Making Cookies and edgar's DVD Storage System......

Gentle Friends I thought today I would cover two subjects - a little baking I did Sunday and a little more DVD talk.  

First up would be the cookies - these are Called Cowboy Cookies and this recipe is from my dear friend Dale.  He made these all the time and became one of my favorite cookies!!  Why they are called "Cowboy Cookies" I haven't a clue, and I have found the recipe all over the Internet, so it really is no secret.  I did make a few changes, and I talk about them as I go along........  the recipe....

Cowboy Cookies 

Ingredients

2 C AP Flour

2 C Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 teas Baking Soda

1 1/2 teas Baking Powder

1/2 teas Salt

1 C (2 sticks) Unsalted Room temperature butter

3/4 C White Sugar

3/4 C plus 2 Tbl Brown Sugar, packed

2 Large Eggs, room temperature

1 teas Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 C Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 C (4oz) Chopped Toasted Walnuts

That's the basic recipe, I added and manipulated some of the ingredients....

Directions

Whip the first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend - set aside.

With a mixer, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time and vanilla extract, mix thoroughly.

Add dry ingredients and beat until just blended, this is stiff dough.

Stir in chips and nuts - it's here that I made the biggest changes, I used 1/3 white chocolate chips and the rest semi sweet.  I also used three kinds of nuts,

 Pecans, Almonds and Walnuts to make up  the cup, and it was more like a 1 1/2 C of nuts that I used.....  I also tossed in 1/2 C of shredded coconut, I thought the texture would be a nice addition, and it was!!  When I make these again I will also add 1/2 C dried chopped cranberries or dried cherries, I think the addition of some fruit would be super!!!

After everything has come together you are to cover this and put into the refrigerator for about an hour.  I made it when we got home from Mass, and then sat down to watch a movie, so two or so hours later, after it was good and cold I started to bake.  You could even make it a day ahead without and issue.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees - Form dough into balls...

When ever I make cookies I like to use a small scoop, this is a #40 size, so that they are all close to equal in size and cook evenly.  Set cookies 2 inches or so apart. 

Flatten the dough balls with your fingers - the dough is sticky -   Bake about 10 to 15 minutes - Mine were cooking at about 12 minutes, at the 10 minute mark I turn the pan around so that they will cook evenly.  My oven is basically a piece of crap and cooks at about 25 degrees hotter than the setting and has a couple of hot spots, so I know what will work.  You'll have to adjust for your own oven.  When the cookies are done take out and cool on racks...

This recipe makes about 42 cookies...

They were a hit at my work, and Rico's work and we had some left over to have with coffee last night after dinner.....

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Here's my system for storing and sorting my DVD Collection.  I found a while back that with acquiring so many DVD's that they were just going to pile up in unmanageable stacks.  As this happened it kept getting harder and harder to find a title -  I knew it was just going to get worse as I was not going to stop buying DVDs' and Blu Ray's.  So I implemented a system that works for me.

Here's were I began by keeping the movies on some shelves I got at Ikea...

... and this worked fine, so long as there was room for the newest purchase(s).  After I got the 7th shelf, and it filled up,  I had run out of room for the shelves and they were completely full (700+ DVD's).  It was then that  the stacking began, on top, on the floor and to the side were piles of DVD's.  I did have my basket of movies...

....this I change out weekly with titles that I think I will watch or plan to watch, either by genre, actor, season, or what mood I am in decides on what I put in the basket and carry downstairs.  This alleviated very little congestion at the main heap of DVD's. So I had to think of another system... and came up with this....

... I found a CD binder, and started taking the overflow DVD's and throwing away the black cases, and putting the DVD's in here.  I keep the covers in a file in my desk, so that if I ever want to go back to the case system I can.  After I filled this one, with just four movies showing, I got this....

and it has when opened....

...8 movies showing.  So, now I have two of the large Body Glove Binders, and the narrow binder, so between the three binders I have stored about 800+ movies, and I still have a few stacks at the shelves, I need another binder.   The Blu Ray's I try and keep separate, downstairs in their own cabinet, hold long this will last depends on my spending.

So there you have it, a crazy system for a maniacal movie fan.

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That's about it for today sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

A Short Week of Posts

Gentle Friends since this will be a very short week - only three days for me - I'm going to shake up my Posts from the usual weekly format - and so today will be a "Thrifting Monday" post.....

