Bite Me, Michael Weatherly

New Recipe Tuesday: Sweet Potato Cupcakes

2010-10-12T16:29:00.000-04:00

Are you SERIOUS?!!? I'm really back? With a new recipe? NO WAY!

Yes. Apparently, my vacation is boring enough that I'm playing with dolls and getting back into baking. I'd like to be able to say that I was off doing something cool in my time away from this blog, but the sad thing is I just haven't had the extra $$ to spend on baking supplies so it's going to be a once in awhile thing now, I think.

Maybe.

Anyway, on to the recipe!

Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup of canned sweet potato pie filling

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 cups flour

4 tsps baking power

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup of milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with papers.

2.) In a large bowl, cream the shortening.

3.) Slowly add sugar, eggs and sweet potatoes.

4.) Sift flour, spices, power and soda.

5.) Add dry ingredients to sweet potato mixture slowly, alternating with milk.

6.) Mix until well blended.

7.) Scoop into muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes.

Frosting a cream cheese frosting I made with butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla! Also, the cupcakes turn out more like muffins if you only use the recommended amount of milk. I added a little bit more until it was the consistency I desire and the second batch turned out really yummy.

Not Really Tuesday: Cookies 'N McCreams

2010-05-13T22:03:00.000-04:00

Hello, hello! I know, you guys are all surprised I'm back so soon, right? Don't lie, you know you are. Anyway, onto the recipe. A huge huge thank you to @Britmum2070 on Twitter for the name of this week's baked good. The runner up for a name?

"Abby's All-American Cookies 'N Cream cupcakes-- So Easy A Goth Can Do It!" courtesy of @jetgibbs. You ladies are the best. It was difficult to choose a name, but being that it's @CatherineYetive's birthday and she's a huge McGee fan, I went with the McGee name.

Happy birthday Catherine!

Cookies 'N McCreams

Ingredients:

1 package white cake mix

1 1/4 cups of water

1/4 cups of canola oil

3 egg whites

1 cup (approximately 9 cookies) coarsely crushed Oreo cookies

1 can of vanilla frosting

Additional crushed cookies for topping

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.) Line cupcake tin with paper liners.

3.) In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, water, oil and egg whites until blended.

4.) Fold in crushed oreos.

5.) Fill muffin tins a little over halfway full, bake for approximately 18-22 minutes.

6.) Allow cupcakes to cool, frost with vanilla frosting and sprinkle with cookie crumbs.

Notes: This recipe was super easy to make and according to my mom, they're yummy cupcakes. Still haven't tested it on my boys yet, but that's coming soon :)

These cupcakes, as previously stated, were probably some of the easiest I've ever made. I'll definitely make them again.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

2010-05-06T22:29:00.000-04:00

Holy HELL! I'm back, people :) Kind of, anyway. During my hiatus from the baking world, I realized just how much I freakin' missed it so I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things. What better way than starting off with a new recipe?

And look at that, it's not even Tuesday :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

1 package chocolate cake mix

1 1/4 cups of water

1/2 cup of peanut butter

1/3 cups of canola oil

3 eggs

24 mini peanut butter cups

Frosting:

6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

2/3 cups of heavy wipping cream

1/3 cup of peanut butter

Additional mini peanut butter cups, chopped

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins with papers.

2.) In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, peanut butter, oil and eggs.

3.) Beat on a low speed for 30 seconds, then beat on medium for 2 minutes or until smooth.

4.) Fill the paper-lined cups half full.

5.) Place a peanut butter cup in the center of each cupcake.

6.) Cover each with 1 tablespoon of batter.

7.) Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Frosting

1.) Place chocolate in a small bowl.

2.) In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil.

3.) Pour cream over chocolate and whisk until smooth.

4.) Stir in the peanut butter.

5.) Cool, stirring occasionally, to room temperature or until ganache reaches a spreading consistency.

6.) Spread over cupcakes and immediately sprinkle with additional peanut butter cups.

Notes: This makes a very yummy cupcake (so I'm told), however, it does make a bit of a mess when being eaten. Apparently, thanks to the peanut butter cup in the center, it makes the cupcake heavy so it falls apart! But a good recipe nonetheless.

Also, for anyone who misses my amazingly funny (har har) blog posts, you can find me over at See Britt Run. That's what I now consider my "main blog" and I post there pretty frequently! Hope to see you guys there :)

New Recipe Tuesday...For Real?

2010-03-30T19:01:00.000-04:00

Hi :) Who missed me? C'mon, admit it! You know you did! This isn't really a new "recipe" because I used the Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie mix, but I baked it, so that should count, yes?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Package Betty Crocker Peanut Butter mix

1 tablespoon of water

3 tablespoons of oil

1 egg

1 package of milk chocolate toffee

Directions:

1.) Mix peanut premade mix, water, oil and the egg together. Add 1 cup of the chocolate toffee.

2.) Stir until well blended.

3.) Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

4.) Sprinkle with remaining toffee.

5.) Bake for 9-15 minutes or until golden brown.

New Recipe Tuesday... Er, kind of.

2010-03-01T22:57:00.000-05:00

Hello! First of all, let me make this very clear: I am well aware that it is not actually Tuesday (yet). I am also well aware of the fact that I missed the last couple New Recipe Tuesdays, but I'm going to blame that on the fact that there wasn't really a new episode of NCIS, so does it really matter?

Well, according to my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers it does but poo on them for right now :)

However, because I've been such a slacker, I've actually got two recipes I'm going to post tonight. I was going to just wait until tomorrow to do it because tomorrow is, after all, Tuesday, but I didn't know if I'd have time before work, so I decided it's close enough to Tuesday now!

Phew. Can we say run-on sentence?

Gibbs' Get Up and Go Cookies Vol. 2

Ingredients:

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1/2 cup of shortening

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 egg

1/2 cup of applesauce

2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 cups of granola

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.) Beat brown sugar, shortening, vanilla and egg in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed.

3.) Stir in the applesauce.

4.) Stir in the remaining ingredients.

5.) Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

6.) Bake for 11-13 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in the center.

Notes: These cookies were a little dry. I only baked them for 11 minutes, so next time, I might shave off a minute or two. I might also try adding a little more applesauce. The recipe indicates you can get either original or unsweetened applesauce, but the original, of course, will produce a sweeter cookie.

McTony's Cream Cheese Brownies

Ingredients:

Batter

4 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate

1 cup of butter or margarine

2 cups of sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Cream Cheese Filling

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 egg

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.) Grease a 9x13 pan.

3.) Melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth; remove from heat and cool about 5 minutes.

4.) While chocolate is cooling, mix cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1 egg in a bowl with a spoon until smooth; set aside.

5.) Beat chocolate mixture, sugar, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl.

6.) Add in flour and salt; beat until well mixed.

7.) Spread the batter and the cream cheese in the prepared pan, dragging knife through to create a marbled effect.

8.) Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and refrigerate brownies until ready to serve.

Notes: The recipe for the cream cheese filling indicates to mix by hand, but I couldn't get it quite smooth enough so I used my mixer. It still turned out fine. Also, while my baked goods usually taste pretty yummy, I need to work my presentation because I had a hard time "marbling" my damn brownies.

Hopefully, things for me will calm down after this week and I'll be able to get back on track with my New Recipe Tuesdays... I'm sure my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers will appreciate it!

Not Really Tuesday: Tony's Slacker Almond Bars

2010-02-20T22:08:00.000-05:00

I was super excited today because I got a new recipe book, however I quickly learned that it's not a good idea to try and bake when you're suffering from a lack of sleep. In the past two days, I'm thinking I've averaged a total of 9 hours of sleep and I'm one of those people that needs a billion hours per night just to function like a normal human being, so is it really any wonder that I burnt my bars?

No, I didn't think so.

For awhile, I was super snobby about my baking, deciding that I wouldn't bake anything unless I could make the whole thing from scratch, but that just got old after awhile and now I'm completely okay with using recipes that call for the use of boxed cake mix. Of course, the first one I attempt, it didn't turn out so pretty.

Tony's Slacker Almond Bars

Ingredients

Base:

1 package of Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix

1/2 cup of butter or margarine, softened

2 eggs

Almond Topping:

2/3 cups of sliced almonds

2/3 cups of butter or margarine

1/2 cup of sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon of milk

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.) Beat cake mix (dry), butter and eggs with electric mixer on low until dough forms or mix with a spoon.

