Library Ladders in the Kitchen

I have wanted a library ladder since I first saw Beauty and the Beast. But library ladders in kitchens? Interesting! I found this on Apartment Therapy... I think this picture is my favorite. There aren't many people who have room for a library... so put it in the kitchen instead! 

But I will make room for a bookcase and a ladder, mark my words.

Molasses Cookies

I made these cookies before Christmas, and made another batch yesterday (despite my New Year's Resolution to "be hot"). They are Delicious with a capital "D." I have a friend who makes killer molasses cookies that are completely different (*cough* Carrie) but these are wonderful as well. As my brother put it, "it's like a pumpkin pie... in a cookie!"

For one batch, you will need:

- 1 egg

- 3/4 cup vegetable oil or extra light olive oil (which is better for you!)

- 1/4 cup molasses

- 1 cup sugar (plus a small bowl of sugar for rolling)

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp cloves

- 1/2 tsp ginger

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tsp baking soda

- 2 cups flour

I always pre-mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately, so that's how I would begin... I like for all the dry ingredients to be evenly dispersed. After the dough is all mixed, roll it into small balls, about the size of a ping-pong ball (or smaller) and roll them in a small bowl full of granulated sugar. There is no need to grease your pan, just put them straight in. Bake at 350° until the cookies start having cracks in them. If you leave them in much longer than that you will have really hard, possibly burnt cookies. Remove them from the oven as soon as the cracks are sizeable. If you think you've left them in too long, they're still edible, and very good with milk, tea or coffee. Eaten without dunking, they're crunchy, but if you dip them in, they're chewy and don't crumble very much into your drink. They are DELICIOUS. I shouldn't have made them. My hour and a half workout from this morning may have been canceled out by these cookies...

To Carrie: I expect a blog post with your molasses cookie recipe. Photo not required.

Adventures & Squirrels

The barn. It's funny how I look like I might be in the country somewhere, but actually, as  I took this picture, the Comcast Center is directly behind me. And you can see the building to the left of the barn anyway. But... it's a legit barn. They have pigs, cows, horses, chickens, goats... definitely real.

And so, one bulldozer said to the other "I like you. Lets be friends." And they were. (They're doing something funny on the Paint Branch Trail just past Metzerott Road.)

On the other side of this fence is a golf course. How interesting... but this is definitely a cool spot. It's a swamp to the left, caused by a tornado.

I think this is an egret... it's perched on the top of a dead tree in a swamp.

Renn Fest! Unfortunately, the jousting was boring because no one fell off their horse.

I got bored yesterday and painted a squirrel to go on the wall in our apartment. 

I love the weather in October, but I hate the workload. I've been so busy! I should be reading for all of my midterms this week... but instead I felt the need to make a post. Also, I found a really funny blog about the DC Metro, and discovered StumbleUpon. I need to stay away from the computer. Gah. http://www.wtfmetro.com/2008_10_01_archive.html

Black Bean & Lentil Soup

It's been kind of chilly and wet around College Park lately, so I made soup.

Ingredients
1 large can GOYA black beans (note: these have lots of sodium. yuck... i'm buying reduced sodium next time, or biting the bullet and spending hours with dry black beans)
1 cup dry lentils
3 vegetable bouillon cubes
diced carrots to taste
one large onion (or two small ones?)
1 container (you know, the frozen bricks at the grocery store) of frozen spinach
pepper
garlic powder (I know, sacrilege) 
lots of water
rice?


Instructions
Dice onions & carrots and sautée in bottom of very very big pot (4 quart???) with olive oil. While sautéeing, rinse lentils (there's dirt in there sometimes) and strain. Put in block of spinach. When onions & carrots are sautéed enough, put in a lot of water and bouillion cubes. Bring to a boil. A good way to know how much water is to use enough water to cook the lentils, plus a little more to make it soup. You can Google this. That's what I did. After the water boils add the lentils, and then add your large can of black beans. Keep heat on high. Try to break up your spinach brick. When it boils, bring down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are soft. Lentils become soft enough to eat rather quickly, but you have to cook them for a while for them to be how they should. Taste until you like it. Add pepper/garlic power/<insert>your favorite spice</insert> to your likeing. If you're using GOYA black beans, DO NOT ADD SALT. I didn't realize it had salt already in it, and the soup was too salty for my liking. I made the soup last night, and tonight I made Uncle Ben's rice and added that to it. Much better. Much less like nasty salty canned soup. 


