NOW PLAYING: GRIMM WITH CHEWY OATMEAL AND RAISIN COOKIES

 “The average TV commercial of sixty seconds has one hundred and twenty half-second clips in it, or one-third of a second. We bombard people with sensation. That substitutes for thinking.”
― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Remember that article on how if you wanted to do something well you have to do it for atleast 10,000 hours? I even write about it here where I whined about how I didn't know what I should spend my time on. On further reflection, I realize I've probably already spent way more than 10,000 hours watching TV. I suppose master of the idiot box is better than nothing at all.

 

My favorite genre of TV show is the police procedural and I watch an unholy number of these. On a day where I don't have much to do I might be witness to an easy 10 -15 murders. On occasion, if I'm in the mood I can be persuaded to watch comedy, some drama or even supernatural mumbo jumbo (okay so you can see I'm not too fussy). A lot of the great shows out there obviously don't need an introduction from me but I thought I'd write about some of the more oddball shows I've caught.

 

 

Currently playing on my screen is Grimm, a police procedural based on the brothers behind all the fairytales. The premise is that the Grimm brothers were actually hunters of supernatural beings (known as Wesen) and hunky Portland detective Nick Burkhardt is one of the few remaining successors of these "Grimms." Their job is to hunt down Wesen who misbehave and chop off their heads (Nick takes a softer stance on this but there's plenty of head chopping anyway). Turns out our favorite fairytale villains are real, more vicious and apparently all over Portland.

 

While the plot is cute, the adorkable cast of characters really carries the show forward. Monroe, Nick's reformed, gentle giant, Wesen sidekick; the sexy, the delectable Captain Sean Raynard; and the girlfriend Juliette are each very likable. As are the less often seen but also captivating Rosalee, the beautiful apothecary and Adeline, the relentlessly scheming, evil Hexinbeast.

 

Unfortunately, the show is too loyal to the police procedural format with Nick insisting on solving a case per episode at the cost of getting into the meat of all this supernatural crazy that's going on. I have a lot of fun trying to identify which characters relate to which kid's story (got Rumpelstiltskin and the 3 Little Pigs so far) and it's comforting because you know Nick is always going to triumph over whatever fanged beast comes hurtling his way.

 

Will you be entertained? 3.5/5

Does it make sense? 3/5

Is it full of good looking people? 3.5/5
Any chance anyone will get an Emmy? 2/5

 

My favorite!

Much, much better for your mind and body are these oatmeal and raisin cookies. This is my first stab at making these and I quite liked how they turned out, chewy and chockfull of sweet, golden raisins.

 

Note: Stick the batter in the fridge for a little while to freeze up the butter and make it easier to scoop on to your baking tray or you'll just end up with mush all over your hands.

Makes about a dozen cookies

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

 

What you’ll need:

½ cup butter

2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups rolled oats
¾ cup raisins

How to:

1. Throw the sugar and butter into a large bowl and mix well till light and frothy. Add egg and vanilla – mix some more.

2. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk into the butter batter. Stir in the oats and raisins.

3. Chill the dough for a bit in the fridge to firm it up, scoop it out with a spoon and plunk on to a greased baking tray, leaving some space between them because they’re going to swell.

Note: Chilling the dough helps make the cookie chewier.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely before devouring.