Ginger Ears

I just had to share this somewhere on the cybernets. I have ginger in my ears.

If you've been around me the past 2 years, you know that I've been hit with Benign Positional Puddling Vertigo (It's BPPV, but I don't know what the second P is right now and I'm not looking it up. So there.) Basically, the world spins, I get dizzy and even more unbalanced than usual. I have sort of figured out the triggers; stress and cocoa powder. So, get stressed out, eat a brownie, go on a spin for about 2-6weeks. YAY!

We went to a specialist last week, she's doing blood tests and lots of other tests to check my allergies and hormones and stuff. Her approach is a blend of Western and Holistic medicines. She said that there really is no cure for vertigo. I take ginger supplements daily and she mentioned, off-hand that some people put a slice of ginger in the ear. Wha?

I couldn't find anything about it on the Google, so I just put it in my back-pocket for later use. Well later turned into today, the day after my 41st B-day (thankyouverymuch) I woke up fine, but started feeling tilty. I took some sudafed, my vitamins, ate and had some tea. Still feeling crooked, so I thought "What the heck, might as well give this a try."

So, I whacked off a small piece of ginger from the tiny root we bought last week and stuck a small piece in each ear. It felt cool, then odd, then warm from the ginger oils. I'm not certain it helped much with the dizziness, I'm a smidge more even-keel. It definitely improved my mood. I was laughing at myself for walking around with ginger in my ears.

What? I can't hear you, I have ginger in my ear.

Then, Now and Again, a Dork forever

Howdy!

I really do want to blog more. I do think of something to write everyday, but, thinkin' ain't writin'. Someday the technology will be invented where I will just think the blog and it will appear. Oy, can you imagine how much idiocy would be released on the world if that happened? Um, I don't mean from me, I meant if everybody...nevermind... Here are some dorky pictures of me:




The reason I have these lovely shots up is this: My editor/friend Ernessa over at FierceAndNerdy is celebrating her book release by helping other people. How awesome is that?

Basically, she is asking people (you perhaps? Go HERE! for details) to submit a picture of yourself from high school, a picture of yourself now and answer three questions. For every submission, 32 CANDLES (her forth-coming novel) will make a donation to FFAWN a non-profit organization that promotes good decision-making, problem-solving skills and self-esteem in young girls.

Seriously Awesome. Just when I thought Ernessa couldn't get any effing cooler.

So I found some pix, and Seen said these were adorably nerdy, but the birthday is #11 and the pic with me rockin the red pants is from the first day of 7th grade, so not quite high school. Plus I was still kinda cute here. I'll post the Then and Now project when it's up with my fugly high school pic.

Or maybe you'll see it when you post your own pix!

Do it!

It's fun to look through old photo albums and laugh at the clothes you begged your Mom to buy you.

Snaggle Finds a Home - AKA The System Works

Howdy!

I hope you all read my recent blog on Fierce And Nerdy about volunteering and falling in love at a local animal shelter. Good times...

One of the stars of that blog was Snaggle, a 10-yr old orange tabby, who is overwhelmingly lovable. We skipped last weekend at the shelter, because we were out of town. This morning when we went in, the Feline FIV+ cage was quieter than usual. My husband said "Where is Snaggle?" So I walked back to the big "Adoptions!" white board. Sure enough, his name was up there. Snaggle had found a home.

This is great news! He was/is an amazing cat who deserves a consistent lap and play and family. One of the workers said he was taken in by a couple who have experience dealing with FIV+ cats. So congrats Snaggle.

The news made me happy and sad all in the same moment. I'll miss seeing that rambunctious little rascal every weekend. The other FIV cats seemed a little subdued too, he was a good playmate. It's so rewarding to see that this actually works, that people come in and pass inspection and give these animals a good home. Snaggle's name was about 4th from the bottom of a list of about 25 cats. The dog adoption board had about the same number of adoptions for the month of May. All very good news for pets and peoples.

So Mazel Tov Snaggle! I'll miss you, in a very happy-for-you way.

