Soft or average water (naturally or via high-quality system).
Energy efficient heating system.
Semi-finished to finished basement a bonus, but not necessary.
Attached 2 car garage.
Shed on property.
Location:
Residential or adjacent (walking distance) to residential area in small to medium size city. Near sidewalks. Not isolated in the woods. Hudson Valley preferred, but will consider Western Catskill area, Albany, or Binghamton. Nothing further North.
Minimum 0.29 acres.
Maximum 1 acre (with lots of wild/wooded area so there's little maintenance).
Semi-privacy a bonus but not necessary.
Updated, tasteful kitchen w/ quality appliances and an island or peninsula.
One-and-a-half to two-and-a-half updated, tasteful bathrooms.
Wood floors throughout main living areas, bedrooms can be carpet, but prefer wood.
Lots of natural light throughout, coming through great windows.
Soft or average water (naturally or via high-quality system).
Energy efficient heating system.
Semi-finished to finished basement a bonus, but not necessary.
Attached 2 car garage.
Shed on property.
Location:
Residential or adjacent (walking distance) to residential area in small to medium size city. Near sidewalks. Not isolated in the woods. Hudson Valley preferred, but will consider Western Catskill area, Albany, or Binghamton. Nothing further North.
Minimum 0.29 acres.
Maximum 1 acre (with lots of wild/wooded area so there's little maintenance).
Semi-privacy a bonus but not necessary.
Monday, February 8, 2010
If I were
I'm copying this from the notorios A-L-G.
If I were a month...I'd be July
If I were a day of the week...I'd be Thursday.
If I were a time of day...I'd be noon.
If I were a planet... I'd be Mars?
If I were a sea creature...I'd be a mermaid. Hey, this whole exercise is fantasy.
If I were a direction...I'd be unclear.
If I were a piece of furniture...I'd be an armoire.
If I were a liquid...I'd be COFFEE!
If I were a gemstone...I'd be topaz. Cause I like that word. Topaz...
If I were a tree...I'd be a weeping willow.
If I were a tool...I'd be a power drill.
If I were a flower...I'd be a wild one.
If I were a kind of weather...I'd be balmy and 67.
If I were a musical instrument...I'd be a Fender Stratocaster.
If I were a color...I'd be blue.
If I were an emotion...I'd be all of them at once.
If I were a fruit...I'd be a mango.
If I were a sound...I'd be the THX thing.
If I were an element...I'd be Polonium. I just like the sound of it.
If I were a car...I'd be a sweet euro-styled sedan.
If I were a food...I'd be some kind of cheese.
If I were a place...I'd be a well taken care of flower garden.
If I were a material...I'd be cotton.
If I were a taste...I'd be buttery.
If I were a scent...I'd be the beach in the morning.
If I were an object...I'd be a valuable painting hanging in a famous museum.
If I were a body part...I'd be a penis. That would be the life.
If I were a facial expression...I'd be love.
If I were a song...I'd be "Here Comes the Sun".
If I were a pair of shoes...I'd be classic Manolo Blahnik pumps.
What would you be?
If I were a month...I'd be July
If I were a day of the week...I'd be Thursday.
If I were a time of day...I'd be noon.
If I were a planet... I'd be Mars?
If I were a sea creature...I'd be a mermaid. Hey, this whole exercise is fantasy.
If I were a direction...I'd be unclear.
If I were a piece of furniture...I'd be an armoire.
If I were a liquid...I'd be COFFEE!
If I were a gemstone...I'd be topaz. Cause I like that word. Topaz...
If I were a tree...I'd be a weeping willow.
If I were a tool...I'd be a power drill.
If I were a flower...I'd be a wild one.
If I were a kind of weather...I'd be balmy and 67.
If I were a musical instrument...I'd be a Fender Stratocaster.
If I were a color...I'd be blue.
If I were an emotion...I'd be all of them at once.
If I were a fruit...I'd be a mango.
If I were a sound...I'd be the THX thing.
If I were an element...I'd be Polonium. I just like the sound of it.
If I were a car...I'd be a sweet euro-styled sedan.
If I were a food...I'd be some kind of cheese.
