Monday, November 28, 2011

Cookies and More

     I apologize to all of you faithful readers out there. I have not updated in two weeks. But I keep putting it off because I think about writing about financials week and decide not to do it. So I’m not.  I’m just not going to write about the stuffy boring stuff. If you really want to know, you can ask. But I’m not weighing down my blog with it.
     I will, however, talk about cookie week. I thought thanksgiving was a good time for cookie week because it is a great way to dispose of all the cookies that I made. I made about nine dozen cookies. Actually that number would be a little higher but my first batch was inedible.

     There were several modifications I made to my usual recipe because I was trying to perfect the “Nana rie” cookie for Thanksgiving. I was trying to halve the recipe so that I could try the new techniques without ruining a whole batch. Which was good because ruin I did. Too much sugar, too much vanilla, not enough flour. They just melted and the sugar caramelized quickly then burnt.

     It does not help that my oven is awful. After initial failure I redid the cookie recipe by adding more flour and less sugar and changing up the proportions of sugar (I add more brown sugar and less white sugar). So the first sheet I put in still burned horribly in the back and was not done in the front. That is when I discovered that my oven burns at such different temperatures between the back and front that I had to turn my cookies every three minutes.  The added flour meant that I had to bake them for a full 10 minutes instead of my usual 8. It was a pain in the rear. I had to sit in the kitchen so as not to miss a turning for the next three pans of cookies. And I couldn’t do two pans at once because the bottom one would burn and the top would end up taking forever then end up hard and unpleasant.

     Finally on Wednesday I went to my mom’s house. She has a nice new oven that baked just fine.  There I made peanut butter with peanut butter chips, chocolate, and chocolate chip cookies. And they were a success. I actually wasn’t crazy about the chocolate cookies because they were boring, but several of my coworkers loved them. So.

     All in all I think I have earned the title “Her Serene Cookie Baker of Middle Tennessee and Western North Carolina for Life.” I will also accept the lesser titles of “Her Lady Cookie Bakeress” and “Marchioness of the County of Davidson Cookie Battalion.”

     This week I am writing my autobiography. I know, I’m not that old or that awesome. But that’s the point. Autobiographies and biographies always make people sound much cooler than they actually are. I am feeling bored with my life right now so I’m going to write it all out and make it sound like I’m adventuresome.  It’s much easier than actually doing stuff.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

I just want a nap

     So, I guess you want to see/ hear about crafting/ no sugar added week. The crafting went well. I made a lot of stuff. The problem is that a lot of what I made was for Christmas gifts and I don't want to talk to much about it or share pics until after Christmas. I don't want to be a scrooge and ruin the surprise for at least 7 people for my own selfish purposes. Let's just say some sparkle, some are dramatic, some took and hour, others days.
     No added sugar week was going well until my boss brought in her leftover Halloween candy. Then I ate like 14 mini snickers in a day. Ok, not 14 exactly. There goes the squid brain again. Eat a little, suffer massive brain damage. Well, maybe 14. Ooops. But I refrained from sugary drinks and coffees, other desserts or candies, sugary yogurt and the like. So...sort of yay?!
     This week has been financials week. Not very fun, but something I feel is important. I am trying to learn: how to buy a house, What is 401k and should I have one, How can I invest and will it ever be possible for me to own a house. Right now I can only answer a little bit of each question. However, since I one day hope not to have to eat spaghetti with plain canned tomato sauce at the end of each month, so I will study. 

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Next week will be better

     Here is another little squid tidbit- A squid's brain is shaped like a donut and its esophagus runs trough the middle. If it eats something too big for its esophagus, it suffers brain damage. That is how I feel around meatloaf or jelly donuts. One bite and I have enough brain damage to eat the rest.
     On to the rest of the show. This was no television week. It was a supreme failure. I watched TV everyday. Here is how it played out:
Monday- I watched the Simpsons Halloween Special. 30 min.
Tuesday- I came in and Ben was watching TV. I wanted to hang out with him, so I watched. 45 min
Wednesday- A friend was featured in a TV show so I had to watch. 1 hour
Thursday- BONES season premier!!! 1 hour
Friday-  Watched a new episode of Regular Show On Demand. 15 min.
Saturday- The game was on. I guess I wasn't actually watching because I don't like football, but it was on.

     You know what I found out? I don't actually watch that much TV. It is mostly just background noise. I thought I'd have all this spare time and get so much done. But I didn't. If I was tired I would just sit and stare or listen to music. I wasn't any more active.
    I know that all of you have heard the people bragging that they are so intelligent/cool/cultured that they don't have a TV. But what does that really mean? For me, in the end, it meant listening to more music. Not smart music like jazz or classical. Just regular entertainment stuff. So am I a better person for not watching much TV for a week? Nope. Are they? Probably not. Just more arrogant.
     So this is a dual week. It is no added sugar week AND craft like crazy week. I have had so much sugar (Read: Halloween candy that was not given away) that i have to go without or I just might go into sugar shock. And I need to craft like crazy to get to ready for Christmas. Most people are getting handmade this year. And I'm trying to make some cute stuff to wear. Brooches, hairpins, etc for being festive for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yay!