3.) Press into the bottom of an ungreased jelly roll pan (15 1/2 x 10 1/2).

4.) Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crust begins to pull away from the sides.

5.) In a 2-quart sauce pan, add almonds, butter, sugar, flour and milk.

6.) Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture thickens slightly.

7.) Once the base is finished, pour almond topping over it immediately and set oven control to "Broil".

8.) Broil for 2-3 minutes or until topping is golden brown and bubbly.

Notes: The book indicates that you have to watch the almond topping carefully as it burns easily, but apparently I wasn't paying attention. Also, I had trouble with my hands sticking to the batter when I was pressing it into the pan, so I sprayed my hands with cooking spray. After I had the batter basically spread, I used wax paper on top of the crust to roll it with a rolling pin and make it even.

As I said, I burnt them :( Not the actual base, but the topping. Luckily, they still taste yummy despite how ugly they are.

Not Really Tuesday: Ziva's 'Pocahontas' Cookies

2010-02-18T16:39:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm well aware that I missed New Recipe Tuesday again. I can't even blame it on the weather this time (although, reports are saying we're supposed to get hammered with snow again next week. I'm not surprised--I'll be on midnight shift and it seems we always get slammed when I'm stuck at work!) but I am going to blame it on the fact that I worked an extra day both this shift and last shift.

Needless to say, I've been tired. Too tired to bake, actually, but that's okay because it wasn't like there was a new episode this week and "Good Cop, Bad Cop" isn't exactly my favorite episode ever.

Am I rambling? I'm rambling.

Ziva's 'Pocahontas' Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of oil

3/4 cups of brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

3/4 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of rolled oats

3/4 cups of sunflower seeds

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.) Cream together the oil, brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

3.) Add in the flour, soda and salt (unless the seeds are already salted, then you can omit this ingredient).

4.) Mix until well blended.

5.) Fold in oats and sunflower seeds.

6.) Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Notes: This recipe was found here. Though the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats, I found that it was a little excessive. I probably could have used 1 cup and been just fine. Also, the recipe says that this makes 10 cookies, but I managed to get 14 out of my batch.

These are probably the tastiest cookies I've made in awhile. They have a very strong brown sugar flavor, but overall, they taste amazing. I bet they'd go great with a nice, hot cup of coffee :)

Happy V-Day

2010-02-14T10:02:00.000-05:00

Hope you're spendin' it with the ones you love!

Not Really Tuesday: Fornell's Festive Homemade Oreos

2010-02-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

I'm well aware that it is not Tuesday. I'm going to blame the fact that I missed Tuesday on the ridiculous amount of snow my state received, even though I really just didn't bake anything because I was too darned lazy.

I planned on baking yesterday to make up for it, but wasn't feeling very inspired by Tuesday night's episode of NCIS. I was left feeling very underwhelmed, despite my initial excitement about Fornell's return. Regardless, my favorite FBI agent deserves a tasty treat named after him, so here I am.

Fornell's Festive Homemade Oreos

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [see recipe note]
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

Filling

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.) In a mixing bowl, add flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt and sugar.

3.) While mixing on a low speed, add the butter and then the egg. Continue beating until the dough comes together in a mass.

4.) Drop by rounded teaspoons and flatten slightly with moist hands.

5.) Bake for 9 minutes.

Filling

1.) In a mixing bowl, add butter and shortening.

2.) Mix in sugar and vanilla.

3.) Beat until light and fluffy.

Notes: The original recipe notes that for actual oreo like cookies, take out a full half a cup of sugar. I had a hard time with the batter, and I think that's because I didn't melt my butter like I usually do. In fact, when I make these again, I'm going to do just that and see if they come out any better. Also, for the filling, I added just a little bit of milk because it seemed so dry. Recipe was found here.

Because Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I added some red icing coloring to the cream to give it a pink tint. I know, festive, right? Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!

Edited to add: On a completely unrelated note, I've started an online petition in hopes to get Jimmy Palmer added to NCIS as a regular cast member! If you're interested, please sign by going here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/palmer-pals

New Recipe Tuesday: Palmer's Welcome Back Cake

2010-02-02T22:20:00.000-05:00

For the three of you who read this blog, you know I'm Pro-Jimmy Palmer. So much, in fact, that I'm debating starting an online petition to the writers of NCIS to have him added to the opening credits because yes, Jimmy Palmer is that good. I was so excited to see him in tonight's episode, that I decided to name tonight's dessert after him.

I don't know anyone who doesn't like yellow cake and for nearly a month now, I've been looking for a good recipe. The one I used is one that I ~~stole~~ borrowed from a magazine in a doctor's office and I'm not sure if I really like it. I'm taking it into work tonight as one of the ~~guinea pigs~~ officers has a birthday tomorrow, so I guess we'll see.

Palmer's Welcome Back Cake

Ingredients:

Batter

3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder

3/4 teaspoons of salt

1 cup of butter, softened

1 3/4 cups of sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 cup of milk

Frosting

3/4 cups of milk chocolate morsels

1 box (1 lb) of confectioner's sugar

6 tablespoons of milk

1/4 cups of softened butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoons of salt

Directions:

Batter

1.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2.) Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

3.) Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla.

4.) On a low speed, alternate between adding flour and milk, beginning and ending with the flour.

5.) Bake at 325 degrees for 40-43 minutes.

Frosting

1.) Melt chocolate in a medium saucepan on medium heat; allow to cool slightly.

2.) Mix milk, sugar, butter and vanilla until blended.

3.) Add in chocolate and beat until it becomes spreading consistency.

Notes: I don't know what it was about this recipe, but the batter just did not taste right. I don't know if it was because there was too much baking powder, or what. Also, I put the batter in my "Big Top Cupcake" mold, so I had to bake closer to an hour to get it done all the way through.

Like I said, I don't know exactly how this is going to taste, but regardless, just remember:

Palmer for President

Snapple Fact of the Day

2010-02-01T02:40:00.000-05:00

Snapple Fact #852: Clearwater, Florida has the highest rate of lightning strikes per capita in the U.S.

I'm well already that I just did a Snapple Fact a couple of hours ago, but over here on the East Coast, it's already Monday. Ah, the joys of midnight shifts.

A Long Time Ago...

2010-01-31T22:12:00.002-05:00

...in a galaxy not so far away, I tried to give up soda, and for awhile, it worked. I'm a huge caffeine addict, though unfortunately, I got tired of drinking the unsweetened tea from the gas station I had grown so fond of and decided to give another kind a try. My drink of choice?

I don't know if it was the actual drink that I liked, or if it was the fun facts that I found under the caps. For awhile, at work, we made it a big thing that before role call was over at the beginning of the shift, my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers had to hear what we dubbed the "Snapple Fact of the Day".

What does this random story have to do with this blog? Nothing really, except that last night, my KW (Hi KW) told me that she missed my random Snapple facts and thought that I should start drinking it again and posting the facts here. So now, I present to you the Snapple Fact of the Day:

Snapple Fact #861: South Carolina is home to the first tea farm in the U.S.

Disclaimer: I have no idea if any of these facts are actually true, as I thought I heard somewhere that Snapple sometimes makes them up. Regardless, they're fun to read and the drinks aren't too bad either.

Let Me Tell You About A Little Show...

2010-01-26T17:15:00.001-05:00

SouthLAnd. Have you heard of it? I hadn't until NBC screwed up and it got moved to TNT.

I think my favorite thing about this show (and granted, I've only seen two episodes so far) is just how realistic it is. I'm not a cop, but I work with a lot of them and I just feel like I can connect with these characters in the same way I've connected with my guys.

Officer John Cooper, right now, is my favorite, I think. There's something about him that absolutely cracks me up. I love the way he's a no-nonsense kind of guy when it comes to his rookie, but he still manages to make his character likable!

I love the way they portray the different situations and I love the characters' reactions to different calls. As I've said, I've only watched two episodes so far, but if the rest of the episodes are anything like the first two, I can easily see myself getting addicted to this.

Also, I don't know if I have any actual readers of this blog or if I'm the only one who checks it out, but if you're reading this out there in Blog Land and you haven't given this show a chance, you should. Tuesdays on TNT at 2200 hours!

You know, for somebody who doesn't like cop shows, I'm really liking a lot of cop shows!

