Cookies and Cream

I saw this coaster at a restaurant, Red Lobster, I believe, while I was on vacation. Doesn't it look delicious? Unfortunately, not gluten-free or dairy-free, so I didn't have it.

After our trip, I kept thinking about that cookie, so I decided to try to make my own version.

It's not as pretty, but it was delicious! 

My "lava" soaked into the cookie a bit, so it did not run out as well as the original. Still, it was super yummy!

How I did it: 

(The brands I use are in parentheses; if you have a favorite brand it will likely work just as well.)

Mix up a batch of Toll House cookies using gluten-free flour (Domata) dairy-free mini chocolate chips (Enjoy Life) and vegan margarine (Earth Balance).  Bake some of them in cupcake pans. Immediately, so they are still soft, push something slightly smaller than the cupcake into the cookie to make an indentation. Let cool.  Bake the rest of them so they come out close to the size of the top of the cupcake pan openings. Cool a few minutes and remove from pan.

While still warm, fill the bottoms with Hershey syrup, cap with a cookie, and top with a scoop of non-dairy frozen dessert. (Almond Dream) Drizzle with Hershey syrup and dig in with a spoon.  

Warning: this is a very rich dessert. 

What to do with extra cookie dough:  Make cookies, of course!  I did them starting a little thicker, which is easier with the GF flour, and when they came out of the oven, I pressed a thumbprint into each one and filled the hollow with Hershey syrup.

Infinity Scarf for a Cool Neck

I made this scarf for my sister-in-law, whose neck gets quite painful if exposed to cold--even air conditioning can do her in.  The pattern is called simply Sanibel Cowl, and can be found at Classic Elite.  I made it longer than the pattern shows by adding in more stitches and using a little bigger needles (size 10 instead of 8) which turned it into a scarf that can be worn more than one way.

Worn long, it's light and doesn't add a lot of
warmth except to the back of the neck and shoulders.
Perfect for summer this way!

It can be doubled around to be a little warmer
and add style to your outfit.

Here I simply added a pretty pin to dress it up.

At some point I think I doubled the stitches, giving it a slight ruffled effect around part of it. Since I liked it, I did not take it out.  When you do the eyelet, you do a YO, then K2 together. On that part I forgot the K2 together! I could have made it wider if I had done that; this way it took a little more than a skein--I finished off the last row and binding off with some leftover yarn from another project.

I should note that I also used not only the eyelet the pattern shows, but I also used an occasional "reverse row" among stockinette stitches to add a bit of variety.  

This pattern is easily adaptable to knew ideas, since it does not have a set eyelet pattern to start with. The pattern suggests you vary the eyelet spacing rather than keeping it even.  

I did not use the suggested Sanibel yarn; I just picked up some nice soft light yarn over at Michael's.

Last comment: I don't knit on a deadline, but I happened to get it done just in time for her birthday, so she got a nice birthday surprise!   

Omeka

Library School can be entertaining as well as educational. In my Conceptual Foundations class, we are discussing collections and metadata.  My professor is a fan of Omeka.net, so he assigned us each to put together a small collection on the site.

My collection, which started with four items, and I want to finish cataloging this summer, is at http://hellodolly.omeka.net/

PowerPoint is Evil Wordle

A Wordle of "PowerPoint is Evil"  (Click on the picture to enlarge it.) 

Wordle

I learned about Wordles today in a class, so I input the text of a paper I had to write recently. Nothing is so fun as making art out of homework.

Lush and Lacy Sweater

My new knitted sweater, Lush and Lacy from 
SweaterBabe.com  I am so excited to finish!

Detail of the lacy pattern on the sleeve.

Detail of the hook fastener, my
adaptation of the button they suggest.
I love the antique look of the hooks; 
it fits with the lacy pattern of the sweater.

This was quite a project!  I got all done and started blocking it, and realized one sleeve was shorter than the other.  I took it out completely and redid it.  I was glad I had because the sweater came out so pretty.  I followed the pattern exactly, but if I ever did this one again, I would change a few details.

I made it out of Naturally Caron Country yarn in Spruce Color.  It is 75% acrylic, 25% merino, the only kind of wool I can handle well. It's super soft, and can be machine washed and dried on gentle cycle, according to the label.  I haven't really tried it yet. 

Another Grad School Observation:

The homework load has made blogging a very low priority. The reading load is incredible. Foucault, Mann, Buckland, Robert Taylor...

Some of it is really interesting and some is like wading through pudding.  I didn't like Foucault The Archaeology of Knowledge when I read it, but I loved the ideas I gleaned from the class discussion.  

We have the most amazing professor; he not only reads every post on the class online discussion board, he can remember later who posted what when he or anyone else refers to it in class.  He will bring things up in class, mentioning the writer by name; if someone brings up a topic that reminds him of a post, he is able to reference the post by the writer.  This one is not the stereo-type of the absent-minded professor!