I did my usual running about Saturday morning - Rico was out of town at a  Softball Tournament - which left the house nice a quiet - if you can call a herd of who-hounds running all over and just loosing it every time they hear the slightest noise....  it can be distracting.  It seems they all settle down to nap at about 3 hour intervals for about 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour then its back to playing "grab-ass" up and down the stairs - and from toy basket to sofa to bed to big chair to bathroom..... gotta lov'em!!  Now that the Peach is taking pills twice daily she needs to get a potty break about every 2 to 2 1/2 hours or so out side, and so we go out en masse and that burns off a bit of energy.  She seems to do really well while we're at work, and there are few to no piddle-puddles, usually.  Were was I going with that story.....  oh, so, I ran about to my usually spots and here are some fun bits I picked up....

... From l to r  - a  hard paste porcelain creamer mid 19th century.  This lovely piece....

... has hand painted flowers and lovely gold work and a split handle.  Although there are some issues with the foot and some of the gold has worn (still really pretty after 150 + years), for $1.50 I was not leaving the Goodwill without it - and I do love pitchers - of all sizes .....  which brings me to the top right and the lovely yellow wear piece with brown drippy glaze, how great it that!!  It is over sized to be a creamer, and really thick and heavy, but has lots of charm  - and - I picked up a couple more DVD's I did not have - If you look back to last Monday I posted about "Sink the Bismark" - and when I saw this DVD I just plunked it into my basket - along with "Ratatouille" a totally cute film about a mouse and cooking.  

I have been asked about my ever expanding DVD collection - and I have to say that there are 100's of films that I have never bought and would like to have, and since I usually am spending only a few dollars in this secondary market - it is not much for these weekend purchases.  I do leave far more behind than I buy, for various reasons, usually those that I leave are in piss poor condition, scratched or damaged beyond playability.  Since I do not keep the case one I am home, a broken or damaged case is not a reason I won;t  buy a title - at the moment there I have around 1500+ DVD's  - and the Blu-Ray collection is ever growing.  There are a few DVD titles I already own that I know will buy in Blu Ray if they are ever released in that format, but for the most part I will stick with the DVD.  I read all the time about the demise of the DVD format, and the move to the "virtual" and the "cloud" for movies - that is not for me - I want something tangible in my hand.  I know that the DVD format will last my lifetime, and after that I could not care in the least what or which way things move for film, as it will not be an issue I will have to deal with - that's a gruesome thought.....

That's about it for today sports fans - thanks for stopping by, do stop again tomorrow.....  baking day!!

Take care,

edgar

A Little Shopping!

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends thank you again for your kind comments regarding ATS, it is a monster stitch but a great piece to work on!!   I had a quick question about the linen I am using, it is a piece from LL, and is 36ct, Vintage Sand Dune.  I wasn't up to 40ct when I started it, but I am working myself up to 40 ct....  or at least I have a few cuts of it in my stash!  I also had a question about how I handle the linen as I stitch.  With this being a much largest piece that I have ever worked with - how I handle it is....  I am still using my trusty 8 inch Q-Snap and just move it back and forth and downwards as I stitch, the extra linen (and there's quite a bit) I just loosely roll up and rest in a heap on top of my knees and top of the Q-Snap and the bottom I roll up and rest in my lap - I sort of slouch when I stitch, but hey, that works for my.... bad posture!

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On Saturday I did get a chance to run around to my usual haunts, not much out there at the shops or Estate Sales, but I did find three things to add to my ever growing DVD collection.....

...  I found a two disc set of 16 episodes of "Petticoat Junction" - 1963-1970 - I have always enjoyed this show and the antics taking place at The Shady Rest Hotel, down in Hooterville!!  Here's the TV Intro......

 

 I also got a copy of "Designing Woman" - 1957 - a great romantic comedy, and the third film I found was "Spaceballs" - 1987 - a great parody of the Star Wars movie machine!  Here's the Theatrical Trailer...

 There were some other films I passed on - I usually pass on discs that are in iffy condition, smudges and dirt I can deal with, but scratches are another thing.

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by, do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

A Steamer Trunk Full of the Past

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends thanks so much for the kind comments about March Cottage - I really like that these little bits finish off so quickly.  Today's post is about things from the past....  I think of it not as just my baggage but as a gigantic steamer trunk of memories and schtuff - more descriptive and antique sounding....

edgar's trunk of tricks from the past......