If I were a place...I'd be a well taken care of flower garden.
If I were a material...I'd be cotton.
If I were a taste...I'd be buttery.
If I were a scent...I'd be the beach in the morning.
If I were an object...I'd be a valuable painting hanging in a famous museum.
If I were a body part...I'd be a penis. That would be the life.
If I were a facial expression...I'd be love.
If I were a song...I'd be "Here Comes the Sun".
If I were a pair of shoes...I'd be classic Manolo Blahnik pumps.
What would you be?
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Oh, hi. What's up?
Did you miss me? It has been a long month. Where to begin?
The holidays were fun. I spent New Year's with friends, and that was super fun.
January was moving along nicely until the 17th when I got a distressing call from my mom with the news that my cousin Anna was in the ER fighting for her life. Long story short, she developed a sudden, massive infection (sepsis) days after a tubal ligation surgery, and it took over quickly. They could not stop it, and she could not fight it. She died the next evening. Everyone was, and still is devastated. I love and miss her deeply and my heart breaks for her family. I won't go into further details, it's a little too much for me.
Work is always hectic in January, so the rest of the month has been a blur, but the dust is finally starting to settle. February is here and the thought of approaching Spring (though it's still light years away) lifts my spirits a bit.
I'm enjoying the prospect of Netflix (a lovely gift subscription to Tim and me from my brothers), as well as getting back into some reading. I finished The Road. Whoa. Don't read it. If you read it and then you wish you hadn't, don't say I didn't warn you.
I'm reading The How of Happiness. So? what of it? I'll punch you.
Jokes aside, I was interested in it because it's supposed to be beyond the hokey and cornball inspirational/self help garbage out there and discuss actual, scientific, evidence-based strategies for taking control of a specific amount of happiness in your life that is supposedly within your ability to affect and enhance. I like the approach, and so far, it's a fun and interesting read. I might try to do some of the exercises in it. If I go public with any of it, you'll know. And if you make fun of me, I will punch you. Happily.
Tim and I now have a weight lifting routine. We started in January and we're on our 6th workout. We've made some gains, but I will never, ever like it. Lifting sucks. Lifting in the basement with cobwebs and mousetraps REALLY sucks. I've also concluded that I have no back muscles. I'm not sure how I'm able to get around so well, but that's something I'll try to dissect another time.
Okies, I'm off to bed. I'll be wittier soon. And prettier.
The holidays were fun. I spent New Year's with friends, and that was super fun.
January was moving along nicely until the 17th when I got a distressing call from my mom with the news that my cousin Anna was in the ER fighting for her life. Long story short, she developed a sudden, massive infection (sepsis) days after a tubal ligation surgery, and it took over quickly. They could not stop it, and she could not fight it. She died the next evening. Everyone was, and still is devastated. I love and miss her deeply and my heart breaks for her family. I won't go into further details, it's a little too much for me.
Work is always hectic in January, so the rest of the month has been a blur, but the dust is finally starting to settle. February is here and the thought of approaching Spring (though it's still light years away) lifts my spirits a bit.
I'm enjoying the prospect of Netflix (a lovely gift subscription to Tim and me from my brothers), as well as getting back into some reading. I finished The Road. Whoa. Don't read it. If you read it and then you wish you hadn't, don't say I didn't warn you.
I'm reading The How of Happiness. So? what of it? I'll punch you.
Jokes aside, I was interested in it because it's supposed to be beyond the hokey and cornball inspirational/self help garbage out there and discuss actual, scientific, evidence-based strategies for taking control of a specific amount of happiness in your life that is supposedly within your ability to affect and enhance. I like the approach, and so far, it's a fun and interesting read. I might try to do some of the exercises in it. If I go public with any of it, you'll know. And if you make fun of me, I will punch you. Happily.
Tim and I now have a weight lifting routine. We started in January and we're on our 6th workout. We've made some gains, but I will never, ever like it. Lifting sucks. Lifting in the basement with cobwebs and mousetraps REALLY sucks. I've also concluded that I have no back muscles. I'm not sure how I'm able to get around so well, but that's something I'll try to dissect another time.
Okies, I'm off to bed. I'll be wittier soon. And prettier.
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