sleepless in Austin

Well, it's past midnight and although I realize it isn't *that* late, I can tell already there's no way I'm going to be able to fall asleep easily. Even though I'm physically tired, my brain is not doing a good job at shutting off. Normally I can will myself to drift off. I am after all a huge fan of napping/sleeping/dozing/lying comatose. This hobby I place second only to eating. Speaking of which I'm hungry again.

Currently my mind is thinking of the "Evil Pink Sugar Cookies." The local grocery store, HEB, carries these things in 10 pack clam shell containers and they precisely look like this spinkles and all:



There's something about the mouth feel that makes these things delectable. They're super soft and in reality, have absolutely not substance. In fact, you get maybe a 2 second high off of these things because there's not any chewing involved. And yet, the delicate flavor (they're actually not too sweet) and inviting aroma of butter makes you want to eat another one...and another...and thus a new form of crack is born.

I offered one to my mom today who tagged along with us for grocery shopping. To my horror, she wiped off the icing before eating the cookie:

"The color scare me," she said.

Indeed, there are very few edible things in nature that come in that shade of pink. I asked her if she liked it.

"Like what?"

The cookie.

"Oh, I forgot I ate it. I bet it's fattening."

See? Not even my mother, who I inhereted my gluttony from, could even remember she tasted such a thing.

T thinks they're vile and in a lot of ways they are because aside from flour, sugar and egg, I can't quite figure out what other ingredients are. Caranuba wax. Why would you need that? They're also 90 calories each. Still, they taste darn good to me.

***
My brain is also abuzz because there's been so much going on lately. As you know, my mom moved up here into our home and then a couple of days later found an apartment in the neighborhood, so it seems like all we've been doing lately is moving boxes, packing and unpacking.

My brother came down Saturday morning to help mom move (again) and I only got to spend about 10 hours with him. My friend Mark had already planned to introduce me to his friend Dave who works over at Guitar Resurrection (a fantastic locally owned shop specializing in vintage guitars and amps) because he was looking for a theremin player for his band. That conversation went fairly well above all the ripping and roaring from the sound room next door as Mark was hammering out power chords over the Bogner Amp (3 grand...sheesh, amps are expensive) he's been eyeing for some time. I ended up buying a guitar slide for my brother, oohing and ahhing the various accessories in the store, musing over various guitar picks all shades of the rainbow and then settled on some heavier gauge ones simply because I liked the color. I'm really not a guitarist, but I do appreciate the accouterments. Mark kept mentioning he always feels like a kid in a candy store whenever he visits and I don't blame him...

I have mentioned this before, but I'll say it again. If you're a single woman and you really want to find a guy, just walk into a guitar store. It would help if you knew music, especially if you can play guitar (because your hotness factor will shoot through the roof) and bonus points if you can keep up in conversation about types and feature of guitars, but just knowing an instrument helps. If you don't you can always be the one asking for lessons---believe me, they staff will want to teach you. I have yet to meet a chick who actually worked at a guitar shop. For whatever reason, even though I know there are a lot of gals who play guitar, you'll find mostly men, roughly in their early to mid 20's in various manners of dress (yet all slightly dishelved even if the outfit consists of a suit) hanging out on a Saturday afternoon there. It's like Fry's electronic store but with less geeks or Home Depot with less dads.

Anyway, after the music store excursion, Mom, T, JBRo and I watched Beth perform works by Hayden and Beethoven with the Austin Choral Consort at St. Matthew's Episcopal church. Mark was there too since his vocal coach is Barry Scott Williams, the choral conductor. That was a lovely affair and would have been a nice way to end the night except that mom really wanted a television and the only place open that late was Walmart.

I hate Walmart. Not even just the corporate aspect of it, but the layout, the chaos, the shitty products and the people! This is where my classism and judgemental side rears its ugly head. Arrrgh! People, just because it's Walmart doesn't mean you suddenly need to look the part of trailer trash. A tube top should never be worn on anyone over 150 lbs. If we can see your ass crack when you're not even bending over, the skirt is too darn short. Wear deodorant....I mean, I don't see these types of people on a day to day basis in the city. I only see them in Walmarts. Makes no sense. Do they live there?

Not only were we at Walmart, it happened to be during tax free weekend, so the lines were enormous. Here we were at 11:00pm fighting to grab the HD flat screen TV for mom amongst wailing kids, screaming parents and a whole mess of weirdos who were there just because they had nothing better to do. We just sat next to a timpani and 200 piece choir for the past 2 hours and the night before T and I were at a rock concert, so the sounds of whiny kids really got on our nerves.

Nevertheless, we got mom a TV.

