learn how to cook

Yesterday I decided that I needed to make cookies and this resulted in snickerdoodles. I wanted a chewy cookie, so I combined a couple recipes. They turned out slightly chewy but not as much as I would have liked and I would have prefered them to be more fluffy. But they’re good & going over well.

Here’s the recipe:
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
2 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Cream shortening & sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix after each. Add vanilla. Sift together flour, tartar, soda, & salt. Stir in dry mixture. In a small bowl, mix sugar & cinnamon. Shape dough into walnut sized balls and roll in mixture. Bake @ 400 degrees for apprx. 7 mins.
Makes 6 doz.

Christmas morning I made blueberry pancakes again using the same recipe that gave me flat pancakes previously. This time they turned out pretty well. They tasted good and were much fluffier. I think I’ll try a different recipe next time, though, because I think I can do better.

For Christmas Eve I made bacon wrapped water chestnuts, which I’ve done once before. This time Ronald helped me wrap them since I was doing twice as many and they turned out well. It was hard keeping Ron away from them until they arrived at his family’s house. He had a ton more when we got there and they went over well. I wrapped six cans of water chestnuts and went through I think three pounds of bacon and they were gone by the end of the night.

We gave my mom a mixer for Christmas so I will have to try that out sometime soon. She already made an oatmeal cake with it, which turned out really really really well. I’ve never had it and it’s not what I expected at all. It tastes like german chocolate cake (my favorite) minus the chocolate.

Right now I think I’m just going to make velveta boxed macaroni for dinner. I’ve been doing much much better with taking the time to actually make a meal, even if it is just a little bit of time with something simple like macaroni. Rarely do I conciously look for something that is really quick and effortless at dinner time, which is what I used to do almost always.

Being pregnant, I NEEDED pancakes this morning. An overwhelming craving.

Normally, I don’t do anything in the morning before I eat because I am a cranky, slow mess. So it took me longer than it should have, but I made blueberry pancakes from scratch for the first time. We lacked sour cream (or so I thought—it was actually hiding), so I substituted half & half. Of course this made the batter runny, so I added more flour, which helped, but my pancakes were still really flat.

They turned out okay. They didn’t taste bad and I learned that adding half & half doesn’t work so well. So I consider it a success! I did burn one, though, because I was busy debating with my significant other over which way the christmas tree was leaning. Not completely my fault :P

chocolate chip pudding cookies.
They taste great and I ate way too many. I have a stomach ache now. They have two entire sticks of butter in them, which is awful (but delicious).

I recommend the recipe. It came from here.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Combine the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Mix the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, pudding mix, and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Add the eggs and mix well. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and the chopped nuts. Drop from teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes.

I made bacon wrapped water chestnuts to take to my boyfriend’s Thanksgiving family get together. They were easy (although a bit time consuming) and they turned out great. Everyone loved them. I received a lot of compliments and they were gone before the main dishes were put out.

I almost played it safe and made cookies, but my mom suggested these and I’m glad I listened.

I’ve been baking quite a bit.
Two pumpkin pies and apple crisp this week.
Easy stuff, but I’m learning.

However, I haven’t done any real cooking.

I’ve been baking quite a bit since the weather has gotten cooler.

Although I am decent with baking, I do not know the first thing about cooking a meal that doesn’t come with instructions. The main reason I don’t cook is that I do not think about it until I am hungry. By that time, I want something quick to satisfy my hunger. I need to plan ahead and start meals early. I could also learn a thing or two from my mom.

I have no idea where to start, though. What do I make first, and how?