Friday, December 20, 2013

Lacy Oatmeal Cookies

Every family has their Christmas cookie traditions. Mine is all about peanut butter balls. Seriously, those are good. But recently I was introduced to these special cookies via my boyfriend. These lacy oatmeal cookies were his absolute favorite holiday cookies growing up, and we were actually able to get the recipe from his grandma to try out for ourselves. I can't believe I'd never heard or even had these cookies before! A shame, because they are really delicious. And deliciously addictive. Oh yes, you can't just stop at one.

Lacy Oatmeal Cookies by freshfromthe.com

The recipe itself is deceptively easy. Some basic ingredients get whipped together in your mixer in just a few minutes, and then it's smooth sailing, right? Well! Let me lay down some knowledge on you - these cookies take love. These cookies take patience. Are they worth it? Absolutely. But you're going to need time, and it would be really helpful if you have two cookie sheets to use if you want the baking to not take all day. Just laying it down, man. You need to know before you try to start these at 9pm or something. Don't do that.

These cookies are really thin and flat, and that's the way they're supposed to be, so if you make them, don't be disconcerted when that happens. You're doing it right! And being so thin and light, you can totally eat four in a row and it's totally just like one regular cookie!

Lacy Cookies by freshfromthe.com

Super thin and light cookies, you may have had these at the holidays growing up. Makes a TON!

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups quick cooking oats
Instructions:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes or so on medium-high speed. Next, add in the rest of the ingredients and beat until incorporated, on medium-low speed.
  2. Line your cookie sheet(s) with heavy foil, shiny side up. Place level teaspoon-sized dollops of dough spaced at least two inches apart. You can usually get around 9-10 on a sheet.
  3. Bake for 6-9 minutes until the cookies have flattened out and the edges are golden. Let cool COMPLETELY on the foil, then remove. You can re-use the foil for more cookies.

In Photos:


Butter and sugar get creamed together.


Add in the rest of the ingredients, it will look something like this.


This looks like a normal amount of dough, but just you wait. This will make a TON of cookies.


I forgot to take a picture of what they look like before they go in the oven and spread. But, for reals, use your measuring teaspoon to plop these out onto the foil. ONLY a teaspoon will get you this size! And only use foil! This is going to make A LOT of cookies, so if you have more than one cookie sheet, get them doubled up in there to bake. It will go much faster.


Make sure you cook them long enough and let them sit on the foil long enough before you try to remove them, or you will get something like this happening. Cookies stuck to foil. Is there such thing as non-stick foil? Because you may want to use that. Just keepin' it real.


Once they've COMPLETELY cooled, peel or pop them off carefully. Mine did not all turn out in pretty circles, but they still taste good. You can then re-use that foil for more batches.


Eat all of these! You've earned it!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

My Favorite Books of 2013

Time for another "best of" list for the year. I already talked about my favorite new TV shows of the year. Now it's time to dish on my favorite books. You're going to notice a theme. These are pretty much all young adult books. So maybe I should just title the list "My Favorite Young Adult Books of 2013." I did read a few "adult" novels, so at least I wasn't totally biased, but none of them make the list, so... there ya go. I'm a YA girl at heart.

For a bit of statistical fun, I've read 24 books this year. This is quite a bit down from the whopping 58 I read last year, but life has been much busier and afforded less time for reading, so what are you gonna do. That doesn't stop the 222 books in my to-read list! Oh man, that's a lot of books to read. 

Take a look at last year's list of my favorite books: HERE.

This list is in no particular order! I also apologize for the many book that are parts of series. That's just the way YA is, man.


The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Synopsis: After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Why it made the list: It's heart pounding. Full of action and intrigue and surprises. Narrated by a few different people, it keeps you on your toes. One of the few books I really couldn't put down.
 

 
Just One Day/Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Synopsis of Just One Day: Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.

Synopsis of Just One Year: When he opens his eyes, Willem doesn’t know where in the world he is—Prague or Dubrovnik or back in Amsterdam. All he knows is that he is once again alone, and that he needs to find a girl named Lulu. They shared one magical day in Paris, and something about that day—that girl—makes Willem wonder if they aren’t fated to be together. He travels all over the world, from Mexico to India, hoping to reconnect with her. But as months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he’d thought...

