We had our first Halloween in our house. I don't know who was more excited, myself or the kids on the doorstep. Sadly, we only had 10 little trick-or-treaters but they were adorable! We were visited by Snow White, Sully from Monsters Inc., Elmo, a few pirates, a couple of Ninjas, two Cheetah Girls and the most adorable little monkey. Hari was quick to point out that we chose a home in a neighborhood with very few children so I was silly to expect a constant flow of trick-or-treaters. (Unlike Julie's neighborhood where the streets are packed with children every day of the year. Fine -- good point. However, with all the outsourcing America has adopted - couldn't some of those neighborhoods outsource their kids for one night of the year? In true US fashion, I did not want to be caught without enough candy - you know, "just in case". As a result, our kitchen looks like we have kids that we sent out to collect candy for hours and hours and my jeans that I worked so hard to get back into have reclaimed the "sausage pants" title. :(
I have developed a new talent. I have successfully learned how to bake chocolate chip cookies from scratch. You heard me - from scratch. So, you're not that impressed. Too bad. Home Ec is an area where even the short bus wasn't on my radar. No worries, my husband was impressed. It took some effort and same failure but, I now think I have mastered it. The first attempt, produced some ugly looking cookies that tasted pretty damn good. Even if I used a tablespoon of baking powder instead of a teaspoon. Can you tell I took shop class in junior high? The second batch had a lot of black bottoms and as a result, a number of those cookies were sacrificed to the garbage can gods. (Especially after Hari got ill from the burnt taste that was left in his mouth.) At that point, I did what any domestically challenged individual in this day and age would do. I logged onto my laptop and Googled for answers to explain why my cookies were burnt on the bottom and raw on the top. Not only did I find different explanations and several suggestions for solutions, I discovered the best news of all. I am not alone! There are other handicapped housewives out there. Yeah for company!
I sifted through the suggestions, and on my next visit to Mills Fleet Farm bought myself two new Wilton air bake cookie sheets. I made my own adjustments -- lowered the baking temperature and increased the baking minutes, (after a friend explained to me that a recipe is "just a suggestion") and voila - I have cookies that taste awesome and are pretty damn attractive if I say so myself. And let me just tell you some of the advantages to making your own cookies versus being at your friend's or sister's house when they do it.
- If you need to sample the chocolate chips on their way into the batter, it's okay.
- If you want to eat the raw dough, it's okay. I really don't understand why it matters if it is baked or raw. If you were going to give me a cookie, it shouldn't matter. Either way, it's the same amount of dough and "a cookie is a cookie". Don't you agree?
- Because I only baking these for me and my husband, there is no pre-determined number of cookies that must be met when the batch is done. I don't have to take them to vacation Bible school, a potluck or send them with my children to a school activity.
Talk about freedom! It totally rocks that I can mix my cookie dough up at home, throw in way too many chips, toss extra vanilla in and eat right out of the bowl without worrying what a poor example I am or having to explain why it's okay for me to do it and no one else. Humm - I wonder if the whole cookie thing is contributing to the "sausage pants" resurgence. Does success always have a down side? Ahhhhhhhhhhh
SNAP!