New Recipe Tuesday: Tiva's Chocolate Kisses

2010-01-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

First of all, I need to make something very clear: I am not on board with the whole "Tiva" thing. I'm not. And not because I don't think Tony and Ziva would be great together, because they would, but I like the whole UST thing they have going on and a relationship is going to ruin that, so Writers of NCIS hear me out: JUST SAY NO TO TIVA!

Now that that's out of the way...

In celebration of tonight's episode (which, by the way, has been pimped to the max as a "Tiva" episode), I thought a 'Tiva' themed recipe was just what this blog needed.

Tiva's Chocolate Kisses

Ingredients:

1 cup of margarine

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla

2 1/2 cups of flour

3/4 cups of cocoa powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

48 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

Directions:

1.) In a large mixing bowl, add sugars, margarine, eggs and vanilla, mixing well.

2.) Add flour, cocoa and baking soda, mixing well.

3.) Refrigerate dough and the kisses for 30 minutes.

4.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5.) After removing the dough from the fridge, roll into 1 inch balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

6.) Bake for 7-10 minutes.

7.) Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, press a kiss into the center of the cookie.

Notes: Originally, this recipe was to be used with the Rolo candies. If you choose to use those candies, instead of pressing them on top, they are supposed to be used inside of the cookie. However, due to the fact that my stupid grocery store didn't have any, I went with the meltaway chocolate Hershey Kisses. At first, I wasn't sure that I would recommend using these kisses because true to their name, they did melt pretty easily, but putting them in the refrigerator really helped with that. This recipe makes about 48 cookies.

They're so pretty. I wish that I would be able to enjoy one during the episode, but unfortunately, my work apparently does not care that it's Tuesday so I'm going to miss tonight's episode. Luckily, I invested in a Tivo back when I started telling cops were to go, so I can watch at 0100, but it's so not the same. *sigh*

Not Really Tuesday: Abby's Chocoholic's Choice Cupcake

2010-01-21T20:47:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, my best friend in the whole wide world (Hi KW) was amazing enough to buy me the Big Top Cupcake mold. I've been absolutely dying to try it out but I haven't really fooled around too much with cake batter lately, as cookies are easier to distribute. However, my mother, who recently had foot surgery, asked if I'd be so kind as to make her a chocolate cake and I decided it was about time to break my giant cupcake out.

Abby's Chocoholic's Choice Cupcake

Ingredients:

Batter:

2 cups of sugar

1 3/4 cups of flour

3/4 cups of Hershey's cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 cup of boiling water

Frosting:
1/2 cup of butter
2/3 cups of cocoa powder
3 cups of powdered sugar
1/3 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Directions:
Batter:
1.) Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Grease the top and bottom part of the cupcake mold.
3.) Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4.) Add in eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on a medium speed for about two minutes.
5.) Add in boiling water and stir.
6.) Pour batter into prepared mold, bake for approximately 40 minutes.
Frosting:
1.) Melt the butter.
2.) Stir in the cocoa.
3.) Alternately add in the powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add in small amounts of additional milk if needed.
4.) Add in vanilla, stir.
Notes: The frosting makes about 2 cups. Also, the batter will be super thin after adding in the water. Don't be concerned: it's supposed to be like that! The original recipe says that the proper bake time is 30-35 minutes, but with the Big Top Cupcake, I found that the bottom mold needs 40 minutes and the top mold needs about 45. This recipe was found here.

First of all, I'm well aware of how ugly the damn thing is, but it was just so heavy that it started it topple over! But that doesn't matter because it's so yummy. I can completely understand why Abby went so crazy over her damn cupcake in "Capitol Offense" if it tasted anything like this one.

New Recipe Tuesday: Gibbs' Get Up and Go cookies

2010-01-19T09:51:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Although sadly it's not a new NCIS episode this week, I decided to go along with New Recipe Tuesday anyway because according to my CBS lineup for tonight, "The Inside Man" is playing and who doesn't love a good Tony/McGee mugshot?

Exactly.

Gibbs' Get Up and Go Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1/2 cup of shortening, softened

3/4 cups of granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of rolled oats

1 cup of diced apple without the peel

1 cup of chopped walnuts

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.) In a medium mixing bowl, sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.

3.) In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.

4.) Beat in the eggs until well blended.

5.) Combine the dry mixture to the butter mixture and mix until well blended.

6.) Fold in walnuts, oats and apples.

7.) Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet, bake for 12-15 minutes.

Notes: First of all, I don't really like shortening, so I substituted butter instead. I used the same amount of butter. Also, I admitted the walnuts because a lot of my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers don't care for nuts. The recipe didn't specify what type of apples to use, so for these, I used the Gala though I think next time, I may go for Granny Smith. The batter appears to be very wet when fully mixed, but it's okay, they still bake well. I found that 12 minutes works best for me! Original recipe found here.

Have I mentioned how much I love my new mixer? Look at that baby go!

These cookies have a pretty good taste to them, and I think they'd go well with a nice cup of coffee (hence the name. Who's our resident coffee addict?) Next time I bake them though, I think I'm going to try a mixture of cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on top to give it a sweeter flavor!

NCIS Ideas

2010-01-13T22:54:00.001-05:00

Dear Writers of NCIS:

Since you were so wonderful about listening to me about bringing back the shoulder holster (yum, by the way), I thought I'd prepare a small list of ~~demands~~ ideas that I'd like to see:

1.) Shirtless Michael Weatherly, Mark Harmon and Sean Murray.
2.) Naked Michael Weatherly, Mark Harmon and Sean Murray.
3.) Jimmy Palmer added to the opening title sequence.
4.) A Mark Harmon/Michael Weatherly commentary for "Flesh and Blood".
5.) No Tiva, please. I'm good with the idea of them effin' occasionally, but I don't want an actual romance to ruin the show.

Though I will admit that I was slightly irritated with the characters after last week's episode, I take back almost everything I said. Especially about Tony. However, you still need to make up for Seasons Four and Six, so please see the above list on the best ways to go about doing that.

Xoxo,
Britty

And to all my ~~faithful~~ readers: Please feel free to add on to this list. C'mon, you know you want to!

New Recipe Tuesday: Cheesy Daddy DiNozzos

2010-01-12T12:51:00.000-05:00

~~Everyone loves cheesecake~~. A lot of people like cheesecake. I'm not really sure why, seeing as I personally cannot stand the stuff, but it doesn't really matter. I just make the stuff, I don't eat it. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to make for this Tuesday night, but in the end, the choice was clear.

A lot of people like cheesecake and everyone likes cookies. Put those together and what do you get? The ~~Mother~~ Father of All Cookies. What better way to celebrate the night in NCIS history that we've been waiting 150 episodes for?

Cheesy Daddy DiNozzos

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons of butter, softened

1/3 cups of brown sugar

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese

1 egg

2 tablespoons of milk

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

1.) Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.) Blend the butter, brown sugar and flour with a fork until it makes coarse crumbs.

3.) Remove about a cup of brown sugar mixture and press into a lightly greased 8x8 inch pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

4.) In another bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar, mixing it until smooth.

5.) Beat in the egg, milk, lemon juice and vanilla; mix until well combined.

6.) Spread cream cheese mixture over the baked crust, sprinkling with the remaining brown sugar mixture.

7.) Bake for 25 minutes.

8.) Let cool completely before chilling for one hour.

Notes: This recipe was taken from here. The serving size is about 16 cookie bars, but I don't think I'm going to get quite that many.

FYI, the pan is not dirty. It's from being lightly greased.

I'm so excited to chill these bad boys so I can cut into them and get them to my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers for the official taste test. I'm positive that my Cheesy Daddy DiNozzos are going to pass with flying colors.

A(nother) Open Letter to the Writers of NCIS

2010-01-06T21:17:00.002-05:00

Dear Writers of NCIS:

I'm still not positive that this really counts as an open letter, but once again, I'm not really too concerned about that. While at times I tend to ramble, I'm just going to spit this out:

I don't like what you're doing to my characters.

While I will admit that this season is three trillion times better than the last, I just don't quite know what you're doing to them anymore. In fact, the only character who doesn't disappoint me right now is McGee. I've seen an incredible amount of growth in the character and while I'll admit he wasn't always my favorite (Hello! Remember DoucheNozzle McGee from last Season? McSmug), I'm loving what you've done with him so far this season.

