monster cookies - rawr!

i can't believe it's may already. where is the year going? as you can see, my resolution to blog more really hasn't been working. sorry to the 3 people who actually read this blog. tonight, in a fit of baking mojo, i decided to make the monster cookies that i saw this week on recipe girl. these are well known cookies though i've never actually had them before. it's basically butter, sugar, oats and chocolate. you can totally make this gluten free if you use gluten free peanut butter, vanilla, oats, chocolate chips and M&M's. i would like to try making these gluten free some day.

no real issues with the recipe except that i ran out of oats and had to go get more in the middle of making them. and i used my large cookie scoop to make these. they're not mean to be petite. like recipe girl suggested, i dotted extra chips and M&Ms onto the uncooked mounds before baking so that they'd look prettier. and they do.

yeah there is flour in this pic. that's my bad. i totally pulled out the flour thinking that there was some in this recipe but nope, held together with peanut butter and love.

then throw in some pretty m&ms....

dotted my uncooked cookie mounds with MORE CHOCOLATE!

cook for 10 minutes....

and voila! giant cookies!

now here is the recipe from recipe girl

monster cookies
Yield: 36 regular sized or 22 giant cookies
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated white sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup M&M's plain chocolate candies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper or a silpat mats.

2. In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter with the sugars and butter. Use an electric mixer to mix until well combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the oats and baking soda. Then stir in the chips and M&M's.

3. Drop the cookies by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. If you'd like your cookies to look pretty (like the photo), dot a few extra M&M's and chocolate chips on each mound of dough before baking.

4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets until cookies are set. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Tips:

*If you are preparing this cookie as gluten-free, just be sure to make sure you are using brands of the following items that are known to be GF: peanut butter, vanilla, oats, chocolate chips and M&M's.
*If you'd prefer to make giant cookies, use an ice cream scoop instead to scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet. They'll need to bake for 18 to 20 minutes, and you'll end up with about 22 cookies.

i will be sharing these with my book club tomorrow morning. i already ate one cookie and wow, am i full. very easy to make and highly recommended. 

anyone have any good plans for tomorrow? i am going to read. and sleep. and read some more. and then maybe eat some cake. have a great weekend, everyone!

first so cal yarn crawl

yesterday was the start of the first los angeles couty yarn crawl. now i've heard of yarn crawls happening in cities before but there's never been one in mine. i am super excited about the crawl and kicked it off last night with a champagne party at unwind. if you're in the los angeles area, definitely check out the website and check out all the fun events happening this weekend. tomorrow morning i'll be back at unwind to help out with a book signing event. mac barnett and illustration jon klassen will be on hand to sign their book, extra yarn. 

there will be a reading and snacks and teaching kids to knit afterwards. i am very excited about it and can't wait to get my copy of extra yarn signed. i don't really know if i am going to have a ton of time to visit any other stores but we'll see. i'd love to make it to the westside to wildfiber or even to manhattan beach to twist. anyone wanna carpool?  :) hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

may the odds be ever in your favor

yes, it's finally the release day for the hunger games. no, i did not go to a midnight screening. i decided to save my sleep and just go on sunday with friends. i am really looking forward to it, though, and hope that it's a good movie.

my only other plans for this weekend are to read, sleep and make some oroeo stuffed chocolate chip cookies. it might sound gross but they are awesome.

are you going to see the hunger games or have you already? :) have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

book review: knits for nerds

Knits For Nerds by Joan of Dark (aka Toni Carr)

Publication date: 21 February 2012 by Andrews McMeel

ISBN 10/13: 1449407919 | 9781449407919
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

From Goodreads:

The best of science fiction, manga, and animaguiri meets knit one, purl two as knit siren and part-time roller derby girl Joan of Dark offers up an out-of-this-world assortment of knitting nerdiness inside Knits for Nerds. The patterns for 30 iconic clothing and accessory items inspired by popular TV shows, books, films, comics, and more--including Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Firefly--are presented alongside full-color photographs showcasing completed projects, such as:

* Lieutenant Uhura's sexy Star Trek minidress
* Hobbit feet slippers
* Firefly-inspired scarf, socks, hat, and jacket
* Tank Girl socks
* Hermione Granger's secret beaded bag
* Manga-inspired leg warmers
* The Big Bang Theory-inspired his and hers sweater-vests
* Lord of the Rings-inspired shrug

In addition to a wardrobe of costume finery, hobbyists will also find instructions for practical projects such as an e-reader cover or a laptop bag crafted of checkered fabric that serves double-duty as a chessboard and carryall, as well as patterns for plush toys inspired by Star Trek, robots, and the comic book Squee! Wear (and knit!) your nerdiness on your sleeve with Knits for Nerds.

Review:

How could I resist a book called Knits For Nerds? I couldn’t really. As a knitter and a lover of many things considered “nerdy,” I was excited to pick this one up. Knits for Nerds is by Joan of Dark (aka Tori Carr) whose last book, Knockdown Knits, was inspired by roller derby. This time she tackles the nerd community with patterns inspired by things considered geeky, including television shows, books, comics and video games.

