Archive for October, 2006
peanut butter “monster toes” cookies.
By Karen | Tuesday, October 31st, 2006 | No Comments »
Michelle asked for the cookie recipe underlying the “Monster Toes” treats I made for Halloween, so here it is. Taken from our favourite cookbook, Cook’s Illustrated’s The New Best Recipe.
Peanut Butter Cookies
(Makes about 36)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup (extra-)crunchy peanut butter (I used Jif)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts, ground in a food processor to resemble bread crumbs (about 14 pulses)
Steps
- Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Beat the butter until creamy.
- Add the sugars to the butter. Beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes with a mixer, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Beat in the peanut butter until fully incorporated.
- Beat in each egg, one at a time.
- Beat in the vanilla.
- With a spatula, gently stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture.
- Add the ground peanuts and stir gently until just incorporated.
- For best results, chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This inhibits spreading in the oven, thus preventing the cookies from becoming too thin.
- Working with a generous 2 tablespoons each time, hand-roll the dough into 2-inch balls. Place the balls on the baking sheet spaced 2.5 inches apart.
- To make a crisscross design and flatten the dough, dip a dinner fork into a small bowl of cold water and then press the fork into a dough ball. Rotate the fork 90 degrees and press it into the dough ball a second time. Re-dip the fork and repeat until all the dough balls are flattened.
- Bake until all the cookies are puffed and slightly browned around the edges but not on top, about 10 to 12 minutes. (The cookies will not look fully baked.) Halfway through the baking time, ensure even baking by rotating the baking sheets front to back and switching the rack positions.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheets until set, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Variation: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Add 1 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips when you add in the ground peanuts.
halloween eve cooking.
By Karen | Monday, October 30th, 2006 | 1 Comment »
i just spent the last 5 hours shopping, kneading, and baking two kinds of Halloween-themed cookies for tomorrow. My guinea pig (Kurt) says they’re both tasty, so we’ll see if they are a hit at work.
Would show you pictures but my camera batteries are on the fritz. Someone bring a camera to work (Dean / Dixon, that means both of you).
White n’ Nerdy (Weird Al Yankovic)
By Karen | Monday, October 30th, 2006 | No Comments »
They see me mowin’
My front lawn
I know they’re all thinking
I’m so White N’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Can’t you see I’m white n’ nerdy
Look at me I’m white n’ nerdy!
I wanna roll with-
The gangsters
But so far they all think
I’m too white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Really, really white n’ nerdy
First in my class here at M.I.T.
Got skills, I’m a Champion of DND
MC Escher that’s my favorite MC
Keep your 40
I’ll just have an Earl Grey tea
My rims never spin to the contrary
You’ll find they’re quite stationary
All of my action figures are cherry
Steven Hawkings in my library
My MySpace page is all totally pimped out
I got people begging for my top 8 spaces
Yo I know Pi to a thousand places
Ain’t got no grills but I still wear braces
I order all of my sandwiches with mayonnaise
I’m a whiz at minesweeper I can play for days
Once you see my sweet moves you’re gonna stay amazed,
my fingers movin’ so fast I’ll set the place ablaze
There’s no killer rap I haven’t run
At Pascal well I’m number 1
Do vector calculus just for fun
I ain’t got a gat but I gotta soldering gun
Happy days is my favourite theme song
I can sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong
I’ll ace any trivia quiz you bring on
I’m fluent in Java Script as well as Klingon
They see me roll on, my Segway!
I know in my heart they think I’m
white n’ nerdy!
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Can’t you see I’m white n’ nerdy
Look at me I’m white n’ nerdy
I’d like to roll with-
The gangsters
Although it’s apparent I’m too
White n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
I’m just too white n’ nerdy
How’d I get so white n’ nerdy?