I think lots of other things would taste good in the soup. Leeks... celery... green onions... I might try all of those. But next time, I'm definitely buying reduced sodium or dry black beans, because although this soup tastes wonderful, it gives you that wonderful bloaty feeling from too much salt afterwards.


But, by all means, do make it. It's delicious, and you can make healthy improvements such as:
- using less boullion
- using reduced sodium or dry black beans
- using fresh spinach (which avoids the block of spinach)
- using non-instant brown rice instead of Uncle Ben's


Yum. I love my legumes.

Apple Pie

I just made the most delicious apple pie I've ever made. When I finished and had a piece, I decided I should share it, because it's just that good. DISCLAIMER: This is exactly what I did, so some of it may be irrelevant or kind of odd, but it tastes delicious, so just go with it. Also, if you've made pie before, I understand some of my instructions are too much. You will live.

Crust Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 1/2 cup flour

water, as needed

1/2 tsp salt

Filling Ingredients

~2 Granny Smith Apples (just have enough apple to fill the pan, really) I like tart apples. They make pies more interesting

1 cup sugar

cinnamon (i didn't measure, but use at least 2 tsp)

salt (again, no measurements)

2 tbsp corn starch 

lemon juice

Instructions

Add flour and salt to large bowl. Slice your butter into small pieces so its easier to mix. Put butter in with flour & salt, mix with hands until it looks like lots of crumbs. Add water slowly, by the spoonful, kneading between each spoonful until you have a ball of dough. Refrigeration is for shmucks who like to wait 4 hours. When you're done making the dough, cut it in half and use the bigger half for the bottom crust. Roll out/spread out dough with your fingers and put into a 9-inch pie pan. 

Mix sugar, cinnamon & salt in small bowl. Take a handful of this mixture and sprinkle it on the bottom of the crust. Cut up apple into thin slices and dip each slice into the sugar mix, and then layer them on the pie crust. Squeeze some lemon over the apples to keep the from turning too brown (brown apples=gross). Sprinkle some corn starch over the first layer of apples, then mix the rest into the sugar mix. Continue layering apples until it has reached the top of the pie plate (or above, if you like). Don't forget to squeeze lemon every now and then. When you're done adding apple, roll out the second half of the dough into a circle (or into strips and weave. I've done this before, it makes pies even prettier) and place on top of pie. Make sure the dough from the bottom connects with the top, and flute the edges with your thumb. I sprinkled the remainder of my sugar mix on top and squeezed more lemon, but hey, that's just me. Bake for 30-40 min at 425°F, or until crust is golden brown and everyone in the immediate area asks you what you're cooking ("Is that PIEEEE?"). Control yourself until you think it might be cool enough to eat, and dig in.

It was so good. I'm having it for breakfast tomorrow too. Jealous? I know I'd be. 

Georgetown & the Death Star

I just got back from a Friday excursion to Georgetown. Georgetown is a place that makes me feel grungy in clothes that I consider to be tasteful in College Park. People running past me made me feel under dressed.


Apart from that, I ate a really good  (and fairly inexpensive) dinner at Devan Café, and walked around. If you're going to Georgetown for any reason, I recommend this place. It was delicious. It sadly too dark to take good pictures outside, but Georgetown is a nice place for pictures. 

Tea I had after my meal at Devan Café in Georgetown (it was dark, and I have an unsophisticated camera that doesn't understand the meaning of wide aperture)

Mais oui, bien sûr! 

Does anyone other than me think that the DC Metro terminals resemble the inside of the Death Star?

I love glass bottles... and cows.

I hoard glass bottles. When I was a little kid, my mom always asked me "Why do you have so much trash in your room?" "But... it's pretty trash..." Well, now I have an excuse: I am using this pretty TAZO bottle to keep my lentils in. Slowly, but surely I will keep all of food supplies in pretty containers I can't bring myself throw away. So there. 

I am not a fan of Pretty Gross Prince George's County. But look! They have COWS here. I went on a bike ride on Saturday morning and look! There are cows, here, in P.G. county, biking distance from the University of Maryland. Not only are they COWS but they're not UMD Cows. UMD Cows are specially equipped with holes in their sides so you can stick your hand in and feel their insides. How'd you like some college students to stick their hands into your innards? Yuck.