Dodgers 1, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 0

Posted by Lauren on May 3, 2010 · 8 Comments 

Oh, what a glorious and fantastic weekend we had!

DODGERS WIN!! And I finally got an Ethier shirt!!

Let’s begin this weekend wrap-up/inevitable digression of a post with a little bit of full disclosure, eh?  Okay.  Well, most of you mystery readers probably figured out that I did a whole lot of cooking for one in the past week.  Odd, because I barely ever, ever cook for one.  My meals last week were a little more fishy and a lot more asparagusy-wheaty because Ryan was on a business trip in San Francisco.  And while I certainly wasn’t hiding the fact that he was gone, I was hesitant to digitally scream that he wasn’t here, because it seemed, well, stupid.  I’ve seen enough Dateline to know the internet isn’t an exclusive club—anyone can read my blog, and I’m just not willing to be an idiot about it.

Okay, well, while Ryan was in San Francisco expensing really bad bar food, I was here enjoying my heart-healthy culinary adventures.  I had been hankering for a good oatmeal raisin cookie for about a week.  And I had come close to making them a few times, except I kept making little errors that prevented the baking of the aforementioned goodies.  Like, buying instant oats by accident.  Or getting too full on roasted potatoes and amazing little baby squash and barbecue pork to even consider creaming butter and sugar.  Or leaving an egg out for way, way longer than God intended.  You know, the usual.  Well, imagine my surprise when, Friday morning, I woke up to an internet that was very much abuzz about a certain National Oatmeal Cookie Day.  I am not making this up.  It exists, although I don’t think it’s particularly meaningful, since apparently every day of the year is some other random food holiday.  So, um, happy National Raspberry Tart Day!?  Anyway, back to those oatmeal raisin cookies…  Lately I’ve been experimenting with the concept of accountability.  I tell somebody I am going to produce a certain result; consequently, I feel compelled to follow through.  This has really held true for me in terms of baking.  I promised Ryan I would provide his co-worker with some oatmeal cookies, and then all of a sudden, I had to deliver.  After all, I’m still trying to get people to think I’m perfect.

Chilling dough. Obviously, sanitation is very important to me.

I followed the smitten kitchen variation of the Quaker Oats vanishing oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.  Of course, I botched it, because I refused to believe the cookies could be done at 12 minutes—they looked raw!  Anyway, before I tasted them, I sent ten home with Ryan’s co-worker, who brought Ryan home from the airport Friday night.  Jay, I am sorry the oatmeal cookies were dry.  Please know that I have been obsessively regretting my baking missteps and am absolutely mortified.  I hope that my chocolate chip macaroons and multi-grain apple walnut muffins have provided me with enough insurance for you to forgive me, or at least, half-forget about the cookies.

The start of every fine cookie

Where did all the butter go? I BOTCHED 'EM!!! BAHHH!

Yes, I posed this.

Whatever, dude.  I bought a bag of ginger snaps and all is right in the world again.  Let’s continue.  Anyway, the rest of the weekend was perfect*.  Saturday, I met up with Ryan to do a quick farmers market grab, just strawberries and a lemon and an avocado since we were planning on dining out a whole lot this weekend.  Later we drove out to the valley to get some of the best frozen yogurt ever at Yum Yum Yogurt, a family owned yogurt and sandwich shop that Ryan and his family have been going to since forever.  I think Ryan’s mom ate it when she was pregnant with her kids or something and they are all addicted now.  I always get Mocha and Peanut Butter, perfect!  Then Ryan and I had more fun, stopping by a farm we saw and looking at the pretty strawberries.

Frozen yogurt, I love you.

* Remember when I said this weekend was perfect?  Well, there was an asterisk.  There is always fine print, folks.  Saturday night I was being an idiot and wanted to just walk down the street and get some tacos but refused to tell Ryan because a part of me is definitely a foolish little girl who still thinks her boyfriend should be able to read her mind.  Long story short, we went to an Italian restaurant in Santa Monica and it was just awful, awful, awful.  Ryan’s food tasted like Chef Boyardee but worse, I swear.  Anyway, we came home and ate strawberries and tried to wash the taste of bad food and wasted money out of our mouths.

Le cold-cutting! C'est bon!

Sunday I made breakfast!  Like, real breakfast.  (We are a peanut butter and toast household six days a week.)  Then I made sandwiches for the baseball game.  If you didn’t know this already, Ryan and I are pretty into Dodger baseball.  Anyway, for my birthday, Ryan bought a mini-plan for the 2010 season, which means we go to every Sunday home game at Dodger stadium!  And it is so fun!  Talk about a gift that keeps on giving!  Anyway, parking is $15.  And the food there isn’t so good and is crazy expensive.  The nice thing is you are allowed to bring in outside food and factory-sealed drinks, and we do!  On the lunch menu yesterday:  roast beef!  Because I had this random craving for cow all weekend and I did the shopping Sunday morning and obviously, Ryan doesn’t say no to random acts of beefiness.

I went for roast beef, mixed greens, balsamic vinaigrette, honey, hummus and tomato on this super nutty, seedy honey wheat bread.

Ryan went for roast beef, tomato, mixed greens, bleu cheese spread, swiss cheese, avocado, and Dijon mustard on a plain bagel. 'Twas enormous, guys!

And, of course, because we’re awesome like that, the Dodgers won.  We spanked the Pirates.  SPANKED ‘EM!!  Kuroda pitched like a ninja!  And Andre Ethier, whom I adore, had two home runs!  Andre, I love you.  Did you know Andre Ethier had a food blog last season?  I don’t know what happened to it.  He had a baby and got really good at baseball, so I guess he’s pretty busy or something?  But it was so fun!  Click here to visit the now defunct blog, Dining with ‘Dre…

MY HERO!

HOME RUN!! HOME RUN!!

Dodger Stadium = Glorious

Anyway, we finished up our perfect weekend with a trip to our favorite little sushi restaurant on Sawtelle, Hide Sushi.  People, it’s really good, really not too-cool-for-school, and affordable!  Then I made some chicken salad.  Whatever!

I look so focused!

The art of mixing wasabi and soy sauce!

Guys, I don’t know if I can say it any other way.  I LOVE LOS ANGELES.  I don’t think I can articulate how wonderful my weekend was, but oh, it was!

Now, I’m going to apply for jobs and go on a run and maybe do an exercise video (Netflix lets me stream workout videos on my Wii, and it’s really amusing because I am so uncoordinated and every time I try to do the Mambo-step-thing, I trip).  I think I am going to the beach for a little bit, too?

One last thing I wanted to share, while I’m doing a big post:

• This Thursday at the Santa Monica Public Library: Mark Peel, and the guys from the Coleman and Weiser Family Farms are going to take part in a panel on the Santa Monica Farmers Market, seasonal produce, and menu planning/consistency/flexibility.  The panel is to be moderated by the amazing Jonathan Gold, who’s basically the God of food writers and a Pulitzer Prize winner.  Mark Peel is the chef from Campanile.  I could go on, and on, but I won’t, because I am going to go, and ask questions and take notes and tell you guys all about it!  Click here to see the flyer.

Okay, it’s beautiful outside!  Bye!

Filed under dessert, dinner, food, lunch, weekend · Tagged with andre ethier, baking, baseball, beef, cookies, dodgers, farmers market, frozen yogurt, los angeles, sandwiches, santa monica, smitten kitchen, sushi