Cookies?

I am done with my hard finals! The rest of the week is a breeze.... as far as finals go. I still have to pack up my room though!!! :( Lots to do, lots to do. I'm kind of sad to be leaving. I am going to miss it so much! All my friends, people, my apartment, my room.... almost everything. But the show must go on.
Just a thought: I think that this teeny tiny baby sized water bottle is great for kids. But NOT FOR ADULTS. I seriously guzzled 3/4 of it in like one swig. I was slightly frustrated.


Next: Look at our mini Christmas tree!! It's adorable. AND it has candy canes on it. Peppermint is the flavor that completes the Christmas season.


So, last week was COOKIE week. I made 3 different kinds of cookies on 3 different days, and then my roommate made cookies twice as well. I learned a few very important lesson last week. 1. Don't make so many cookies in one week. 2. Don't commit to making cookies for every social gathering 3. (MOST IMPORTANT) DON'T ACCIDENTALLY MIX TWO RECIPES. When I was making cookies on Monday, somewhere, somehow, I mixed two different recipes. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, and the cookies would be salvageable. However, I made a bad move and combined two very bold flavors: peanut butter and pumpkin. The final product: Peanut Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were very.... interesting. Everybody who tried them said they weren't BAD, but they were interesting. I would agree 100%. They were unique. Don't do it. I did find one person who really really liked them though. Although, I'm pretty sure he just said that and took the whole bag on "inedibles" with him because he has a little crush on me. Ya, pretty sure that's it. After he told me he liked them, he proceeded to act like he knew a lot about cooking and flavors etc and said he discovered the missing ingredient: nutmeg. All I could do to prevent myself from laughing in his face was smile. Returned missionaries will always be a little bit more awkward for the rest of their lives. But I'm ok with it, because he made me feel a little better.
In an effort to redeem myself, I made snickerdoodles (how can you go wrong with Snickerdoodles?) for the volleyball assistant coaches (finally had our banquet). Those turned out great. Then I made the soft pumpkin cookies for the ugly sweater party... BY REQUEST! Do you know what that means? That means that I am now known for my delish pumpkin cookies. It made me so happy. PLUS, the party was fun fun fun.
Needless to say, I haven't made cookies since. BUT, I'm going to make more today - - Our art final is pot luck-ish, and I would never pass up such an opportunity to make something for such an occasion. :)
Picture time:

My HOTT sweater. and Yes, I'm bringing it home with me.


Yummy snickerdoodles


The snickerdoodles recipe is amazing. Here it is, if you're interested. I searched forever for one perfect for my liking: no cream of tartar, less than 2 sticks of butter, and a sweet twist: maple syrup! Found it.

Maple Snickerdoodles
• 2 C flour
• 2 t baking powder
• ½ t salt
• ½ C butter – room temperature
• Slightly less than 1 C brown sugar
• ¼ C Maple Syrup
• 1 egg
• 2 t white sugar
• 1 t brown sugar
• 2 t ground cinnamon
Blend flour, baking powder, and salt together. In a separate bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Add the egg and maple syrup and mix. Then add the flour mixture in mini batches, mixing just until the flour is mixed in.
Make the sugar-cinnamon mixture in a little bowl (you may need more). Coat SMALL balls of the dough in the mixture. In a 350 F oven, bake for 6 minutes. If you like them cakey (they won’t look done when you take them out). Cook for 8 minutes for crunchier cookies. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes to cool, then move them to a cooling rack.

Tofu Marinade and Gummy Vitamins

I just remembered that I never posted something very important: Tofu Marinade. I was inspired by some food blog... go figure. So this was MY experiment with marinating tofu:

Samantha’s Tofu Marinade
Start by pressing your tofu.* This will drain the water out of it so that it will absorb the marinade. Cut in triangles. Marinate the tofu for about an hour in the marinade. Then bake, sauté, fry, or eat it cold!

1 ½ tsp minced garlic
1 ½ tsp sesame seeds
5 tsp vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup pineapple juice
1 tsp vegetable oil
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano

Save the leftover marinade to dip the tofu in. Serve with rice. Or on a salad. Or or or...

*Pressing tofu is easily done by sandwiching the tofu between 2 plates and placing something kind of heavy on top. Drain the water as it appears. 15 minutes each side.

Next time I might add ginger and lime. Also, I won't marinate the tofu for so long... it had a very distinct flavor. I like a more mild flavor. But for some people (like... anti-tofu eating men), the flavor might be completely necessary in order to prevent gagging. I just so happen to like tofu and don't mind its texture or "flavor".

NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS

You know those gummy vitamins you used to eat when you were a kiddo? Ok. Just because you're bigger than an 8 year old does not mean your too old to keep eating them. In fact, 2 of these gummy bundles of *JOY* a day is a great way to prevent cold sores. And other sicknesses. Don't get me wrong, I still take my daily vitamins via old lady pill box, but more vitamins can't hurt, eh? PLUS, I really don't know why, but I literally look forward to the time of day when I get to take my vitamins. You betcha I don't ever forget to take my vitamins anymore!
(Available at Wal Mart, Sam's Club, Costco etc.)