Cubicle kitchen: PB&J Fluffernutter Bars

I'm pretty proud of my treat this week.  This is the first time that I've made something that is more my own than someone else's.  The various elements are borrowed from others, but the construction of them all together was all me and my own tasty genius.

I told you when I made my own marshmallows that my mind was bursting with ideas.  Well, like Athena popping out of one of Zeus' migraines, this delicious dessert came from that inspiring brainstorm.  Fluffernutters are an instant association for me when thinking about marshmallows.  And adding the eternal pairing that is peanut butter and jelly just seemed too perfect to pass up, especially in the first week of school.

So I decided to take a simple crust of crushed cookies and melted butter, layer that with smooth peanut butter, grape jelly, and then top it off with a gorgeously grape marshmallow.  Oh yes, you're with me, aren't you?  In case you're still on the fence, here's a close-up of those resulting layers:

Okay, so because this is more my own recipe than any one other person's (thought shout-outs go to Crazy for Crust and this Bukisa article), I'm going to try and write it all out for you:

First, for the crust:

• 20 peanut butter sandwich cookies, crushed (I used a mix of Girl Scout Do-Si-Dos that I had in the freezer and some Nutter Butters)
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Either in a food processor or in a manual show of aggression, crush the sandwich cookies and mix with the melted butter.  Press this mixture into the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan lined with parchment paper.

On top of that, you'll spread:

• Creamy peanut butter (as much as you like)
• Grape jelly (again, as much as you like)

Let this chill in the fridge.  You can either start making the marshmallow immediately, or wait a little while.  When you're ready, take:

• A 3 oz package of Grape Instant Jello mix
• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 3 Tbl corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar

In a medium saucepan over heat, whisk together the boiling water (I went ahead and heated the water in the microwave beforehand), the Jello mix, and gelatin.  Make sure everything dissolves completely, then add the sugar and corn syrup, continuing to whisk until everything has mixed together.

Pour this mixture into a fairly large bowl and place it in the fridge to set just a little.  I gave it 30-60 minutes, you just want it thickened a little, cooler to the touch.  Then, using an electric mixer, whip the mixture until soft peaks start to form.  It's going to grow (hence the large bowl) and turn white.  This will take several minutes, just keep checking every so often until you get those soft peaks.  Then pour the whipped mixture into the pan and spread it evenly over the top.  Put the pan back into the fridge to set for at least a few hours, or overnight.

The cutting into squares part is perhaps the most tedious.  Take hold of the parchment paper and lift the bar out of the pan and onto a cutting board.  With a sharp, non-serated knife, carefully cut into squares.  You'll likely need to wash off the knife every so often to avoid sticking.  As you cut squares, coat the sides of the marshmallow layer in powdered sugar, either rolling them or dusting on each side with a sifter.  This keeps them from sticking when you put them into whatever container you choose.

And depending on your generosity in sizing the squares, you will have many wonderful bites of deliciousness like this:

I recommend keeping them bite-sized, just because the marshmallow layer is so much softer than the cookie crust, so getting multiple bites can be a little tricky.

For anyone with childhood memories of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, there's an element of nostalgia that plays perfectly with the fun of the marshmallow.  I'm really happy with the way these turned out, it's definitely not the last of my marshmallow experimentations.

The end of an era

Calling the retirement of Andy Roddick from tennis the 'end of an era' probably sounds a little inflated. But I'm not talking about an era in the history of tennis, though that certainly can be argued.  After all, he's the last American man to have won a grand slam, to have held the number one world ranking, and he's been the driving force of the Davis Cup for years.

But no, this is the end of an era for me personally.  The commentators talk about watching Andy grow up on the court, and the truth is that I grew up along with him as a tennis fan.  Andy's the first player I really ever rooted for.  Yes, I loved Sampras, the king of Wimbledon, but Andy was my guy.  I cheered like nothing else when he won the US Open.  I cried like no other with each Wimbledon final.  I've seen him play three times: once at an exhibition match while I was in high school, then at the US Open years later just before starting another year in college, and finally when he bring the Davis Cup to Austin. 

And there's a part of me that owes something very special to Andy.  Because the night before Andy played in that last Wimbledon final, I was making all of those prayerful promises that fans make when they really want something.  Please, just let Andy win.  If Andy wins, I'll clean out my closet.  If Andy wins, I'll floss twice a day.  If Andy wins....I'll lose the weight.

If you know me in real life, you already know, but otherwise, I should tell you.  I used to weigh much more than I do now.  I lost a lot of weight in high school and then gained it all back plus interest throughout college.  There was no particular reason why this, the first summer after graduation, should be the moment when I really did lose the weight and keep it off.  There are, I'm sure, many more blogs' worth of things to say about it.  But what matters is that that promise, not even spoken aloud, just made to myself, that I would do it for Andy, somehow that carried through even the disappointment of his loss.  