The book consists of 30 patterns divided into the categories of Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Comics & Manga, and Other Stuff. The patterns range from easy to intermediate with the Browncoat sweater or lace shrug probably being the most complicated projects. The patterns range from small accessories such as fingerless gloves, hats and scarves to larger items like shawls and sweaters. There are quite a few toys to knit in the book as well as a pair of socks. There is a brief Tips & Techniques section at the back of the book but it’s more of a refresher than a how to knit section. I’d suggest getting a book dedicated to learning to knit if don’t already know how before starting.

I had a lot of fun going through this book. The projects are inspired by things near and dear to my heart. The photos were even shot in Neil Gaiman’s house, which made me do a fangirl squee when I read it. My favorite projects were the most wearable ones, such as the Vampire Academy inspired Alchemy Scarf and the Firefly Browncoat Sweater. There’s a really beautiful cable shawl inspired by Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is represented by a pair of really cute, striped arm warmers. There are a pair of vests for men and woman from The Big Bang Theory that look quite cute and wearable. The Space Princess Hat and Cape (seen on the cover) are really cool but are items that I, personally, would not wear and therefore I would not make. I was kind of disappointed in the Dr. Who inspired Time Traveler Scarf. The colors are more pastel than the Dr. Who scarf I am used to and I would not have made the connection if not for the project title. There are also some fun, little projects like a checkerboard and a Gryffindor bag that would make good gifts.

While not all of the projects in this book are the most practical (do I want my feet to look like hairy hobbit feet?), it was certainly fun to go through this book and see projects that were inspired by some of my favorite movies, games and comics. For me, this gets a little bit of a lower rating because I can’t see myself, personally, wearing too many of these knits. However, I can see a lot of these projects appealing to others. Fans of cosplay will find lots of cool, inspiring things to make in this book.

Filled with a wide variety of patterns, Knits for Nerds is a great gift for the fanboy, fangirl or crafty person in your life.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

This review is cross posted on Nite Lite - Read Now Sleep Later.

riveting

good weekend, y'all. so far it's been an extremely lazy saturday for me. right now i am making some delicious s'mores bars while waiting for a friend to come over and watch this week's the voice. so far the big thing i've done is gone up and ordered the entire hunger games nail polish collection by china glaze. yes, china glaze is releasing an entire collection inspired by the hunger games to coincide with the film's release date later this month. as my friends are away, i am a huge nail polish junkie. i also love reading and really loved the first hunger games book. this is a obvious one for me so i ordered the entire collection this morning. one color was sold out. luckily i had seen some of the hg polishes earlier this week at my local sally beauty. i was really hoping that they had missing polish and, lo and behold, they did. now i have the rest of the collection winging its way towards me.

see how pretty? there are two in this picture because i picked one up for a friend. not much else going on. i hope to finish a book or two before the weekend ends. i just read a hilarious regency romance last night called a tryst with trouble. comes out april1 and i highly recommend it. 

what are your weekend plans?

new beginnings

wow i really can't believe that it's practically march already. how insane is that? and my resolution to blog more hasn't really been working that well, but that's ok. sometimes life happens which is a good thing. i've still been in a bit of a funk but am trying to will myself out of it. hopefully with good friends and good food things will be a little more optimistic soon. i have been knitting more though. i got a new laptop and have been able to watch some hulu streaming. so far i am into alcatraz, the voice and once upon a time. i still have tons to catch up on, but it's a start.

this is a wee baby cupcake hat a recently made for my soon to be niece. these things are kind of addictive and, even though i hate making bobbles, the results are great.

ravelry link

made from a mix of wool scraps like lamb's bride and malabrigo, this hat is a tiny ball of fun. seriously it's so cute and needs a baby heat in it - stat! they're so easy that i've started another one already. this one will be chocolate. :) 

what's new with you?

on life

This isn't a real post but this is how I feel today. Some days it just feels like your best really isn't good enough no matter what you do and how hard you try. I know it's just a bad day but I feel like there have been more of them lately.

But I still try to find small pleasures in life. A good book, a delicious pastry, all help remind me that I am lucky to be living in this crazy world. I got my new laptop this week, which is a million times faster than my old one. I am also looking forward to a book signing and a yarn sale this weekend. See, I feel better already.

current obsession: all knitwear

i am in the midst of crazy holiday shopping and haven't had any time to update. instead i will distract you with this. i just found this fun line called all knitwear. it's machine knitting in all shapes, sizes and colors. i am in love with these hats! and the sweaters are ridiculously bright and fun. i don't know if i could actually wear any of them but they're beautiful.  have you found any fun and inspiring things you'd like to share?

persimmon love

to me, fall means cooler weather, changing leaves, and PERSIMMONS! these lovely, strange fruits only come around once a year and only for a very short time. mid to late october are usually the best times for them. growing up we had a large persimmon tree in the backyard which would bear hundreds of persimmons. we gave plenty away but i also ate my fair share. unfortunately my family no longer lives at that house but, my parents are friends with the new owners. this means that i still get my annual persimmon fix (the store selection is never as good and i am always disappointed). we have both the hard variety and the soft variety of persimmon at our old place. i actually only eat the hard ones (peeled) and give the soft ones away. i did take a few this year though to see if maybe i could make some persimmon bread or something from them. here are some pics from our fruit picking adventure to the old house.

