Soft and Light Sugar Cookies

You know what I've realized? I'm a person who only gets her hair cut once a year. It's true. Sad, maybe, but true nonetheless. It's not that I don't like to get my hair cut, even. I mean, who doesn't love the part where they massage your scalp with the shampoo and conditioner? There's really no explanation other than laziness, I suppose, and that it takes nearly a year for my hair to start looking scraggly. Oh well. The point is, I got my hair cut last night after nearly a year. Inches to the floor, gasp! It's so light and bouncy now, it's weird.

These cookies are also light! Maybe not bouncy, because I'm not sure how a cookie could really be bouncy in a good way, but soft and light and melt in your mouth delicious. With Easter coming up in April, you would not be remiss to bake these along with some Chocolate Chip Easter Egg Cookies for a full on spring cookie-palooza. I know, I'm talking about spring when it still feels like we're in the dregs of winter. Winter in LA being, you know, the 60s during the day.

Also? These are SO EASY to make! No rolling them out and cutting them, even though that is fun to do with sugar cookies. But these you can just add some sprinkles and you're good to go, which makes them really versatile for any holiday, really. President's Day? Some red, white and blue stars! St. Patrick's Day? Duh, hello shamrocks! Or you can go totally sprinkle free for your regular old Sunday. You get the drift.

Soft and Light Sugar Cookies
Author: Jen @ Fresh From The...
Servings: 30 Cookies
Prep time: 00:10

Cook time: 00:12

Total time: 00:22

Nobody likes a hard sugar cookie – these are perfectly light and soft and especially delicious warm out of the oven!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• sprinkles optional

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon liner and set aside.
2. Cream together the butter, oil and both sugars until well-combined. Beat in egg and vanilla for about a minute. Add in baking soda, cream of tartar and salt and mix to combine. With mixer on low, slowly add in flour until just combined.
3. Drop dough onto lined sheets in tablespoon-sized dollops. Add sprinkles if desired, and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just starting to get gold.
4. Let them rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe via Cookies and Cups

In Photos:

Beat together your sugars, butter and oil.

Then add in your egg and vanilla.

And after you've added your dry ingredients, your dough will look all yummy and dough-like.

 Scoop those out onto your parchment or silpat-lined cookie sheet.

Get sprinkly with it, if you so desire.

Bake those at 350F until the edges are JUST starting to brown. Don't overbake or you'll be sad. Let sit on the sheet for a few minutes before you remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

 These are really great warm, and you can always give them a little 10 second zap in the microwave after they've cooled to get that warm cookie deliciousness we all know and love. They'll be good in an airtight container for about 3 or so days.

Melt Organic Butter Review & Giveaway

Congratulations to winners Jackie Villano and Leanne Cobbledick!

In my house growing up, it was all about the margarine. Sure, maybe you would use real butter when baking cookies, but for everyday use, for the buttering of bread and potatoes and sundry vegetables, it was all about the margarine. Some Country Crock, some Blue Bonnet, some Gold N Soft.

I don't know about you, but growing up on margarine makes just regular butter seem kind of bland when just spread on things. Not to mention how difficult spreading regular ole butter is. But there's been this whole movement against margarine. You know, it's bad for you. And truly, it is. Partially hydrogenated oils and whatnot are obviously not something good for the body. There are many alternatives out there nowadays to get your margarine fix without the actual margarine.

Melt Organic contacted me about trying out their new butter spread, and I thought why the heck not? Instead of partially hydrogenated whatever, they use a combination of virgin coconut oil, palm fruit oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, and flaxseed oil to give you the nice buttery flavor your young self became accustomed to, without all the nastiness.

So what's my opinion on the product, you may wonder? I actually really like it. It looks more like regular butter than your average margarine, melts very much like regular butter as well, and is easily spreadable. All important factors. And what about the taste? It's a bit less "buttery" than your average margarine spread, or I guess I should say it's a bit less "margarine-y" as it tastes more like regular butter. I was concerned there may be a slight coconut flavor since I am not a huge coconut fan, but while there is a twinge of sweetness, it's not necessarily coconut flavored.

Since I had two coupons, I decided to also give the honey version a try. Honestly I was not as big of a fan of this one. It's kind of a honey/cinnamon blend, so if you really like to have cinnamon sugar toast, you'll probably enjoy it more than me, but I found myself hardly ever wanting to use it. That's really probably just a personal preference thing and nothing against the product itself, I just found it maybe to be a touch too sweet.

