In a world shrouded by lies and deceit, few dreams live to come true. But here, they are given shelter and nurtured to become reality. Each story, each entry is a wish from the heart that yearns for freedom. It is up to you to decide whether they are true or false.
And so, read with an open mind, for no dreamer will ever be forgotten again.
Between this post and the last, you will not be lacking for something sinfully sweet when you have a craving. And the best part? Not only will you get two giant cookies (or 4 in my case) but it only takes one extra large egg. Mmm hmmm, that is correct. And if you only have enough room in your tummy for one of these monstrosities, both the raw egg as well as the unbaked dough can both be stored in your freezer for one of those rainy days when you can't be bothered to lift a finger, much less a mixing bowl.
A few warnings before you continue with this #recipe. Due to the alkali nature of the cocoa powder and the baking soda, it can have quite a bitter touch to it if your measurements are off, so measure accordingly. From previous experience, I can say that a lump of baking soda is not good eats. On that end, watch the baking of this cookie compared to the previous recipe. This one takes only about 13-15 minutes and it can be quite difficult to ascertain if the bottom of your cookie is burned due to the darkness of the dough. One more little tidbit before continuing, an extra large egg yields about 4 tablespoons, which as I said about, is about perfect for two giant cookie recipes.
Giant Chocolate Cookie
2 tbl unsalted butter (softened)
2 tbl granulated sugar
2 tbl brown sugar (light)
2 tbl beaten egg
2 tbl cocoa powder
1/4 cup (4 tbl) AP flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
Additions: chopped walnuts, chocolate chips
Cream together the butter and sugar. (I've been using a fork since it's such a small amount and who can be bothered to dirty proper mixing utensils?) Add the egg and vanilla. Mix. Combine the rest of the dry goods and mix until thoroughly combined. As with the previous recipe, here is where the fun begins. I added in chopped walnuts because that's what I had on hand but you can use anything as long as it doesn't exceed 1/4 cup of extra goodies.
Waiting to get baked
Bake at 350 F for about 13-15 minutes, watching carefully. The cookie will appear underdone but will set up as it cools. :) This is a sinfully chocolaty cookie, more on the dark and rich side instead of sweet and sultry. The center is like the chewy goodness of a brownie with the outside crackly.
Generally I don't participate in any of these internet-generated themed days of the week but the hashtag association seemed quite appropriate for this recipe and the events of the week. Especially if you're an 80s or 90s baby who grew up with old school Macs and floppy disk games which were the highlight of the week when it was your turn in class to have thirty minutes or an hour in front of the computer with a partner, playing Number Munchers, Oregon Trail and Pac Man.
Earlier this week, the Internet archive otherwise known to many on Ravelry as the Wayback Machine, released a number of MS-DOS games free for public consumption. So what did we do? My brother and I decided that Oregon Trail would be the best way to experience that joyous childhood game again in our 20s (and it was much more fun than a trip to the dentist).
Splint? External fixation?
Someone didn't get their MMR completed :D
Surprisingly enough, we didn't suffer much in the way of casualties, true, so a few members of the party broke a leg or two, perhaps contracted fevers and the measles but beyond some broken axles, stolen bullets, we made it to Oregon, having set out in May with the hopes that we would arrive before the snows came upon us.
We survived!
If you want a little bit of your childhood back today, take a look over on The Internet Archive and search for your favorite game from the days of pixeled art, desktops with towers and mice connected with cords.
Now for some sugar to sweeten up the day.
Cravings for cookies can often be a pitfall, ending up a dozen, two dozen, even three occasionally depending upon the size of each morsel. And without anyone to feed, it can become more torture than a treat by the time you've eaten six or seven straight out of the oven. The cookie jars of childhood wouldn't be enough to house the resulting leftovers. But the following recipe is perfect for those days when you can't be bothered to fire up the oven, roll up your sleeves and slave in front of the oven for as long as it takes to bake off a pound of dough.
Having seen tons of single serving recipes on Pinterest as well as microwave mug cakes, both of which have made it onto Pinterest Fail lists in one way or another, I was a bit skeptical. However, this is definitely a win. I decreased the flour since the dough seemed thick enough and didn't add salt since peanut butter has quite a bit already. Added a dash more vanilla and didn't bother to measure my PB (because more is better). So here's the recipe with my tweaks. :D
And for even more awesome lazy craving fulfillment, I used a small toaster oven and didn't have to battle the pots and pans stored in the large conventional oven (that's how you know it's a Chinese house - the oven isn't used for baking) required for a full batch of cookies.
Additional treats: chopped walnuts, Reese's cup pieces, peanut butter m&ms
In a small bowl, combine the butter, sugars, and peanut butter. Mix until thoroughly incorporated. Add the egg and vanilla. When combined, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda). Do not over mix. It will be a fairly thick dough.
Now here's where the fun begins. The original poster added Reese's pieces but I didn't have any on hand. So just add whatever your heart desires, as long as it doesn't exceed 1/2 cup of goodies. I used some leftover candy and walnuts. :)
Bake in a 350 F oven for 15-20 minutes. The cookie will still look a little underdone and soft in the middle but will firm up as it cools down.
