2014 fall television

How quickly the months fly by and we find ourselves once more wading through the many new fall TV shows adding a select few to our existing viewing rotation. As sad as it sounds, this is one of my favourite things about fall partly because the weather makes it enticing to stay indoors and indulge in what may seem like a bad habit. Unfortunately, one show has already been tried and discarded, Bad Judge. However, there are still seven I am trying and one more still to come:

• A to Z (NBC Network)
• The Flash (CW Network)
• Forever (ABC Network)
• Gotham (Fox Network)
• Stalker (CBS Network)
• How to Get Away With Murder (ABC Network)
• Scorpion (CBS Network)
• State of Affairs (NBC Network)

Throw in all the other shows I am already watching and I have quite the full plate of television viewing so thank goodness for pvrs. My only hope is that I have enough self control to mix inactivity with some sort of physical exertion. Time will be the telling factor for sure and maybe the weather too.

Caramel apple oreo pops

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful and grateful for all things, both big and small. Well this is how I look at the occasion seeing as I am not a Canadian. By the way, I feel it only fitting to be eating homemade pumpkin pie (not made by me) while I write this. I am thankful for so many things, primarily being happy, healthy and having been afforded so many amazing opportunities in my life so far. However, for everything I am thankful and grateful for, I know I have not tapped into all of my potential and fulfilled half my goals in life. In order to do this, I need to breakdown a few self-imposed barriers, but perhaps thoughts and words for another musing. Thanksgiving allows me the opportunity to do a bit of baking and spend the Sunday prior in the company of some really good people, who have been generous enough to open their home to me time and time again thanks to one of favourite people. For the baking portion, I was excited to use some limited edition oreos I had purchased from Target during my recent holiday. I do so very much enjoy the treasure trove that I find each time I visit this store. I used them as the key ingredient in a Bakerella recipe I found here.  

Unfortunately, like so many recipes I try that require a polished finish I am yet to be able to decorate beyond an amateurish skill level. Hence, the below photographic evidence of my attempt to disguise the mess I created coating the pops with the candy melt. 

My saving grace is that they tasted delicious and the rustic look was actually surprisingly appealing. Just one of many sweet treats consumed post-turkey dinner, which was scrumptious both the first time and when leftovers were eaten a day later.

An array of recent happenings

How quickly the rain erases all memories of the glorious summer weather and all the fun that went with it. Before the rain came though, I managed to fit in a few fun activities and am hoping this isn't the end of them due to the weather. So I do like to think of myself as someone who will try to try lots of things, but for all the trying I also enjoy doing some of the same activities. With this in mind, I saw out September with a play by the name of Educating Rita, which is the first of four shows that I got a really great deal to see over the next several months. Next up was a pre-season NBA game, a hot ticket and one I was doing for the second time. This past weekend featured another visit to the pumpkin patch at Southlands Farm because what is fall and Thanksgiving without this kind of outing. I have to say that it is these kinds of activities and the potential of so much more undiscovered fun that is part of Vancouver's charm. I just hope that the rain and the coming months don't turn me into a couch potato, which would be very easily aided by a well stocked pvr and some fresh baked goods.

Brownies and cookies, oh my!

I might not have been blogging as much as I would like to, but I have been baking just a tad bit more. The latest recipes I whipped up were for a batch of cookies and brownies. I like to think I bake for a few reasons, and on these two occasions, I baked because I wanted something fresh and delicious with the cookies, and because I had a fantasy NHL draft with the brownies. The cookies were baked from a recipe I found here. The two things I did differently to the recipe were to add semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of peanut butter chips and I baked them for fourteen minutes.

The different flavours in the cookies came together deliciously and made for a most enjoyable cookie or half a dozen. Pumpkin spiced m&m brownies made an appearance last Friday night, baked for Saturday's fantasy NHL draft. I had gotten the m&m's on my Hawaiian adventure and sampled a few straight out of the bag before deciding they might be best in a recipe, hence the brownies. I'm not sure if it was a good idea that the whole bag went into the recipe instead of just a cup, but half a brownie square was all I could bring myself to sample. This is because I think brownies for the most part are a bit too rich for my liking.

Cookies are definitely my preferred eating choice over brownies, but when it comes to baking I enjoy trying all kinds of new recipes.