Biscuit disaster averted!

I almost had a biscuit disaster yesterday. Every season so far this year, I do the supper for the Monucs concert. Last season involved 2 days of making cakes, macaroons and choc chip bikkies. This season is just choc chip bikkies, some with nuts and some without.

The disaster began when I realised that I couldn't find my recipe. It's one I stole of a friend and tweaked slightly. Last season I ended up with flat, chewy biscuits of awesome addictiveness. When I couldn't find it, I started the search for another recipe. The only thing I had an issue remembering was how much flour was needed. So I turned to Baked. The differences between the Baked choc chip cookies and mine is in the flour and sugar content. They use 2 cups, I use 3.5 of flour, sugar they use 1 cup brown, 1/2 white, I use 2 cups dark brown.

Then resulting cookies were cakey. I really don't like cakey cookies. So I ended up on the internet trawling through facebook trying to find the recipe again and success!

For future reference
(double batch)

3.5 cups plain flour
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
vanilla
250g choc chips
2tsp baking powder

more cook books

So I just did a very naughty thing. I spent money I don't have on more cookbooks event though I have a pile sitting at home that still needs to be worked through.

I will soon be the proud owner of a Field Guide to Cookies, a Field Guide to Candy and Pioneer Woman Cooks. Books by 2 of my favourite bloggers.

The ones still to work through are
Baked (which I found in Borders here in Australia for the first time but, I"m happier with my signed copy direct from the store itself!)
Saha
3x Donna Hay books

and many many more.

Oh well, I'll work my way through them all eventually

So it seems that my complete lack of posting and baking in the last few months can be put down to a few things.
- work
- uni
- life
- housemate
- boy

Everything has now been sorted and things are good. I have found that my need to bake and consume sweet things has decreased in the last few weeks. This is most likely due to the new boy in my life who I am spending most of my free time with. I'm not much of a snacker when with other people.

It's also interesting that according to the spell check, snacker, isn't actually a word. Then again, it doesn't recognise contractions and the non-US spelling of words either so I'm going to assume its wrong.

happy things from last night's christmas in july

having a "who fits into my tuba case best" competition

the lamb being oh so rare and just cooked
hanging with friends all day, both new and old

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k


evil chocolate mousse (taken directly from a gchat with satan herself

250g chocolate
500ml cream
1 egg
2Tb golden syrup
2 Tb butter

add the egg butter golden syrup and half the cream to a saucepan whisk while heating and continue to whisk for a couple of minutes after the butter has melted

remove from heat add teh broken up chocolate misx til smooth
evil: while that is cooling to room temp beat the rest of the cream til it is stiff peaks sweeten to taste

oh also vanilla

1/2 a teaspoon
evil: when the chocolatey part is cool to room temp gradually add to the cream (or vice versa it doesnt really matter i have found) and mix gently til all mixed in

stick in fridge for at least 4 hours

eat and enjoy!

The last month or so

The last month or so has been pretty hectic.
Exams are now over and its onto the research part of my course. It looks like I won't actually start the experiment side of it for another few months as the lab hasn't been set up properly. Other then that there has been lots of baking and cooking happening. I have a back log of things to post.
Some of the items are birthday cake and muffins of awesomeness.

The latest in baking news is that we're having Christmas in July this year! The 25th falls on a Saturday. I'm not working that night so we can party. It's pot luck as usual and all I need to do now that I've sorted out what I'm making is to hire the bulldozer and cleaning fairies to clean the house.
I considered taking before and after pictures last night to document just how bad things can get. The only issue is that I did do a bit of a clean last week so things aren't looking too bad at the moment, compared to normal that is....

More on that when there are photos

3 weeks to go!

Well, it was last Friday.

Panic stage hasn't set in just yet but worry stage sure has. First exam I thought went fine. Turns out I didn't do as well as I had hoped. Still got a Distinction but I wanted more.

This weeks holds a lot in store. I have major exams to start studying for as well as some cooking/baking to do. I missed the inaugural Daring Cooks challenge (ricotta gnocchi) and I'm not missing this one!

Still writing the lit review and pining over kitchen aid mixers. Whilst I don't need one, they do come in handy. Being able to set something beating and walk off would be most welcome.

Ta Da!!

I just handed in an assignment worth 30% of my grade, 4 days early!!

The rest of the work load looks like this

23/5 Supper for 300 (coconut macaroons, choc chip biscuits and some kind of slice)

25/5 8am - X-ray Diffraction exam
12pm - practice talk in front of entire research group

27/5 10am Honours talk (for real this time)
1pm Electron Diffraction lab (5 hours)

29/5 Electron Diffraction assignment due

5/6 Lit review Due

11/6 Quantum Mechanics exam

19/6 Electron Diffraction Exam

At some point I need to write up and hand in my lab report.


Then I can sleep