Chocolate Chip Cookies

Alright, I'm back once again after a Graham's-, travel-, and Avon-induced hiatus.(Yes, I am probably the world's most unlikely Avon rep. I get makeup for cheap and make middle-aged ladies happy.) But I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. I made these cookies on Monday and pulled them straight out the oven into my purse to take into the Runaways movie. I liked it. It was a bit melodramatic, but I've always like Floria Sigismondi's videos, the Kim Fowley character was exactly as I had pictured him, and it made me feel very pleasantly nostalgic for when I was 16 and getting super obsessed with We Got the Neutron Bomb and L.A. Also, I need more leather in my life. Too bad it's SO DAMN SQUEAKY. Every time I wear my leather jacket I sound like the Tin Man.
Anywho, these cookies did not call for salt. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. That was the something that they lacked. But I will forge on, despite my baked goods failure. You may be wondering when this cake whisperer is ever going to make a cake, but I promise it'll happen! I should probably be the cookie whisperer for now.

Mint "Oreo" Cookies

For the family Easter gathering, I made these alleged "Oreo" cookies with a beautiful mint-colored (and flavored) filling. I guess they are like Oreos, if you call anything chocolate with filling sandwiched in between an Oreo. The cookies were extremely soft, made out of cake mix. Wasn't really sure how that was going to work until they were out of the oven, but it did. I pulled off a major coup with the filling, tricking not one, not two, but THREE Hansom men into eating the cream cheese frosting by simply calling it "icing." And they all liked it! Oh ho ho! I'm the winner!
I was tempted to get a little carried away with the green food dye, but happily I did not and miraculously managed a perfect shade of green without staining everything in sight(just my fingers). I thought it was very festive. And like every girl who wears solid black clothing every day, I have a not-so-secret love for pastels. Everywhere.
But back to food...I need to make some Memphis-restaurant-related notes. In the past few months I have compiled an epic list of restaurants around town that I need to eat at.(Sorry for ending the sentence with a preposition, Mom. You raised me better). In the past few weeks I have actually gone to several of them. Some highlights(sadly unaccompanied by photos):
-the hot butter rum cake at Harry's Detour on Cooper...the best rum cake ever, and I should know, I've toured a rum cake factory.
-the garlicky bread at Lavoro's Pizza Pasta Panini on Summer...you have to (like it's a chore) order an entire loaf, and yr breath will be super stinky, but it's SO WORTH IT.
-the guacomole at Las Delicias on Park...basically just avocado chunks and pico de gallo. So so good. It reminded me of the guac of legend, from that fateful day in Mexico when I took advantage of under-21 drinking and $4 drinks and tried to turn on all the stray pregnant dogs on the beach to the wonders of the best guac ever. Bitches wouldn't take it! What kind of dog behavior is that!(Probably screaming "EAT DA GUAC!!!!" was not the best way to endear myself to them).
That's all for now...

Buttercup Pound Cake

I found this recipe in an ancient cookbook that once belonged to my grandmother. It was the 1950s and convenient foods were the current national obsession. This was one of the only recipes in the whole damn book that didn't involve any canned items. Despite the lack of enticing recipes, this thing is SO FUN to look through. There is a dish called "Clam Dunk"! I was almost crying laughing when I saw that(probably a sign of mental instability, but what are you gonna do).
Anyway, I was drawn to this recipe because of its name, which I thought was seasonally appropriate. It gets its sunny hue(much more impressive in person) from the four egg yolks in it(no whites). Even though I should have learned my lesson last time, I once again baked a pound cake for the full amount of time suggested. Therefore, it burned. I wasn't using a dark pan, the oven was my parent's super nice, not-too-hot one...I don't know what happened. No matter. It still tastes good (if you ignore the edges) and it will be gobbled up by the vultures tomorrow anyway.
SUGGESTIONS? for a treat for the casino? I'm considering lemon meltaway cookies (lots of buttah) or mint Oreo-style ones. Or should I not bring anything and instead indulge in the EPIC BUFFET?!?
EDIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!: dang dude, the casino is actually next week. i'm losing it. i will have to make the mint oreos to console myself.

Maple Oatmeal Bread

The real world is hard. It is 11:15 and I'm about to turn in for the night! How did I use to do this? I went to shows 4 times a week and still managed to be at work on time. The Diet Coke addiction must have been it. Really, my energy levels should not have sapped so much from 19 to 22.
You know what else is hard? Taking good photos of the food I've made. Most of the time my fork is halfway to my freshly-produced baked good when I realize I need to document it. I then position the baked good on some part of my comically inadequate counter space, where my shadow gets in the way (hungry, I guess?) for about 5 photos before I give up and dig in. Maybe I'll buy a book about food styling with the colossal (to me) check I'll be getting from my accidental overtime hours. Too bad I'll probably be too tired to cook.
Oh yeah, the bread. Despite its misleading name, the maple syrup did not impart a taste, merely a moist, cakey consistency to this loaf. (What a great word. Loaf!) It was not sweet at all. It tasted really good if you heated it up and put butter on it, but really, what wouldn't taste good if you heated it up and put butter on it?(Don't answer that.) After Andy and I each had a slice, I took it to work to be sacrificed.
Loaf! Loafing around. Loaf-of-bread pose(for cats). What a loaf of shit. (Just kidding. I made that one up.)

Jumbo Childhood Fantasy Cookies

Sounds intense, doesn't it? IT WAS. These were more accurately oatmeal-peanut butter-chocolate chip-Reese's Pieces-walnut cookies. They weighed about a pound a piece and added as much to yr belly fat. I didn't make up that title...that's honest to god the recipe's real name. If these cookies were your childhood fantasy, it's likely that you're obese or were severely deprived as a y'un (as my PA relatives say--and they think WE'RE backwards down here). I say "was" when referring to these cookies because I made them on Monday, and thanks to the vultures at the office they were gone by Wednesday. The Bailey's cheesecake I made for St. Patrick's Day shared the same fate...though there's one piece left for Andy in the fridge. It's nice to have a ready audience for my baking experiments, even if they're about as picky as Charlotte.

I know...

it's been a while. I'm not sure why, but i haven't really been cooking lately. I did make some things that the pictures looked horrible of...as well as tasting bad(Moosewood's lemon mousse...taking a bite was like being punched in the face). But I am planning on an Irish potluck for St. Patrick's Day, involving Bailey's cheesecake and some soda bread. And probably potatoes and beer. So much brown! Monochromatic meal! We'll have to throw some green in there too.
I'll leave you with these profound musings...I wanna watch more 30 Rock.

oh boy

ONCE AGAIN (two livejournals, two blogs, one flickr, now this!), I have started another online media account that I probably won't use. It's a Tumblr, and I am just using it to post a photo a day. My "inspiration" photo on my computer has gotten a little too full. Plus, its contents are too nice not to share. Here's the link.
I promise I will cook something soon! I didn't take any pictures of the honey cornbread muffins and praline cookies I made for our Creole potluck, unfortunately.