Mar 13, 2007

...I need to confess


I have to let you know, after speaking with a dear girlfriend of mine (thanks Sherry), it has been made known to me that I am possibly setting confusion among my closest friends. I need to confess to you all, that I truly never cook with a RECIPE. I don't ....so please forgive me if you thought with the cookbook recommendation (I do recommend it- lots of info and a good read at 'why' you use certain stuff in a recipe)- but honestly I break out in a sweat if I am forced to use a recipe (also with a sewing pattern, a teachers manual....)

I do much better by collecting information and then going at it-generally full force. It is hard 'for me' to go at it full force with a Tablespoon in hand or such. I am thankful to somehow just know what a cup is,or a Tbs.... without the need to actually put it in such a measuring vessel.

Somehow this probably relates to my "dislike" of math- but I think it is just how I am made! I hope it is not symptom of rebellion lurking within, that is a possibility though!

So for future blogs- know that if I list a recipe, it is so that you won't pull your hair out at me saying, "Well you just put a bunch of flour and then, a swish of milk and a couple eggs and a plop or two of ??!!!" Hmm, I don't want to frustrate or anger anyone who would be kind enough to take the time to read my blog. I also found it highly educational, as the day before I made a scone recipe...and didn't use half as many ingredients. I thought I should try to tell you how, then upon trying realized it would be more to your benefit if I grabbed the cookbook out and copied it out for you. (My Pastor has been preaching on being nice.)

My recipe went something like this- okay I ordered a case of self-rising flour through my food co-op, thinking it would be a nice easy thing to have -well, turns out that there is only one recipe for such a product on the bag-and really nothing my family would like. I don't think my mom ever owned such a product, though bisquick may fall into this category-kinda~sorta ? I then emailed the company (King Arthur) and chatted with a nice woman (perhaps his daughter the Princess?) , who offered me several ideas and said she could send me some more (which she promptly did-very admirable for a Princess). I took a look at them and then began concocting things that would work for us- scones was one of them- though the recipes never mentioned scones as a possibility-perhaps I should email back the Princess and tell her I have found a new one to add to their bag? Princess are known to have a fondness for scones you know.


Here goes... I put a half bowl of flour in (okay I have these old bowls- no idea the size but it would be much to big for a hat!) I added 3 eggs (really because that was all I had, my egg girl didn't bring me any this past week- something about cold chickens) all the eggs were different sizes...I have no idea what the chickens look like, the girl lives next to my mother-in-law, maybe I should ask her? I added some liquid vegeteble oil- there was probably about a third of a cup- I added a bunch of milk-maybe a sippy cups worth-3 /4 cup perhaps? (the milk keeps them soft- so long as you don't overmix them, as this will create bricks if over handled). I didn't add salt or baking powder- as self-rising flour already has this in it,a plunket of sweetness (brown sugar, honey, evil white sugar...)to which I added a blunk of vanilla extract (the real stuff- I like it so I probably used at least a TBS.) I gently stirred it & tossed it ever so lovingly onto my clean floured counter (not self-rising flour-just the plain white stuff)- I cut it in two at this point , I left one piece on the counter and the other I plopped back in the bowl and added some lemon flavouring, some lemon peel (not the white part that makes you spit ;-{ and mixed it in (gingerly!- only a little stirring...basically it enjoys you ignoring it, easy relationship really.) I took this lemonified (is that a word??) one out and tossed the other neglected piece into the waiting bowl, I added a huge bunch of chocolate chips to this one and carefully mixed them in. Now honestly, this would be better to do in two separate batches-less handling, but I was having company over and thought after I used the larger 'non-hat' bowl, that variety would be the best bet as hostess, true that hind sight is 20/20. I patted out the dough into mounds- not to big, not to small-kids would be eating these. I tossed them on to a sprayed baking sheet (pam butter spray) -and let them bake at 425 until they were done. My best guess would be 7-10 minutes. They should be golden and not black in any way- generally black is bad in baking (a little Kimmie pointer for you, take it or leave it of course!)

I think they came out good, as my 12 year old daughter-'Sparky' ate 3 of them before dinner-which variety eludes me presently. And they all wanted some the next day for breakfast (good sign when they wake and request something they ate the day before! It makes me wonder if they lay in their bed all night salivating for the alarm clock to ring ;-))


So now you know why I will only type out recipes for you that have actual measurements-I would hate to be responsible for unwanted bricks or you running from your kitchen with fire in your eyes-heading for my house. ;-) wink, wink.

I did use that scone recipe I shared from the book, after my darling Knight went to so much trouble to buy me the huge cookbook. I had ogled it at the King Arthur Store in Norwich, VT, but put it back when I saw the price. (that Lamaze breathing does come in handy for such times, I am a firm believer that they ought to teach it in Kindergarten along with the 3 R's)
hope you had a laugh!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Kimmie,
You are hilarious! I am still thinking, "What?!?! Half a bowl? What SIZE? How many CUPS? That could be 2 cups or 6 cups, depending on the bowl, girl!"
I, for one, use a recipe until I get it down, and then I am on my own. And as for the tsps and Tbsps, I use my hand to measure those.

Love you. You make me laugh!
Stacy
www.withgreatjoy.blogspot
ps- THANK YOU for your comment on my reading post! :) That's what I really wanted was people who would tell me it could be done without all the money and programs! :)

Love ya!

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