I’ve been browsing, inspectin’
X-men comics you know I collect ‘em
The pens in my pocket
I must protect ‘em
my ergonomic keyboard never leaves me bored
Shopping online for deals on some writable media
I edit Wikipedia
I memorized Holy Grail really well
I can recite it right now and have you ROTFLOL
I got a business doing websites
When my friends need some code who do they call?
I do HTML do for them all
Even made a homepage for my dog!
Yo! Got myself a fanny pack
they were having a sale down at the GAP
Spend my nights with a roll of bubble wrap
POP POP! Hope no one sees me gettin’ freaky!
I’m nerdy in the extreme and whiter than sour creme
I was in AV club and Glee club and even the chess team!
Only question I ever thought was hard
Was do I like Kirk or do I like Piccard?
I spend every weekend
at the renaissance fair
I got my name on my under wear!
They see me strollin’
They laughin’
And rollin’ their eyes ’cause
I’m so white n’ nerdy
Just because I’m white n’ nerdy
Just because I’m white n’ nerdy
All because I’m white n’ nerdy
Holy cow I’m white n’ nerdy
I wanna bowl with-
the gangsters
but oh well it’s obvious I’m
white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white n’ nerdy
I’m just too white n’ nerdy
Look at me I’m white n’ nerdy!
Canadian Idiot (Weird Al Yankovic)
By Karen | Monday, October 30th, 2006 | No Comments »
Don’t want to be a Canadian idiot
Dont want to be some beer swillin’ hockey nut
and do I look like some frost bitten hosehead
I never learned my alphabet from “A”
to “Zed”
They all live on donuts and moose meat
and they leave the house without packin’ heat
never even bring their guns to the mall
and you know what else is too funny
their stupid monopoly money
can’t take ‘em seriously at all
Well maple syrup and snow’s what they export
they treat curling just like it’s a real sport
they think their silly accent is so cute
can’t understand a thing they’re talking aboot
sure they got their national health care
cheaper meds low crime rates and clean air
then again well they got celine dion
eat their weight in kraft macaroni
and dream of driving a zamboni
all over saskatchewan
Don’t want to be a Canadian idiot
Won’t figure out the temperature in Celcius
see the map they’re hovering right over us
tell you the truth it makes me kinda nervous
always hear the same kind of story
break your nose and they’ll just say sorry
tell me what kind of freaks are that polite
It’s gotta mean they’re all up to something
so quick before they see it coming
time for a pre-emptive strike
talong recipe.
By Karen | Sunday, October 29th, 2006 | No Comments »
Aubergine is one of the hot colours of the season, so here’s a simple Filipino eggplant recipe as well. Talong is an omelet made by coating a roasted or broiled eggplant. It’s a great dish to make at home if you are a pyromaniac and own a gas stove. You can also use a broiler, but where’s the fun in that?
Ingredients:
- 1 aubergine or eggplant, preferably the long skinny Japanese variety
- 1 large egg
- salt and pepper to taste
Steps:
(video tutorial on youtube) (pictures on flickr)
- Broil the eggplant under high heat on a baking sheet until skin starts to blacken and blister. if you have a gas stove or grill, roasting it over open flame is faster and tastier.
- After the skin is cool enough to touch, peel the skin off the eggplant. It should come right off. Keep the stem on.
- Beat the egg and season with salt and pepper. Using the stem, dip the eggplant into the egg batter. Use a fork to mash the eggplant meat into a flat, fan-like shape while still inside the batter.
- Fry the coated eggplant over med-high heat in a little olive oil, 1 minute per side or until golden brown. The stem comes in handy for flipping it over.
- Drain the eggplant on paper towel to get rid of excess oil. One eggplant per person makes a hearty meal.
In my family, these omelets are served over steamed rice and accompanied with some sort of pork. I usually eat it with pork chops but have been known to eat it with (gasp) spam as well. If you want to be truly Filipino about it, create a dipping sauce of bagoong and white vinegar to dunk your omelet into.
deep-fried coke?
