I generally enjoy cooking, but in the past I have been pretty anti-baking. I think I know why.
When Everette and I were first married, and I was in charge of bringing snack to small group. Seemed simple enough. I thought I would make homemade from scratch chocolate chip cookies. I busted out my brand spanking new air-bake cookie sheets and my wicked awesome Kitchen-aid mixer. Ready to show the world (or more accurately the ladies in my small group) my housewife/baking prowess. There were several things about this endeavor that in hindsight weren't too smart. First I think this was probably the first time I made cookies unsupervised by a more experienced chef. Secondly, I decided that the prospect of arriving with warm cookies fresh from the oven trumped my inexperience so I waited until that afternoon to make them.
Needless to say disaster ensued. The cookies spread out flat on the pan and were basically a flat mushy chocolatey burned disaster. Of course it was too late to do anything about it so... we arrived with gross cookies. Both Everette and I were grumpy and mortified.
That pretty much ended my baking stint-as further solidified by the fact that our bread maker is sitting in the pantry untouched (except for one time I think). I parked the Kitchen-Aid in the garage (literally-we have one of those appliance garages in our kitchen :)) except for once a year mocha ball extravaganza. Another tragedy of this event was the fact that my sister-in-law bought me (for Christmas, I think) a giant (and I mean giant) book of cookie recipes. They had all sorts of gourmet cookies that I was so excited to try. I frequently take the book out and look through it hoping to find something delicious and simple. I never have. I was too intimidated and quickly put the book away. I never made one cookie from that book in the five years I have owned it, convinced I would have to live off the kindness of others (cookie making that is).
Until recently. Everette loves loves loves peanut butter cookies. And I have made them a few times over the years but they always turn out hard and crunchy (once again leading me to believe I was unable to make even the simplest cookies). Good flavor, bad texture.
So I set out on a cookie quest. I was searching for the perfect peanut butter cookie and chocolate chip cookie recipe and the technique to make those chewy (but not gooey nor crunchy) cookies.
I tried shortening vs butter, cutting the butter in with a fork verses the Kitchen aid.
Here is what I have learned...
1. Land O Lakes has THE best tasting chocolate chip cookie recipe ever!!! (it is inside the box-WARNING: it takes 3 sticks of butter)
2. Air bake pans super duper suck (the cookie book even says so)! The cheapy cheap pans from Wal-mart work just fine.
3. Do NOT (I repeat) DO NOT put more unbaked cookies on a warm pan. Wait until the pan cools. (this was one of the fatal errors in the Cookie Fiasco of 2003-another revelation from the cookie book)
4. Which won't be a problem because the MOST IMPORTANT secret in cookie making is................
LET THE COOKIES COOL ON THE PAN! That's right.. do not remove the cookies until the are cooled completely. Place the entire cookie sheet on your cooling rack (to speed up the cooling) but do not remove the cookies until they are cooled. This is the trick to chewy delicious cookies.
Now that I feel that I can successfully make cookies, I tried my hand at not one, but four recipes from the cookie book. I only slightly over-cooked one.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Pump it up!
So once again I find my blog void of recent posts. These past few weeks have been incredibly full not only of time consuming activities but emotionally consuming as well. This has left me with little to say and little desire to say it. It is late Sunday night (technically Monday morning), and I finally have a spare moment, breath and thought.
One of the things that is taking a great deal of time and energy, I am in the process of learning to use an insulin pump. For those of you who don't know I have JO Diabetes. In July when our new insurance (from Everette's new job)kicked in, we found out we may be able to get an insulin pump at little out of pocket cost. After many phone calls it turns out... I can actually get one at 100% coverage. They also cover the supplies that go with it completely as well. Trust me this took several "are you sure?" calls. We assumed like most health care issues that this would take several weeks if not months to get everything in place. Turns out it took a week (maybe two). So this week I have been learning how to use it. I am excited about it... and the potential for making my life easier. Currently it is pretty time consuming and difficult, as I have to record EVERYthing I eat (this I have decided is a great weight loss program-for two reasons... 1. It is just plain annoying to write down everything you put into your mouth. 2. It is also makes you think twice about what you eat... knowing that someone is going to read it) take my blood sugar multiple times (10-12) a day.. use the pump (for pretend.. it is filled with saline) and take my regular injections. Not to mention that most of the time I am eating with a 1-year-old. It also brings with it a plethora of psychological and emotional issues, not only for me but for Everette too. It is not natural to be hooked up to a machine all the time. Even if the machine is small and relatively non invasive.
On a much happier note.. My sister-in-law turns 30 on Tuesday. We had a big bash this Saturday at Happy Hollow park. It was a perfect fall day (assuming you wore long sleeves and long pants). There were gobs of people and some we hadn't seen in a while. Everette's brother Brad was also in town this weekend. He is doing some interviewing for the hotel he works at in NYC at Purdue. So far he does this about two times a year and they are usually at the beginning or end of the week so he comes for the weekend and spends some time with us. Everette went with Brad and his dad to the Purdue game. While the game itself wasn't any thing spectacular to see, they all had a good time, reminiscent of younger days. Everette is already talking about taking Jonathan to a game... I think he will wait at least a year... considering you have to purchase a ticket for him. Monday Everette is off to DC for meeting then he will spend the rest of the week in New Jersey at his main office, I will be in Cleveland spending some time with my aunt. Of course Jonathan will be with me too.
I think that is all I have for now. I am sure there will be more later.
One of the things that is taking a great deal of time and energy, I am in the process of learning to use an insulin pump. For those of you who don't know I have JO Diabetes. In July when our new insurance (from Everette's new job)kicked in, we found out we may be able to get an insulin pump at little out of pocket cost. After many phone calls it turns out... I can actually get one at 100% coverage. They also cover the supplies that go with it completely as well. Trust me this took several "are you sure?" calls. We assumed like most health care issues that this would take several weeks if not months to get everything in place. Turns out it took a week (maybe two). So this week I have been learning how to use it. I am excited about it... and the potential for making my life easier. Currently it is pretty time consuming and difficult, as I have to record EVERYthing I eat (this I have decided is a great weight loss program-for two reasons... 1. It is just plain annoying to write down everything you put into your mouth. 2. It is also makes you think twice about what you eat... knowing that someone is going to read it) take my blood sugar multiple times (10-12) a day.. use the pump (for pretend.. it is filled with saline) and take my regular injections. Not to mention that most of the time I am eating with a 1-year-old. It also brings with it a plethora of psychological and emotional issues, not only for me but for Everette too. It is not natural to be hooked up to a machine all the time. Even if the machine is small and relatively non invasive.
On a much happier note.. My sister-in-law turns 30 on Tuesday. We had a big bash this Saturday at Happy Hollow park. It was a perfect fall day (assuming you wore long sleeves and long pants). There were gobs of people and some we hadn't seen in a while. Everette's brother Brad was also in town this weekend. He is doing some interviewing for the hotel he works at in NYC at Purdue. So far he does this about two times a year and they are usually at the beginning or end of the week so he comes for the weekend and spends some time with us. Everette went with Brad and his dad to the Purdue game. While the game itself wasn't any thing spectacular to see, they all had a good time, reminiscent of younger days. Everette is already talking about taking Jonathan to a game... I think he will wait at least a year... considering you have to purchase a ticket for him. Monday Everette is off to DC for meeting then he will spend the rest of the week in New Jersey at his main office, I will be in Cleveland spending some time with my aunt. Of course Jonathan will be with me too.
I think that is all I have for now. I am sure there will be more later.
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