Insert Thyme Passing Pun Here
Celebrating my birthday away from home has become my favorite birthday tradition. I only began in birthday travelling in earnest after my 30th birthday. Something felt off about asking people to come and celebrate me and the expectations that come from both sides. And I should stipulate that these are perceived expectations. From me. And my brain. So the only answer was the flee. Get a cheap flight, see something new and no one's feelings get hurt. Least of all mine.
You can read more about my most recent birthday trip here, in all it's egg tart and blue tile glory.
Now nothing says birthday like something sweet. I've confessed previously that I don't love cake. I often find it too finicky and fiddly. If I'm in the mood, or inspired I'll do a cake. I've recently been into simple but crazy cookies. Below is a recipe for just that. I bought cornflakes for another recipe and I'm not one to waste a giant box of creal. Now this is the recipe on the back of the box, sometimes inspiration is right in front of you! I changed the recipe a bit to suite what was in my cupboards.
Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (but still slightly firm)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar (65 grams)
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used extra crunchy and I think a little less because it was the end of my jar)
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
About 1 cup corn flakes cereal, crushed after measuring
1/2 cup rough chopped pecans
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and beat until well mixed, then add the egg and mix on low to medium low speed until well mixed, scraping sides of bowl often.
Beat in the salt and baking soda until evenly distributed, then add the flour and stir until low until almost fully incorporated. Stir in the cereal, chips and nuts.
With a medium size cookie scoop, scoop out about 20 balls of dough. If you are using a small scoop, you should get about 30 (as per the recipe). If you are not using a scoop, just use heaping tablespoons.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are brown around the edges.
The BreadList - a collection of things I've been reading, making and watching to recently.
On the topic of birthdays, has social media devalued birthdays?
And now, paradoxically, I feel younger, more vibrant and in better shape physically and emotionally than I did at 60, or even at 50. So is that all a question of perspective?
Sleep is more than just for dreaming, more like cleaning.
If you want to see exciting PBS news, check out our new 'do.
