How to Tuesday: bite-size love

Yesterday was a good news day in our home!   Quayd and I went to the Jr. High School for his pre-registration/Individual Educational Program with his resource teachers and part of the new administration at the JHS.  Last week, in Gracie's IEP, the speech/language teacher had told me that she couldn't wait until Quayd's meeting because she had great news.  I never even considered what it would be because I just assumed that she was going to share some great project that he'd created.  In the meeting yesterday, she shared his testing scores and then announced that Quayd had tested within the normal limits and that he "no longer appears to exhibit a significant language deficit"!  In other words, Quayd has "graduated" out of resource help in language arts and speech.  This is huge!  We are so happy for him. He will still require help in Math and English, but, this was huge because this has been a major part of his life since the day after he came home to us just a week after his fourth birthday.  WAY TO GO, QUAYD!!!   (This photo was taken at the Gordon B. Hinckley podium in the LDS Church History Museum on our anniversary. He was so excited about my taking a photo of him there where he could be a speaker at General Conference.  I thought it was fitting for this momentous announcement!)

This morning, for How To Tuesday, How to make great cookies:

• Measure your ingredients carefully.  Never use too much flour.  If anything, use 1/4 cup less flour for lighter cookies.  Doubling the vanilla enhances the flavor.
• Chilling the cookie dough for an hour before baking enhances the flavor.  (Plus, who doesn't love a bite of cookie dough!?   Well... who besides me?  I'm not a fan.)
• Use real butter or if you use shortening, use butter-flavored Crisco.  Or use half butter and half butter-flavored Crisco.  Make sure to have the butter at room temperature.  Melting it in the microwave changes the consistency of the dough when the sugar and butter are creamed.  If  butter isn't room temperature, I "shred" my butter, using a large cheese grater.  (This is the only way to make biscuits, by the way!)
• Use real chocolate chips, real lemon zest, fresh lemon juice whenever possible.  It really does make a difference.
• Always use large or extra large eggs, not medium.
• Do not overbake.  Set your timer for two minutes less time than the recipe calls for.  Check them frequently.  Cookies are baked when they are no longer "glossy" looking.
• Use Mini-Chocolate Chips for more flavorful cookies because there are more chocolate chip s per bite!
• Cool your cookie sheets between batches.  Putting cookie dough on hot baking sheets causes the cookies to brown too much around the edges.
• If a recipe calls for 1 cup of nuts, you can add oatmeal in place of the nuts, but add a tablespoon or two of milk along with.
• Salt is the most important ingredient in any baking recipe.   Doublecheck to make sure you didn't miss this ingredient in any baking because the salt enhances every flavor in the cookie.
• Remember that cookies continue to bake as long as they are on the baking sheet.
• Only bake one sheet in the oven at a time.  Baking on both racks doesn't allow the heat to flow properly.
• Once cookies are baked, store them in a sealed container with a slice of bread. The bread will become crusty dry, but the cookies will stay moist and soft.

And since we're talking cookies, I'll share a few of our favorite cookie recipes and the first one is one that I can't wait to try!  I've found it several places online but I think it goes back to the Pioneer Woman Cooks.  Mmmmmmmmm!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

½ cups Butter, Softened
1 cup Sugar
½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract 
1 egg
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ tsp Baking Powder
⅛ tsp Baking Soda
½ cups Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pans well and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest and juice. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients (except powdered sugar) slowly until just combined. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly.

Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.  Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottom of cookies begin to barely brown.  Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Hyde Park Honey Cookies

 

This cookie is one of the kids'  favorites!

 

2/3 cup oil (I usually only use 1/2 cup and they are still plenty moist)

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 cup flour

2 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. cinnamon and 1/c up sugar (to roll the cookies in)

Mix oil, sugar and honey. Add eggs and vanilla. Add flour, soda, salt and vanilla. Form 1" balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 for ten minutes. If doubling, do not double the soda, just add 1 teaspoon per and also go scant on the flour and salt.

Super Yummy Healthy Cookies

At least that’s what Doug thinks because they have coconut, nuts and raisins in them. I made these cookies years ago when I was out of chocolate chips and in the mood for cookies. They've been a huge hit ever since!

3/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter flavored Crisco or real butter
2 eggs
2 ½ whole wheat cups flour (it gives a nutty flavor)
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Baking powder
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup raisins (soaked in hot water for about fifteen minutes, then drained)
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix sugars, butter and eggs until creamy. Add dry ingredients until mixed. Place teaspoonful of dough on pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375̊. Makes about 60 cookies. (Note: craisins work great instead of raisins!) Enjoy!

I heard on the news this morning that kids who eat together with their family at least three times a week are more likely to have a normal weight, have normal eating habits and less likely to have eating disorders.  As always, I'm a huge advocate of families eating dinner together every night possible!  Studies show that these children also are less likely to use drugs and alcohol, have higher scores in school and are more successful later in life.  Besides all that, it's just plain fun to hear about each others' day, to plan and chat, to laugh and enjoy the best company you'll ever be surrounded by!  If you can't have dinner as a family tonight... at least, bake some cookies and dunk them in a tall glass of  milk together!  Enough said!

Cooking is like love.  It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. 

Comments

[Kip]

Once, when I was teaching 3rd grade, I asked the kids how many of them sat down all together for dinner every night. There was NONE!!! I found that very sad.

[Amy So]

Oh, I am SOOO happy for Quayd. That is great, great news. Happy for you, too! Those lemon cookies sound scrumptious. I think you should try these:

http://amysorensen.typepad.com/the_english_geek/2011/02/a-cookie-even-kendell-loves.html

I think you will love them! Also, I STILL need to call you back about the mela order. Will you be around/free tomorrow any time?

Hugs! Yay quayd!!!!

[Laura]

Way to go, Quayd!

We've always had family meal time at 6PM, due to my husband being a type 1 diabetic. Our kids always knew they were expected to be home and that we were always there. Even now, as grown adults, they know that supper is on the table at that time and if they need to call, they can find us at home. Our youngest had a friend who had a very dysfunctional home life. She spent so much time at our house that she had her own bed! She knew that she could always find consistency at our house and many times spent days at our house before returning home.

Our three children have all grown up to be happy well-adjusted adults and both of the older ones were straight A students (the younger one is much more creative & artsy and her grades didn't come as easily).

I am a firm believer in regular family meals eaten at the table (for the most part)and feel that it made our home much more stable.

[Pamela K.]

Hooray for Quayd! That's awesome! My son struggled in elementary school and we had our share of worries and anxiety. But with hard work and determination on my son's part, he now gets straight A's in high school. We are so proud of how far he's come. Quayd will be the same way and his struggles will be put for the good. Just wait and see!

[stevie]

YAY Quayd! That is awesome news! He should be very proud of himself. I'm a bit nervous for Friday, we have our son's conference and will be talking about next year. Great cookie tips! I have to say I love my silicone mats, they always leave the cookies soft even if they're over cooked a minute or two. Have a lovely Tuesday!

[Trish]

Thos Hyde Park cookies look nummy! May have to try them soon. :) We love eating as a family, although some nights Joe has to eat downstairs on his machine, but Raegan and I eat together at least and sometimes will take dinner downstairs to share the time with Joe. I truly believe that is one reason she is such a good eater, enjoying her veggies and a wide range of food many kids her age wouldn't touch. We make one meal, and although you don't have to eat everything you are encouraged to at least try a small taste of everything. No substitute meal will be made either. :)