I started slow, I began writing down everything I ate, I counted my calories and had my base metabolism tested.  I wore a pedometer and made 10,000 steps a day a requirement.  And each day that I did it built upon each other, making it easier to keep going just by virtue of momentum.  Until finally, a year, maybe a year and a half, later, I was a hundred and fifty pounds down.  I know, it's still a crazy number for me.  But that's what it is, and I've managed to maintain it.  

Is Andy Roddick the reason I lost the weight?  Of course not.  But it's just one of those associations that makes the news that this US Open will be his last even more emotional for me.  Because yes, it's about the game.  But it's also about the part of my life that happened alongside that game, and the milestones I marked with his victories and losses.  And that makes it hard to say goodbye.

Knit and tell: Fabulous Street Urchin Hat

I thought I'd start up another little series here and show off some of the finished objects (FO) that I've accomplished in my years of knitting so far.  Especially because I so want to tell you about the things I'm doing now, but I can't because they are for a swap and there is the slim chance that my spoilee will read this and discern that I am their spoiler and ruin the surprise of their goodies to come.  So I shall divert my enthusiasm and tell you about other things I have crafted.

And my debut entry is...the Fabulous Street Urchin Hat!

This hat was an in-betweener project earlier this year that filled in a gap between swaps.  It's a super-simple pattern, and the perfect opportunity to put one of my crazy colorways to good use.  I'm always drawn to the bright and widely variegated yarns, but then have a tough time figuring out what to knit with them, because any interesting stitch work (not even real lacy stuff) will get lost.  But this lets the Dizzy Lettuce Cash Worsted show off just how awesome it is, and the colors keep me from getting bored while knitting.  After the rib you're just knitting around and around, with some YO, k2togs every once in a while to create holes.  Then when you've cast everything off, you take a ribbon and thread it through those holes, up and then back down again, scrunch the side of the hat and tie a pretty little bow around it.

And voila!  You are now ready to audition for a role as a child of the revolution in a whimsically technicolor performance of 'Les Miserables'.  Just hand me a bedazzled broom for sweeping the streets of Paris, and I'm there!

I haven't gotten to wear this too much yet, but once cooler weather prevails I'll be sporting my my scrunchie all around town.  I'll try not to break into song.  Well, not too many times.

Froyo files: Tutti Frutti

I can't explain it, because it makes no sense, but last weekend was the first time I had been to this froyo place.  It's almost absurd, given how often I'm at Sunset Valley getting:

• Craft supplies at Michael's
• Knitting magazines at Barnes & Noble
• Clearance clothes at Kohl's
• Goodies at World Market
• Nail polish at Ulta
• Sandwiches at Schlotzsky's

See?  I'm there a lot.  But I finally checked out the froyo spot tucked into the corner, and I'm sure going to be checking it out a few more times from now on.

Tutti Frutti: 5207 Brodie Lane, Austin, TX 78745

When I visited: Saturday, August 25th, around 2 pm

Cost per ounce: 40 cents

Number of flavors: 12

Sorbet options: 1

Nutritionals provided: There's a binder at the register if you want to see them, online as well

Experience: You can tell it's froyo season, everywhere we've been the past few weekends has been, not to say busy, but adequately stocked with customers.  Again, sample cups at the register ensured that we could try everything out.  I will say this: the dispensers were a little over-zealous in getting froyo into my cup, and my samples were larger than I really needed or wanted.  But that's not really a negative.

Looks like they have a dedicated sorbet option, which is good, since that's Mom's go-to.  This time, however, it was Hawaiian Punch in rotation, which is one of the few that does not tempt her.  I tried it, and it was, well, it was Hawaiian Punch, so it depends entirely on your feelings about that.  I also tried their soy bean yogurt, and that was a little odd.  Not sure about that one.  Peanut Butter was another odd one, because it tasted more like actual peanuts than peanut butter, if that makes sense.  It was in the same machine as the Vanilla, and I found that the two swirled together was a little better.  The Cheesecake was also a little lackluster, not quite rich enough.

The nice thing about summer is that the seasonal flavors tend to be fruity.  So Mom ended up with a trio of flavors in her cup: Strawberry, Triple Berry, and Peach.  The Strawberry was different to the Tart version we love so much, but good in its own right.  And both the Peach and Triple Berry were very flavorful.  I also had a little of all three, along with my beloved Taro.

