Oatmeal Cookies!

Because you asked...

These cookies are absolutely moreish, and very unlike your traditional oatmeal cookie. Light and crispy, they are fantastically buttery and the sea salt is a wonderful addition (I'd put salt on all my cookies if I could). Cook's Illustrated recommends you bake these cookies one sheet at a time, which will allow them to cook more even evenly. I also added cinnamon, because oatmeal cookies just aren't the same without it...

Crispy Oatmeal Cookies with Sea Salt
(adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
14 Tbsp (7 oz) unsalted butter, just below room temp.
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
sea salt flakes, to top

Method

Preheat oven to 175ºC (350ºF) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat (or more if you have them!)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract.

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in batches, then gradually add in rolled oats, being careful not to over-mix. If your butter has warmed up too much, just stick the dough in the refrigerator for a while to cool it down - if too warm, it will cause your cookies to spread more than you'd like.

Portion into walnut-sized balls of dough (about 2 Tbsp) and place onto prepared baking sheet. I started out with eight to a sheet, but had to bring it down to five as the dough warmed up - just be careful not to make your cookies too large or put them too closely together, or you'll end up with one giant cookie! Flatten to about 3/4 inch thick, and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 13-16 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Remove when edges are crisp and the middle has set, and allow to cool completely on sheet.


And that's how it's done! I had promised myself only one cookie since I'm trying to keep my daily caloric intake below 1,900, but one turned into three, somehow...don't worry, they're definitely worth it.

2012 & My First English Snow Day

Hello everyone! I've been trying to think of something to write about for the past few days, since I feel really crap about never updating my blog. I think it has something to do with not completely loving to talk about myself...but probably a bit more with being essentially very unmotivated and a bit (well, a lot) lazy. But here I am! Much has happened since my last post in...err...September? (I'm sorry! I really am!) Barny and I had our little courthouse wedding (though not technically in a courthouse) - I will stop here to remind any of my friends and/or family reading this that it was not our final and definitive wedding event, you were not left out and we are currently planning something mega exciting for this summer! As most people know, it was mostly a matter of convenience that moved us to get married in the UK; the immigration process is very complicated (despite what the tabloid newspapers would have you believe...) and we figured it would be more straightforward to settle the legal bit here and then host an amazing fête in the States later.

Anyway! So we did that, then ventured back to Oregon for a few weeks where Barny and I took turns being ill, eating loads of delicious American food (which I didn't think I would miss as much as I have!), and generally not seeing our people as much as we wanted to. When we got home, I submitted my Leave to Remain application, and am now allowed to stay for another two years! Barny is nearing the end of his time at Marussia Racing, formerly Marussia Virgin Racing (formerly Virgin Racing), which means the days of massive travel are over! I'll miss Japanese candies and Belgian chocolate and getting postcards from far away but I will NOT miss spending lots of time alone.

And what else...it snowed! We took our sledge (sled to us Americans) up the road and halfway to Bloxham but failed to find a fantastic hill to slide down, so gave up and went home. That's about it. I have compiled a list of things I find myself enjoying recently:

• Chocolate teacakes (Barny finds this term confusing since apparently teacakes are actually fruited buns, but the wrapper definitely says teacake!) The best ones (that I know of) are from Marks & Spencer and are basically a chocolate biscuit, topped with marshmallow creme and covered in chocolate. Yes.
• Fish and Chips (probably an understatement since my English people know that I am fiendish about fish and chips from our local chippy)
• This Book
• MiH jeans

I also made an absolutely delicious lemon cake yesterday. We're talking dangerously good. When I suggested to B that he take some in to work to share with the guys, he appeared offended.

Lemon Cake (adapted from Cook Republic)

Ingredients

125 g unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

3 medium eggs

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted

Juice of 1 lemon

4 fl. oz. milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180º C (350º F). Grease a 9 x 5" loaf tin, line the bottom with parchment paper.

Cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in flour, then add lemon juice and mix for a few seconds. Add milk slowly and mix until combined.

Scrape batter into prepared pan, and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then unmold on a rack to cool right side up.

I made a simple lemon glaze by mixing together icing sugar with a little milk and lemon juice and topped the cake with that, as well as some homemade candied lemon peel. It is Very Good, and it is sitting on the kitchen counter trying to convince me that I need a slice. But I've already had three teacakes today.

x Christina

Septemburrr

Ahh! I have been ridiculously, sickeningly slow at going through and posting pictures of this summer's activities. Sorry! Since most people access this via my Facebook profile, I'm not going to bother doing it all again, but some of the photos from our Go Ape trip are up...

