Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

If you're a fan of chocolate chip cookies, but don't have the time to make individual ones, this is the recipe for you. 


2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large bowl.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into greased pan.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes in preheated oven, or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack, then cut into bars



I followed the recipe exactly except I used only a cup of chocolate chips. It was enough chocolate, but not too much to overpower the cookie.  I also used a 13x10 pan instead for a thicker cookie and was able to get 24 servings. The chocolate was nice and melty and the cookie tasted delicious.  This will be my go to recipe for making pan cookies and maybe next time, I'll experiment with a different chocolate or candy.  

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Trashtastic

With my regular tv shows being on break until the fall, I decided to check out some of the new summer fare being offered. One of my guilty pleasures is trashy reality tv. I've seen all three seasons of Tool Academy and was disappointed when Megan Wants a Millionaire went off the air due to that tragic murder/suicide. Now I've discovered True Beauty, You're Cut Off, and Toddlers & Tiaras.

True Beauty is about ten beautiful people who think they're competing for the title "The Face of Vegas." They participate in challenges and the two with the lowest scores are in danger of elimination. What the contestants don't know is that they're being watched 24/7 and all their actions and catty behavior are being caught on tape. That also plays in to who gets kicked off because the show's trying to find someone with beauty both inside and out.

In You're Cut Off, nine pampered spoiled princesses, who have never paid for anything in their lives, are made to live together in a house in the suburbs and forced to sleep in bunk beds, share two bathrooms, and cook and clean for themselves. It's only been on for one episode, but it's been hilarious. They struggled to figure out how to pour boxed wine, how to downsize their five suitcases into one duffle bag, and marveled at the fact that ground beef came in tubes. Plus these girls are used to being the alpha female so egos are colliding. I'm looking forward to seeing if they're ever going to change and get jobs and learn how to make their own beds.

Toddlers & Tiaras is strangely fascinating in that train wreck sort of way. Little girls and boys compete in pageants for crowns, trophies, money, and puppies. Their parents spend so much money on outfits, spray tans, and manicures. They're as young as newborns and as old as nine (that's what I've seen so far). Watching little girls parade around in too much make up and costumes not appropriate for their age is a little weird, but add in the drama from bratty children and overbearing stage moms and you can't stop watching!

Moral of the story is: I wish I was super hot and had lots of money, but I wouldn't trade who I am for that. Of course, I still want to get in shape and maybe have a little more financial freedom, but at least I know how to keep house somewhat (it's a little more like organized chaos), cook my own food, pay my own bills, and be an independent person. That'll help out in the long run.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Bloggity Blog

The reason I created this blog was to keep track of my reading challenges. Then I decided to expand it to include any random thoughts, recipes, comics, etc. Of course, I hardly ever post even when I do have something to write. Not like anyone reads this except for me, which is fine. I'm having fun nonetheless. Since it's the summer and I have more free time, I'm determined to post something new at least once a week. Ideally, I would like to do something more like every other day, but if I aim low and exceed my expectations, I'll feel that much better about myself, lol.