***

It's about 1 am now and I'm starting to crave hot sauce and chips. I'm thinking if I stay up longer I'm eventually going to want a steak dinner. Better go to bed now. Long work day ahead....

Munchie Mondays: Sarah's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sarah brought these amazing chewy chocolate and peanut butter chip cookies to the party and several people asked for the recipe. Since ballet intensive camp starts up in a week and I gorged on cake, BBQ, alcohol, cheese and chocolate all this past week...and because I'm feeling mighty lethargic, I have to watch what I'm eating so I haven't taken a stab at this cookie recipe yet.

However, I can tell you that they do taste darn good. In fact, I hoarded Sarah's tub full of cookies for most of the party. They sat on my lap as I opened presants (mind you, I made sure others got a cookie too, but as far as I was concerned she made them for me.)

Anyhow, I'll be sure to take photos of the cookies once I bake a batch up, but for now, here's a pic of the trusty recipe originator!


Ain't she cute?

She was kind enough to email me the recipe last week....:)

Sarah's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/8 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 tbsp (one and a half sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup brown sugar (light, dark, or a mixture of both)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 cups chocolate chips or chunks (semisweet or bittersweet)

Preheat oven to 325. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats

[note from Sara: I used semisweet combined with peanut butter chips, and i was pretty lax about sticking to the measurement here. I like lots of chocolate! I skipped the parchment paper...the cookies were fine, they didn't stick at all or burn]
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda, and put aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Add flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Form scant 1/4 cup dough into a ball. Holding ball using fingertips of both hands, pull ball into two equal halves.

Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces exposed, join halves together at their base, again forming a single cookie. Be careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface.

[note from Cindy: I know this sounds weird but it's kind of the same principle as pressing a cookie down with a floured fork to make hash marks and it helps the top surface bake crisp while keeping the center chewy. You just happened to get the benefit of unleashing any pent up anger by ripping apart dough. If it helps imagine some ass hole of a guy you're doing this to...]

Place formed dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 9 balls per sheet. Bake until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets.

Munchie Mondays: Anise Lemon Thyme Sables

This recipe came about during a rant session one day when Sammi and I hanging out. Cookies just seemed to be in order and I realized I had a bottle of pure anise extract that just *had* to be used somehow.

I love the smell and taste of liquorice, but my husband nearly gags when he gets a whiff of it, so needless to say it's been a long time since I've made any sort of anise cookie. As a weird side note, I learned off of wikipedia that anise extract can be added to fishing bait to lure fish. Considering T doesn't like fish either, maybe there's a connection? I have no idea.

Anyway, when I was pondering what type of cookie to make (Oatmeal peanut butter being the 2nd choice), Miss S squealed with "Ooooooh anise!" So yeah, this recipe was born in my kitchen from a happy discovery that someone else actually like anise and that I could finally bake cookies using this pungent recipe again. It's adapted from a low-fat recipe for crunchy anise cinnamon crips. You know how I feel about anything low-fat (evil, I say!), so I adulterated and modified it a good bit and thus came my new favorite cookie.

Anise Lemon Thyme Sables
about 30 cookies

2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup of shortening
1/3 cup of butter softened
3/4 cup of sugar
1 large egg
one egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp of anise extract (seeds can be used as well)
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp grated lime zest
1/2 tsp of dried thyme

1 tbs of Turbinado/raw sugar for decoration (optional)

Oven temperature is 375 degrees Fahrenheit

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and thyme until well mixed. Set aside.

Cream the softened butter and shortening with the sugar. Add eggs, anise extract and zest. Beat until fluffy. Slowly mix in the flour to form a stiff by pliable dough.

Gather the dough and form a log atop a piece of wax paper and roll up, twisting the ends so that dough doesn't escape. I like to shape mine into a triangle so that it doesn't roll away but it doesn't matter. In fact, I suspect these would be fine as drop cookies and baked straight away. However, I like making my sables as either sliced or cut out cookies.

Anyway, put into freeze for 30 minutes or until dough firms up. Meanwhile heat oven.

When firm, slice into 1/4 pieces using a sharp knife.


Since these are sliced cookies, they shouldn't spread much (if they do, next time you make the dough, add 1/8th to a 1/4 cup of flour and see if it fixes it). Arrange fairly close together on a cookie sheet.



If you like, sprinkle raw sugar on top prior to baking (Sammi helped out with this section because it was too dang hard to photograph myself while sprinkling sugar at the same time).



Bake for roughly 10-12 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Baking time will depend on how thin the cookies were sliced and also the dough temperature. I think we baked this batch for 12 minutes. When done, immediately remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool in a rack.




