When you're waiting in the ER for a CT scan, the strangest things pop into your head...like "What cookie am I going to do this Sunday?" and "Why can't I find a video of that song on YouTube?"
I've written about finding cookie inspiration before. I especially like the story of how I came up with my Sweater Weather Cookies. (If you couldn't tell by now, I really like this recipe.) But it occurred to me that there was something else that contributed to the DNA of that recipe. I know it sounds weird, but the cool, mellow feeling of Yo La Tengo's "Autumn Sweater" played a role in there somewhere. Download the song from iTunes and do some leaf-peeping...before the snow starts to fly. Enjoy!
All of New England is pretty much swallowed up in a nasty, windy rainstorm today. Time for another rainy song--"Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" by Travis.
It's raining. It's pouring. The old man is snoring. I hope it's sunny where you are, but if it's not, maybe this happy little ditty--XTC's "Ballet for a Rainy Day"--will brighten your day.
Call it autumn. Call it fall. I love this time of year. The crispness of the air, the low-angled afternoon light, the smell of leaves on the wind, the reds and yellows and oranges on the trees. It all makes me happy.
These early days of fall are what inspired my Sweater Weather Cookie. I haven't posted the recipe yet, but it's been on The List from the start. The flavors are orange, cinnamon, and a dash of tea. I'm still thinking through some final tweaks, but stay tuned. I'll post the recipe soon.
The Leonard Cohen song "Suzanne" ties together this season and cookie for me. I first heard the song on a mix tape a friend gave me in college. (Yes...a mix tape. I am so old.) I remember listening to it in my dorm room and then going down to the little pond that was at the edge of campus and lying down on the grass. I'd look up through the color-dappled, thinning leaves on the trees, up into the sharp, glinting afternoon sun, and fall asleep. (If only I had taken that medieval lit class freshman year. I would have known that bad things happen to people who are foolish enough to nap under trees near water. But I digress...) I was wild, I tell ya.
It was the perfect weather--"three bears weather"--not too hot, not too cold; not too bright, not too dark. The kind of weather where all you need is a wool sweater to feel comfortable, to feel right.
The other night, a car at the corner of 13th Street and 7th Avenue was blasting this song. Ever since then, it and, strangely, the theme song to Degrasi Junior High have been taking turns getting stuck in my head. OK, now for the food part. Whenever I hear "Downtown," I think of Girl Interrupted and the Brittany Murphy character--the one who hoards rotisserie chicken carcasses under her bed. See...I told you it was a tenuous connection.
Here we have "Oat Crunchy Biscuits" (how appropriate!) from the BBC show Delia Smith's Cookery Course. Oh, how I love the Britishisms: "gas mark 5" and "marge-a-reen."
This takes me back to watching Saturday morning cartoons as a kid, with all those commercials for junky, sugar-laden cereals and and snacks. Mmmm...Cookie-Crisp cereal. "It's part of a complete breakfast," you know.
I've already got one breakfast-themed cookie, Heeeere's Johnnycake!, on The List, but maybe I should do a grab 'n go type of breakfast replacement cookie.
Take a look at this old skool commercial for Keebler Mini (Magic) Middles cookies. Hmm...maybe I should do mini versions of my stuffed cookies. Now that's something to try!
It's a good thing I keep my camera close to the couch. I snapped this pic during last night's episode of Top Chef, when the quickfire challenge was all about using oatmeal with another food product: fish (!), poultry, fruit, veg, dairy, etc.
(Don't you love how they embed commercials in these shows? The way the product--whether it's Glad containers or whatever cars they're driving around in or Quaker Oats--is displayed so prominently and discussed at such length. It's Tivo/DVR proof. Genius.)
I know the contestants only have like 15 minutes to make a dish, so I guess oatmeal cookies were out of the question. Darnit!
Take a look at this oldie-but-goodie commercial for Keebler Magic Middles cookies. Making stuffed cookies is a little more complicated than this...but the effort is so worth it.
I try to keep these clips as clean and G-rated as possible, but this NSFW (that means "not safe for work," Mumma) clip of Ricky Gervais doing stand-up had me in stitches. You'll never think of the phrase tea and biscuits the same way again.
I was searching YouTube for clips from Christmas in the Stars, the (believe it or not) Star Wars-themed Christmas album, and came upon this gem. A scene from a Star Wars TV Christmas special with Bea Arthur as the cantina barmaid. What the...? Does anybody remember this?
My earlier post about chicken soup got me thinking about Maurice Sendak's Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months, which I think I checked out of my elementary school library dozens upon dozens of times.
As I mentioned in my Autumn Saturday III post, Jon and I got to be part of the Times Square audience for The People's Court. You know...we were in the part of the show when Harvey Levin asks people what they think about the cases.
Oatmeal Cookie Guy was asked to debate someone as part People's Court Raw. Lucky me.
I'm never going to say the word regardless again. Never.
This time from the BBC reality show Big Brother 9. I chose this one not for the use of the Britishism biscuit but for this person's...um...vocal support of cookies. All I'll say is that you've been warned. Maybe she's a candidate for a "deliverables" post of her very own.
This time from the BBC show called Quite Interesting, hosted by actor and Oscar Wilde lookalike Stephen Fry, on the differences among digestives, biscuits, jafa cakes (jafa cakes!?!?) cakes, and cookies.
