That's my brilliant thought of the day. Talk amongst yourselves.
On another note, there was NOTHING deceptive about those cookies. Here's a photo I snapped with my phone of a couple of them. There are CLEARLY garbanzo beans in these cookies. If they were to fool a child, the youngster would have to be blindfolded (not to mention hypnotized at infancy to disregard chick peas). My husband rated them a 4 out of 10. I'm having him take a batch to work. We'll tape the reactions of his coworkers. I've already captured his less-than-delighted response and I'll create a little video of the overall experience.Today's rerun was about children of sperm donors. It was really interesting. Of course, I'd seen it before as it originally ran in February of this year, but it still made me cry to see siblings Chris and Stacy (children of sperm donor #46) finally meet each other. I'm a sucker, I know, but it was so touching, wasn't it? To witness two people become instantly transformed by looking into each other's eyes is really amazing. I almost (almost) felt like I was a peeping tom and had no right to watch their emotional convergence. This felt like Ye Olde Days of Oprah programming.
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21 comments:
On the baking front, I think if you bake often enough, you get to the point that you can experiment... You just have to familiarize yourself with the "rules" first--what works and what doesn't.
On the chickpea front, I assumed that the chickpeas would be pureed... I was surpised to see WHOLE ones in the cookies.
judes, i think you're right - skill has a lot to do with the fun/flexibility i would have while baking. but, come on, did you have to pick apart my metaphor? :) haha!
nope, the recipe says (and jassica seinfeld vocalized in in the show) that you don't have to do anything to the chick peas. if i ever made this again, i'd puree them first. however, i will never make these again. they didn't even smell good while they were cooking.
xoLO
Seriously, she said you don't have to puree the chick peas?! That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard. Chick peas and chocolate!! LOL!!
Ashley, My husband who could eat chocolate covered dirt, he loves it so much (chocolate, not dirt), was totally icked out by the cookies. Yeah, the two things don't really make a magical coupling. xoLO
I wouldn't be able to touch your cookies (no offense), but I like what you are doing here. I have 2 questions: 1) when did this experiment start and 2) do you plan to write a book about your exploits when this is over? I can actually see you sitting next to Oprah in one of those cushy chairs and having her fawn all over you.
Are you kidding me with the peas?! I made salmon patties last night (because they look like chicken nuggets and can be dipped in ketchup) and despite ALL that, my 5 yr old sifted each one through his mouth and somehow spit out each and every tiny piece of minced onion in them.
And also, oooohhh - an oprah invite! What an exciting thought!
I think most people bake life, and don't fool themsleves about it. Others bake life and think they're cooking. Those who think they're bakling when they're really cooking, we usually throw into the looney bin.
This is an interesting experiment. I would be curious to see how this works out.
Chick peas in chocolate chip cookies is something the old, single Jerry Seinfeld would have totally mocked on his show.
Hm, very interesting sensation you describe. I sort of theink X.Dell is on to something that I bet a lot of people are in there somehow believing they are cooking when they are following a recipe etc. I would have thought that the garbonzo beans would have totally have had to been smashed before mixing into cookies.
I saw this episode and although i didn't pick up the book...I had intended to pick it up for my nephews one time.
Did you know that most chefs/cooks/bakers...are usually only focused on one of those mediums. It's very unusual for a savory cook to be talented at baking. And bakers aren't particularily able to be good good chefs.
My sister is a professional cook (chef whatever) and she is able to cook bread, make pastries and cook savory.
I don't know if you ever watch the tv show Top Chef, but they often freak when they have to cook dessert.
I think Pjazzypar is psychic and I see the same vision...I thinkyou'll be ont he Oprah show before we can say Eckart Tolle. (which I did read and think it's a very helpful interpretation of hinduism and Buddhism...a sort of translation of Buddhism, the concept of the ego to a Christian society)
pjazzypar, yeah, i didn't touch the cookies either. so, no offense taken! a) i started january 1st of this year. b) yup - i'd like to write a book. i'm starting to do some homework on that. i don't know about the chances of being a guest on her show. i have a feeling she might just ignore me all together.
that_girl: do you think your five year old might be able to filter my junk mail out of my pile of papers in the same way? :) i'm impressed with his commitment to not eating onions!!
x. dell: this made me laugh AND get dizzy at the same time.
paula: touche! it could have been a great episode and would have definitely incorporated kramer.
candy minx, that's so true about top chef and the dessert panic. they all tend to study one dessert and use that recipe throughout their stay on the show when they cook the last course. wow - cool beans about your sis. does she have a restaurant? so, you think i might get on the show too? i have a friend who hypthesizes that O will send burly guys to break my kneecaps.
have a great weekend, y'all.
xoLO
You all are highly entertaining and have some great ideas!
I have the Seinfeld scene in my mind...Kramer throws open Jerry's door, slides across floor to kitchen counter, and bangs hand on the counter top: "Jerry, I've got it! The chick peas go IN the cookies!" (commence funny Kramer hand wave with wide eyes and hair waving around in Kramer-like fashion) Jerry, George, and Elaine mock Kramer's idea. Kramer makes a million dollars and comes up with coffee table book/chickpea cookie pairing that sweeps the nation.
