Sometimes loss can hit in completely unexpected ways… The last time I made these cookies, I had to go recipe hunting (I hadn’t made them in years). I wasn’t worried though, I would just call up Sis; she was bound to have it. That’s when it hit… an intense wave of loss. Sis had been taken from us a few years before… calling her, touching her, hearing her - these were all no goes. [For the over curious, the man responsible is enjoying a long period of captivity in a government facility.] Anyway, it took a few days to gather myself enough to recall where I had slipped a copy of the instructions… for reference, it’s in Mom’s copy of the Betty Crocker Cookie Book (I just checked my copy). And now I’m posting a copy online… just in case.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Drop Cookies
A crumbly cookie with little spread.
In mixer, cream 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter (the original called for shortening).
Add 1 egg and beat until light and fluffy.
Add 3/4 cup sifted flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder; stir until just mixed.
Stir in 1 cup rolled oats, 1 cup chocolate chips and the optional nuts (walnuts or pecans)/(raisins or dried cranberries), 1/2 cup each.
Drop heaping teaspoons of dough on greased baking sheets about 1 inch apart (they do not spread much).
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
‘Foodie,’ love it or hate it?
I love it… I love its irreverent lowbrow tone (‘gastronome’ and ‘epicure’ are a little more highbrow). I love how it slips easily into common usage - like eating! As I see it, the joy of the term is its openness and how it encompasses the entirety of food culture. It’s the same reason ‘American’ is beautiful and other identifiers redundant (African-American, Asian-American, European-American…). I understand wanting stronger clan identity but me, I am an American foodie ;)
What food is…
When you are feeling cheerful, food is playful.
When you are feeling hungry, food is satisfying.
When you are feeling playful, food is fun.
When you are feeling adventurous, food is novel.
When you are feeling moody, food is subdued.
When you are feeling down, food is comforting.
When you are feeling up, food is carefree.
When you are feeling rushed, food is fast.
When you are feeling leisurely, food is sedate.
When you are feeling casual, food is simple.
When you are feeling formal, food is classic.
When you are feeling exhausted, food is delivered.
When you are feeling victorious, food is celebratory.
When you are feeling celebratory, food is fine dining.
When you are feeling overwhelmed, food is undemanding.
When you are feeling romantic, food is tantalizing.
When you are feeling sad, food is heartening.
When you are feeling sated, food is beguiling.
When you are feeling serious, food is fulfilling.
When you are feeling happy, food is buoying.
When you are feeling frumpy, food is perky.
When you are feeling frustrated, food is calming.
When you are feeling fat, food is light.
When you are starving, food is nourishing.
When you are ill, food is bolstering.
---
So long as you can feel, food is real.
What food is…
When you are feeling cheerful, food is playful.
When you are feeling hungry, food is satisfying.
When you are feeling playful, food is fun.
When you are feeling adventurous, food is novel.
When you are feeling moody, food is subdued.
When you are feeling down, food is comforting.
When you are feeling up, food is carefree.
When you are feeling rushed, food is fast.
When you are feeling leisurely, food is sedate.
When you are feeling casual, food is simple.
When you are feeling formal, food is classic.
When you are feeling exhausted, food is delivered.
When you are feeling victorious, food is celebratory.
When you are feeling celebratory, food is fine dining.
When you are feeling overwhelmed, food is undemanding.
When you are feeling romantic, food is tantalizing.
When you are feeling sad, food is heartening.
When you are feeling sated, food is beguiling.
When you are feeling serious, food is fulfilling.
When you are feeling happy, food is buoying.
When you are feeling frumpy, food is perky.
When you are feeling frustrated, food is calming.
When you are feeling fat, food is light.
When you are starving, food is nourishing.
When you are ill, food is bolstering.
---
So long as you can feel, food is real.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Guacamole method, not recipe
Ideally, guacamole is the perfect combination of just tart with a garlicky bite in a rich base of creamy avocados. But after years of making my own guacamole, I’ve determined the secret to great guacamole is less the recipe and more the assembly technique - the garlic and other aromatics must be finely chopped so their flavor and texture completely melds into the creamy chunks of avocados. Crunchy chunks of raw garlic do *not* make for a pleasurable snacking or dining experience.
Guacamole starts with firm ripe Hass avocados - they give slightly under pressure. But don’t buy ripe avocados because they are often very bruised. Instead, buy hard fruit that are heavy for their size (heavy fruit have smaller pits). Let them sit at room temperature until ripe (or speed up ripening by storing them in a paper bag on top of the fridge); ripe avocados can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Guacamole only requires three ingredients: avocados, lemon/lime juice and salt. All other ingredients are optional.