Worth a revisit?  Definitely, solid yogurt, reasonable price, and the location can't be beat.  I skimmed the nutritional binder, and that just made me want to try all the other flavors, so I'm sure we'll make sure to find ourselves here at a froyo appropriate time again soon.

Wait, is there an inappropriate time for froyo?  Hmm...

Are you ready for some...tennis?!

Yes, yes, I know that football is coming.  And I'm excited, sure I am.  I have become one of the legion of Americans waiting to see if the officials will come back from their lockout, how Peyton will play for the Broncos, and how long it will take for it to be Tebow time in New York.

But right now, what's important is an Olympian still seeking a grand slam gold, a missing Rafa, and an ever-more-obvious lack of roof.  That's right, it's the US Open.  As the commercials say, it must be love.  No matter how deeply I am pulled into the mainstream sports, my ultimate loyalties will always be to the slightly more indie game which has been with me from the start.

If football is a high school jock, what is tennis?  Maybe the preppy nice girl.  I don't know, I'm still distracted by the fact that the school year is just starting here.  Forgive me, I'm a student for life.  Seriously, if I could make a living taking classes, that's what I'd do.  Preferably at Sarah Lawrence.

And if I did that, I'd go to the US Open every year.  I went once, and got to see Berdych, Federer, and Roddick play, and Murray on the practice courts.  Got Tommy Robredo's autograph as well.  Unfortunately, it didn't give him luck enough to win, but I still cherish it.  Here's an action shot of Roddick from then:

I'll be following Andy with ever-escalating hopes, as well as the rest of the players, for the next two weeks.  Hopefully this morning's deluge of rain will be the last we see until the winners have safely raised their trophies.  Because as amusing as it is to see Tom Rinaldi standing in the middle of Arthur Ashe in full flood regalia, I'd rather be watching match play.

A summer's eulogy

Commiserations, students of the Austin area.  Tomorrow is the first day of school.

Instead of wandering towards your bed in a leisurely fashion sometime before the sun comes up and sleeping until high noon, tonight you will have to set an alarm which will force consciousness on you at a time you may have forgotten existed with an 'a.m.' next to it.  You will drag yourself out of bed and into what you hope will be the outfit that will set you onto the path of popularity this year.  It will be just the start of a terribly trying day that will end only with the certainty that you must repeat it again and again for nine more months.

This is difficult time, I know.  And I also know that recognizing the trials of others is not something younger generations are praised for.  But I feel I must attempt to impress upon you that you are not the only ones who suffer.  Perhaps the knowledge that we are joined in this struggle will give you strength as you step onto the school bus or make your own way to class.

Because while today is your first day journeying in the wee hours of the morning, this is a trek that us poor cubicle dwellers have been making day in and out all year long.  And while we don't get three months off, we do enjoy the three months when school traffic dissipates and leaves a relatively open road for the morning commute.  Tomorrow our briefcases, purses, and lunch totes will feel just a little heavier as we know that along with the 9-to-5-ers, we will be bumper-to-bumper with a whole new batch of road warriors.  My own time from driveway to desk will increase by 50%, which is depressing since I can't even knit in that time.

So Godspeed, young students.  I will attempt to console myself, as my car crawls along the road, by telling myself that it is all worth it for your education.  So please, go learn something.

A Morning Edition of frustration

I try not to get overly political, because that's not the point here.  But this morning I experienced one of those annoyances that isn't about politics, it's just the reaction any time that you hear something that you know to be untrue.  It just happens to involve politics, so forgive me the faux pas.

I've taken to listening to NPR in the morning, taking in the day's news and generally easing into another work day.  This morning, there was, as there has been every morning since Todd Akin made his, umm, interesting comments, a report on the fallout.  The Family Research Council is one of the few standing behind him, and the head of their political action committee, Connie Mackey, came on to talk to Steve Inskeep about how partisan the media was, because while this blew up, no one had covered how Obama had said that men shouldn't be involved in any women's legislation.

Here's the thing: the comment she's referring to...I heard it.  On NPR.  It was covered, in fact it was covered in its full context rather than the extrapolation Mackey offered.  And thus, an angry tweet was born.

And just to emphasize the non-politics of my pet peeve, I had the same reaction when Michael Kors told a designer he didn't understand why he had put a turban on his model.  Michael, it was because he was in the bottom the week before, he was wearing a turban, and you told him you loved what he was wearing and that you wanted to see that style in his designs for the runway.  Did you mean 'slap a turban on your next look'?  Probably not, but don't pretend you have no idea where that came from.

See?  My irrational desire to yell at people who live in my electronic devices knows no limits.  We won't discuss last night's episode of Project Runway.  I'll just say: Ven has just as much trouble talking to/about real people as he does designing for them.  He should halt his attempts at either.