Merry Cookiemas, Diamond Dogs

I make a lot of cookies. Like, a lot of cookies. It's one of the few things about the "Christmas season" that I accept scowl-free and with open arms. Cookies every day. Cookies for you. Cookies for me. Especially cookies for me.

my beeeeeeeest everrrrrrrr vegan chocolate cookies, and now you can make them too

I decided to do something nice and relinquish my amazing vegan chewy chocolate cookie recipe. If you've known me in person for longer than a few months, you've probably had them: dark, rich, chewy, banana-y. I've been making these since 2006, when I discovered them one afternoon with my then-boyfriend's sister. They are crazy-good and actually quite easy to make. Click here for the recipe and instructional photos! I hope you love them!

Christmas snowball cookies with chocolate chips

I tried a new recipe last week, slightly modified from here (warning: that site is somewhat...saccharin). I used Earth Balance instead of butter, of course, and omitted the nuts. I hate nuts in cookies, but to be honest, I think these cookies might benefit from them (and/or maybe a drop of almond extract?) They are quite good, though. The cookie itself is not sweet, so the balance of the powdered sugar dusting on the tongue is very nice.

Album of the evening: I recommend playing David Bowie's Diamond Dogs while you bake the cookies from this entry. Did you know that the original back cover art was censored because it depicted David Bowie's lower dog half as having realistic genitalia? Only a few copies with the original art were released. I have the album on vinyl, but with the censored cover. :3

5 Spooky Songs You May Not Have Heard Yet

There are plenty of good Halloween songs out there, and plenty of songs people think are cute to play at Halloween parties and club nights. However, if you're like me, you are sick to death of hearing the same rehashed playlists: Thriller. Ghostbusters. Monster Mash. That Ministry song. Here are some lesser-known spooky, creepy, or just plain weird songs that will make the night's entertainment a bit more interesting. You can thank me later.

Sonata Arctica - FullMoon (1999)

To be fair, if you are even remotely into power metal, you probably have heard this song. Um...I'm pretty sure it's about werewolves, but I could be wrong. Anyway, this is an amazing and very catchy track. I've seen Sonata Arctica live 3 times, and it's so electrifying to hear the audience chanting "Run Away! Run Away! Run Away!" along with them.

Janne Da Arc - child vision ~ Ehon no Naka Kirei na Majou (Pretty Witch in a Picture Book) (2000)

Janne Da Arc was one of the first Japanese bands I got into, and I still think they're pretty damn good. This was always one of my favorite songs by them. It has heavy guitars, a catchy melody, and a spooky story: a child pleading with his parents, referring to a pretty (but scary) witch that seems to be tormenting him. Here's a fairly accurate (as far as I can tell, anyway) English translation of the lyrics.

Alice Cooper - Wind-Up Toy (1991)

The entire album (Hey Stoopid) is incredible, but this song really stands out. Joe Satriani guests on guitar (!), and the lyrics are sad and strange, reviving the character Steven, who is now locked in a mental hospital, being subjected to tests, pills, and ECT, among other things.

Bôa - Duvet (1997)

Most people (if not...you know, everyone) familiar with this song recall it as the opening theme to the weird 90s anime Serial Experiments Lain. Melancholic and haunting, this was the first single from the British band Bôa. It always seemed odd to me that it was paired with a sci-fi/horror anime about how the internet was scary, but every time I watched it, I became entranced by the melody. In fact, it's entirely possible I remember Serial Experiments Lain so fondly because of how good this song is.

Gary Numan - Down in the Park (1979)

I will admit (from behind this panel of bullet-proof glass) that the first version of this song I heard was Marilyn Manson's cover (which, I maintain, is still quite good! /shot) It's not really my fault I didn't hear the original first. Gary Numan is largely represented in media as being a one-hit wonder, and it didn't occur to me until recently to seek out the rest of his (amazing) body of work. This song is crazy-good, and a fan-favorite that was also covered by Foo Fighters. The lyrics are chilling: they tell the tale of a dystopian society where machines are gradually taking over. "The Park" is an arena where spectators watch machines kill (and do other atrocious things to) lower class humans.

Pick up these tunes:
Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica (album) (Amazon)
Janne Da Arc - D.N.A (album) (cdjapan)
Alice Cooper - Hey Stoopid (album) (Amazon)
Bôa - Twilight (album) (Amazon)
Gary Numan - Replicas (album) (Amazon)