Why they made the list: Gayle Forman has become the companion book writer! And while I enjoyed the first book, the second one is what really made this story hit home, which is actually the same way I feel about her first duo (If I Stay and Where She Went). A story about finding love and finding yourself.

Shades of Earth (Across the Universe #3) by Beth Revis

Synopsis: Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience. But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Why it made the list: It's not always easy to write a satisfying conclusion to a trilogy. Just ask those are disappointed in the behemoth of the year, Allegiant (which is still on my to-read list, alas). But this wrapped things up in a gripping and satisfying way. If you like stories set in space, read this series. 

 
 Prodigy (Legend #2) and Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu

Synopsis of Prodigy: Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic's most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots - a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?

Synopsis of Champion: June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.  

Why they made the list: I'm a huge fan of this series. I read the first book crazy fast and couldn't wait for the next two. There's action and political intrigue and a love story. And the ending is probably one of the most satisfying endings to a trilogy I've ever read. It doesn't tie everything up in a neat little bow, but it leaves hope, and that's the most important thing. I give a slight edge to Champion out of these two. But definitely go read the first book in the series, Legend, first. 


Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Synopsis: Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

Why it made the list: The world is really well-developed in this series; an interesting concept with a Russian influence. The characters are deep and flawed. While I don't think this book was quite as strong as the first in the series, I have a feeling I will really love the last one based on what's done here.


That's it! What were your favorite books of the year? Did you read any of the above? Agree? Disagree? You can also check out my Goodreads Profile to see all of the books I've read in the past year, and just what's on that 222-long list of books I haven't read quite yet!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Nutella Swirl Peanut Butter Chip Blondies

Can I tell you something? A secret? Super top secret?

I'm not a huge brownie fan.

Whoa whoa whoa, I know! 

Nutella Swirl Peanut Butter Chip Blondies by freshfromthe.com

Don't get me wrong, sometimes a warm brownie sounds delightful, and it's at those times that you pull out a box mix and forget the ordeal of melting chocolate and whatever else. But really, I'd rather have a blondie. A hint of chocolate, sure, that's good, but I still prefer the non-chocolate base of these.

And can I tell you something else? Whoa, these are good. I didn't expect them to be half as good as they are. I was licking the bowl of batter for all it was worth, let me tell you. The peanut butter chips add a little extra somethin' somethin', but you could totally make these just plain and I think they would still be super yummy. Also? These don't fluff up or have weird tall edges along the sides. There is no baking powder or baking soda, and you're going to be okay with it. Trust me, they are nice and dense just the way they are and truly don't need any of that!



Now let's talk about Nutella. I'm also not the hugest, biggest fan of that either. What! I know, I must be crazy. But in these small amounts like on this blondie? Um, yes. Sign me up. It's enough without being overwhelming. You get a hint of the Nutella flavor, but the real workhorse in this bar is the blondie batter itself. It's really that good. I mean, I hope if you make these you like it as much as I do, because otherwise I've maybe gotten your expectations a little too high. But no, impossible, I say! I declare it!

No but seriously, if you like blondie bars, try these. If you like Nutella and peanut butter too? Well, welcome to Heaven.



Nutella Swirl Peanut Butter Chip Blondies by freshfromthe.com

When you want just a slight hint of chocolate and peanut butter in your blondie, try out these Nutella-swirled variety full of peanut butter chips.

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup peanut butter chips
  • 1/3 cup Nutella or equivalent chocolate-hazelnut spread
Instructions:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Either line an 8x8 pan with foil or spray it with some cooking spray. I have a non-stick pan so don't really need the foil.
  2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Should take about 1 minute. Let it cool for about half a minute, then whisk in the egg. Whisk in the brown sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Stir in the flour until just combined, don't over-mix that baby. Stir in the peanut butter chips.
  3. Plop that into your pan and smooth the top so it's even. Now, add about 5 lines of Nutella evenly across your batter in parallel lines. Then, take a toothpick and drag it across the lines perpendicularly about 4 or 5 times to get a marbled look.
  4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Let those cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then cut and serve.
Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks
In Photos:


 You've got your butter and your egg all whisked together.


Then whisk in your brown sugar, vanilla and salt.


Stir in your flour.


And your peanut butter chips.


Spread that in your pan.


Marble your Nutella on top. Hopefully you can tell ehre there are about four or five lines of Nutella, then a toothpick is swiped down the opposite direction of the lines to create the marble pattern.


Bake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let it sit for 30 minutes before you slice into it.


