Music and Martha

It’s time for another musical post. I think I love music and cookies equally and given the amount of cookies you see on this blog, that should tell you something. I’m one of those people who always has their earphones in and their iPod on everywhere they go. I’ve even gone so far as to purchase an otter box so that I can swim with my iPod, (I get some strange looks at the pool for that one). I listen to music when I’m happy and I listen to it when I’m sad. I just like to have it on. My friend C doesn’t understand how I can listen to some of the music that I do when I’m sad because she says it would render her useless and rocking on the floor in the fetal position. And although music may indulge my sadness at times, it’s also soothing. I wish I was musically talented because it seems like a good alternative for someone like me who sometimes has difficulty finding the words I want to say. I guess that’s why I bake instead. Speaking of which…

Last time I posted a Martha Stewart Cookie round up I received a number of comments about how I shouldn’t use up the world’s supply of butter, (sorry guys, I’m ignoring you on that front) and one query from Elizabeth of Blog from OUR Kitchen on why there weren’t any peanut butter cookies. Well Elizabeth, just for you there are three peanut butter recipes this time around.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars: I made these for a friend’s birthday. It took me a while to figure out what to make for him but I ultimately decided on these bars because he’s still just a big kid despite his quarter century of existence and PB&J is the ultimate kid food. He declared them “top notch.”

Nine Inch Nails- Something I Can Never Have, (Still). This song makes me want to cry. And on several occasions it has probably succeeded in making me do so. But I love it anyways.

Chunky Peanut, Chocolate and Cinnamon Cookies: For me, these cookies didn’t have enough cinnamon flavour to warrant listing cinnamon in the overly long title. They were good cookies but for cinnamon to appear in the opening line the dose definitely needed to be upped. Next time.

Radiohead- Karma Police. I’ve been listening to Radiohead a lot more since seeing them live at Lollapalooza where they put on a fantastic show. As an added bonus at Lollapalooza the crowd was treated to fireworks part way through the show that were completely unrelated to Radiohead, (they were happening for a separate occasion at a nearby park) but were perfect nonetheless as they began during Everything In Its Right Place.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies: I ran out of peanut butter while making these so I subbed in some homemade stuff, (ie- I got out my super blender and whirred up some peanuts I had in the cupboard) which may have affected the outcome slightly but not negatively. Peanut butter and chocolate are a natural combination so I was rather surprised when a couple people who tried them told me they had never thought to put the two together in brownies but liked the results.

Tool- Schism. Tool’s videos are always bizarre and not necessarily in a good way so I would recommend listening to the song but not watching the video unless you’re into that sort of thing, in which case, go ahead. I’d also give this a listen even if you think you don’t like Tool, you might surprise yourself. There are a number of bands that I’ve come to like that I never thought I would and Tool is one of them.

Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies: I wanted to love these, I really did. They sounded like they would be amazing. Sadly, I didn’t. But that just goes to show you that different people have different tastes because when I took them into work everyone devoured them. One co-worker described them as “tastes like shortbread mixed with french toast, but good french toast that already has syrup on it.” I have no clue where he got that idea from, but I’m glad he liked the blondies.

Foo Fighters- Stranger Things Have Happened. I’m actually going to see Foo Fighters live this Saturday on Toronto Island so I’m pretty stoked about that. What’s even better is that I won the tickets while baking Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies at 2:30 in the morning when I couldn’t sleep. I’ll also be seeing Oasis on Sunday, it’s all part of Virgin Music Festival and it’s all free for me.

Earl Grey Tea Cookies: These cute little cookies don’t actually have a strong Earl Grey flavour but they’re delightful with a cup of tea so maybe that makes up for it.

Rum Raisin Shortbread: Despite the name, these cookies don’t actually contain raisins, they call for dried currants. Does this seem odd to anyone else? The cookies taste good, but I can’t help but think I want to make them again with raisins or change the name so that when offering them to people I don’t have to try to explain why Rum Raisin cookies don’t contain raisins.

Coldplay- Lost. This song is off Coldplay’s latest release, Viva La Vida. I’ve been looking forward to this album for quite a while and it didn’t disappoint. I really wanted to go to their concert when they were in Toronto and was thisclose to buying scalper tickets but I ended up being out of town on the dates they were here, (which was probably a good thing for my bank account, scalper's have no qualms about charging your soul for a ticket that's probably a fake anyways).

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies, (from the top): I love candied ginger and although these cookies don’t call for any, I think it would be an excellent addition. They’re quite addictive just the way they are though and perfectly chewy.

Chocolate Cherry Crumb Bars: When I first tasted these bars right out of the oven I wasn’t all that impressed. Then I set them in the fridge overnight and somehow they were transformed into a wonderful magical bar of deliciousness the next day when I had one for breakfast, (don’t judge). I couldn’t believe I ever had doubts about these bars, they’re definitely worth trying and I will certainly be making them again.

All of the cookie recipes can be found in Martha Stewart's Cookies (The very best treats to bake and to share). And as usual, if anyone wants to send me concert tickets and be my life sponsor you're more than welcome to do that. If you have musical suggestions of stuff you think I might like, I'll accept those to, I love finding new sounds.

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