Capture: A little of my night photography in DC
It has been on my mind to get to Washington DC and record a video at night of the some of the monuments but work has been so busy with deadlines and covering people who were on vacation, and working over my regular hours, etc., that I had zero energy after the workdays to actually GO to DC.
Then I remembered I had printed photos of the last time I went to DC with my camera at night. Just thought I would share a couple or so.
Creation: Aaaaahhhh, Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles are an absolute favorite of the cookies that I make. Well, basically any cookie with cinnamon will be at the top of the list for me. This is a simple sugar cookie rolled in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar before going into the oven. The recipe took a couple of tries before I could make it an efficient workflow but I have tackled that now. After making the dough, I scoop it out of the mixing bowl and drop the dough into a glass of the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Then roll it around by the glass so the mixture isn’t really pressed into the dough, like if you rolled it on a plate where it’s natural to press down a little. Plus it’s less messy because I use small tongs to pull the cinnamon/sugar coated dough ball from the glass and place onto the cookie sheet. Follow close attention to the bake time by using a timer, which I do for all of my cookies. I’ve learned over the years to not guess on time.
You cookies will come out perfectly. A little crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
Store them in a ziplock bag to keep them from getting crunchy overnight. I don’t like fighting to get a bite of my cookies.
Because of the cinnamon, I would probably choose a snickerdoodle over a chocolate chip cookie. Shhhhh! Don’t tell anyone.
I use this recipe from AllRecipes.com called Mrs. Siggs Snickerdoodles.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/10687/mrs-siggs-snickerdoodles/?internalSource=staff%20pick&referringId=16420&referringContentType=global%20nav
Creation: Mexican wedding cookies
We got at least 25 inches of snow here last weekend. Yes, it’s winter and winter brings snow. So, let’s have snowball cookies.
These cookies seem to have different names: Mexican Wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes, or snowballs. Whatever you want to call them, they are so good! They are easy to make and the recipe makes about 5 dozen cookies.
It’s probably been a couple of years at least since I last made them, until I made them about a month ago. As soon as I tasted them again after so long, I thought to myself, “Why don’t I make these more often?”
Then I remembered how messy they are because it has powdered sugar in the recipe. Rolling the cookies in the powdered sugar when they’re warm, and then again when they’re cool…..a mess. But when I am finally finished baking and get to pop one in my mouth, none of that even matters.
Here’s the recipe. Have fun and enjoy!
MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans, or whatever you like)
2 1/4 cups flour
For dusting or rolling cookies in after baking: 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Directions:
Cream together butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.
Mix in flour, nuts, and salt.
Roll about 1 tablespoon or so of dough into balls.
Bake for 11-12 minutes. Do not over bake.
While warm, roll the cookies in powdered sugar.
Let the cookies finish cooling, then roll them in powdered sugar again.
Enjoy, or store in airtight container.
Capture: Chinatown Cats
While walking through Chinatown (in DC) one day, I stumbled upon this colorful collection of cats in a display window.
Communication: Random Things I’m Thankful For
Happy Thanksgiving Week!
51 Random Things I am Thankful For….
(just a quick, random list for fun)
- breath/life
- sanity
- family
- friends
- stories/wisdom/advice from the elder generation
- the renewed desire to reach people through my writing
- my photography hobby
- black and white photography
- aerial photography
- night time photography
- the very few photos from my childhood
- my baking hobby
- my writing hobby
- my traveling hobby
- cruise vacations
- time spent in Venice, Italy
- time spent in Barcelona, Spain
- time spent in London, England
- time spent in Toronto, Canada
- time spent in Waikiki, Hawaii
- my musical interests
- my headphones to escape in music
- roku when I stopped watching cable
- hulu plus when I stopped watching cable
- netflix when I stopped watch cable
- periscope for its authenicity and connections to people, globally
- any kind of potato…except au gratin/scalloped
- Talenti gelato….sea salt caramel, double chocoalte, or chocotale peanut butter
- cheddar bay biscuits at Red Lobsters
- salmon at Longhorn’s
- frozen lemonade at Chik Fil-a
- freedom and living in the USA
- a good upbringing
- having had a loving and encouraging Mom
- the men of the past
- my childfreedom
- my independence
- my self-sufficiency
- receiving unexpected checks in the mail
- hearing kids laugh and having fun
- watching kids discover, learn and master a subject/task
- photographing a child’s perfectly timed and sharply focused smiling face
- Any plane that departs on time, with me and my passport on it, and it’s not a work trip
- 5:00-6:00pm every workday when I can leave the cube farm
- Fridays
- Saturdays
- Sundays
- holidays
- New Year’s Day
- free will to make life’s choices
- The things my Mom told me that prepared me for life
What random things are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?