Next on my list is Gibbs. Oh, Gibbs. Where to begin? Does anyone remember the days, way back in Seasons One and Two where our fearless leader actually almost bordered on inappropriate at times? When he wasn't quite so serious? Yeah, I miss that. Don't get me wrong: I still love the Gibbster with all my heart, but after last night's episode, I was kind of left with a William Tom Frank feeling. I don't like Gibbs getting flustered. I don't like that the stupid lawyer woman implied that Gibbs had little to no respect for the law and I don't like that it got to Gibbs so much. In fact, I was left with an awful feeling about this story line, but I'll keep my thoughts on it to myself just in case I'm totally and completely wrong.

And Ziva. Ziva, Ziva, Ziva. There was a time, before my favorite Mossad assassin started straightening her hair and piling on even more make-up than Abby, that I actually loved this character. As upset as I was about Kate's departure, I was okay with Ziva coming on board because I liked that her character was a strong female but ever since Season Five, I don't see her like that anymore. She's redeemed herself a little bit, in my opinion, but I'm still wondering exactly what your plan for her is.

And finally, Tony. Oh, Tony, what in the world have the writers done to you? Remember when, a month or so ago, I defended you against the haters because I understand the whole cop mentality thing that you've got going on? Yeah, I don't know anymore. There was a time when you were able to be your lovable, obnoxious self without coming off like a complete jerk. Remember that? When you irritated Kate/Ziva, picked on the Probie and annoyed Gibbs but still managed to do so with an air of competence? What the hell happened to that Tony?That is not to say, of course, that I don't still love me some Tony DiNozzo, because, trust me, I do. I just wish that I could go for an entire episode without cringing at some idiotic thing or another that the character has to do. Seriously, writers. You have so much potential with this character. Quit wasting it.

As previously stated, I'm still enjoying this season far more than the last, so props to you for that. And it's not like this is something that just came out of nowhere, because it's been building since the end of Season Five. I just wish you guys would realize the potential you have with these characters and use it.

Xoxo,

In another, completely unrelated matter, Bradley Cooper apparently turned thirty-five yesterday, so Happy Birthday to you, you sexy piece of man meat!

New Recipe Tuesday: M&M McGoos

2010-01-05T14:13:00.002-05:00

I told y'all I hadn't abandoned this blog! For the last three days, I have been craving these cookies like you would not believe, however, one of my New Years Resolutions was that I was going to stick with New Recipe Tuesday to coincide with the new episodes of NCIS, so I held off on making them! And now that Tuesday has finally arrived, my life is complete.

At least until next week.

Also, please take note of the silly name that I've bestowed upon these delicious M&M cookies. Since this is a baking/NCIS/Michael Weatherly blog, I decided that from now on, I'm going to name my baked goods accordingly. Since tonight, McGee is apparently in the spotlight, I thought it was appropriate that he goes first! And now, without further ado...

M&M McGoos

Ingredients:

1 1/8 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 stick of butter, softened

1/4 cups of light brown sugar

1/4 cups of granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup of M&Ms

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.) In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda.

3.) In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugars.

4.) Add in the vanilla and egg and beat well.

5.) Add the flour to the creamed mixture, mixing well.

6.) Stir in the M&Ms.

7.) Bake for 9-12 minutes or until cookies are a golden brown.

Notes: With the left over M&Ms, I also pressed one or two into the top of the cookie. This is an extremely simple recipe to make with a delicious outcome. The recipe indicates that this will make about 24-30 cookies. I managed to make 25.

Please take note of the awesome mixer my momma got me for Christmas

Happy NCIS Day, y'all!

I swear that I have not abandoned this blog!

2010-01-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

Things have been a little hectic as some of the crap we had to deal with in 2009 has carried over into 2010. However, while I've taken a brief hiatus from baking, I'll be back Tuesday with a new recipe! :)

Let Me Tell You A Story...

2010-01-01T10:38:00.001-05:00

A long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away), I used to try to bake for my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers. This was long before the recipes from scratch, the Big Top cupcakes and the stand mixers. It was a simpler time back then.

Whatever.

Anyway, when I first started at the police department, I tried to make rice krispie treats for my guys and I failed. Oh, how I failed. Apparently, I didn't put enough marshmallow in the mixture so really, it was like eating rice krispies out of a cake pan. However, since starting this blog, I like to think that my skills have gotten better (or the guys have gotten better at lying about said skills) so I decided to tackle those damn treats again.

It was me versus the rice treats.

Needless to say, I won.

Have a Very Tabby New Year

2009-12-30T10:23:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since I posted but I'm going to blame that on Christmas. Speaking of, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I know I did! Not only did I get the "Perfect Brownie" pan and the Big Top Cupcake mold that I'd been hoping for, but I also got a nice stand mixer and let me just tell you, that beats my old 90's hand mixer like you would not believe.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year. I know personally, I can't wait to say goodbye to 2009 and I've decided that this year, I'm going to have a Tabby New Year.

My Tony and Abby sugar cookies, inspired by Abby's gingerbread women

I actually made those cookies last week, but oh well. Like I said: I'm blaming Christmas.

New Recipe Wednesday: New Recipes

2009-12-23T16:30:00.001-05:00

Fear not, faithful readers: I managed to survive the "winter wallop" (teehee), despite the fact that I had to work the two nights that it was the worst. A huge thank-you to my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers, because without them, there's no way I would have gotten out of the house!

I'm well aware that I missed Tuesday (again), but that's because I've pretty much been baking all week. I've got two new recipes for this post.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cups of crunchy peanut butter

1/2 cup of shortening

1 1/4 cups of light brown sugar

3 tablespoons of milk

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

1 egg

1 3/4 cups of flour

3/4 teaspoons of salt

3/4 teaspoons of baking soda

Directions:

1.) Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2.) Combine peanut butter, shortening, light brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until well blended.

3.) In another bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda.

4.) Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, mixing until well blended.

5.) Roll into 1 inch balls and drop onto pan.

6.) Bake for 7-9 minutes.

Notes: I've always been kind of grossed out by shortening (just because it looks so icky), but these cookies tasted pretty good. If you decide to make the fork criss-cross pattern ontop of the cookies, I found that dipping the fork into sugar helps to keep it from sticking. Also, don't be afraid if the cookies don't necessarily look all the way done when they're taken out. After letting them sit, they'll be just fine. This recipe makes about three dozen cookies.

Macadamia Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter

2/3 cups of sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 1/8 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 3.5 oz jar of macadamia nuts, chopped

1 cup of white chocolate chips

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.) In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.

3.) Beat in the egg and vanilla.

4.) In another bowl, combine the flour and baking soda.

5.) Add dry mixture to creamed mixture, beat well.

6.) Stir in nuts and chips.

7.) Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Notes: This recipe makes delicious cookies. I'm usually not a fan of macadamia nut cookies, but I'd definitely make (and eat) these again.

Christmas Cookie Checklist

A Squad

B Squad

~~C Squad~~ Finished

D Squad

~~E Squad~~ Finished

My mountain of cookies, not including the macadamia nuts

Ziva's First Snow

2009-12-19T08:34:00.001-05:00

As stated in the previous post, we got hit with the "winter wallop" (teehee) and I realized that this was my puppy's first snow. So, instead of going to bed like I should have as soon as I got home, I took her out in it and took some pictures.

Wondering what the hell this white, fluffy stuff is

I don't know how I feel about this

I'm just gonna hide by your leg, okay?

If Elvis says it's okay, it must be!

Are you sure about this, Elvis?

This shit is cold.

But it tastes good.

New Recipe Friday: Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies

2009-12-19T04:25:00.001-05:00

Okay, so it's technically Saturday, though I made these before I came in to work, so it was still Friday when they were being baked! I'm not quite sure what made me decide to make these damn brownies instead of catching up on my sleep, but I never claimed to be sane.

Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies

Ingredients:

3/4 cups of butter, melted

3/4 cups of creamy peanut butter

1 3/4 cups of sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoons of salt

1/4 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 inch baking pan.

2.) Beat butter and peanut butter in a large bowl until well blended.

3.) Add in sugar and vanilla; beat until well blended.

4.) Add in eggs, beat until well blended.

5.) Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until just blended.

6.) Reserve 1 3/4 cups of batter.

7.) Stir cocoa into remaining batter.