For delicious homemade guacamole:
1. Start with ~1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice in a large bowl. Add ~1/2 teaspoon salt (always start conservative with salt because more can be added later). [Optional ingredients (use in any combination): 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, finely chop; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chopped scallion - any part; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chop chives; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chopped shallots; up to 2 tablespoons chopped red or yellow onions; finely chopped hot peppers to taste.]
2. Cut 2 to 4 avocados in half. Use a spoon to scoop out flesh into prepared bowl. With blunt (butter) knife, roughly cut up avocado pieces in bowl. Now stir contents of bowl with a large spoon until avocados have broken down into a chunky mash (can also mash with a fork but stirring with a spoon is easier).
3. Optional: stir in 2 or more tablespoons of roughly chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems) and/or flesh of de-seeded tomatoes.
4. Taste and add lemon/lime juice and salt as needed to balance flavors.
5. Guacamole is most often served with tortilla chips. I prefer toasted homemade sourdough bread. Yummy any way!
Notes:
-Some recipes call for black pepper… I don’t like the gritty texture of ground black pepper against creamy avocados. Use finely ground white pepper instead and some combination of fresh hot peppers.
-Roasted pureed hot peppers are better than finely chopped fresh hot peppers - they are hard to chop and they can leave a burning sensation on skin. Another good option is hot sauces - try it on a spoonful of guacamole (step 4) before saucing the whole bowl.
-A quick cheat: stir store bought salsa into mashed avocados
Update: I had some wonderful guacamole at a holiday dinner. The ingredients included lime juice, cilantro leaves, red onion, tomato, salt and a mild prepared South American pepper sauce (the name escapes me). I would substitute a roasted mildly hot pepper - use whatever is readily available at your local supermarket. This is a use guide to pepper intensity. [I tried it with 2 large avocados and about 1/4 of a roasted poblano pepper. Definitely worthy of a repeat performance.]
Guacamole starts with firm ripe Hass avocados - they give slightly under pressure. But don’t buy ripe avocados because they are often very bruised. Instead, buy hard fruit that are heavy for their size (heavy fruit have smaller pits). Let them sit at room temperature until ripe (or speed up ripening by storing them in a paper bag on top of the fridge); ripe avocados can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Guacamole only requires three ingredients: avocados, lemon/lime juice and salt. All other ingredients are optional.
For delicious homemade guacamole:
1. Start with ~1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice in a large bowl. Add ~1/2 teaspoon salt (always start conservative with salt because more can be added later). [Optional ingredients (use in any combination): 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, finely chop; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chopped scallion - any part; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chop chives; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chopped shallots; up to 2 tablespoons chopped red or yellow onions; finely chopped hot peppers to taste.]
2. Cut 2 to 4 avocados in half. Use a spoon to scoop out flesh into prepared bowl. With blunt (butter) knife, roughly cut up avocado pieces in bowl. Now stir contents of bowl with a large spoon until avocados have broken down into a chunky mash (can also mash with a fork but stirring with a spoon is easier).
3. Optional: stir in 2 or more tablespoons of roughly chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems) and/or flesh of de-seeded tomatoes.
4. Taste and add lemon/lime juice and salt as needed to balance flavors.
5. Guacamole is most often served with tortilla chips. I prefer toasted homemade sourdough bread. Yummy any way!
Notes:
-Some recipes call for black pepper… I don’t like the gritty texture of ground black pepper against creamy avocados. Use finely ground white pepper instead and some combination of fresh hot peppers.
-Roasted pureed hot peppers are better than finely chopped fresh hot peppers - they are hard to chop and they can leave a burning sensation on skin. Another good option is hot sauces - try it on a spoonful of guacamole (step 4) before saucing the whole bowl.
-A quick cheat: stir store bought salsa into mashed avocados
Update: I had some wonderful guacamole at a holiday dinner. The ingredients included lime juice, cilantro leaves, red onion, tomato, salt and a mild prepared South American pepper sauce (the name escapes me). I would substitute a roasted mildly hot pepper - use whatever is readily available at your local supermarket. This is a use guide to pepper intensity. [I tried it with 2 large avocados and about 1/4 of a roasted poblano pepper. Definitely worthy of a repeat performance.]
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