The Birds Are Back In Town

I looked out the window yesterday and the yard was alive with birds. A few weeks ago it seems like they suddenly all came back. The cardinal was trying to intimidate the other robins by flying into the midst of them or coming up on them from behind. The robins could care less. One of the few things I like about living here is that I notice more of the seasons, and the subtle changes of the seasons.

I read in the Wall Street Journal this week that Hydrox cookies are no more. I think they still exist in other forms (such as ingredients for other products). I’m an Oreo girl, although if I had to do a blind taste test, I doubt I’d be able to distinguish one cookie from another. Of course, after I read the article, all I could think about was Oreos. I did an experiment with mini-cheesecakes, making them cookies & creme cheesecakes. For the crust, I used 8 ground up Oreos and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. For the batter, I used 8 ounces of cream cheese, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 egg, and crumbled Oreos (about 8). It made 12 cupcake sized cakes, at 350F for 20 minutes. I love cheesecake (my absolute favorite is a plain, fat & tall New York Cheesecake) but if I make a full-sized one, I’m sick of it by the end. These little cakelets are just the right size.

I’m almost done with my "101" list. I’m hoping to finish it by next week.

By the way, I'm the Queen of Origami. The little "boat" is one. I found some glossy paper in a magazine to use for it. I gave a few cakelets to my neighbor and it made for a fancy vessel to carry them in, something they don't have to worry about returning.