Also...In the metaphor about baking versus cooking, I can't help but wonder about my personal scenario--What does it mean if you do slice & bake cookies instead of cooking or baking? :-)
melissa, no YOU are funny. that's brill. and slice and bake cookies are a sign of transcendence. your work on our human plane of existence is done. you may ascend to the next dimension. xoLO
Hi there, I also read the Reader cover story and ran to check out your blog. Just wanted to file my support for what you're doing. Reminds me of that movie Morgan Spurlock made about eating McDonald's food for every meal for a month, except, well, your sick experiment is a greater sacrifice and your insights are not quite as predictably duh. Please continue exposing the contradictions and hypocrisies implicit in every show. Oprah promotes "simple living" while selling us crappy products. She advocates empowerment for women while being neurotic about beauty tips and all that. And the chick pea cookies are the ultimate proof that she is just part of the problem.
-duckbob
Hiya, LO!
Well I'm more on top of things now; I just had a WEEK of posts to read at once, instead of the two months I read in one sitting last weekend (my schedule must be loosening!).
The Reader article was GREAT, and I see that lots of people are finding you through that, which I knew would happen and for which I'm really glad. As someone else noted, the cover WAS great, and I've directed lots of people to it. The half-faced picture of you was adorable!
Hmmmmm, baking vs. cooking: I do both, and I unashamedly, and rather confidently, feel that I do both quite well, actually; I only say this b/c of comments I get from others about what I make. I would consider baking my first love and probably my greater skill, as baked goods (sweet breads and desserts, specifically) are generally what I'll make to take to a gathering - I kept the cast of my current show extremely happy with a new baked good for each of about 70% of our rehearsal and performance time together.
For both cooking and baking, I love to try new recipes - which I DO sometimes adjust the first time (that's mostly for cooking as opposed to baking); I make notes on the recipe w/the date I made it and how it turned out (how my hubby and I liked it) and what changes I'd make (or did make). I think part of this is just the confidence I have in trying out new things - new recipes - even to take to a gathering (I have no fear in making something new to take to a party, and knowing it'll turn out fine). I've met people (few, but still, some) who are amazed at a casserole - a CASSEROLE! - saying they just can't cook. Like anything, I guess it is just in doing it that one becomes more confident and skilled.
In the last two years, I've probably made MORE new recipes than previously, b/c we have a share in an organic farm, so get way more veges delivered each week in the summer/fall than the two of us can manage, without being creative. So I've tried a ton of new recipes, most of which I've made more than once.
Anyhow, my two cents. Bake and cook on, LO!
Jeanne
duckbob, thanks for writing and for the thumbs up on the mission of my project. i agree, the contradictions are really problematic. maybe more troubling is that i feel as if not enough people (especially those who follow her unwaveringly) are questioning this publically. your comment is much appreciated...and it gave me a laugh. thanks!
jeanne, so good to hear from you, you master of the kitchen, you! you do create great stuff. i agree!
have a great sunday night!
xoLO
Okay, here's what happened to me with cookie thing. I want to preface this by saying I am very good baker and I only bake with the best ingredients and I use butter, chocolate etc... I don't believe in "healthy deserts". So, as an experiment to see how my 5 year old would react, I made the darn cookies. When I made them, no one could see the chickpeas. They looked like pretty normal cookies. My son (who will spit out ANYTHING that seems unfamiliar) actually really liked them. He said, "they are good mommy. Not as good as your chocolate cake but really delicious". Then I brought them on a picnic and they were gobbled up. Personally, I couldn't stomach them and neither could my husband because we knew what was in them, but the rest of the gang, dare I say, loved them and one friend has been calling for the recipe. The consistency turned gross after a day and I chucked the rest of them. So, I don't know if it's because I am more used to baking - they turned out differently? I didn't need to tell anyone there was a secret ingredient - they had no idea.
Heard you on NPR yesterday and wanted to check this out. You sounded great. Good luck!
Hey, LO. Heard you on NPR too. This is an interesting project. Good luck living the life. I like how the tags for this post are deceptively delicious sperm donors.
I made a flourless chocolate cake for my boyfriend's birthday that relied heavily on pureed chickpeas, and it was actually kind of awesome. I can dig up the recipe if you're interested in giving the chickpea/chocolate thing another stab (though, of course, my recipe would not come with the Oprah stamp of approval).
Blue Mom, You're probably a MUCH better baker than me! I shouldn't have told these guys there was a secret ingredient to start, maybe. You know, we had the opposite experience - my husband said that on day 2 the cookies were MUCH better and he was so excited to eat another on day 3, but they weren't good anymore. I guess they don't remain stable too long.
anon, deceptively delicious sperm donors = hilarious. i didn't notice that.
roberta, i'd love to see the recipe. i think i'd turn it over to my sister-in-law to try. she's a really good baker. i wouldn't want to kill it.
xoLO
I used sucanat (unrefined cane sugar) instead of white sugar, and instead of dusting with powdered sugar I made a ganache of more chocolate chips melted with cream and slathered the thing. Come to think of it, the garbanzo bean cookies might have been better slathered in a hearty layer of ganache too. ;P
INGREDIENTS
* 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
* 4 eggs
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan.
2. Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds after the first minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth. If you have a powerful microwave, reduce the power to 50 percent.
3. Combine the beans and eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the sugar and the baking powder, and pulse to blend. Pour in the melted chocolate and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
4. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
Roberta, My mouth is watering. This looks great! Thank you so much for posting. I'm copying it to my recipe files...xoLO
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