8.) Spread cocoa batter evenly into prepared pan. Top with reserved batter. Bake for 30 minutes or under the edges pull away from sides of pan.

Notes: While the recipe advises to reserve 1 3/4 cups of the batter before adding in the cocoa, I found that it wasn't quite enough to top the brownies completely. Also, I think that 30 minutes might be just a little too long to bake them, so next time, I'll probably try closer to 25 minutes.

In completely unrelated news, my town is currently getting slammed by the "winter wallop" (isn't that a funny name? I've been cracking up all night over that) and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get the Pony out of the parking lot tomorrow morning.

I took this picture last night before it really started coming down

To all my readers also being hit with snow, stay warm and safe! And I hope you stocked up on plenty of bread, toilet paper, eggs and milk!

New Recipe Thursday: Intense Mint Chocolate Brownies

2009-12-17T22:15:00.002-05:00

Okay, so, since I've pretty much been MIA since the freakin' beginning of December, I figured that I would go ahead and post a new recipe this week. I actually made these for my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers for last night, but after getting such a good response to them, I made another batch for KW (Hi KW) to take her to her little boy's Christmas program tonight.

Intense Mint Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

Brownies:
1 cup of butter

4 squares (1 ounce each) of unsweetened chocolate

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon mint extract

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

3/4 cups of all-purpose flour

Mint Frosting

6 tablespoons of butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon of mint extract

2 to 3 drops of green food coloring

2 cups of powdered sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons of milk

Chocolate Glaze

1/3 cups of semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons of butter

Directions:

Brownies:
1.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 9-inch square baking pan.

2.) Melt the butter and chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water. Remove from heat.

3.) Beat in granulated sugar, eggs, salt, mint extract and vanilla until well blended.

4.) Stir in flour.
5.) Spread batter in prepared pan, bake for 35 minutes or until the top is firm and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
6.) Cool completely.
Mint Frosting:
1.) Beat butter, mint extract and food coloring in a large bowl with with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy.
2.) Add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
3.) Beat in milk, one tablespoon at a time until spreading consistency is reached.
4.) Spread frosting over cooled brownies.
Chocolate Glaze:
1.) Place chocolate chips and butter in a microwavable bowl.
2.) Microwave on LOW, 1 minute. Stir.
3.) Repeat until chocolate chips are melted and mixture is smooth.
4.) Drizzle glaze over frosting.
5.) Let stand for 30 minutes or until glaze is set.
Notes: When I first read this recipe, I misread it and thought that it said to use 'peppermint extract', so that's what I used. It really doesn't matter though. After googling, I found out that the mint extract would have given it a spearmint taste, while the peppermint extract gave it a candy cane flavor. Also, the first batch I made, I used the 9x9 pan, but for the second batch for KW, I used a 9x13 pan and baked for 30 minutes.

These brownies had a very good taste to them. The only problem I had was that my mom was impatient as hell and because of that, I frosted the brownies before they were completely cool. That's why there's a slightly runny consistency to the frosting in these pictures.

New Recipe Tuesday: Melt In Your Mouth Christmas Marbles

2009-12-15T17:41:00.001-05:00

As previously stated: no I am not dead. I had to take a break from blogging for a little while thanks to not having regular access to a computer, but rest assure: I am back.

Tonight, I thought I’d give a little video blogging a shot but unfortunately, when I uploaded it to youtube, it looked like an old King Kong movie because my mouth was not much up with the words. So maybe I'll try another time.

Melt In Your Mouth Christmas Marbles

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter, softened
6 tablespoons of powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup, minus 2 tablespoons of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Red and Green food coloring
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Beat butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
3.) Beat in vanilla until well blended.
4.) Gradually add in flour and salt, beating well after each addition.
5.) Transfer half the dough to another bowl, add red food coloring.
6.) Add in green food coloring to the other bowl, mixing well.
7.) For each marble, shape 1/2 teaspoonful of each color dough into one ball.
8.) Place one inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.
9.) Bake for 12-14 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.
Notes: The recipe says to use food coloring paste, though I don’t have that so I used regular color. The colors may have been more vibrant/better mixed if I’d used paste, so next time, I’ll try that.

I’m still alive.

2009-12-14T10:30:00.001-05:00

I swear. Things have been hectic, really. But fear not, there’ll be a new recipe post soon.

Technorati Tags: Random

I'm pretty much a loner.

2009-12-04T08:32:00.000-05:00

Wow, that heading sounds... ominous, doesn't it? I'm pretty much a loner in that I don't mind working by myself. The only exception to this is working with KW (Hi KW). I absolutely adore working with KW because I don't have to entertain her. However, I absolutely loathe being alone when I'm on dayshift.

Granted, I'm not a fan of dayshift anyway, because as previously stated, I'm not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. If I have to get up before the sun is out, it pretty much ruins my day. Throw in having to work alone and it's like when I found out Santa wasn't real.

Today is one of those days.

I Need Your Help!

2009-12-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

I know I've posted about this before, but I really need some new recipes! With Christmas quickly approaching, I've decided I'm giving out boxes of sweets as presents, but I don't know exactly what to make! I want to know what your favorite Christmas treats are. Even if you don't have an actual recipe, give me an idea of what I should look for! Credit will be given for all recipes!

Ten Hour Days Are Cruel and Unusual Punishment

2009-12-03T09:19:00.001-05:00

Especially when those ten hour days begin at 0700 hours and last until 1700. I'm not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, and being forced to wake up while it's still dark outside makes me die just a little inside every morning. The only plus side of this schedule that we're working is the breaks in between shifts. Our schedule is as follows:

0700-1700: 4 days
Off: 4 days
1500-0100: 4 days
Off: 3 days
2200-0800: 4 days
Off: 3 days

All in all, I suppose the long hours are worth it, but sheesh. Yesterday was just dragging and so far, it doesn't look like today's gonna be any better.

Things That Make Me Smile

2009-12-01T14:09:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know, I've had a really crappy year. I should have known it was gonna be a bad one when my grandpa had to go in the hospital on January 1st and it definitely set the tone for what was to come. I'm not going to go into details because as far as I'm concerned, the year is almost over and I'm ready to put 2009 behind me. However, because Christmas is quickly approaching and I'm having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit, I thought I'd take a minute and just write down the things that make me smile.

1.) Michael Weatherly

2.) NCIS

3.) My pain in the ass puppy, Ziva

4.) Cali Kelley

5.) My ~~guinea pigs~~ officers

6.) Michael Weatherly

7.) Party In The USA

8.)

9.) KW (Hi KW)

10.) Baking

11.) My Twitter Friends

12.) Michael Weatherly's Chest Hair

13.) Mark Harmon

14.) Jimmy Palmer's inappropriateness

15.) Tony DiNozzo

16.) Blog Comments (which I don't get enough of *hint hint*)

See? Much better. Now, for anyone who wants to help out with number 16, please feel free to leave me comments, telling me what makes you smile.

New Recipe Tuesday: Oatmeal Scotchies

2009-12-01T13:59:00.001-05:00

Okay, I cannot tell a lie. I actually baked this last night. I don't really know why, other than the fact that I was bored out of my mind and wanted something to do. I planned on baking today anyway, but I'm just making Angel Kisses again and as I've already blogged about them, they wouldn't really fall under the New Recipe Tuesday category, now would they? Exactly.

Oatmeal Scotchies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange

3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats

1 package Butterscotch chips

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.) Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

3.) Beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla together until well combined.

4.) Gradually beat in the dry mixture, beating well.

5.) Fold in oats and butterscotch chips.

6.) Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.

7.) Bake for 8-10 minutes.

8.) Remove from oven and cool.

Notes: This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies. The batter is really wet when mixed together, and I found that I had to cook them closer to 11 minutes to actually get them all the way done, but they turned out well.

I'm not really a fan of butterscotch or oatmeal, but combined, these actually make really yummy cookies. I sent some to work last night with one of the ~~guinea pigs~~ officers and they seemed to enjoy it!

New Recipe Saturday: Fudgy Peanut Brownie Bites

2009-11-28T14:42:00.001-05:00

Again, I'm well aware that this is not Tuesday, but after going through my cabinets last night and cleaning them out, I found quite a few ingredients that I wanted to use up. Besides, what better way to spend the Saturday after Thanksgiving then baking and putting up a Christmas tree?