There has been some brouhaha about the fact that Melt touts itself as being an alternative to butter when it actually contains organic ghee (clarified butter) in the ingredients, which makes it a milk product after all. So, if you're looking for something that does not have butter/milk in it, this won't be for you. But if you're looking for something as a healthier alternative, then perhaps Melt is the way to go. I will note that it is gluten free, for those that are not gluten friendly.

Now the fun part - YOU can get in on the action and try out Melt too!

Win a prize pack of one cutting board, one spreader, and coupons for free Melt Organic spread.

ENTER HERE

The giveaway will end on February 28th at which time Melt will randomly select one winner per participating blog. I will then notify the winner here so they can claim their prize.

Disclaimer: I received vouchers for Melt Organic buttery spread, so it was free. I also received a complimentary cutting mat and spreader as shown in the above photo. I was not otherwise compensated for this review, and all opinions are my own.

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King of the Nerds 2x03 "To LARP or Not to LARP"

Oh man. As far as being painted as a villain, Zack has sure provided everyone an easy target. That's right, the tirade of whatever he calls himself, the Forsaken?, continued this week on King of the Nerds. I'm not saying I wanted to be right, but, I was sort of right? Throughout this episode, Zack's teammates kept trying to diffuse the tension, but he would just ratchet it right back up if he heard one astray comment. But that's enough talk about that, let's talk about some other stuff.

Gettin' IN to it.

This week's theme was the ever-nerdy LARPing. Live Action Role Play, for those who don't know. Though I'm not sure anyone who would be reading this wouldn't know what LARPing is, but I digress. The two teams were tasked with creating a world and characters based on four character archetypes provided, then had to enact their characters for the judges. This week, the judges were Kevin Sorbo, of Hercules fame, Yaya Han, she of the cosplay stratosphere, and Jon Heder, who you may remember as Napoleon Dynamite.

There was much drama on the yellow team, as previously mentioned, as they tried to get their act together, though I do wonder if maybe parts of the team weren't trying too hard in an effort to get Zack into the Nerd Off again in an attempt to get him out. But who knows if that has any merit! The purple team, on the other hand, were having tons o' fun coming up with their characters and story. Perhaps the team to get along best that I've ever seen on this show, which makes me wonder if they're going to mix things up with the teams soon, considering it's now 5 people to 3 on the teams.

Because, yes, Midas Touch Attack did indeed end up losing to the Titans of Rigel in the LARP contest. While they touted themselves as being the true LARPers because everything in their presentation was improvised, in the end the flash, spectacle and cohesiveness of purple could not be denied. I found it especially funny when they were like, um, she's not a monk, she's a forest nymph. Look, you don't have to be absolutely literal when you're coming up with stories. Forest Monks are allowed, I decree! Also, Xander was pretty hilarious.

Anyway, drama erupted again on team yellow when Zack and Mary Kate had a bit of a tiff that ended in Zack basically calling her stupid and not anywhere near his apparent genius. This got them both into the Nerd Off. Zack, voted in by his team (and himself), and Mary Kate voted in by purple because they are being rather diabolical and trying to keep Zack in to cause discord, and viewed Mary Kate as the weakest on the yellow team. You do know that means you're leaving yourself with stronger people to be up against later, if that's your view, right? Just saying. I did respect Kayla for wanting to put up someone else because she would rather not have the constant drama.

Fare thee well, Mary Kate!

But, that was not meant to be. The two were tasked with playing each other in a board game that was sort of like Battleship. They were both allowed to have an adviser, and this led to probably the only sort of redeeming moment for Zack on the show so far, because it became clear to him that no one wanted to be his adviser. He basically made a plea that this was mean-spirited and that because they are already part of a group that is somewhat ostracized in society, they should at least want each other. Which I think is maybe part of his problem, he feels he has to over-compensate because he's been put down most of his life for being weird. Mary Kate pointed out to him that to her, he was acting like a bully, and he did actually apologize for that, so perhaps this is a step in the right direction for him.

In the end, despite her very best efforts and near-win, Mary Kate lost to Zack due to, quite frankly, luck, which was kind of annoying. My boyfriend says he wondered if maybe her dice was weighted to make her roll smaller numbers, but that seems especially diabolical for the producers to do, but who knows. Mary Kate did tell Zack to basically think before he speaks and treat people with more respect as she left, so we can all hope he takes this to heart. As we did not see anything in the preview to indicate that one way or the other, who knows!