Then get to slicing and enjoy!


Mmmmm....

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

My Favorite New Shows of 2013

As most shows are winding down for their winter hiatus, it's an apt time to take a look at which new shows are the best and brightest. Well, in my own, personal, opinion. As I did last year and the year before, I'm going to take a look at my favorite new shows of the year. Obviously you probably have other favorites, which I definitely want to hear about in the comments!

Compared to 2012, this list is positively brimming with comedies. Last year saw not-a-one new comedy make the list! Funny how it waxes and wanes like that. I have to be honest, I didn't even check out some of the new shows that are making waves (hello Sleepy Hollow), because there's only so much time and I already have a huge backlog on my DVR. Only so many hours in the day, people! Anyway, enough blathering on about basically nothing. Let's get to the list, in no particular order.

Mom-cast 
I know, another Chuck Lorre sitcom. That gives him four series currently on air, which must be a lot to keep track of. Nonetheless, despite my hate of that one show that shall not be named (but you can probably figure it out), I do love The Big Bang Theory, and I have to say, I really like Mom as well. It's a show not afraid to explore some dark material, such as alcoholism and teen pregnancy. But somehow it doesn't do it in a crass way. It can be actually quite touching at times. And it doesn't hurt that Allison Janney is amazing. Sometimes I'm not sure about Anna Faris in this, but most of the time she's very endearing. Seriously, give it a try if you haven't. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

The-Crazy-Ones
This show seems like it should be ripe for disaster. You've got an aging star coming back to TV after many years, and another who just had a failed show not too long ago. But I'm telling you, it's quirky and funny and it works. It doesn't always seem like it should work, but it does. The jokes are often very smart (when it's not a Robin Williams ad-lib), and I find myself giggling at some random, seemingly throwaway, line quite often. You might be concerned that Williams goes over the top, and maybe sometimes he does, but when you see the outtakes, you can see how much he holds back for the takes that matter. I enjoy it, and hope it is still doing well in the ratings.

almosthuman
Yay! A good, futuristic scifi show is back on the air! Sure, there are a couple other futuristic scifi shows out there, and some of them are good (ie Falling Skies), but they are all full of grit and grime and a decidedly downtrodden, mostly dystopian, viewpoint. While this show certainly isn't depicting any sort of utopia situation, it is pretty slick. But that's really not what makes it a good show. What makes it work are the two leads, Karl Urban and Michael Ealy. They have a great chemistry together that really keeps the show moving. If it weren't for them, I'm not sure I would like this show as much as I do, despite its good use of the futuristic stuff to drive the crimes on the show. Because I'm not a huge procedural fan, and this has been especially procedural so far, it's surprising that I'm still engaged so much. Hopefully they will start opening up more of the overall arc as the show continues.

Honorable Mentions: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Reign (Both of these shows I have enjoyed but have gotten behind on, so I don't feel I can put them up above because I clearly don't feel compelled to keep caught up)

I Want To Like You, But: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Michael J. Fox Show (Sigh and sigh)

So, what do you think? Did I miss any of your favorites? Should I give Agents of SHIELD another chance?  Is Sleepy Hollow as good as people are saying it is? Let me know in the comments!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Supernatural 9x09 "Holy Terror"

Recap/review of Supernatural 9x09 'Holy Terror' by freshfromthe.com
We'll have a brief moment of smiles before hell breaks loose.
Well, wonder no more whether Ezekiel is up to no good, right? After nearly half a season with Sam possessed by an angel, things finally came to a head in tonight's episode with some double whammy reveals, which is what a mid-season finale should be, I suppose. That's right, it's the end of new Supernatural episodes until 2014, people.

So, after all of the angels were cast out of Heaven, basically two different factions began to form. One following Bartholomew, and one, we find out tonight, following Malachi. I hope I'm spelling that right. Anyway, these two factions are now at war with one another, killing each other off. Both want to rid themselves of the other side and somehow get back in to Heaven and rule, blah blah. Lots of angel stuff tonight.

After one group ends up dead, Sam and Dean go to investigate, despite AngelSam not wanting to go get involved with angel stuff. They meet up with Cas, who wants to get back on the team and start fixing what he essentially helped cause, however unwittingly. Alas, their reunion is short-lived, as once again AngelSam makes a stink about being near Castiel. Why Cas doesn't question this more, I'm not sure, though I guess he can't quite tell when Dean isn't telling the entire truth yet.

