Showing posts with label Nancy Wilson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nancy Wilson. Show all posts

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Granola Cookie Sandwiches: You've Changed


This cookie recipe was born of a failed monster cookie recipe.  So I altered the recipe a bit and turned them into a great granola cookie to use in ice cream sandwiches!

The cookies are very hearty, just like a soft granola bar.  The ice cream filling gives that satisfying cool, light taste to offset the heartiness of the cookies.

Sometimes changes don't turn out as well as granola sandwich cookies, like in the jazz standard "You've Changed" sung by the great Nancy Wilson.  But changes or alterations are inevitable in life and we make the best of them!



GRANOLA COOKIES FOR ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Ingredients:

16-ounce jar Smucker’s Natural chunky peanut butter--stir in oil on the top
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated white sugar
8 tablespoons butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Karo Corn Syrup
4 to 4 ½ cups quick cooking oats
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ cup chopped pecans

Ice cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.

In a large bowl, beat with a mixer to combine the peanut butter with the sugars and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth and consistent.  Then mix in the oats, baking powder, and pecans.

Please note:  If after baking a test cookie, the cookie spreads too much, add 2 tablespoons of quick cooking oats at a time.

Roll cookies into balls and flatten between palms of your hands.  Press smooth with the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass.  

Bake 8-10 minutes. Do not over bake.  They will set after being removed from the oven.

Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

Once cool, scoop desired ice cream flavor onto one upside down cookie.  Top with another cookie right side up and gently push the two cookies together.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Friday: They Call it Stormy Monday


I absolutely love the song "They Call it Stormy Monday" as sung by Nancy Wilson.  However, today--Friday--was a wonderful day and there was nothing "stormy" about it.

Really, the only correlation is the days of the week.  But I wanted to share the song, so enjoy!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Dearly Beloved: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies


Today I made my favorite chocolate cookies: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies.  This is a recipe adapted from Mary Engelbreit's Cookies Cookbook: The Queen's Best Recipes.  I love this cookbook.  My favorite recipes from it are this recipe and the Old Fashioned Sugar Cookie recipe.

I use almonds instead of macadamia nuts and I alter the flour/cocoa ratio.  The original recipe is quite greasy and the cookies are flat.  I like my cookies less greasy and more cake-like.

So for Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, I needed the perfect song.  I decided on "Dearly Beloved" sung by Nancy Wilson.


Thursday, February 28, 2013

Song Discovery: "Why Try to Change Me Now?"


The other day I was browsing through one of my fake books (a book of lead sheets, usually jazz songs) to find new songs to incorporate into my repertoire.

At the very end of the book, I found a song with lyrics that immediately intrigued me.  Titled "Why Try to Change Me Now," I thought, "Wow, I hope this song has equally profound chords."  There's nothing more disappointing than reading amazing lyrics and then hearing lackluster chords or melodies that doom the song to musical oblivion and vice versa.

I sat at the piano and with my limited piano skills, playing basic jazz chords with the melody.  Success!  The chords and melody were as awesome as the lyrics.

I'd never heard the song before, so I went on iTunes to see if it was as obscure as I thought it was.  Nope!  The song has been covered by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Wilson.  Sweet!

So here's to discovery of a song written over sixty years ago--that amazingly is as relevant today as it was then.  But isn't that the hallmark of truly great music?

Caveat: I don't endorse smoking, so I'm going to tweak the lyrics a bit for the cigarette lyric line.

Here's "Why Try to Change Me Now" sung by Frank Sinatra.


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Freezing Rain: When Rain Gets So Cold...

The freezing rain today was crazy!  It caused even the University to send out an email suggesting everyone be careful walking on campus.  Basically, it was a big deal.

I didn't drive in it, but I heard stories about others slipping and sliding.

I think my favorite "rain" song might be "When the Sun Comes Out" sung by Nancy Wilson.  I've always wanted to record it--maybe on my second jazz standards album!