Ziva, hoping I'm going to drop some peanut butter

Fudgy Peanut Brownie Bites

Ingredients:

Crust

1/4 cups of butter, softened

1/4 cups of creamy peanut butter

3 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1 cup of all-purpose flower

Filling

4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons of butter

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/4 cups of chopped nuts

Directions:

Crust

1.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2.) Grease muffin tins, set aside.

3.) In a medium mixing bowl, beat the 1/4 cup of butter, peanut butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until combined.

4.) Beat in flour on low speed until just combined.

5.) Shape dough into 1 inch balls.

6.) Press the balls evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared muffin cups.

Filling

1.) In a small saucepan, heat and stir the chocolate and the 2 tablespoons of butter over a low heat, just until melted.

2.) Remove from heat.

3.) Stir in sugar, egg and vanilla until well combined.

4.) Divide chocolate filling among muffin cups.

5.) Top each with chopped nuts.

Baking

1.) Baking the tarts for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is puffed.

2.) Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

3.) Carefully remove tarts from muffin cups and cool completely on wire rack.

Notes: The recipe indicates that this will make 24 tarts, but I found that to be incorrect. It is possible, of course, that they're using a smaller muffin tin than I am. I made the mistake of not putting enough crust mixture in the bottom of the tins, trying to stretch the batter to make 24 tarts and because of that, I have super small tarts. Also, don't be concerned about the mixture being super crumbly after you add in the flour. It's supposed to be that way. Though these include peanut butter, I found that it was hard to taste, so if you're expecting something with a heavy peanut butter taste, you should probably add more than the recipe calls for.

I will admit that I was a little disappointed with the outcome of these. The filling part is absolutely delicious but I was expecting more a peanut butter taste. I most likely won't make these again.

New Recipe Thursday: Red Velvet Cake

2009-11-26T21:31:00.001-05:00

Me, on any random night

It's not Tuesday and it's not even really a new recipe, but being that today was Thanksgiving, I decided to do a little baking for the family, as the majority of my lovely desserts go to the police department. So, last night, I sat up despite being ridiculously tired and baked, though I must admit it was well worth it.

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of cake flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

1/2 cup of butter

1 1/2 cups of sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup of buttermilk

2 tablespoons of red food coloring

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

1 teaspoon of baking soda

Frosting

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup of butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

Directions:

1.) Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.) Grease two 9 inch pans and line with parchment paper.

3.) In a medium bowl, sift flour, salt and cocoa powder.

4.) In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

5.) Add eggs, one at a time.

6.) Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.

7.) In a measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk and food coloring.

8.) Alternately add flour and buttermilk to butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour.

9.) In a small cup, mix vinegar and baking soda. Allow to fizz, the fold into the batter.

10.) Bake for 25-30 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool.

Frosting:

1.) In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.

2.) Add in vanilla extract, mix well.

3.) Add in powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Notes: This is essentially the same recipe that I used for the cupcakes. The main difference, that I can see, is that here, the food coloring is mixed in with the buttermilk. Also, though the recipe states to bake for 25-390 minutes, I found that 20 was sufficient for me.

The Colony: A Review

2009-11-26T21:14:00.003-05:00

So, a long time ago, I decided that I wanted to have every movie that Michael Weatherly's been in. I know, pretty stalkerish, right? I mean, not really, because I don't think he's really been in that that many movies, but regardless, I had to have them. Starting with Her Minor Thing.

I cannot even tell you how disappointed I was in that movie. Sure, he was cute and funny, but over all, it sucked and I couldn't believe I spent so much money on such a piece of crap.

Moving on...

Because Cabin by the Lake is so freakin' expensive on Amazon.com ($50! Which really, isn't that bad, but I haven't been able to justify spending it on a movie just yet, so for all intents and purposes, it's so freakin' expensive. Still with me?), I decided to go with the next best thing: The Colony.

I know what you're thinking... I should have known that this movie wasn't going to be amazing, right? I mean, c'mon. It was a made for TV movie, but regardless, I had to have it. It couldn't possibly be any worse than Her Minor Thing, right? Right?

Wrong.

First of all, there's a freakin' random woman dancing around naked at three different parts during the movie. I mean really, what the hell was the point? Oh that's right, there was none. I do have to admit that I was super excited when I saw that Uncle Phil was in the movie, and really, he's the only reason I didn't turn it off immediately. Freakin' Michael Weatherly didn't even show up until 30 minutes in!

There were some parts that weren't too awful bad, and to be honest, I was cracking up at Bravo on more than one occasion, but really, it was just a bad movie. The special effects were horrible, the acting wasn't amazing and it just fell so short of what I was actually expecting. And did I mention the naked woman? Oh, I did?

The lesson learned? Next time, I'll drop the $50 on the movie that I really want... and have already seen. At least I'll know what the heck I'm getting!

NCIS: LA

2009-11-24T22:27:00.000-05:00

I'm going to be completely and totally honest: I don't know that I've ever given this show a fair chance, even during the initial two-part NCIS episodes. Maybe it's because I'm already addicted to one show and didn't really feel the need to become addicted to another, or maybe because in my opinion, the original ain't broke, so why fix it?

I've watched a few episodes though I find myself not really paying attention. Nothing about them catches my attention. Tonight, I tuned in because of Abby's guest appearance and I think I finally narrowed down exactly what I'm having a problem with when it comes to this show.

First of all, I feel like it's way too many characters. Yes, the original NCIS team has eight characters, though only four of them are in the spotlight for the majority of time. I like that. I feel like I'm able to connect with those four better because everyone's not thrown into my face all at one time. I'm not saying the LA characters are not likable, because hello? How freakin' adorable is Eric? I just feel like with so many people on the screen at one time, I'm too busy jumping around between them to really get a feel for them.

Another thing that bothers me about the show is the all the technology. Yes, it's pretty darn cool, but at some points, I almost feel like it's a bit of an overkill. I consider myself to be pretty technologically savvy (at least to some extent), but really, this must be what Gibbs feels like around McGee.

And what's up with the crossovers between the characters and storylines? A few weeks ago, during the whole Kai thing, I felt obligated to watch LA so that I wasn't lost during NCIS. I have a big problem with that. I don't want to feel obligated to watch one show so that I can keep up on another. I preferred tonight's episode over that one because I didn't feel like I actually had to watch, that I would be missing some big, epic thing if I didn't.

I'm not ready to completely give up on this show, and maybe next time I watch, I'll actually attempt to give it a fair shot, but for now, I'm off to watch my future husband (AKA Michael Weatherly) in The Colony.

New Recipe Tuesday: Angel Kisses

2009-11-24T18:05:00.001-05:00

Happy Turkey Week to everyone! Being that Thursday is the big day and I'm going to be stuck baking a cake tomorrow anyway, I debated skipping over New Recipe Tuesday. But really, I started doing my baking on Tuesdays to coincide with the new NCIS episodes, so what the hell is the point in New Recipe Tuesday if I don't actually bake on Tuesday?

Still following me? Good.

So, being that it is New Recipe Tuesday, I present to you.... a new recipe.

Angel Kisses

Ingredients:

3 large egg whites

3/4 cups of granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup of chopped pecans.

Directions:

1.) Prehead the oven to 325 degrees.

2.) In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.

3.) Gradually beat in sugar, a little at a time.

4.) Add cream of tartar and peppermint extract.

5.) Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.

6.) Drop by teaspoons onto an ungreased baking sheet.

7.) Turn off the oven and place the baking sheet inside for 2 hours, with door closed.

Notes: If the kisses are not dry at the end of the two hours, reheat the oven and dry for another 30 minutes (same as above: oven off, door closed). The batter is extremely wet, so don't be concerned if it appears a little runny on the sheet. When I originally found this recipe, I assumed it was more cookie than anything, but I was mistaken. I would definitely categorize this as a "candy" more than cookie. The recipe stated that this makes about 16 kisses, but I found that to be untrue. In the first batch alone, I had 25 treats. I currently have my second batch in the oven, with enough batter left over to make at least one more batch.

And just in case anyone's wondering what the random movie in the picture is, please take a look at this:

That's right. You see that name there? Yes, I actually spent money on this alien movie from like... 1998 just to watch Michael Weatherly. Because that's how much I love him.

New Recipe... Thursday?

2009-11-19T11:38:00.001-05:00

So, I'm pretty positive that I have the best mom in the world. No, really. As the the holidays are quickly approaching, this woman bought me all kinds of good stuff to bake with so I have all my ingredients ready to go when the urge to bake hits me. Kind of like today.