pretty leaves in front of the house

big basket of the hard variety of persimmons

unripe soft variety persimmons

soft persimmons on the tree

tell me, do you like persimmons? what is your favorite seasonal fruit?

i'll wake up for yarn

it's that time of year again. it's black friday - time to shop in the wee hours of the morning or the middle of the night now that stores are opening late on thanskgiving day.  i don't usually participate in the huge black friday sales. however, there is one sale that i've been going to for the last few years. that's the purlescence pajama jammy jam. pjj is a wonderful yarn-y sale over at purlesence yarns in sunnyvale, ca, only a hop, skip and a jump away from my parents' place. discounts are all day but if you get there from 6am - 7am you get a 40% off coupon. i am so down with that. so mom and i work up early as usual and headed down to yarnland. 

the store actually wasn't too crowded at this point. they recently relocated into a bigger space in the same lot and it's much roomier, which may also account for the uncrowded look.

that back table was 75% off. i went back there many time.

samples from creepy, cute crochet

 all in all i had a great time and managed not to spend too much money. i don't have pics of my haul but, needless to say, everything was lovely.  i also got to talk a bit with someone there about spinning wheels. i really want one now. unfortunately they're a bit out of my price range right now. but i might go back at christmas just to try a few out.

that was my black friday fun. did you brave the mall? 

happy thanksgiving

happy thanksgiving, everyone! i am thankful for all of my friends and family. i have the best friends and a wonderful family and i just wanted to say thank you for being you and for being a part of my life. this was a great year and i had 3 new babies born into my extended family. i love them all to bits and am looking forward to watching them grow into regular size human beings. i hope you all have a safe and happy holiday. i'll be back soon!

in love with pom poms!

i find myself with a slightly unhealthy obsession with pom poms as of late. i even bought one of those fancy clover pom pom makers and it makes me ridiculously happy to think about all of the pom poms i can make with it. it all started because of the picture below that i found on tumbr.

photo found on tumblr but originally from weareyouneak

how cute is that hat (and the girl, too). i immediately wanted on and thank goodness i actually had a couple of balls of the stitch n bitch full o sheep yarn at home in a bright orange. my yarn was worsted and this definitely looks like a bulky weight hat so i held my yarn double and cast on for a 1x1 rib hat. i think you could get away with using just one skein of yarn on this. i had to use a little bit of a second skein because i didn't start with a full skein. but if you were careful, i think you could do it with just one skein. that means this hat could only cost you $4.99 (plus tax)! the original costs about 25 pounds which probably adds up to about $40. i am quite happy with it but, looking at these pics, does my pom pom look small? hm, i might make a bigger on next time. i don't have a picture of me wearing because, well it's awkward taking pics of yourself wearing a hat. if you want to see full project details, visit the ravelry page here.

 

what do you think? are you in love with pom poms, too? what else can i put a pom pom on?

book event: the why chromosome

i figured since i already had blogger open i might as well fix up another post. last week i had the pleasure of attending the author event the why chromosome: why boys do love books. put on by bridge to books, it was an awesome event with 5 male authors with discussions about their individual reader beginnings and topics about male readership. this was a very unique event (in a good way). usually ya book events are heavily populated with female readers and authors. this even had all male authors and a mix of people in the audience. in attendance were andrew smith, allen zadoff, john stephens, jonathan auxier, greg neri and greg van eekhout.

the discussion topics were intelligent and interesting.  they talked about what got them started reading - answers ranged from a parent reading aloud to them, an attentive teacher and libraries. libraries seemed to be very important in the factor in these authors' development.  they also got into discussions about graphic novels/comics and whether or not they were "good" for boys to read. happily i think everyone agreed that comics are a very good way to get reluctant readers to try something new and that there are many excellent comics being made today. this is sort of a near and dear topic to my heart because i've loved comics since i was a kid and find that they're generally written off as not being "real" reading. but any serious comic reader will tell you that there are so many truly intelligent and original comics being written all the time. sorry - end mini rant.

i had a great time and mrs. nelson's toy and book shop in la verne is an awesome store. i know it's not super close to those who live in l.a. proper, but it's so worth the trip out there if you get a chance. anyone who loves ya/middle grade/children books will fall in love with the store. now - on to the pictures!

the why chromosome posters

wall of ya awesomeness

i like taking pictures of small toys

apparently these are german penguins

l to r: andrew smith, allen zadoff, john stephens, jonathan auxier, greg neri, greg van eekhout

john stephens and jonathan auxier

the gregs - neri and van eekhout

andrew smith and allen zadoff

delicious desserts

the why chromosome

loft collection

has everyone seen the new loft collection by jared flood? to die! everything is seriously beautiful. and it reminds me that i have yet to try jared's new shelter yarn.  maybe as a present to myself at christmas i will buy myself a few skeins of loft and shelter.  for now, i will just ogle the pictures. below are a few of my faves.

jaffrey tam - look at those gorgeous cables

thayer

parson

stoncrop

that's it for me today. which pattern is your favorite?