And now, Andy Rooney

I LOVE Andy Rooney!

I was about to write about my nerdy love of watching this guy complain about random things on my Fierce and Nerdy blog, but I caught the bit on InfoMania which pretty much encapsulates how I feel about Mr. Rooney. Which is AWESOME!! (click on Andy to see the InfoMania piece)

(and thank YOU 60 minutes for letting this guy stay on the air for 60 years.)

Simple Happiness

Truth be told, I get in a funk sometimes. Usually it's related to being a lady and timing and stuff. My recent funkiness is starting to lift and one little girl at Target today illustrated funk-lifting beautifully.

I queued up in the checkout line with a young woman unloading her cart. In the back of the cart, with the paper-towels and fruit snacks, was a 3-4 yr old boy. Seated in the front of the cart was a 2 yr old girl. That girl was distraught, massive shiny wet tears rolled down her red cheeks. Her mouth was open in a yowling grimacing cry. I could see little white teeth and baby tonsils.

Being no help to the mother, I was laughing. Clearly the girl was just mad, the mother didn't seem to distressed by it, the mood wasn't dark at all. The mother turned to her baby and said "Somebody is cranky!" I stuck my tongue out at the girl and smiled, she just stared and continued to wail away.

Then a target cashier came over with a red balloon tied to a white nylon string. She tied it to the handle of the cart and the little girl looked around, looked up at the balloon and her crying turned to shoulder shrugging sighs. Then she smiled.

Seen was waiting for me about 10 ft away, he was smiling too. I pointed at the balloon and said to him, "Remember this trick for the next time I have PMS."

All hail the simple healing power of a red balloon.

Stairway to Heh-vuhn

Isn't that the way the song goes? In an ongoing effort, er, in a renewed effort to be eat healthy, I've posted a recipe for the most phenomenal chocolate chip cookies ever on my Fierce and Nerdy Blog (possibly even better than the apology cookies.) I'm almost hesitant to tell you they are not only Gluten Free, but vegan.

AND in the effort to regain being physically fit, I have added some stair climbing to my morning walk. These stairs to be precise:

That's just 1 of 5 portions. My March stated goal was to go up and down these 5 times at one go. I've done 4 times, each of the past 2 days and my calves hurt, but I'm picturing my J-Lo booty getting firm. Could use some new uptempo music to make my time on the stairs a tad easier!

Also, after watching my buddy Rachel run the L.A. Marathon last weekend, Sean and I discussed doing a 10k or a half-marathon. I'm in serious consideration to join the Leukemia and Lymphoma Team in Training for the Disneyland Half Marathon in September. I figure that I already think about Dad a lot while I'm out there walking/climbing/running, I might as well be raising money to defeat the disease that took him from us. The $2,200 fundraising goal is almost as daunting as running 13.1 miles, but I think I'm up for the challenge.

Now I'm off to ice my shin splints. Keep those cards and letters coming!

Apology Cookies

It's Friday! Yippee! Since I'm a celebrating the 1 year anniversary of not having a full-time job, weekends probably don't have the same sweetness for me as they do for y'all, but they're still pretty sweet.

Speaking of sweetness, here is my Friday Sugar Chase hook-up. These cookies make me giggle. I stumbled across Sugar Mama on Etsy, and offer my kudo's for originality.

Disclaimer: I normally don't think nekkid mens/womens bachelor party favor pastries are funny. IMHO dirty-parts molded out of lollypops/cakes/cookies/candy necklaces are just lazy humor. But somehow, these seem different. Just check out how happy that bondage cookie is!

Also wanted to also share with you the pic of cookies I made last weekend.

Last Saturday was rainy and cold and we were stuck inside, glued to the CNN, watching the "Tsunami" hit Hawaii. It seemed like the perfect day to turn on the oven to warm the place up and make some cookies while we're at it. I LOVE to bake, but don't do it often anymore because all of the wheat and sugar involved in delicious baked products, make me feel poopy. Luckily the cookies I had in mind already had an adoptive home waiting.

