I’m taking this really interesting class this semester, called Introduction to Group Dynamics. I didn’t know what I was signing up for when I registered but I’m glad I did it! So basically, the goal of the class is to ‘observe yourself in the here-and-now’. The class is divided into two groups and each week, one group sits in a circle in the middle of the class and interacts with one another while the other group watches and analyzes them, Then we switch.The first two weeks were nerve-racking for me because a)I hate it when people look at me and b)when I get nervous, everything I say is incoherent and irrelevant. I felt like I wasn’t contributing enough to the group, so during the 4th session, I decided to bring some baked goods to class! They were very well received and made me feel better about my lack of intellectual contributions=) So now, me bringing baked goods has become somewhat expected, not that I mind, of course. As long as it makes people happy I’m willing to do it.
For our termination session (which was not as scary as it sounds), I decided to bring oatmeal raisin cookies. I only had two hours in between classes so I had to find a recipe that incorporated most of the items in my pantry and that tasted great as well. Of course I looked on Smitten Kitchen for a reliable recipe because it has yet to disappoint me! This recipe was no different. However, although the cookies were good, they needed something that would put them over the top, so at the last minute, with 15 minutes to get to class, I made a quick browned butter icing which I drizzled on top, and ran out the door!
Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
The last trick to getting a really thick, chewy cookie is to chill the dough before you bake it. You can scoop it and then chill it, or, if you’re like us, scoop it, freeze them and store them in a freezer bag so you can bake them as you wish. I find they’re always thicker when baked from the cold — only a couple extra minutes baking is needed. 1 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats 1 ½ cup raisins 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.
At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. You could also bake them right away, if you’re impatient, but I do find that they end up slightly less thick.
The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.
Drizzle with Browned Butter Icing
Browned Butter Icing
1 c. confectioners' sugar
4 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until nut-brown in color, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and pour butter into a bowl, leaving any burned sediment behind.
Add sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of milk; stir until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add some more milk, a little at a time, until consistency is thin enough to drizzle. Let cool 5 minutes. Use immediately
We also found the $1 Skewer man under the bridge. I asked for cuttle fish but he gave me fish balls that tasted good anyway. And Lilly got lamb, which I really liked. Both were covered in a sweet dark soy sauce. Lilly said they tasted exactly like skewers she and Yawei had in Beijing. So when Yawei gets back from London, we are definitely going to take her there=)
My sister is going to New York for the first time next week and I can't wait! I'll finally get to do all the touristy things I've never done before like having frozen hot chocolates at Serendipity and seeing the Statue of Liberty. But most importantly, I'm gonna eat!!!! I have a long list of places I need to take her to and honestly, in order to get through that list, we're going to have to be eating constantly for the entire duration of her stay. Sighs. It's a hard task, but someone has to do it!!!
As an appetizer, we ordered the Liang Pi Cold Skin Noodles($4.00). You must get this, it was the best thing we ate and my mouth still waters when I think about it. It’s made with hand pulled noodles, bean sprouts, green onions and this spongy tofu thing all tossed together in this spicy, vinegary, red sauce. The dish is pretty spicy though, so spicy that Mel (the weakling) couldn’t take it and ran to the bubble tea shop down the street to get some cold liquid relief. She also thought the dish was the yummiest though. 
Also as an appetizer, we each got one of their burgers ($2.00 -$2.50 each). Mel and I got the Stewed Pork Burger and Lilly got the Savory Cumin Lamb Burger. I would stick with the lamb. The pork was good, but less meat flavored and more salty. The lamb was tender and heavy on the cumin and the bun was crispy and delicious. These were both pretty greasy though, well, all the food there was pretty greasy so let’s just pretend that I’m NOT on a diet=) 
At this point, I was already pretty satisfied. But we were being especially gluttonous and ordered two more dishes: the Mount Qi Pork Hand-Pulled Noodles in Soup($5.00) and the Savory Cumin Lamb Hand-Pulled Noodles($5.00).
The soup was good but really greasy (if you can see from the picture) I had to take a spoon and scoop off some of the oil on feel better about myself. The noodles had great texture and the meat was nicely season.
The noodles were a little pit plain for my taste though and they kinda skimped out on the meat, but maybe that was because it was the end of the day and they had a rush of customers come in.