On Tuesday, I made Peppermint Bark, mainly because I had such cool candy boxes I wanted to try out, but I don't think that really counts as baking because I just threw it in the microwave. My best friend for life times three million (Hi KW) requested that I bake some cookies, and after scouring the internet, I finally found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I like.

And the funniest thing? I already had it at home, on the back of my Toll House chocolate chips.

Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup of butter, softened

3/4 cups of granulated sugar

3/4 cups of packing brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (12 oz package) of semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 cup of chopped nuts.

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.) Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

3.) Beat butter, sugars and vanilla together in a large bowl until creamy.

4.) Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5.) Gradually beat in flour mixture.

6.) Stir in morsels and nuts.

7.) Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet.

8.) Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes: First of all, I omitted the nuts. Usually, when I bake for KW (Hi KW), I like to send some home for her boys and one of them is allergic to nuts. Another thing I changed about this recipe is instead of using chocolate chips, I used the chunks. I'm a big fan of chocolate in my cookies and the chunks make them absolutely to die for. Except not really, because I don't think I'd ever willingly die for a cookie. The last thing I wanted to note, which is something I've been forgetting, is that sometimes I have a hard time baking my cookies all the way through. One side of the pan will be perfect while the other isn't even done all the way. To remedy this, I've started turning my pan halfway through the bake time to ensure that both sides get done at the same time. Also! This recipe advises that you can get about sixty cookies out of the batter, but I only managed 36.

Though I'm not really a huge fan of actually eating desserts (most of the time I don't even taste what I bake), I had to have two of these bad boys because they're just so damn good. I guess we'll find out what the ~~guinea pigs~~ officers think a little later.

An Exclusive First Look

2009-11-18T15:28:00.003-05:00

Today was a very important day in Brittany World. After nearly a year of growing my hair out, I decided to change my look up a little. And now, I present to you the exclusive first look of my new 'do.

Before:

After: Hello 1995

New Recipe Tuesday: Holiday Peppermint Bark

2009-11-17T08:13:00.045-05:00

I'm well aware that Thanksgiving comes before Christmas. Really, I promise. However, for Christmas this year, I've decided to make treats and give them away as gifts. Because of that, I've decided that for the next couple of weeks, I'm going to be trying out the desserts that I want to include in my gift box so that I can decide how time consuming each dessert is before I attempt to make everything in the same week.

Holiday Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz) package of chocolate chips

24 hard peppermint candies, unwrapped

Directions:

1.) Line baking sheet with waxed paper.

2.) Microwave morsels in a medium, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10-20 second intervals until smooth.

3.) Place peppermint candies in a heavy duty plastic bag. Crush candies using rolling pin or another heavy object. While holding a strainer over the melted chocolate, pour crushed candy into the strainer. Shake to release all the small candy pieces. Set aside the larger pieces and stir.

4.) Spread mixture to desired thickness on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with reserved pieces; press lightly. Let stand for about 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes: This recipe originally calls for white chocolate morsels. However, the grocery store was all out, and I'm not a huge fan of white chocolate anyway, so I grabbed a bag of milk chocolate chips. Also, based on the recipe, I thought I'd be able to use a rolling pin to roll over the candies and crush them, but no such luck. Apparently, it's common knowledge that you're supposed to smash the candies. It's a great stress reliever, by the way! I didn't have a strainer, so I left the candies in the bag and cut a small hole in the bottom to shake it out.

I really didn't have to attempt this ahead of time because it's pretty simple, but I bought the cutest candy boxes to put them in and really just wanted an excuse to use them and besides, what better time ot use them than for my 50th Blog Post?!

My Tonys are going to hate me tonight!

2009-11-13T21:25:00.001-05:00

I'm a big fan of birthdays. Really. Ask my mom. I celebrate my own birthday the entire week prior to the actual date. Back when I first started at the Police Department, my squad used to celebrate the birthdays of my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers with an ice cream cake, though since I've started baking, I've found that I usually make something in honor of their birthdays. And it's changed from baking for five or six guys to baking for about forty two.

I know. Crazy, huh?

This past week, one of the ~~guinea pigs~~ officers had a birthday and I missed it. Well, I didn't technically miss it. I told him Happy Birthday and promised that I'd bake him a cake, but I was short on time Monday night so I made him the German Chocolate Cookies instead and I think I might have hurt his feelings by doing so.

So in an attempt to make him feel better, I decided I'd make him a German Chocolate cake tonight and surprised him at work.

Though I used the same recipe as before, there were quite a few differences in the way the cake turned out. The last time, I made a layer cake. This time, as my nifty little cake carrier is missing, I decided to use a 13x9 pan that way I had something to carry it in. I used the bake times specified on the recipe, but the cake looks burnt to me. I didn't even bother to take pictures tonight because I'm so unhappy with it.

Also, I had to use the frosting that I've been using for my German Chocolate cookies because of a stupid mistake I made at the store. I made a list of the ingredients I needed to make this cake and when I was at the store, I read the list wrong and ended up with condensed milk instead of evaporated milk. I don't even know if there's really a difference between the two, but I was so worked up about getting the wrong stuff that I ended up burning my sugar and butter mixture in the pot.

Luckily, I had everything I needed to make the frosting for the German Chocolate cookies and decided to substitute.

I'm still going to take this down to the PD tonight and hope that it tastes better than it looks but I'm not hopeful. This is definitely a 'cake wreck' as far as I'm concerned, but I guess that'll teach me to bake when I'm in a not-so-good mood.

A (Not So) In Depth Look at Tony DiNozzo

2009-11-13T09:29:00.003-05:00

While I'm a huge fan of NCIS (the show), I find myself avoiding message boards and the like because of all the negative comments about Michael Weatherly's character, Tony. While I'm more than happy to agree that Tony comes off as being a pain in the ass most of the time, I don't think he's quite as vicious as he's often made out to be.

Working for a law enforcement agency, I can assure you that I currently work with about forty two Tonys. The way I've explained it to people who don't work with me is that when these guys are at work, they're in what I like to call "Cop Mode". They're rude, they're loud, they're obnoxious and annoying, but that's who they think they have to be when they're out on the street, dealing with the worst of the worst in the community. Sometimes they just forget to turn that off.

Most of the time with these guys, I view myself as the McGee to their DiNozzo but I know that they all have a heart of gold and that there's not much they wouldn't do for me, or anyone else for that matter and it's the same thing with Tony.

How many times has he put himself in harm's way to protect a team member?

Maybe I'm overly protective of the character because I work with people just like him. Or maybe it's because Michael Weatherly is so freakin' hot that I can look past Tony's annoying behavior and just focus on the pretty, but I really don't think he's nearly as hateful as a lot of people see him.

Edited To Add: Maybe I should start referring to my boys as my Tonys instead of my guinea pigs.

Happy Birthday Cote de Pablo!

2009-11-12T12:33:00.001-05:00

The title says it all.

I know it's supposed to be New Recipe Tuesday.

2009-11-10T10:17:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, I'm stuck at work today and won't have time tonight to make anything. Clearly, I fail.

A Month In Review: October

2009-11-04T19:06:00.001-05:00

Another month gone. As October gave way to November, I realized that 2009 was quickly coming to an end, and honestly, I can't bring myself to feel sad about that. Two worthwhile things happened this year: I started watching NCIS (and subsequently realized just how freakin' hot Michael Weatherly is) and I realized how much I liked to bake (and subsequently started this blog). So really, I guess maybe four worthwhile things happened?

Whatever.

Regardless, it's time for another montly review of my baked goods.

The German Chocolate Cake: I never really understood what made a German Chocolate cake so much better than a regular chocolate cake. I still don't. In fact, I'm pretty sure that you could bake a regular chocolate cake, top it with the German Chocolate Cake frosting and nobody would be able to tell the difference. Really. Regardless (Wow, I really like saying that word, huh? Or technically... I guess typing it), the recipe that I had for the cake was nothing short of amazing. My ~~guinea pigs~~ officers absolutely loved it, and in fact, I just took a request to make it again for another upcoming birthday. The verdict: I will most defnitely use this recipe again.

