Cookie Crash

Hey guys!

The holiday's building up to the next few days!

How's everything?

Today, December the 23rd, was the last day of school for the year. 

Oh how time passes by when you're drowning in school work.

 Enough of that though.

I'm writing this blog post because I made some cookies!

When I say some, I mean a total of 6 batches of cookies. Yeah.

On the 18th, I came home from school and made some chocolate chip and gingerbread cookie dough. I actually made a video while I was doing that, which I had uploaded today, called "Cookie Chats." 

I was actually making these cookie dough's, because I had two of my best friends coming over to my house to bake and decorate them. That way, we could all spread some festive spirit in our schools.

All I can say, there can be one too many people in a kitchen. Haha.

It was hectic!

The three of us had to work on the gingerbread dough for a long time, because it kept crumbling apart. That's mainly because I wasn't supposed to freeze the dough...

It didn't turn out bad though!

We just had to work it with a lot of kneading, flour, and water :P

It was like 7:30 when everything was done. It was tiringggg.

I ended up letting my friends take all the cookies home, because there wasn't a lot to share between all 3 of us. Despite there being at least 60 cookies...

So, I made a 2nd batch of all three cookies on Monday (the 21st) and baked them the next day. The pictures are actually from my 2nd batch, because the pictures from baking with my friends were (no offense to them) a mess.

XD

Everything was covered in flour and oily fingerprints.

But in this case, the 2nd batch, they turned out much better. I was kind of disappointed because the chocolate chip cookies didn't spread out as much as the first batch. Maybe it had to do something with the baking soda. I also added some additional white chocolate chips, because why not? Besides that, the sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies turned out really well.

My friends and I decorated the 1st batch with icing, but that was a mess as well. So I decided that the 2nd batch would be icing-free, that way, it's not a hassle or overpoweringly sweet. (Mostly because if I were to decorate them, it'll take so long. And I didn't have time to do that with all the projects and tests at school).

If you do want to decorate them, I sketched out some ideas of icing the gingerbread cookies.

If you want the recipes that I used, click on their names down below. My video "Cookie Chats," also has the cookie recipes in the description box.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

*Side note* It might also help if you squished them down a bit before baking, so you get a bigger and thinner cookie.

Gingerbread Cookies

*Side note* Unlike the video, you can use any cookie cutter shapes you want. I used a Christmas tree, gingerbread man, candy cane, reindeer, and snowflake. I got most of them at from Michaels (the craft store), they're really affordable (about $2 each). But for the gingerbread men and tree, I got mine at Sur La Table (aka, where I restrain my geeky self from cookware). They're my go-to stores to wander around in and look at things, but I never buy anything. You know what I mean?

Sugar Cookies

*Side note* If you were making these for people who don't really like chocolate and peppermint, it's totally optional and you can leave it out like I did. It might help if you squished them down a bit before baking, so you get a bigger and thinner cookie.

That's it from my cookie madness, I'll talk to you soon.

~ Vicky

Dear Autumn

~Hello~

How has your Autumn been? Winter?

Are you holding onto the edge?

That's a question that always manages to squeeze into my mind.

 

Besides that, I've made a short video and uploaded it to my YouTube channel called "Dear Autumn" (hence, this post's name).

I feel like this is only a small piece of what I want to create. Whether people would understand or not, I'll try my best on explaining.

So, here I go. This is the poem.

"Dear Autumn"

Dear Autumn,

It's been a while since I've seen you,

since I've talked to you,

since I've felt you.

I'm sorry to see what you've been through

the hushed way that time flew

but it's better now

and it's okay that you've fallen down

because you held on for long enough

bringing memories that will eventually drown

holding onto life no matter how tough

letting the concrete town breathe in this little big town

There's nothing quite like... the time we had together

the aimless wonders

I don't blame you...

for taking time...

and I know...

It's not fun playing fine

Sometimes I think of it as bittersweet,

when you'd leave me.

Sometimes I think it would be my last heartbeat.

And I just want you to know.

I'm sorry.

"Dear Autumn" is a poem that I had written not long ago. I was taking my annual walk through Central Park, and had thought of this video's concept. Later that day, I started to write this poem.

At first, I thought it was a love letter to Autumn.
I thought "Autumn" was a person. I thought it was the season itself.

But I realized that it was both, and that it was an apology letter.
A letter that was long overdue from being sent and read.

You can interpret "Autumn" anyway you'd like.

In the fifth stanza ("and it's okay..."), I was referring to everything that leaves endure throughout the year.
Like leaves, we try to "hold on" and make it through the unexpected and dreadful impediments in life. Sometimes, the rain and wind would get the best of us when we're the most fragile. So we'd give into the gentlest breeze, and beautifully, yet tragically fall. Other times, we try to last longer until our inevitable fates present themselves.

In the second to last stanza, it sums up a portion of my "bittersweet" thoughts of the season. If you think about it, its quite melancholic. The trees are bare and empty, it's annual lifespan has come to an end. Although, at the same time, I understand that it's something that needs to be done and can't be avoided. It's something that we don't want to face until we've tasted the blood in our mouths and said it out loud. Our subconscience would try to suppress the thoughts.

There's more to get into, but I'll leave it here for now.

This is only one of the many things that I've thought of and written down. 99.99% of them are rarely, or never, shared outside the pages of my notebook.

Mostly because I'm afraid.
Who isn't?

They're the most personal thing that anyone can physically get to, and I find it terrifying of how I could ever allow myself be vulnerable to someone. Let alone, anyone that stumbled on this video or blog post.

Everyone has some line or boundary right?

With that being said, I'll talk to you soon.

~ Vicky