Cthulhu

Cthulhu, originally uploaded by Bathtime with Cthulhu

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

This is a truly fantastic biscuit, which I have become quite addicted to.  

This recipe was originally for normal (i.e. not gluten-free) ingredients, but we have adapted it for our own purposes. The amounts have not been altered so if you want to make a "normal" batch, substitute the gluten-free ingredients with standard ingredients.

The baking time has been adjusted for the gluten-free ingredients - normal ingredients will need a couple less minutes.

Also, I used a food processor for Steps 1, 2, and 4.  This worked perfectly, but there's no reason why you can't do the whole thing manually if preferred.

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (about 115 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 & 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (we use the Plain Flour from Orgran)
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• cinnamon sugar for rolling

1. Cream the sugar, butter, and vanilla extract together.
2. Add the egg to the mixture, and whip it until light and fluffy.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients together.
4. Add about 2/3 of the dry ingredients to the whipped mixture, and whip until combined.
5. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix by hand.
6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.  The dough will likely be tacky, but the cooling period will resolve this.
7. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.
8. Line a baking sheet with baking or parchment paper.
9. Using a scoop, make balls of dough (each comprised of roughly 2 tablespoons).
10. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar, and place on the baking sheet.
11. Using a fork, squish the dough out into biscuit shapes.  These biscuits flatten and spread out, so account for this with your placement on the sheet.
12. Bake for 12-13 minutes for chewy biscuits; a couple of minutes longer for crunchy.
13. Remove from the oven and let sit for a minute. Note that they'll be very soft when they come out of the oven - that's fine.
14. Gently remove the biscuits from the baking sheet, and let cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before serving.

Abernethy Biscuits

These traditional Scottish biscuits (or cookies to our American cousins) don't get their name from the town in Perthshire, but from a Doctor Abernethy who suggested the addition of caraway seeds and sugar to plain biscuits.

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain flour
• 75g caster sugar (although granulated sugar will do)
• 75g butter
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 standard egg

1. Sift the flour and baking powder, then rub in the butter until thoroughly mixed .
2. Mix in the sugar and caraway seed, then add the milk and egg to make a stiff dough.
3. Roll the mixture on a floured surface until it is an appropriate thickness for a biscuit.
4. Cut out the biscuits with a three-inch plain cutter, rolling the trimmings to make more as required.
5. Prick the top of the biscuits with a fork, and place on greased baking trays.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 190C/375F for ten minutes until golden brown.
7. Cool and store in an airtight container (although they are yummy fresh from the oven).

Templesmith's Wolverine

Comic artist Ben Templesmith recently offered a sample of his line art for people to have a go at colouring. This is my attempt (and not bad for a first try if I do say so myself).

Templesmith's Wolverine, originally uploaded by Bathtime with Cthulhu.

5 Minute Review: The Lost Symbol

Reviewing: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Let me start my saying that the Robert Langdon books are the only palatable Dan Brown books for me. This is likely due to the architectural puzzles and mysteries contained within. I picked up The Lost Symbol with expectations of being at least similar to the earlier Langdon books; however, this book managed to disappoint me beyond my expectations.

Dan Brown has a reputation for bloated dialogue and formulaic storylines; in The Lost Symbol, he excels in this to whole new levels. The storyline itself is somewhat predictable - I knew where they'd end up after the first few chapters. The dialogue itself is fat with redundancies, and even makes the storyline unintelligible in places. Oddly, the protagonist Langdon is seemingly led by the nose through the story like a clueless idiot; a far cry from the expert witnessed in his earlier books. Even the architectural mysteries are feebly used, tacked in almost as something to keep the Langdon fans happy.

This truly was an awful book with few redeeming features. I was lent a copy, so thankfully didn't have to pay for this. I recommend this book as one only to borrow from a library or a friend - do not waste your money, even if you are a Dan Brown fan.

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5 Minute Review: The Resistance

Reviewing: The Resistance by Muse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a fairly big Muse fan and I've eagerly awaited the release of this album ever since I heard it was in development. When I finally got my hands on it, I was pleased to discover that the band have continued to experiment with their music without any detriment to the quality of their songs.

This, their fifth studio album, is somewhat of a concept album. Inspired by the love story between Winston and Julia in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, this album echoes the themes of love against the odds. The lyrics are surrounded by the strains of the familiar Muse "space rock" sound (notably reminiscent of Queen and Electric Light Orchestra), combined with the evidence of the band's continued evolution and experimentation with new sounds. Other reviewers have referred to this album as "predictable" and accuse the band of not stretching themselves. I disagree - this album combines the familiar and the new, and is a clear attempt at consolidating the lessons this band has learnt over the years.

For me, it is a thoroughly enjoyable album, although I do admit it's not their best. However, this band does release high quality music through all of their albums, and this album is no exception. I recommend this album to existing Muse fans, and as an entry album to new listeners.

See what else I'm listening to >>

Scorched

Scorched, originally uploaded by Bathtime with Cthulhu.