Recap/review of Supernatural 9x09 'Holy Terror' by freshfromthe.com
Duped by an Angel, next on The CW.
But it turns out AngelSam, aka Zeke, aka WHAT, turns out not be Ezekiel after all! What! That's right, whammy number one of the night happens when AngelSam is visited by Metatron, who can apparently travel between Heaven and Earth at will though no one else can? Anyway, he reveals that Sam is in fact possessed by Gadreel, an angel that had been locked up in angel jail before the purge. Metatron tells Gadreel that he would like him to join his new Heaven. Oh great.

Meanwhile, Cas tries to pray a bit to a nice angel, and actually does get one to come to his aid, only to be taken by Malachi's group. Malachi wants to know what he knows about Metatron, blah blah, even though Cas can only say so many times that he was a patsy. In any event, one of Malachi's minions left to torture Cas to death flips and says he wants to let Cas go if he can get on Metatron's good side for this new heaven. Cas plays along and, um, slits his throat and steals his grace? This is a thing that can happen now? So I guess Castiel is now all angel-fied again? That seemed rather easy and weird, and a rule conveniently made up so we could have Cas back at full power to help things along. While he's there, though, he hears that a bunch of angels actually died while falling from Heaven, and one of them happened to be Ezekiel. Wait, whaaaa?

Cas calls up Dean to tell him this bad news, which is very bad indeed. He goes to Kevin for help in trying to find a spell that will let him talk to Sam without the angel inside hearing him. Poor Kevin gets bossed around a lot this episode by Dean, who will surely feel very guilty about him for many moons to come.

Recap/review of Supernatural 9x09 'Holy Terror' by freshfromthe.com
This is my suspicious face.
While they do find a spell, and Dean does tell Sam about his hosting an angel, and Sam gets appropriately upset, it turns out that it was Gadreel faking to be Sam all along, as he heard the conversation between Dean and Kevin earlier about the spell. So what does he do? He KILLS KEVIN! What! This was on Metatron's orders, who told him, after he agreed he wanted to be part of the new Heaven, that he had to kill some people first, Kevin being at the top of the list.

So Gadreel takes off in Sam's body, leaving Dean alone in the bunker to contemplate just how royally he is screwed, and how royally he screwed over Kevin too.

Poor Kevin. I honestly didn't really see that coming, though I suppose I should have with the line about him always getting screwed and Dean saying not always. Yes, Dean. Always.

Random Thoughts:

- I don't like the making up of rules out of nowhere. At least it could've been mentioned at some point that a grace could be stolen from another angel, because that was a completely new thing. Unless I missed it somewhere along the line, but it seems a pretty major thing to miss if that's the case.

- Speaking of which, are you looking forward to angel Castiel being back, or were you enjoying the human version? 

- You had to know something was up with "Zeke" when he kept saying he was almost done all the time but never seemed to be actually done fixing Sam. I didn't expect him to be another angel entirely, though.

- Another fan favorite guest star bites the dust. Sigh.

- Remember when it used to be saving people, hunting things, the family business? Now it's all angel business up in here.

- How pissed is Sam going to be when he's safe and actually finds out the truth? Oh boy.

- Do you have a favorite episode so far this season? How are you liking the season as a whole? Let me know in the comments!

Quotes:

Dean: You're not up to warp speed yet, but you will be. Would I lie?

Cas: Hey, Cas is back in town.

Dean: She was hot.
Cas: So hot. And very nice...up to the point she started torturing me.
Dean: Yeah, well, not every hookup is perfect.

Metatron: And no more stupid angels. Maybe some funny ones.

Kevin: Everyone always needs a spell and it's always ASAP.

Kevin: I always trust you, and I always end up screwed.
Dean: Oh come on, always? Not always.

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Sunday, December 1, 2013

WINNER of Grimm - Aunt Marie's Book of Lore!

Sorry for the delay on the announcement of the winner of my giveaway of Grimm - Aunt Marie's Book of Lore! I was out of town for the holiday and did not have time.



Thank you to all of you who submitted to win! Stay tuned for future giveaways as well!

Without further ado, the winner of the book is (chosen using random.org)...

Dana Doolan

Dana, please shoot me an email at freshfromjen(at)gmail.com to claim your prize and I'll ship it post haste!



Congratulations again!