One more week down, and I'm still not quite sure who I want in the finals of this thing. I think until the purple team actually ends up in a Nerd Off, it will be hard to tell because right now they're getting along so well. But I do kind of root for Xander just because he's so funny. But is he the nerdiest of all? What about you? Anyone you are particularly hoping will make it to the end?

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Tres Leches Cake

I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't been making as many chocolate recipes as I have in the past. I mean, it's not been entirely chocolate-less here, there were those Nutella-Swirl Peanut Butter Blondies, but no Deep Dark Mocha Cupcakes or S'mores Bars. I've not forsaken chocolate or anything, but you know what? The BF isn't a huge chocolate fan, and I mean, duh, you want to make things that aren't just for your own personal enjoyment, right? Enter Tres Leches Cake, the cake of three milks. Or, really, four milks if you're being completely honest. Condensed, evaporated, cream, and whole milk! That's a lot of milk products! Look out, lactose-intolerants!

Before making this cake, I'd never actually had Tres Leches Cake before. I don't know if that's weird or not, but there you have it. This cake is moist and sweet without being overpowered with sweetness, which is something considering how much cream and sugar is packed in. And that little dash of cinnamon gives it an intriguing flavor that isn't necessarily expected in a cake, unless you're already a fan of tres leches, then you're probably like duhhh that's always how it is! It's good when you first take it out of the fridge, but even better around day two when everything has fully coalesced. You don't absolutely have to have the whipped topping, but why the heck not?

So, if your sweetie isn't a big fan of chocolate and things overly sugary, then maybe you should give this cake a go this Valentine's Day. Because, oh yes, it's only a week away now! Egads! Even if you're not one to celebrate a corporate holiday, you should still try this cake. You won't regret it.

Tres Leches Cake
Author: Jen @ Fresh From The...
Servings: 18 Pieces
Prep time: 00:30
Cook time: 00:35
Total time: 01:40

The classic tres leches cake that uses three different kinds of milk products to create a moist and dense cake.

Ingredients:

For the Milk Mixture:

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Whipped Topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 Tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. For the milk mixture, pour your condensed milk into a large, microwave-safe, bowl and cover. Microwave on low power (power 3), stirring every 3-5 minutes, until slightly darkened and thickened, which should take 9-15 minutes. Remove from the microwave and slowly whisk in the evaporated milk, cream, and vanilla. Let cool while you work on the rest.
2. For the cake, preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Heat the butter and milk in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter is melted. Set that aside to cool a bit.
3. With your electric mixer on medium, beat your eggs for about 30 seconds, then slowly add the sugar until all incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the egg mixture is very thick and glossy, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and slowly mix in the melted butter/milk and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three additions, scraping down the sides of your bowl as necessary. Once you've got all the flour in, mix on medium speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape your batter into your prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Set your cake on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.
4. Using a skewer, poke holes about 1/2 inch apart in the top of the cake. Slowly pour your room temperature milk mixture over the cake until completely absorbed. Let sit at room temp for 15 minutes, then refrigerate at least 3 and up to 24 hours.
5. To make your whipped topping, set your cake out for 30 minutes. With your mixer on medium speed, beat the heavy cream, corn syrup and vanilla to soft peaks, 1-2 minutes. Frost your cake and slice it up to serve. Keep this cake refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Recipe via Cook's Country

In Photos:

For your milk mixture, you want to microwave your condensed milk on low for 9-15 minutes, stirring every 3-5. The original recipe says to cover with plastic wrap and replace each time you are stirring, but I just covered with a plate instead, as I don't like those nasty plastic zappers in my food.

Once it's darkened a bit and thickened, then whisk in your evaporated milk, heavy cream and vanilla.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

On low, melt your stick of butter and cup of milk. Then take off the heat to cool.

Mix together your eggs and your sugar until incorporated.

Then put that on medium-high speed for 5-7 minutes until it performs magic and becomes thick and glossy.

Then mix in your flour mixture in 3 increments. Beat that for about 30 seconds more to get fully incorporated.

Scrape into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes at 325F.

It'll come out looking something like this. Let that sit for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Once the 10 minutes have passed, poke holes in your cake with a skewer about 1/2 inch apart, then slowly pour on your milk mixture. It'll settle in to soak. Let that sit for 10 more minutes at room temp then stick in the fridge for at least 3 hours, and up to 24.