I've been trying to start reading again now that I have so much free time - it is and always has been one of my favorite pastimes, but I feel that I've not had much time for it in the past few years. I went through fifteen books during my first-ever five-week trip to Europe. Fifteen. And I managed to get out and see things like a normal person! I just finished reading The Help, which I understand has been made into a movie. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone who will hear me out! I've noticed on book forums people kind of got their panties in a bunch that it wasn't really historically accurate and blah blah blah, but if you're not looking for some serious history, I found it to be a very emotionally moving read.

That's about all I have right now, I pinky-swear promise I will keep working on these Cornwall photos! Also, I would like to take this opportunity to recommend Goodreads to y'all (go on, join)! It's essentially a place for people to keep tabs on what they're reading/what they've read with book suggestions and it's really nice if you like:

• books
• lists
• micromanaging down to the tiniest bits of your life

xoxo Christina

hello, it's me again

Sorry about the lack of posts lately - Barny is on a two-week break from work so we've been busy running lots of errands and trying to cram as much funtimes into what little time we have! In the past week we have been back to IKEA, driven to Suffolk to "Go Ape" and then down to Essex for some family home time with Barny's mum and sister, and experienced a less-than stellar day in Birmingham.

Go Ape is essentially a treetop obstacles course, and actually turned out to be quite fun. We spent about four hours on the course and were absolutely knackered by the end, and also had the added benefit of woodchips in our pants from the zip lines. This is the one we went to; I will also post some pictures when I get the chance.

Yesterday, Barny and I thought that it might be a good idea to take a day trip to that old chestnut Birmingham, birthplace of Black Sabbath and Cadbury's chocolate. We hadn't really seen any first-hand evidence of the rioting and looting that was all over the news, but once we had arrived at the city centre there were boarded-up shops and police everywhere, which was a little too real for me. I did get to enjoy some delicious Chinese pastries and, also, possibly the most delicious steak I have ever had in my entire life, but I don't think we shall be returning any time soon. I was really excited to see the Selfridges building, but was a little taken aback by how dirty the city seemed, and without many redeeming qualities.

As mentioned previously, we've seen no signs of rioting in refined Oxfordshire, which makes me grateful to be in the country. I have been doing quite a bit of baking, having made my first-ever Victoria sponge for Barny's friend John as well as a very good apple cobbler the other day. We're off to Cornwall on Wednesday for some minibreak funtimes so hopefully we'll have a better time there than we did yesterday.

But until then, adiós amigos! Love you all :)

all aloney on my owney

Hello hello! Barny has been in Deutschland for the German Grand Prix since Wednesday...needless to say, I haven't done much since he left. This problem has been exacerbated by the fact that A. I don't know how to drive here and B. Banbury isn't considered the most happenin' town in England. What I have been doing, though, is looking at pretty bikes because Barn and I think it's a good idea I get one (he'll probably need one too, then, since I'll be wanting to take long rides through the Cotswolds with picnic in tow). I've had my eye on a few Pashley cycles for awhile now:

They are very expensive though, so maybe not. All their bikes are handmade in Stratford-upon-Avon (where Shakespeare was born) and they are probably the cutest bicycles ever. The one thing that surprises me - a lot of their cycles don't have mudguards. If riding a bike here is anything like riding a bike in Oregon (which it ought to be, since I have noticed no change in the crap summer weather since I've moved here), then having a bike with no protection from the wet is quite possibly the worst idea ever. On that note: make sure I end up with a bike that has 'em!

I know that Monica wanted more pictures of my "everyday life" (I will, Monica, promise!) but things have been pretty boring here at Chez Whitwham so I haven't taken any. But I will! Barn and I are going to see the final Harry Potter movie on Tuesday night so I will try and snap a few then...and the post box is literally right in front of the house here so perhaps I will run out and take a picture of that tomorrow...if it stops raining.

Until next time,
xoxo
Christina

week 1

Hello everyone! This will be the new home for all my pictures and stories! It has taken a little time to set-up (and I did it for all of my Americans) so hopefully you like it...

This past week has gone by pretty quickly...it's strange to think that I've already been here for over a week - my time here would be half over if I were just on holiday! The jetlag has not been kind to me, though. I think that it's probably harder when you don't have a set schedule and no one's really bothering you to get up at a certain time. Regardless, Barny and I have managed to accomplish quite a few things! We have purchased (and put together) a massive dresser from IKEA, got a new houseplant (Digby) to replace our dearly departed Seamus, and I have managed to unpack all of my suitcases.

Getting used to being a stay-at-home fiancée has been strange. I get up, do some laundry, then have all this time to myself to do whatever I please! There have been talks of driving school (other side of the car on the other side of the road!) and I have been looking into volunteering opportunities, granted they don't violate the terms of my visa.

All-in-all, things are good! I miss all of my friends and family in the US, but we will be back soon to visit and everyone is always welcome to come say hi :) There will be more interesting things to write about soon, for now, here is the view from our bedroom window:

love! xoxo