I made dinner tonight! (And unfortunately only have cameraphone pictures to show for it).
There’s just something about spring that apparently makes me want to cook. I’m not sure what it is, but when the weather starts to change I find myself searching recipes online a little more and experimenting with recipes I’ve never tried before: “healthified” chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries.
Both recipes turned out pretty well, but I especially loved the sweet potato fries. While they did tend more towards the mushy side, they were still delicious a perfect side for out meal, especially considering I’m watching my calories for a weight loss contest at my work.
The chicken nuggets were yummy as well, but I don’t think they’re going to become a staple of my cooking skills. I used corn flakes instead of Wheaties (I’m just not a Wheaties gal). The corn flakes gave the chicken nuggets a great crunch, but it also made me feel a little like I was eating breakfast with my nuggets. Not the taste I was really going for.
It made hubby excited to see dinner made for him when he got home from work!
My friend Bridgette recently mentioned that she had discovered Snickerdoodles and loved them. I can’t remember a time that I had snickerdoodles, although I know I must have. The do sound delicious though, don’t they? Something about the name Snickerdoodle makes me smile and want to eat all at the same time! Anyways, I suggested that surely we could figure out how to make them on our own so I invited her over to find out.
We used Mrs. Sigg’s Snickerdoodles recipe from AllRecipes.com. That’s really my go-to place for recipes anymore. Besides my momma, of course.
The recipe was really easy for us. And they came out wonderfully. Firm, but a little soft on the sides as well. We ended up with over 50 in our batch and I ate on my half throughout the week and they stayed just as yummy.
I understand now that snickerdoodles are usually bigger than ours were, but I like how small they are. Makes you feel a little less guilty than when you eat a huge one, if you know what I mean. I definitely plan on making Snickerdoodles again. They were as fun to make as they were to eat!
I’ve been toying with the the thought/practice of candy and cake making for a couple of months now. I consider cooking to be a craft in and of itself and, as far as crafting goes, it seems to be a practical one. Projects are done in (typically) a relatively short amount of time. Supplies (can be) relatively cheap and people are almost always are willing to take the finished product off your hands.
This, a cookie cake for a work friend’s graduation, was a first attempt at many different things: baking a cookie cake (from scratch), making buttercream icing (from scratch) and cake decorating. As you see, it was a major learning experience. Obviously the cookie didn’t spread out as I anticipated, which made the cake… more unattractive than I had hoped. I still need to get a lot of practice with the decorating tips, but I thought it was pretty decent for having never tried it before. And the icing tasted pretty good, I thought. I got compliments on the cookie, although next time I think I’d try a different recipe b/c I wasn’t a huge fan. All in all, I was happy with my first experience. And hey, the great thing about cooking is even if it comes out ugly, it’s gone in a few days one way or another!
I’m not a natural cook. While I wish I were, I guess we all have to learn somewhere. I’m slowly learning to make some of my favorites of my mom’s recipes. This past week I gave my favorite pie - Derby Pie - a shot!
It turned out great! This is an easy pie to make, even by my standards. You basically mix everything and pour it into the pie shell. In the oven, it (almost magically) turns into this beauty:
It’s definitely not a healthy pie or anything like that, but it is so good! Interested in the recipe?
My Momma’s Derby Pie
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick melted butter (cooled)
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1 cup walnut or pecan pieces
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix flour, sugar, eggs.
Add butter & mix Add chips & vanilla & mix
Pour in unbaked pie shell.
Bake for 30-40 minutes @ 350 degrees.
It is done when it doesn’t jiggle when you shake the pie pan.