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Last night at a loss to start something new (if you can believe that!!) I hauled out the WIPS's and then pulled out ATS - you remember that.  I started that a loooong time back.  For who knows what reason I put it in its bag and into the "Basket o' WIPs."  So this is a piece from the past - there are quite a few pieces that need some attention, but it was ATS that got it...

As you can see I am still working on the angel - getting the picture before I stumbled off to bed -  I was even to lazy to -  1) take the piece out of the q-snaps and 2) even remove the needle, but you get the idea.  I have seen this piece popping up recently in the Blogosphere, both finished and in the process of being stitched and was happy to put some more stitches into mine.

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Now on to some mail that came yesterday - not only do I enjoy old films but I enjoy old many TV shows  - now long out of production and only available via DVD.  This led me to thinking just before Christmas when asked by a certain person "hey, what do you want for Christmas??"  Now, I thought about it for a few daze (notice I did not say days) I did not want something practical.....  so I came up with "How about the "Roseanne Series" on DVD??"  We did some research and found that not only are the DVD's OOP and available only on the secondary market, but the entire series was just stupid expensive.  So I said "let me find one on eBay - I had seen them crop up pretty frequently - so I have been trolling the bay of evil for the last few months or so and have finally gotten my set....  it was for the entire series as a "Buy it Now"....

What is so crazy is that most of the Seasons in this "used" BIN where never even opened so they were still NIP - thanks so much to my sweetie!!  and a very Merry Christmas to me!!!!

Keeping with the nostalgic DVD theme today - we found - last weekend at the Goodwill a complete set of...

H.R. Pufnstuf - I remember watching these every Saturday morning in the weekly cartoon lineup in the early 70's and then in syndication for years afterwards. So to my everr growing collection od about a bazillion DVD's I add these!!  You just can't beat Witchiepoo!!!!

Witchiepoo played by Billie Hayes

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There you go sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by and for your great comments - keep em' coming!! 

Take care,

edgar

Some Stitching and a Tasty Stop

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends I fixed up the missing bits from "Blessings" - sometimes I just amaze myself with what a ding I can be.  I remember when I was stitching through this area that I should think of something to replace the initials or finish out the design, but I just stitched as charted and never thought about it again....  so here is a snap f the real finish - (and not my delusional one).....

Blackbird Designs "Blessings Be Thine" 

Started 7/9 - Finished 7/15

stitched on BoF 32ct meadowlark 

My Silk Conversion:

WDW Havana - Belle Soie Chocolate

GA Cranberry - Belle Soie Red Fox

GA Dried Thyme - Belle Soie Collard Greens

GA Oatmeal - Belle Soie Oatmeal Scone

I am still feeling the jig and really like this piece....

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I have also been working on the Third part of the  Mystery Sampler - Here is a snap...

I am stitching this on the recommended 35 ct WDW Confederate Grey linen - love it!! and using mostly the recommended floss choices.  I did have an issue with the grass floss choice (there was just too much of the same green) and changed that to GA Dried Thyme - to make it look more grassy  - and if you click of over to Myra's Blog she even changed the birds to cardinals - I am loving that !!!!  I love it so much I am getting the itch to frog out my blue birds and replace them with some red ones - a super de duper idea!!!!!!

I think I have settled on a colour change for the letters also - I have three skeins of a GA floss called "Kale."  It is a dark green Special Addition colour that I picked up a Needle in a Haystack a while back and I am thinking it will work a treat.......  but you never know.... there are some scrumptious greens out there and I have pulled a few others that might work.  I want to finish up the tree and third bird before I jump into the alphabet.

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We stopped off at our favorite little Panaderia in the Mission yesterday and picked up some treats for desert - I had my camera and took a couple of snaperoos...

It is called La Victoria Mexican Bakery and we enjoy stopping there.  They are really nice and I think it is family run. You can click HERE to see their web site.

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I was also going through and putting back some DVD's a found that I have quite a few duplicate titles - I am wondering what to do - do I sell them, trade them or just what???  I really do not need two copies of the same title and they do take up extra space on the shelves.  I wonder???

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There you sports fans - we are on the hump of the week, have a great Wednesday!!!

Take care,

edgar