By Karen | Friday, October 27th, 2006 | No Comments »
My love for Coca-Cola obviously pales in comparison to this guy’s:
I wonder when we’ll start seeing this in Playland?
change of lindy plans.
By Karen | Thursday, October 26th, 2006 | No Comments »
My grandmother’s birthday party is on Saturday, so rather than risk her awesome wrath at being a no-show, lindyhopping is rescheduled to … tonight! Lumi and I are going to the Legion on Commercial Drive. I’ll be there from 9pm onwards. Give me a call or an email if you can make it.
If I don’t see you tonight, come out to some salsa action at the Law Courts tomorrow.
a lot of good tv this season.
By Karen | Sunday, October 22nd, 2006 | 2 Comments »
I wish I watched less TV, but with Kurt’s sports obsessions and our HDTV / PVR / 5.1 surround sound system, we are drawn to the zombie box nearly every night. It’s amazing how having quality HDTV makes you watch shows that you wouldn’t otherwise. Who other than HDTVers admit to religiously watching PBS?
Anyway, this year, there’s too much TV and too little room on our PVR. Some of the (relatively) new shows out that we’ve been tuning in for:
Our joint addictions:
- Discovery Atlas: new Discovery HD show that highlights a particular country for one hour. Each show is narrated by a celebrity native to the land. Tonight’s Australia feature was narrated by Russell Crowe; Italy was narrated by Isabella Rosselini.
- Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: Great new Aaron Sorkin series (of West Wing fame) about the machine that is live sketch TV production.
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: the original comedy newshour that spawned the careers of Jon Stewart, Steve Carrell (The Office, Little Miss Sunshine), Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report, Strangers with Candy), Rob Corddry (Blackballed), and Nate Corddry (Studio 60).
- The Colbert Report: Funnier than the Daily Show; you’re basically watching to see how far Stephen Colbert will push his interview subjects, or induce web vandalism.
- Lost: I don’t think I need to tell you why this one’s good. It’s like TV heroin!
- How I Met Your Mother: Doogie Howser as Barney = Gold.
- Two and a Half Men: Witty repartee and great acting all around. Very catchy theme song…”men men men men, manly men men men, oooooooooh….”
Kurt’s addictions:
- Curb Your Enthusiasm: Larry David stars as himself at his most annoying. If you hate Seinfeld like I do, you’d despise this show. But Kurt loves it.
- Weeds: Showtime series about an attractive Suburbian single mom of 2 that is the neighbourhood’s marijuana dealer. The last episode was called “MILF Money” and featured a funny cameo with Snoop Dogg.
- It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: FX series about a petty foursome that constantly try to find a path to easy money. If you like Seinfeld or CYE above, you’d probably like this show too. Danny de Vito also stars as the corrupt father of two of the foursome.
My addictions:
- Heroes: new NBC show about ordinary people that suddenly awaken with superpowers.
- Smallville: What can I say; I love superhero plots.
- House: I remember a different Hugh Laurie from Blackadder days gone by. He’s traded in his dimwit slapstick comedies for sardonic medical dramas, but he’s still a joy to watch.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: An anime with better story and character development than Sailor Moon, but sadly, no Tuxedo Mask equivalent.
go see “the prestige”.
By Karen | Sunday, October 22nd, 2006 | No Comments »
A bunch of the usual salsa-goers went to see The Prestige last night, and it was fantastic. Love finding a movie that sucks you into the intrigue and keeps it up until the reveal. That and Christian Bale wasn’t exactly sore on the eyes (drool)…
The only unfortunate side effect was the nasty nightmares that plague me after I watch something scary. This movie was no horror film, but some of the concepts were disturbing. Still, it was a great movie and worth the sleepless night!
ode to pie.
By Karen | Wednesday, October 18th, 2006 | 3 Comments »
(Actually, they’re haikus…care of Dean)
Fall harvest brings joy,
The wonders of pumpkin, pass
A big piece to Dean.
One bite and I melt
Fusion of cream that is whipped
Savory delight