Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Spraining my arm patting myself on the back...

LOL. That's what Dan says when I brag on my accomplishments.
He had asked me to please bake chocolate chip cookies. (Actually asked last week, so guess my efforts are a bit late...)
I discovered that "mice" (of the very large two-legged variety) had been in the chocolate chips purchased last week. And I was almost out of flour... not sure I had enough to bake cookies. And not enough butter.

Being the nice Mom I am (Stop laughing, Becky!) I set out to the closest grocery store (Which happens to be in another STATE!) to get the supplies for the cookies, plus the other items I missed in the grocery shopping on Monday AND Tuesday.
(Really, I go to town TWO DAYS IN A ROW specifically to buy groceries... and I STILL miss items? Items that were NOT on the list... because "You KNOW we get these every week!")

So... anyway. Off to Noel, MO. I go. Just short of the state line... Road construction. They are repaving the highway. I am NOT going to come home that way. I am NOT! To avoid going home through the construction again, I have to detour... and the only possible detour takes me by a WalMart Super Center. So, forget the small store (which is remodeling, to boot) and off to WalMart. 25 miles via this route, instead of the 11 to Noel. (Am I the only person who quadruples the miles driven, just to avoid construction?)
I got the missed groceries. I got the cooking baking supplies. Came home and walked Jaffa. Then... I baked.
 I followed the recipe exactly. The dough looked "thin". But since (for once!) I had exactly followed the instructions... I scooped out a dozen balls of dough and got them on to bake. When the timer buzzed at the minimal cooking time, I checked. The balls of dough had thinned out and run together into one large puddle of cookie in the middle of the pan.
(Note to self: ALWAYS bake a test cookie. ALWAYS!)
I let it continue to bake until the edges were bordering on too brown, and the center was "set". Took it out and carved it into vaguely cookie shaped portions. Added flour to the rest of the batter, until it seemed stiff enough. Next dozen went in to bake.
At the minimum cooking time... I opened the oven to see that this batch had also defiantly rolled to the center of my warped baking sheet. They held their shapes better... but were still touching and had to be separated.
I dropped the last six cookies onto the cookie sheet as far apart as I could get them... and DARED them to roll together. Half and hour later when I remembered them... they were nicely spaced cookie briquettes.

As long as I was making messes in the kitchen, I also baked a can of "whop" biscuits and fried some sausage patties, to make ready to go breakfasts for the boys. This time, no eggs or cheese on them... just sausage on a biscuit.
I put several boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the slow cooker (I got a new one!) on low. I made a huge tossed salad. We will have a lovely salad tonight, with the chicken tossed in it. I already have boiled eggs and grated cheese, olives, and assorted seeds and dried cranberries. If I think of it again... I think some pickled beets would go nicely in it.
Storms are in the forecast for this afternoon and tonight... but looks like they are all going around us.
Have a blessed day!

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