Good Site Gone Down

I'm very excited for this weekend to come...because I'm going to Dubai. I wanted to make it extra special and decided to check out what one of my favorite UAE websites have to offer....Blue Banana...a site that lets you browse through all kinds of creative activities you can choose ..and they actually let you purchase them online. These included a private dinner on the beach for two, or learning how to fly a plane among other fun/romantic/crazy ideas..you name it, they had it! I haven't checked the site for a long time because I've not really had time to visit Dubai, but to my shock the site wouldn't open up...it's like it never existed...I googled the site and my eyes blinked...this article is saying the sites down because the the guy behind it ran away! The company has gone bankrupt! The article is pretty interesting though because the CEO, Simon Ford...has atleast written a statement in which he promises to return all the borrowed money and feels really sad about leaving Dubai. For some reason...I don't see him as a criminal I just don't get how the hell he got bankrupt, all he had to do was see what the user chose as a gift, and organize it for him/her while profiting from it! Here is part of what he has written:
“Tragically, the debt of the business reached a level on Thursday 18 June that personal threats were being made against me and my family, which left me no choice but to leave four years of passion behind and take my family out of the country.
I am not running away from debt, I am purely protecting those dearest to me and getting out of a country which, due to the lack of structured bankruptcy laws and a banking system which has zero flexibility on loan repayments, drives people to make horrible decisions.”
So sad.
It really was a great website. RIP Blue Banana :/

Cookies!

Well this is the first food post and hopefully the first of many more to come!

I decided to make my yummy cookies. I love that they're chewy but not cakey or soft. They're so perfectly chewy.

I won't be sharing the exact recipe because I'm just mean. Anyways, enjoy the pictures.

First of all, I believe in keeping the butter out for at least an hour before baking. I like them to be soft and at room temperature. Its easier to work with butter like that, and the results are much better. I never use the microwave when baking (or ever for that matter), so melting the butter in the microwave is not me. Not only do I keep the butter out, but also eggs and milk, if the recipe requires them.

So here's a look at my butter settling in room temperature and softening, right by the eggs.

When the time is right (butter is soft, eggs at room temperature), I begin.

I start off with a medium bowl and just whisk together the flour, baking soda, and a pinch of salt.

I'll just set that aside, and work on the rest of the ingredients.

Using a large mixing bowl, I'll blend the sugars together. I used white sugar and brown sugar. I also used a hand mixer.

So, I blend them together until they are just mixed. Next, I add 2 sticks of butter.

Did I mention that I LOVE butter? Doesn't it look so gorgeous?

So I blend it all together, until it becomes sort of a grainy paste. I always watch out not to overmix. It needs to be just blended.

Before I go on, I'd like to talk about the star of my cookie dough. I recently bought vanilla extract from the "Organic Food" corner in Shamiya Co-op. Let me tell you what a difference it has made. Essentially, I was looking for PURE vanilla extract, and I thought I would find it there (no luck in all co-ops, Sultan, Carrefour, and Dean&Deluca). So they showed me this and I was like, "Well, it isn't pure- but I can't find vanilla extract anywhere else".

Boy was I happy I bought it! It has this caramel-like substance and smells like vanilla/candy. I noticed a big difference in my baking- the taste was heavenly! Here is what it looks like:

So, back to the cookie dough.

Then, I add 2 eggs and vanilla.

Here, I'm experimenting with my camera. I prefer not to use flash but sometimes it gives more color.

Oh! Speaking of eggs, my cousin called me up and asked me a question- how do we know when an egg is bad? When it floats in water or sinks?

So I googled it and it turns out that when u place your egg (not cracked yet) in a bowl of water , it should float if it is rotten, and sink if it is fresh.

Anyways, back to the cookies. I then blend the grainy paste and the eggs and vanilla.

Again, I'm always careful not to overmix.

Lastly, I add in the flour mix I made at the beginning and the chocolate chips.

Then- VOILA! Cookie dough.

It should be creamy, fluffy, and smell oh so good!

After that, I use 2 small spoons to make ball shapes and drop onto a cookie sheet. No wax paper, butter, or nonstick spray needed!

Then, I put the cookie sheet/ baking tray in a 300F oven, and bake for 19 minutes.

I then remove them from the baking tray and place the cookies on wire racks to allow them to cool, and allow their holy chewiness to form.

At this point, they're very tempting.

I didn't use flash when taking the pictures so the colors may look a little dull (I like it that way, though)

The aroma is too much to handle. They are literally fresh out of the oven. Taking a bite into one results in a sensation that I still can't find words to describe. Oh- and the chocolate will still be melted. I can go on and on..

Well too bad because they weren't for me. Here they are packaged and ready to be presented to my lucky recipients!

The End.