tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40419451767641264552024-03-13T11:43:24.975-04:00The Kitchen Counter RevolutionAfter being asked by friends of all ages to “teach” them how to cook; I realized that there is a fear of the kitchen that needed to be changed.
Cooking is fun and it doesn’t have to be stressful. Don’t get me wrong, I will be the first to admit that there is room in every kitchen for the blue box of our youths and Baked Macaroni and Cheese.
Join me and let’s start having fun breaking Mom’s number one dinner rule “Don’t play with your food!”Carrie Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04859123319770086531noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4041945176764126455.post-2849654622750888392012-01-03T09:48:00.001-05:002012-01-03T09:49:20.834-05:00Welcome and Oatmeal Cookies<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I just want to take a moment this morning to welcome you to my new blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And start with a recipe that I used this Christmas.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div>So welcome!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope that this blog helps you find your happy place in the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not a professional by any means, but I do love food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love making food, eating food, serving food, eating food…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OK, so I really love eating what I make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many things about cooking that seem daunting, but the truth is, cooking isn’t hard if you take time and actually follow the directions on the HOW, not the WHAT. <o:p> </o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">A lot of the time I find myself taking a recipe that I find and reengineering it to be healthier, easier, tastier or quicker (almost never all at the same time).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have gotten better with practice and being married means that I always have a guinea pig to test these trials and errors out on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p> </o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">There are always parts of a recipe that are important to follow these are the ratios of acids to bases (for baking), the technique that gives a recipe structure, and the key ingredient that makes something taste like it should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t have spaghetti without basil; you don’t have gumbo without okra (though some will argue with me here); and like today, you don’t have oatmeal cookies without oatmeal.<o:p> </o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This recipe in its original state can be found on the Hershey’s website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made very minor changes, but it did help with the over all texture and flavor of the cookies.</div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>Cinnimon Oatmeal Drop Cookies<o:p></o:p></em></span></b></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><em><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">1 cup</span> (2 sticks) <span itemprop="name">butter or margarine</span>, softened <o:p></o:p></em></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em><span itemprop="amount">1 cup</span> packed <span itemprop="name">dark brown sugar</span><o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em><span itemprop="amount">1/3 cup</span><span itemprop="name">granulated sugar</span><o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em><span itemprop="amount">2 </span><span itemprop="name">eggs</span><o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em><span itemprop="amount">1-1/2 teaspoons</span><span itemprop="name">vanilla extract</span><o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em><span itemprop="amount">1 cup of oat flour</span> (can be found with the flour, but you may have to venture into the “hippie” section of the grocery store)<o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>½ cup of all purpose flour<o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em><span itemprop="amount">1 teaspoon</span><span itemprop="name">baking soda</span><o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnimon<o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em><span itemprop="amount">2-1/2 cups</span><span itemprop="name"> quick-cooking oats</span><o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em><span itemprop="amount">1-2/3 cups</span> (10-oz. pkg.) <span itemprop="name">HERSHEY'S Cinnamon Chips</span> (my mom sent these to me, but I have heard you can get them during the holidays at the grocery store)<o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span itemprop="amount"><em>½ cup golden rasins<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>½ cup regular rasins<o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>Directions<o:p></o:p></em></span></b></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>1 Heat oven to 350°F. <o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em> <label> 2 </label> Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. <o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>3 Combine flours, cinnimon and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats, cinnamon chips and raisins (batter will be stiff). <o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>4 Drop by heaping teaspoons unto ungreased cookie sheet. <o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em> <label> 5 </label> Bake 10 to 12 minutes on until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. <o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>About 4 dozen.<br />
</em> <em>I did take the dough I wasn’t going to bake when I made it and sealed it in the refrigerator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This way I have my own scoop and bake oatmeal cookies when I want.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of it can go in the freezer, just make sure you scoop and freeze in the portion that you want your cookies to be in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></em></span></div><em> </em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: lines-together;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><em>Another thing you can do to boost flavor is soak the raisins over night in some dark rum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will rehydrate them and add hidden flavor to your cookies.<o:p></o:p></em></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">I will be honest, cookies gave me a hard time for a very long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two biggest cookie sins I commited were:<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">I didn’t pre heat the oven so my cookies would heat and spread into one giant blob of dough on the pan before they started baking.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">I didn’t cream the sugar and butter until creamy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This makes the cookies lighter in texture and helps the next set of ingredients to mix in properly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t cream you will end up with oatmeal bricks that have powdery bits in them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Well, once again, welcome to my new blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope that my little hints on this old standard help you and please, don’t forget to have fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crank up some music, dance around the kitchen like a fool and enjoy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Carrie Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04859123319770086531noreply@blogger.com0