Domestic and stuff

To address a comment to a previous post: Yes, but when I make the cookies at home, I can control what goes in them. Whole wheat flour? Organic butter? Sure, if I wanted to (I don't so don't worry LOL)

Here is the recipe for the cookies I make most often
3/4 cup of butter softened (I used margarine)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs (I used egg replacer)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups of flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 - 2 cups of cranberries (I really don't measure, I just throw them in until it looks like there are lots in each cookie) You can also use any dried fruit that you like. Archer Farms (Target) has a berry mixture that is cherries, cranberries and blueberries and that was really good. We've also done cherry oatmeal cookies, which I thought was too sweet. If I did those again, I would probably reduce the amount of sugar used.

1. In a large bowl beat butter on high speed 30 sec.
Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, and
cinnamon. Beat until combined, scraping bowl
occasionally. Beat in as much of the flour as you can.
Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in the rolled oats.
Stir in one cup ( I used about 1 1/4 cups)
cranberries.

2. Roll into balls and place on ungreased cookie
sheets. Bake in preheated 375 oven for 8-12 minutes or
until edges are golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 1
minute then transfer to wire rack. Enjoy!

I'm currently hunting for unsweetened dried cranberries that aren't too expensive. I found a place online that sells cases of them for $75, which is way too much to spend for berries. I also found a recipe to dry my own (in my almost never used food dehydrator) but they are out of season right now so I will have to wait until fall to try that. They apparently keep for years in the freezer so if it works, I'm going to be making pounds and pounds of dried cranberries.

I've been cooking crazy the last couple of days. Yesterday, I made chili for the first time and it was tasty! Evan and I had it left over for lunch today. Then today, I made lasagna (which comes out of the oven in like 2 minutes) and homemade mac and cheese (with the mac leftover from last nights chili mac). Real italians will have a cow when I post the recipe but it was stuff that is easy to keep on hand and let's face it, not everyone can be Mario Batali!

I'm thinking about making biscuits and gravy sometime over the weekend. I don't know when because I don't know how so I need my mom to help me. I thought about tomorrow morning before Evan goes to work but that means yet another trip to the grocery store today to get stuff and I'm just not feeling that. I also want to make ham and beans. I haven't had it homemade since my dad left the guard (he hates it so my mom would make it for the rest of us on his guard weekends, probably when I was in junior high). There was a place in town (it is Chief's now but it used to be Tommy something or other) that used to have all you could eat ham and beans on like Tuesdays and my mom and I used to go there for lunch sometimes, but that has been at least 5 years, probably longer.

I'm not sure what is prompting this surge in cooking. Probably that it is cold and I'm tired of tacos and french toast and the other stuff that I make inside. I'm ready for spring when I can cook on the grill all the time.