The Reese's Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies: Despite the fact that these treats were baked on a whim (after finding a lonely bag of peanut butter chips in cabinet), these cookies are definitely considered a favorite among my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers. The recipe is simple and to the point and the outcome is pretty darn delicious. I've made these cookies a couple of times since and everyone always enjoys them. The verdict: Nothing special but yummy none the less.

The Blondies: This was the first recipe for blondies that I tried, and if you'll remember correctly, this was the day I had my very first kitchen accident! This recipe was nothing spectacular. I made these only because I felt guilty for making chocolate all summer when one of my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers was clearly allergic and wanted to find some way to make it up to him. I wasn't a fan of the recipe or of the final outcome. The verdict: You couldn't pay me to sell these in my bakery. You know, the one I don't have yet.

The Stolen Cheesecake: Despite the fact that I didn't actually make this dessert (a minor technicality, really), I decided to include this in the monthly review for the simple fact that I did feed the cheesecake to my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers. I've passed this dessert off as my own many times and every time the verdict is the same: It's one of the best cheesecakes they've ever had. It's easy to see that I get my baking skillz (yes, with a Z. That's just how damn good I am) from my momma.

The Ice Cream Cake: I more or less made this cake for my fellow dispatchers (namely KW. HI KW) but I did offer it to my ~~guinea pigs~~ officers as well. The original recipe I had called for boxed brownie mix, but if you haven't noticed, I'm not into the whole boxed mix thing anymore so I used a recipe I have for the best brownies ever. The verdict: The cake itself is a little messy, but I prefer it to bought ice cream cakes. I wouldn't feature something like this in my bakery, but it's definitely fun for birthdays and other special gatherings.

The Chocolate Cupcakes: The recipe I had promised that these cupcakes would be the ultimate chocolate cupcake. That recipe clearly sits on a throne of lies because the cupcake basically sucked. It was dry and in my opinion, didn't even have a very good taste to it. I tried to decorate them in a festive fashion, thinking perhaps that would make up for the suckiness in taste, but apparently, my decorating skills need more work. The verdict: I need a new recipe.

The Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting: Another request from KW (Hi KW). The recipe that I have was simple and easy to follow. The cupcakes and frosting both had a really good taste and despite the fact that I made two dozen, I only had a couple left over. The verdict: This is definitely another recipe that I would try again, maybe next time in a cake form.

The Blondies 2.0: One of my Lieutenants (who really, I probably shouldn't refer to as a guinea pig) was pretty taken by the first batch of Blondies. I'm not quite sure why, but he when he called another meeting at work, he requested that I make blondies. So I did. With a different recipe. They had a very good taste to them, despite the fact that I was short an egg. A little flat and a little dry, but apparently tasty enough to overlook that. The verdict: I'm already making plans to make them again.

The Black Magic Cake with Ganache Frosting: This was by FAR my favorite cake to make. I'm not quite sure what it was about this recipe, but I'd been looking forward to trying it out since the beginning of September. Because of the cool name, I held off on doing so until the week of Halloween and it was definitely worth the wait. Despite the fact that the original recipe didn't indicate what kind of frosting to use, I went ahead with the Ganache because frankly, it looks cool. I'm not a huge fan of coffee and being that it's an ingredient in the cake, I wasn't sure how I'd like it, but it was amazing. The verdict: This cake is one of the favorites at work. I'll definitely make this again.

An Open Letter To The Writers Of NCIS

2009-11-04T17:43:00.007-05:00

Dear Writers of NCIS:

I don't think this necessarily counts as an open letter. I don't really know what an open letter is. It's one of those short, snarky things right? That's what Google says. Regardless, I felt this was necessary and I'll just get right to the point:

I need more Jimmy Palmer in my episodes.

I promised myself that after you guys gave me more of the shoulder holster, that I'd stop complaining so damn much, but really. I need more Jimmy Palmer. When that little dweeb was first introduced in the series, I have to admit that I wasn't a fan. He was just plain old weird and kind of annoying.

Come to think of it, he's still pretty weird and annoying but in a funny way. I look forward to the inappropriate "Jimmy" moments and honestly, I was looking forward to maybe some new developements in the Palmer/DiNozzo friendship that was brought to light last season.

And while we're on the subject, why hasn't Palmer been given a slot in the opening sequence? I know he's just considered to be a "recurring character", but c'mon now. How many seasons has the boy been on the show now? Let's give him some more air time!

You guys have been doing an awesome job with this season and really, aside from the fact that I still haven't received an episode in which Tony is shirtless, the lack of Palmer is really my biggest complaint. Of course, I'm willing to overlook the lack of Palmer in the event that I do get a shirtless Tony episode because really, who doesn't want to see Michael Weatherly without his shirt?

Xoxo,
Brittany

PS: I'm still disappointed that the moderators on TV.com didn't post my question regarding Michael's favorite dessert. If you get a moment, it'd be great if you could ask and let me know. It's important and I was almost late for work yesterday because of that chat. It's the least you could do.

Cali Kelley's NCIS 7x06 Review

2009-11-04T17:25:00.003-05:00

"Well, let's see, I'm a white male between the age of 18 and 49 with a loud mouth and a gun. I *am* the American Dream." Tony -- 7x06 Outlaws and In Laws

Wow, I have to say I *loved* this episode! It had everything I could have hoped for. Including pregnant Tony. :D The only thing I was really disappointed about was that we never did find out how Gibbs got the damn boat out of the basement! Grrr....is it so difficult to just give us a simple answer? Jeez.

Poor Gibbs at telling Abby to take the boat apart. He looked like he was sad but he didn't show very much emotion at all. :( No one likes a sad Gibbs. Abby looked very confused about his lack of emotion or care for his boat. The whole story with Franks' family was really good, and I loved how they showed Gibbs' living room. Too bad we won't be seeing it more often.

Not entirely sure how I feel about Tony getting on Ziva's case, trying to talk her out of becoming a citizen. I can't figure if he was just trying to be a jerk and give her a hard time or if he's being genuine. I'm leaning toward joke, but sometimes you can't tell with Tony.

This ep was also a lot funnier than the last two were. And just to clarify...I totally agree with Tony. He *so* is the American Dream. At least mine. LOL I have the exact same collar that Abby was wearing in this ep too! That made my day.

The "Wyatt Earp" reference was awesome too. Loved Mark Harmon in that movie, even if he did have that mustache that i don't like very much. Also, the "Dr. Strangelove" reference by *McGee* of all people! Way to make with the movie reference former Probie-wan-kenobi! I am so so so happy that they didn't go turning him back into a wimpy probie. Loved how they brought back Cpl. Worth from "Corporal Punishment" as a mercenary. Definitely didn't see it coming.

All in all it was an excellent episode, and I cannot wait until next week! I know this was a little on the short side, but it's everything I can do to keep my eyes open as I type this up. So, until Tuesday! <3 K

Cali Kelley's NCIS 7x05 Review

2009-11-04T17:22:00.000-05:00

"Oh. After last year's Jonas Brothers debacle, Vance banned costumes. McGee, skinny jeans, it didn't work." Abby -- 7x05 -- Code of Conduct

So...I know I've been a total slacker when it comes to these reviews, but I totally blame "Good Cop, Bad Cop". I had a hell of a time getting my head around that ep and therefore I couldn't bring myself to write a review. So, seeing as this week's ep just aired, this one is gonna be short.
I enjoyed the ep enough, I've watched it quite a couple times since it aired 2 weeks ago *LOL* I still find myself cringing when they stretch the guy out and hes all crinkly. Just the idea that he managed to drink dry ice is enough to make me not ever wanna see dry ice again.
Palmer. Oh, Palmer. We all love a good ep with lots of Palmer! I didn't realize how much I missed him until he was in this ep! His inappropriate comments, and who doesn't love him playing with things he shouldn't? And...I have to say the headslap was classic! Gibbs should give him more of them.
The bit with Gibbs and Abby in the lab with all the motion sensored halloween stuff was perfect too. Some of the funniest scenes in the whole show involve Abby and Gibbs in that lab. Hehe.
And last but not least, everyone calling Ziva "Probie". We all saw it coming, and if you say you didn't then you're a liar. I especially liked the "mobile campfire" and Gibbs telling Ziva off and calling her Probie. LOL
I *swear* I'm gonna be more on top of the reviews from now on! Until next time --K

Michael Weatherly Live Chat at TV.com

2009-11-03T14:38:00.003-05:00

In case anyone missed it: