Cookies!!!

I have no creative name for this post. I've sort of kind of forgotten about this blog for a few weeks. It's been hectic. Last week, I pulled my first real all-nighter in college.  I've come close before, but this time I did it. Between 2 papers in a less than 2 days (plus classes and everything), I spent 17 hours writing.  I've stayed up all night before, but the whole using my brain thing made a big difference for me.  I was a little delirious, and then I got a big rush of energy and felt really jittery, even without caffeine! I hadn't really eaten either. I felt a little crazy!!

Enough about how I may or may not be mentally unstable. I haven't been posting recipes, so I'm just going to show you the last one I made, this past Friday.  I wasn't really sure what ingredients we had, since I forgot to check (of course). I was hoping someone had bought oats, because we were out before! I decided to go with basic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. These are the only chocolate chip cookies that ever get made in my house - do not even think about making cookies without oats around my mother!

I didn't ask her for the recipe we always use, but I found a similar one. And then, I was we still had lots of carrots and a few apples.  One of my favorite restaurants in Heidelberg, Cafe Rossi, used to make apple carrot and ginger juice. It was our favorite thing to sip on in the summer.  And then, lo and behold, I looked in the butter dish and there was fresh ginger!! I made a double batch of the cookies and made half regualr chocolate chip and half apple carrot ginger.
I doubled the recipe, and it made A LOT. So I froze the chocolate chip cookies for next week.

chocolate chip dough

Ingredients

• 1 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips - I didn't measure the grated apples and carrots I used, but it was about 2 cups. I also added about 1T grated fresh ginger and 1t cinnamon. We didn't have any ground ginger or I would have added some for more flavor!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl cream shortening, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add eggs and mix thoroughly.
3. Combine the baking soda, salt and flour and stir into creamed mixture
4. Add oatmeal and chocolate chips and stir until well blended.
5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

carrot dough

The chocolate chip cookies turned out a lot flatter than the carrot ones - I think the extra moisture made a difference. They also baked weird, but I think that was just the pans and oven I was using.  Everyone loved the carrot cookies, so hopefully the other ones will be as good!

Triple (Chocolate) Threat

The Friday before spring break, I made triple chocolate cookies that were so good! It was perfect for an intense chocolate craving like the one I was having. Heck, like the one I have every day! I honestly cannot remember which recipe I used, but this one comes close.

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup Dutch process cocoa or unsweetened baking cocoa

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 large eggs

• 6 ounces white chocolate bar, chopped 1/2 inch pieces (or 1 cup chips)

• 6 ounces dark chocolate bar, chopped 1/2 inch pieces (or 1 cup chips)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease (spray and wipe off) or line baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat. In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt and cocoa with a wire whisk. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Stir in vanilla. Add eggs one-at-a-time. Combine completely. While mixing add flour mixture 1/2 cup or so at a time. Hand stir-in chopped chocolates. Drop by tablespoonsful onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks for cooling completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

For bar cookies: Lightly grease 9x13 pan. Spread dough into pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

St. Patty's Day

Sorry I've been MIA for a while! St. Patrick's Day seemed like a good day to get back to bloggin'.  While the rest of campus is pretending it's a weekend I'm in my room suffering from intense stomach pain and finishing homework. I know you want to hear about my personal discomforts!

Anyways, here's a sneak peek at what I did for Spring Break! I, of course, forgot my camera (ever since it broke in India I seem to have forgotten I even own a camera!), but my friend took is an awesome photographer.  I met some awesome people on this trip and it was definitely more fun and relaxing than the typical college spring break in Florida (or SC this year) that I've done with the track team the past 2 years - not that they aren't awesome too. And I didn't have to spend 24 hours on a bus! More pictures to come later

dogsledding!

I also made Irish soda bread on Tuesday for the co-op in honor of St. Patrick's Day. It turned out really well, even though I forgot to add salt (whoops!). It was also the first day it was warm enough for us to eat outside!  This is a recipe from my mom's collection:

6 c. flour
1 T baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
2 t. salt
4 t. sugar
2 1/2 c. buttermilk
2 T butter
1 1/2 c. raisins - I used a mix of golden and regular. And I made a small walnut loaf, since I knew some people didn't like raisins. I wasn't sure if the flavors would mix well, not the non-raisin-eaters said it was good!

Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Set aside.  Combine buttermilk, butter, and raisins; add to flour mixture, stirring until moistened (don't overstir).  Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead until smooth - about 5 minutes. Place on greased cookie sheet and press evenly into a 1 1/2 inch thick circle.  Bake at 325 for 1 hour or until bread sounds hollow when tapped.  Cool 5 minutes.  Cut into wedges.

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It was sooo good!

Days 27 and 30!!!

day 27. a photo of last summer

visiting my grandma in Canton, NY

I'm skipping 29. Cuz I want to
day 30. a photo of you when you were happy

I love to ski. Have I mentioned that? 

Basic whole wheat bread

I didn't do a post on the desert I made last week because it, um, didn't quite turn out.
But, I made up for it by making delicious bread today! I just decided to make a basic whole wheat bread. I didn't even make any substitutions! This recipe makes 1 loaf, so I doubled it and made 2.

Ingredients: 

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see additional notes for a 100% whole wheat version)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast (active dry yeast will work also

Instructions: 

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. 

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

I also made brownies today (yes, from a mix. The Ghirardelli double chocolate kind). It's my favorite from-a-mix brownie. Maybe even better than my homemade brownies - they're the one thing I seem to always have bad luck with. Anyways, I made them because I want to put them in random people's mailboxes. It's part of my whole random acts of kindness thing I decided to start just now. But I better give them away soon - I've already eaten 3! and I'm going to count this as day 28 of the photo challenge: a photo of what you ate today

mmmmmmm

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Days 23-26:

I'm just going to finish the rest of this photo challenge right now, mostly because I want to move on to other stuff. Also, it's almost my spring break so I won't be able to blog (woohoooooo spring break!!!)
day 23. a photo of your friend as a baby

my friend Lacey

this is her now

day 25. a photo of a night you loved

last night in India - sad but really fun! 

day 26. a photo of your favorite weekend

How am I supposed to choose something like this? 

winter retreat in the Texas hill country 2008 - they were so fun!

Day 22:

a photo of your town - all 4 I've lived in (if you count 4 months living somewhere. I had an address at least!)

Austin: 1990-2008 and it's still my permanent address! I love Austin!

congress avenue - looking at the capitol

360 bridge at sunset
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Heidelberg: 2003-2005 oh how I miss you

castle and old bridge
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Beloit: 2008-2012

the river

Auroville: Fall 2010

from above with the matrimandir in the middle

the village I worked in