Straight out of the oven
This makes a massive amount for ONE cookie so I separated my dough into two 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick circles of about 4 inches in diameter and only baked one at a time. It came out to be 5 inches in diameter after baking. The rest of the egg is in a ziploc baggie in the freezer for my next cookie craving. Yum!
There is one thing I cannot resist every time the holidays come around, and that is Starbuck's Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. The blend of their Signature hot chocolate (combining three types of chocolate), toffee flavored syrup, whipped cream piped on top and drizzled with caramel syrup lightly dusted with a smokey sea salt makes my holidays complete. And if the barista EVER asks if the lack of salt will be a problem, vehemently say YES! Why? Because while the general taste of the salted caramel and chocolate will be present, the salt adds a smoky flavor that cannot be replicated, bringing out the sweetness of the chocolate, blending together a rich flavor that shouts of comfort and decadence.
While in England and on Sint Maarten, Starbucks was not a daily occurrence. In fact, it barely existed in the former and not at all in the latter. So I went searching for a replacement. While there are no pictures, just imagine the lusciousness to come.
Starbucks' Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
(with chocolate - this recipe is richer) 2 cups milk (I use 2% generally but whatever is your favorite) 3 oz of semisweet chocolate 1 oz milk chocolate 2 tsp of sugar (to taste) Caramel (homemade or storebought) Whipped cream (homemade or storebought) Flaked sea salt (not regular table salt)
In a saucepan, combine milk, chocolate and sugar. Heat and whisk to combine until the chocolate is completely melted. Pour into two mugs, top with whipped cream. Drizzle caramel over the top and dust with a sprinkling of sea salt.
For a recipe that does not require chocolate, you may use the following recipe for hot cocoa. This is not as rich as the one above.
(with cocoa powder) 3/4 cup milk 1 tbl cocoa powder (use something good) 1 tbl of sugar 2 tbls of milk or cream Toppings as above
In a small mug or bowl, make a paste using the cocoa, sugar and cream. In a small saucepan, heat the milk until hot but not boiling. Take a whisk and combine the paste with the hot milk, whisking until frothy and combined. Pour into a mug and top as above. :) Makes a single serving.
So if you're somewhere over the rainbow, in a land that doesn't serve salted caramel drinks, make this and feel the warmth spread through your body.
The last few years have been a bit bereft of holiday spirit on this blog. In fact, my presence has been a bit absent in general. But I hope to change that. I know I say that every year but there's always a chance that that one of these days I'll have enough time on my hands to simply sit down and write each post and edit without having to worry about fulfilling other duties.
In the meantime, here's a little throwback to the past, even if it isn't Thursday. I remember the last time that I sang this song, Christmastime is Here. It was when I was in elementary school and I was a part of the school choir. We had just finished performing at a local hotel and as a treat, we had warm mulled apple cider with Christmas-themed shortbread cookies.
This time of the year always makes me a bit emotional. I love all the decorations, the time I get to spend at home. Granted, in this day and age, more emphasis is based on the economic aspects of the holidays but there's something to be said for the feelings and memories the holidays evoke.
Seeing as I had a fairly consistent trend of stories posted during the holiday season, I hope to start that tradition up again. However, I must warn that they will not be the same 'happily ever after' drabbles of the past. While you wait for something new and shocking, here's a holiday recipe that screams of gingerbread, warms fires in the hearth and scented apple spice candles and a poem I posted years ago of fairy-tale dreams for the Love is in the Air Contest on The Mystic Castle and won.
Alright, so I know I've been a little MIA for the last few months, but I'm going to try and remedy that with a slew of posts of what I've made. After all, I didn't waste any of that time offline by cooking. Oh no, why would I ever do such a thing! :)
The coming weeks will hopefully be filled with more recipes that I've tried once.. twice... occasionally, three or four times. However, if you can't wait for the recipe and my take on it, here's a list of what's been occupying my time in between moving around Europe and the States, studying, making friends, cooking and crafting.
*** I've tried each of the following recipes and they've all turned out great. If you want any other ideas, just take a look on my main Pinterest board. Happy Cooking!
So this is a bit of a belated post but I had a very eventful weekend so you'll just have to excuse me. For the second week in a row, I made a fruit inspired dessert. Generally I'm not one for fresh, juicy, oozing pieces of sweetness, but seeing them at the store on the shelves with stickers that say 2 for 4 (pounds that is) makes them irresistible. After having fruit ripened into mush almost instantaneously on the island, it's nice being able to store produce for longer than a day on the counter or table. Especially when there's not that much room in the fridge or freezer.
I fairly certain that when I get settled down in the future, I will NEED a full fridge and freezer. There is absolutely no way I'll be able to deal with any sort of food storage contraption that isn't higher than I am tall and twice as wide as me. For someone who cooks as stress relief, I need space for everything before I dole it out and feed everyone around me. It's at the point now where I'm seriously considering taking a look into the mini fridge in the breast clinic and using that to store my goodies before friday when I bring them in.
Yeah, yeah. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Don't judge a girl just because she wants more kitchen space. It's perfectly reasonable.