This is how it looks after a few hours sitting in the fridge. You can see the milk from the above picture has soaked in.

Now, let's make the whipped topping. Beat your cream, corn syrup and vanilla until soft peaks form. We're using corn syrup here instead of sugar for sweetness so that the whip stays whipped.

Spread that over your cake. Avoid that corner where your boyfriend couldn't wait for the topping before digging in.

Cut 'er up and dig on in!

Supernatural 9x13 "The Purge"

After so much heavy drama, a lighter episode like tonight's was much needed. Granted, it wasn't a full on comedic episode like we've seen in the past, BUT it did feature a drugged Dean in a hairnet, which is always good for a laugh.

Holy arm muscles, Batman.

Hearkening back to the episodes of old, a dude gets killed in a rather gruesome way in the opening - after winning a hot dog eating competition, all of his fat is completely sucked out of him. Like, we're talking full on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade yuck. The boys, still on the outs emotionally but ready to work on cases together, head on over to Minnesota, don't ya know, to investigate. For Dean, this also consists of eating powdered donuts, because obviously.

When another victim falls dead of mass fat suckage, they notice she's got some funky suction mark on her. In fact, so does another girl who works at the very gym where the lady died. But, she's not dead, hey! No, she just happened to lose a bunch of weight after going to some Canyon Valley spa run by an apparent couple of yuppies.

Sam and Dean head on over to the spa and get jobs - Sam as a trainer, and Dean as lowly kitchen staff after he sort of bombed the interview. When Sam is leading his yoga class, he notices that all of the people in the class have these same suction marks on them. Meanwhile, the sheriff we met earlier is also there (though I totally did not get that it was her until later when she saw Sam in the hall). She's getting treatment, aka "cupping" with the matron of the joint. Of course, this isn't just regular cupping. This is some monster tongue suckage action going on.

Time for some tofu pancakes?

Well, the owners get wind that all is not legit with the Winchesters, and figure out they're hunters. But Maritsa (or however you spell her name!) does not seem the type that would be killing people when she has this legit business going on, you know? Of course not. It's got to be a stressed family relationship, so that it ties in with the stressed family relationship of our two leads somehow. I kind of wished it had tied in more than it did, but anywho, it turns out the kitchen dude who had been bossing Dean around all episode is Maritsa's brother, another pishtaco Peruvian parasite fat sucker, only he's not content with the apparently meager amounts they get at the spa, so resorted to sucking people to death.

Sam and Dean go to find him, after he kills Maritsa's husband of course, and, fisticuffs, blah blah, Dean cuts off the guys parasite tongue, killing him. He's also all for killing Maritsa too despite her best intentions, but Sam talks him out of it. Is this not a conversation they've had a bajillion times, including last week's episode? Not sure why Dean always finds it so surprising.

And, of course, to wrap things up at the end of the day, the boys have to hash out some of their emotional drama. Basically, Sam accuses Dean of saving him not for Sam's sake, but for his own, because he is afraid of being alone, a la Maritsa. Dean retorts that Sam would do the same thing for him, but Sam says nope. Therein lies the fundamental difference, I suppose, between the two. Sam some years ago might have agreed with Dean, but a lot has changed since then. Oh, angst!

Random Thoughts:

- Does real cupping bring up those huge red mounds of flesh? Apparently yes. Creepster!

- I really wanted something to happen with the Mark of Cain thing when Dean came in to save Sam. In other things I've read, the Mark of Cain basically made the possessor invincible to death. Anyone who tried to kill or even hurt that person ended up getting what they were about to do done back to them. I'm not sure the show will go in that direction, but obviously there must be some sort of consequences for that thing. Just a question of when we're going to find out more.

- Somehow the boys have to resolve this difference between them. I'm not sure how, but perhaps it will have to do with the whole Mark of Cain business that is sure to become more of a thing.

- Um, WHY is Snooki going to be on this show? Boo.

Quotes:

Dean: Yet another reason to stay away from salads.

Sam: Any idea what the vic weighed beforehand?
Officer: 165.
Dean: So...180. Known fact, women lie about their weight and age.
Sam: Wait, you told that waitress the other day you were 29.

Dean: Nice shorts.
Sam: Nice hairnet.

Dean: How do you know anything about yoga?
Sam: You're not the only one who's dated someone bendy.

Maritsa: I'm a pishtaco.
Dean: A fish taco?

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