Using a mixer could probably make a lighter cookie. I hand mixed these and they still came out scrumptious---soft delicate crumb with a crunchy exterior that melts in your mouth. The thyme, lemon and anise all compliment each other and no one flavor is predominant. They smell divine too, of course. I think I finished off 6 of them in one sitting.



They go fabulous with milk or tea and good conversation.

Munchie Mondays: Cindy's Breakfast Cookies (Oatmeal)

I call these breakfast cookies due to the ample amount of roughage in these little treats. These cookies are also not super sweet, easy to transport and taste just as good with milk as they do with strong coffee before a long day at the office. I suppose that the description of "roughage" doesn't make these cookies sound too satisfying, but they really do taste fantastic. Leave it to the whole stick of butter to ruin the healthiness of this recipe, but alas, butter is my seductive friend. It helps give the cookie a nice crunchy outside and moist center.



The important thing is to hand mix the batter. This gives a nice dense chewy cookie. Although regular raisins can be used, I happen to like the subtler flavor of golden raisins more and the nuts can be omitted or replaced with chocolate chips. Try maple extract for a change in flavor. If you do like sweeter cookies, you can add up to a 1/4 cup of white sugar into the batter.

Cindy's Oatmeal Cookies (aka Breakfast Cookies)
makes about 20

1 stick of butter softened
1/2 cup of packed dark brown sugar
1 tbs of granulated white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
dash of salt
3/4 of whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of quick cook rolled oats
1/2 cup of golden raisins
1/4 cup of finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until well combined. Beat in egg and vanilla.
Gradually add the wheat flour and rolled oats and gently mix until batter is moistened. Do not over mix. Add raising and chopped pecans and mix gently. Drop dough by rounded table spoon amounts onto a large ungreased baking sheet. The cookies will not spread too much.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. After cool, store in an air tight container. Because there isn't that much sugar or fat in these cookies to act as a stabilizer, I would consume them within a week unless you refrigerate them.

As one of my ballet teachers (David Justin) would often say "Easy-peasy lemon squeezy..." Heh. I think that applies here. :)

Munchie Mondays: Chocolate Covered Coconut Macaroons

If I were a guy, I'd ask Molly from Orangette to marry me. I LOVE her recipes and I love her writing. These cookies are from her food blog and they very well are the best damn cookies in the world.

Case in point: I'm sick as a dog right now. My nose is running, my head hurts and I'm coughing up things that just shouldn't exist in nature. Sammi being the generous soul that she is, baked me up a batch of these as a "get well" present. They were so good, I crawled out of bed to make own batch after I finished hers. She used bittersweet chocolate and I used semi-sweet for mine. Although you can use either, I think bittersweet tastes much more sophisticated. It offsets the sweetness of the coconut quite well.



I added maraschino cherries atop my cookies because I feel guilty copying recipes word for word. They look like titties as my husband decided to inform me...I suppose they do. Anyhow, don't feel the need to add those if you so desire.

Chocolate-Covered Coconut Macaroons (with a cherry on top)
Adapted from this recipe.Thank you Orangette!

3 cups (lightly packed) sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup egg whites (about 5 or 6 large)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
10 maraschino cherries patted dry

Place the first three ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan, and stir to combine well. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, about 10-12 minutes, until the mixture is pasty but not dry. (The uncooked mixture will look sort of granular at first, then creamy as it heats, and then it will slowly get drier and drier. You want to stop cooking when it no longer looks creamy but is still quite gluey and sticky, not dry.) Remove from heat. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts. Spread out the coconut mixture on a large baking sheet. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.

reheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Using a 1/4-cup measuring scoop, scoop and pack the coconut mixture into domes, and place them on the baking sheet. I ended up with about 10 cookies. The original recipe ended up with a dozen. Bake the macaroons until golden, about 30 minutes. They'll look like this:



Transfer to a rack and cool. Meanwhile prepare the ganache. Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl and microwave for 20 seconds allowing the morsels to soften. Heat cream over medium heat until steaming hot and simmering, but not boiling. Remove from heat and pour into bowl of chocolate and whisk fiercely until all the chocolate melts and you get a thick batter-like sauce.





Place cookie rack over a ridged cookie pan and drizzle chocolate over the tops of the macaroons allowing most of the cookie to be covered. Yummy! i managed to use all of my sauce, but if you have leftovers, you can store them in tuppaware in the fridge or freeze. The sauce makes great fondue dip.

Let the cookies set up in the fridge for about 2 hours or so. If desired, top with maraschino cherries after an 1 of setting up. I think toasted almond flakes would be yummy too...maybe sprinkles? I dunno. Anyway, store in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper in the refrigerator or freeze. They actually taste really yummy frozen!