Is it vacation time yet?

I'll have an update and pics from the dance showcase soon! It was a great night.

The busy-ness keeps on coming.  This week is filled with packing up my apartment and moving to the new one this weekend.  But I have to repaint my bedroom first...right now it looks like something Eeyore would live in.  Whoever thought a navy blue room wouldn't be depressing?

I feel like I have to put my head down and get this done as soon as possible.  I need time to plan said vacation!

More Cowbell, please

A little shameless self promotion - also because I'm SO proud of my dance group.  The above is the nearly last practice we have for our dance performance in ...eeeep.... 6 days.  Here's a clip from our latest practice - I'm SO PROUD.



Er....yeah, so I am thinking this Wa (or Va) Tribe must be a cow herding people.  In fact, I've looked up some videos of their traditional dance and damned if there aren't cow skulls hanging up in the village square.  I'm particularly proud because we (me, DJ, Wei-ling, AJ) basically learned this dance ourselves, rechoreographed a good chunk (the original group had 3 people), AJ made the he costumes herself...and it's the riskiest dance we've ever done, both thematically (these people LOVE cows) and athletically.  But it's just so COOL - who knew any tribes in China danced like this?


1 tech rehearsal, 1 dress rehearsal to go.  Wish us luck!

D.I.Y. #3- The Zen of Cookies

Don't you just love days where the plan is to do nothing?  I amazed myself this fine Saturday (now Sunday) by my incredible multi-tasking of doing nothing yet accomplishing quite a lot.

My to-do list today looked consisted of:
1. Go to the bookstore

2. Make pancake breakfast

3. watch some tv

4. make cookies

5. start packing up the apartment

Thoere must be some Zen saying about how not TRYING to accomplish a lot means you'll be relaxed enough a hell of a lot done.  I feel like I really managed to filled up my day and be extremely productive despite waking up at 11 am and managing to watch Face/Off, Casino Royale, AND Bones AND Fringe.  The packing jitters are starting to set in, when I have to decide what I can pack now to make life easier for myself and what I won't be able to live without for the next 2-3 weeks.  Gah.  The anxiety is rising, although my subconscious must be very concerned about my shoes - I dreamed the other night that it was deathly important I pack all my shoes FIRST.  But I decided in the end that considering the next week will be eaten up by dance rehearsals, I can safely start packing away less used cooking equipment.  I don't exactly see myself making sponge cakes anytime soon.

The crowning achievement of my day, though, must be the cookies.  I've been promising Amy I'd make my Auntie Ellen's chocolate chip cookies ever since she told me about Levain Bakery in New York -  apparently famous for their chocolate chip and walnut cookies.

WELL...I've been eating Auntie Ellen's cookies since childhood and I have to say, this is my favorite CCC of all time.  Just the right balance of nuttiness, chocolate, not overly sweet, and somehow, her cookies always remain nice and firm (I was using the Tollhouse recipe for ages, but whenever I bake that, it always melts into a giant cookie puddle.)  I don't make them as well as Auntie Ellen, but a few more practice batches should do it!  So simple, so good.  Next time I'm thinking of substituting pistachios for the walnuts just to see how it turns out.  Enjoy!

Auntie Ellen's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 measuring teaspoon baking soda

1 measuring teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 measuring teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375⁰ F.  In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, beat until creamy.  Beat in eggs.  Gradually add flour mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Drop by level measuring tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 375⁰ F. 9-11 minutes.