In any case, this Friday was better than last week. The morning was a little sad but the afternoon wasn't so bad. And then Mike and I practiced some clinical cases. They might not be entirely realistic but for history taking, catching all of those small little details you don't always think about and going through the basics of doing a physical, it's quite useful. I think the most useful part for me is just thinking of differentials and diagnostic tests. While eliciting histories has gotten easier, I still find it difficult to think of a slew of different possible diagnoses on the fly. I know that it's tucked away in my brain somewhere but I suppose it's something that comes with practice.
So today's recipe has some added benefits. Not only are anthocyanins neuroprotective but they have anti-oxidant properties. Lab based studies on dark berries have shown some positive correlation between the ingestion of berries and the health effects on aging, inflammation, bacterial infections and even cancer. So toss in a few more berries, dust the top with a bit of sugar and have a slice for breakfast. Lemon Blueberry Cake with Lemon Glaze
Cake
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the
lemon) 1 cup (240 ml) fresh blueberries 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered (icing) sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
In a large bowl or mixer, cream together the butter and white sugar. When lighter in color and creamy, add the eggs one at a time. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and alternately add the flour mixture and milk/vanilla in 3 batches. Toss in the blueberries with the last addition of flour and mix gently to distribute the berries. If you use frozen, you can take them straight out of the freezer and add them into the batter. It doesn't make a difference to the recipe.
Pour the batter into a lined 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes at 180 C (350 F) checking at 45 minutes or so depending upon your oven. (I know I've been stressing it more recently but different ovens work at different temperatures and sometimes have hot spots which require rotation during baking. But you know your oven best).
While the cake is in the oven, combine all the ingredients for the glaze. When the cake is done, a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean/with a few crumbs attached. Let it cool before drizzling with the glaze. Pour half over the cake, let it set up for a few minutes before pouring the rest over the top.
Lemony, fresh, definitely the perfect slice of heaven on a busy Friday morning.
I must say that one of the most uplifting events of the day wasn't even medically related. It was just the camaraderie of the entire team and the way they joke around and tease each other. At the end of the day, despite occasional name calling and stealing slices of cake, it's obvious even to an outsider the ability of everyone to work together.
Except in the case of cake... As you will see from the following message written on the foil covering this week's cake, it's supposed to be Fabio's Cake and at the dire threat of a skull and crossbones, "DO NOT TOUCH."
Unfortunately, the message was tossed to the side, cake was sliced into and it was definitely touched. Although in retrospect, everyone did work together.... against Fabio to eat cake. :)
Is it strange that the healthier I eat, the hungrier I am? Somehow, it doesn't seem to work out. If I'm hungrier then I'll eat more. If I eat more, that means it could potentially be unhealthy. Granted, it all depends on what I'm eating.
Yesterday and this morning probably made up the healthiest eating I've had since I started surgery. It's definitely on of the most well rounded meals I've had in all of my pre-test studying experience. I know, it sounds impossible, doesn't it? At some point, I must have made a healthy meal before an exam, but truthfully, some of the quickest meals were also the most fat laden comfort foods known to man. Mmm... fat.
Anyway, onto the pseudo-recipes of the day. It's more of a compilation of ingredients which you could switch up however you like, and it's not completely homemade, but for the quick meal before sitting down for 12 hours in front of the computer, it's simple and yummy.
And for the time when I'm not studying, each of the individual pieces will be made from scratch in the future. They've been on my list long enough that it's just a matter of time before I get the proper tools to create them.
So, yesterday's dinner was full of protein AND vegetables.
Lamb/Falafel Open Faced Pitas
Pita bread (prepackaged from store)
Hummus (homemade/storebought)
Red pepper (sliced)
Cucumber (sliced)
Plain yogurt
Falafel and/or lamb meatballs
Turn the oven on to the lowest setting and place the pita bread on the rack to warm through while prepping everything else.
Slice the red pepper into strips and cucumber into thin rounds.
In a pan with a bit of oil, cook the lamb meatballs until medium/medium-rare or however well done you want them. To better fit on the pita, I took the spatula and pressed them into a disk while cooking. The same follows for the falafel which I just bought premade as well and only needed to reheat.
When everything is ready, place the pita on a place and spread a generous amount of hummus on top. Layer the vegetables and meat as you like. I placed the cucumber slices first, scattered the peppers randomly and then laid the meat/falafel out in a row on top. With a fork, I also drizzled a little plain yogurt on top of everything. You could really use anything you like in terms of veggies and toppings in general. :)
And then this morning, don't know what got into me, but I decided that a smoothie was in order. Perhaps it was because I was so incredibly tired and I figured a cold burst of sugar would wake me up (in addition to the shower of course). It was definitely one of the best ideas I had this morning as opposed to getting coffee and a yumyum, which was one of the options I considered...
Strawberry Peach Smoothie
1 cup strawberries (I used frozen)
5 small peaches (I used 2 peaches and 3 nectarines)
1 cup ice
¼ cup yogurt (Greek Honey)
¼ cup apple juice
Smattering of cranberries for some tartness
Toss everything into the blender and let it run until there are no more giant chunks floating around. Pour into a cup, stick in a straw and slurp away! I only drank half and put the rest into the freezer.
