Junk Cookies & Junk TV

OK, normally I hate posts, items, write-ups (what have you) that are written in the following manner. DailyCandy LOVES to do it, and every time, I'm like really? Is this funny? Can't you just tell us about the new store?

However, I need to recount a conversation that I had with Brad and this is the best way to do it. So, here goes...

Me: "I made cookies, do you want one?"

Brad: "Sure." (munch, munch, munch)

Brad: "These are good hon. What are they?"

Me: "Martha calls them kitchen sink cookies. But, I'm calling mine "junk cookies."

Brad: "Are they from a kit?"

Me: "What do you mean, "a kit?""

Brad: "Like a kit? A box or mix?"

Me: (Looking incredulous) "Do you know who you are talking to?" (thinking, WTF - where have you been the last 6 months?)

Brad: "Well, you've made other things from a box before, like brownies."

Me: "Those are fat free brownies. Did you even look at the giant, jam-packed with ingredients cookie in your hand? "Stuff like that doesn't come from a box!!!"

(note, the fat free brownies are good and I do not by any means only bake from scratch or with real butter...)

But, I mean, seriously, look at the pics below.

Would YOU ask if those came from a box? Cookies with semi-sweet chocolate, butterscotch and white chocolate chips; pistachios, almonds and peanuts; raisins; and a few reese's pieces and chocolate-covered coffee beans?!

I proceeded to re-tell this story to numerous people throughout the weekend. People we knew, of course - with Brad present so I could make him feel like an idiot. Nice wife, eh? :)

I hope you can tell why I'm calling them junk cookies though. I had a bunch of bags of ingredients that were almost gone and I wanted to use them up. You can pretty much throw in anything you want.

On to junk TV. I'm pretty much an addict. If its "bad," I'll watch it. But, if its actually bad - I know where to draw the line. Like I haven't indulged in "More to Love" - but, I also kinda have a problem with that whole concept...

Anyway, I bring up junk TV in conjunction with junk cookies because I was watching "Addicted to Beauty" while I was making them. Seriously people, this show is ridiculous. Maybe not the show per se, but the people on the show.

I doubt this will make it into my regular rotation. But, I encourage you to watch it just once (or for five minutes) as a reminder why you shouldn't get too much botox or too much boob injected into you. Just look at Dianne and Shannyn and you'll know what I mean.

Speaking of regular rotation though, when will "The Pick Up Artist" come back?!? Now, that's good, bad TV!

Julie & Julia & Katie

It's probably no surprise, but I'm reading Julie & Julia. I'm probably late on this, I guess it was published awhile ago...oh, well. But, where was I when all the hype was going around? Oh, I was probably trying to work my way up the corporate ladder.

While reading today, it got me hungry. Well, some parts of it got me hungry - the description of eggs ensconced in jelly - did not. So...I made something to eat. This is the part that I find hilarious, which inspired this short post.

In the book, huge, timely, rich and decadent recipes (requiring multiple sticks of butter) are written about in detail (hence the making me hungry part). But, what did I eat??

-100 calorie english muffin
-fat free cheese
-frozen mixed vegetables

A far cry from boeuf bourguignon - right?! But, to me it was a light lunch that I actually like - for reals.

BTW, I finished the book in between writing this. I thought it was "meh." I'll probably still go see the movie though.

Oh, I did prepare dinner for me and Brad (love my slow cooker) that we'll enjoy after I get my ass kicked in bootcamp tonight.

Two Cakes and a Cooler

Last week was busy. I had two cakes to make, a trip to Indy, a kickball game, classes at my new gym (in which the "warm up" consisted of 64 push ups, WTF?!), etc.

Cake #1 was actually for the trip to Indy. I was surprising my mother-in-law for an early birthday celebration and thought it would be easier to take a cake from Chicago to Indy, than Chicago to Charleston, SC.

Yellow Smiley Face Cake with

Chocolate Ganache Filling and Frosting

We're going to SC in a few weeks for MIL's actual birthday - and supposedly 90+ degree weather. Maybe I should buy that personal-sized Skittles fan that I saw at Blockbuster...

Anyway, the trip was fun, she was so surprised and LOVED the cake - yay! (PS, she used to like those smiley face cookies, hence the cake...get it?) I have some tips below on how I made the three-hour car trip in the middle of summer with a chocolate-covered cake - it is possible!

Cake #2 was actually my first "paid" cake! I know, right? Thanks to my awesome friends that like the stuff I make and refer me to their family and friends.

Bridal Shower Cake - Chocolate Cake with Raspberry and

Chocolate Ganache Filling and Mousseline Buttercream Frosting

The bride's colors were "Tiffany" blue and red wine - and I have to say I think I got the colors spot on. That's why I included the Tiff's box in the pic. :P

From what I've heard the cake was a success - sweet!

Now, what you've been waiting for...my magical cake-transporting tips. Like I said with my sister's graduation cake - in my head it made complete sense to me that I should be able to drive a cake from Chicago to Indianapolis in the middle of summer.

Well, of course I was right. The cake arrived in perfect condition, thanks to the following:

• ice
• cooler
• air conditioned car

Here's what I did:

• Made and frosted the cake a day ahead of time
• Put cake in a cake cover and froze the entire thing overnight
• Bought a deep, square cooler and filled with bags of ice
• Wedged cake in cooler with ice packs
• Kept car air conditioning on high
• Checked cake a few times to make sure ice wasn't melting completely
• Voila!
  

If you ever do this, just remember to put the cake in a fridge upon arrival at location. You don't want to thaw from frozen at room temp, or else something funky will happen with the condensation.

Go cake!