I needed to make apology cookies. See, we purchased a Wii Fit in January and have been hopping, hooping and generally enjoying the thing ever since. I had been meaning to make cookies, for the neighbor who lives directly below us, as an apology for our recent Fit activity. So here they are, arguably, the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. Our downstairs neighbor seemed happy and surprised to get yummy goodies!

This recipe is from CooksIllustrated. Seen gave me an annual online subscription as my Xmas giftie (smart boy).

This coming weekend is supposed to be rainy too, so just in case you felt like baking; here is the recipe, complete with scientific reasons they are better than regular cookies:

<--Apology cookies, right outta the oven


Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 16 cookies. Published May 1, 2009. From ATK Books.

Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is browned. Use fresh, moist brown sugar instead of hardened brown sugar, which will make the cookies dry. This recipe works with light brown sugar, but the cookies will be less full-flavored. For our winning brand of chocolate chips, see related tasting.

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces) (see note)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (see note)
3/4 cup chopped pecan or walnuts, toasted (optional)

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)

5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Recipe Testing
Don't Bake in Batches Baking two trays at a time may be convenient, but it leads to uneven cooking. The cookies on the top tray are often browner around the edges than those on the bottom, even when rotated halfway through cooking.

Recipe Testing
Creating a New Classic Here's how we improved on the Toll House classic to create an even better cookie.

TOLL HOUSE RECIPE: Equal Amounts Brown and White Sugar
A 1-1 ratio of brown to white sugar creates a cookie that's neither crisp nor chewy.

OUR RECIPE: More Brown Sugar
Using more brown sugar than white makes for a chewier cookie.

TOLL HOUSE RECIPE: Creamed Solid Butter
Creaming butter creates a cakier texture in cookies.

OUR RECIPE: Browned, Melted Butter
Melting butter contributes to chewiness; browning it enhances flavor.

TOLL HOUSE RECIPE: 2 Whole Eggs
Whole eggs contribute to a drier texture.

OUR RECIPE: 1 Whole Egg, 1 Yolk
Eliminating one egg white also boosts chewiness.

TOLL HOUSE RECIPE: Beat and Bake
Baking the dough immediately after mixing doesn't allow the sugar to dissolve as fully as possible.

OUR RECIPE: Whisk and Wait
Whisking sugar into the liquid ingredients and then waiting 10 minutes allows more of it to dissolve, setting up better flavor and texture.

TOLL HOUSE RECIPE: Less Dough
The smaller the cookie, the more uniform its texture.

OUR RECIPE: More Dough
Three tablespoons of dough per cookie increases its crisp-chewy contrast.

Recipe Testing

For Perfect Cookies, Look to Sugar Crunchy edges, chewy centers, and big butterscotch flavors—that chocolate chip cookie framework sounded pretty sweet to us. As it turns out, perfect cookies have a lot to do with sugar and how it’s treated. Sugar that is dissolved in liquid before baking caramelizes more readily than sugar that simply melts when exposed to the same amount of heat. What would happen if we rested our cookie batter after we added the sugar to allow more of it to dissolve before going into the oven? 



EXPERIMENT - 
We prepared two batches of our Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies. Dough from the first batch went straight from the mixing bowl onto the baking sheet; the other batch rested for 10 minutes (with occasional whisking) after we combined the sugar with the recipe’s liquids.



RESULTS - 
Cookies baked from the rested batter boasted not only richer, deeper flavor but also crisper edges.



EXPLANATION
 - Dissolving the sugar in liquid provided by the melted butter, vanilla, and egg (accelerated by whisking and resting) affects both flavor and texture. Dissolved sugar breaks down more quickly from crystalline sucrose into glucose and fructose, which caramelize at a lower temperature to form many rich, new flavor compounds. As the dissolved, caramelized sugar cools, it takes on a brittle structure. In our cookies, this brittle texture is more evident at the edges. Why? As the oven burns off moisture from the cookie perimeter, the remaining moisture gets pulled into the center, keeping it chewy.