Grandma June’s Chewy Oatmeal Cookies (for the virtual cookie exchange)

There are lots of good cooks in my family, but I owe much of my fondness for cooking and baking to my paternal grandma, Grandma June. She once told me she liked the challenge of making something from whatever was on hand. She often cooked without recipes, and could make things like cake or fudge magically appear, even when camping or stuck in thick fog on a sailboat (family legend). She died in 2001, and I still miss her, but making some of the recipes she used to make is one of my favorite ways to remember her. The recipe that follows is one she created for my mom when she was looking for an oatmeal cookie that was chewy rather than crispy or cake-y. I make it with lots of different “add-ins”, but I’ll give you the holiday version here.

Grandma June’s Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
(double the batch if you’re planning to share)

Turn on the oven to 350°

cream together:
1/2 c. butter (I prefer salted)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar

then mix in:
1 egg
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
zest of about 1/2 an orange

stir the following together, then add to wet mixture all at once:
1 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

finally, add
1 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. chocolate chips (Ghirardelli’s double chocolate are the best!)
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. chopped hazelnuts
1/2 c. chopped candied ginger (sometimes Trader Joe’s has “bakers cut” candied ginger that you can use right out of the bag, otherwise I’d recommend rubbing a little cooking oil on your knife before trying to chop up larger pieces.)

I don’t usually measure the chocolate chips, etc., but you’ll know it’s right if your cookies are mostly “good stuff” glued together with a little dough. If you want to modify the recipe my favorite non-holiday add-ins are coconut (for texture rather than taste,) flaked cereal like Wheaties, raisins, and dates. Rice Crispies are good too.

Use two spoons or your hands (easier) to drop lumps of about 2 tablespoons of dough on a cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 8-11 minutes (I’m still figuring out this altitude thing after three years!) until edges are golden but middles still look doughy. Let cool until solid on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. Rinse. Repeat.

I’m posting this recipe to join in the fun of the virtual cookie exchange started here and continued here and here.  Happy baking everyone!

Thanksgiving plan of action, part one: vegans.

I know it’s not even Halloween yet, but Thanksgiving *is* kind of early this year, so forgive me for skipping ahead in the holiday planning a bit. Writing down some of the things that I keep tossing around in my head helps me to be less distracted by them when I should be doing other things.

How hard can a Thanksgiving menu be, you might ask. Turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes–everyone (in the US) knows what to make on the fourth Thursday in November! True enough, but I really enjoy trying interesting variations on traditional dishes. That, and we have a couple of vegans coming to celebrate Turkey Day with us. Although they’re perfectly happy to bring their own food (and not at all the sort to make nasty remarks about what others are eating), I sort of like the challenge of incorporating food preferences and requests into a menu where there is something for everyone. Check back on Nov. 21 to see if I’m still saying that.

If I were planning an entirely vegan Thanksgiving celebration I’d probably do some sort of grain-stuffed squash as the main dish, but since I’m planning a full traditional menu already, I think a protein-based main dish makes more sense. Mashed potatoes don’t seem right with with stuffed squash (or pumpkin ravioli). I’m not anti-carb, but that sounds more nap inducing than the most tryptophan-laced bird. Instead, I’m looking at a “meat” loaf with mushroom gravy.  Now that looks like it was made to sit on mashed potatoes.

Many vegetarians survive Thanksgiving on side dishes alone, but I’m normally pretty fast and loose with the dairy, a vegan no-no. Luckily most side dishes are pretty easy to adapt–it’s no problem to pull out some of the boiled potatoes to mash with veggie broth instead of milk and butter. I even have a recipe for vegan green bean casserole, a side dish that was not a part of my childhood Thanksgivings but is essential on most tables (including ours, now–it’s one of Jeff’s favorites.) I’m also firmly in the stuffing baked outside the bird camp, so no cross-contamination worries there. Side dishes, along with appetizers and desserts will get their own posts in the next few weeks.

Now, where will everyone sit…?

Menu & Grocery list for 10/13-10/19

I’m not feeling very inspired this week, but the refrigerator is pretty much empty so I guess it doesn’t matter if I’m feeling inspired or not.  There are a few things in there to use up, but the only person who really cares if I go to the grocery store right now is Lou–he finds his empty food bowl very disturbing, and he keeps coming in to tell me so!

Mexican “lasagna”–I guess this is actually just unrolled enchiladas, but it’s something I’ve wanted to try for awhile, and I do have a big stack of tortillas in the fridge.

Winter squash and chicken stew with Indian spices–I suddenly had a craving for winter squash (it’s just that time of year I guess!) Some of the reviewers suggested adding a can of coconut milk to this, which sounds good to me.

Meatloaf & baked potatoes–like chicken pot pie from a few weeks ago, another dish mentioned in this month’s Everyday Food that I’ll probably make it entirely differently.

Spaghetti with meat sauce–huh, it doesn’t get much more boring than this, but it sounds good for some reason.  I have some frozen Italian sausage and some frozen tomato sauce I made this summer.

That’s it.  I can’t even come up with a week’s worth of dinners right now.  Hopefully something looks good at the store….

Grocery List 

milk
1/2 & 1/2
jack or mozzarella cheese

apples
acorn squash
lettuce
peppers
onions
potatoes
cilantro
spinach
green onions
garlic

spaghetti
oatmeal
bread

ketchup
diced tomatoes
coconut milk
honey
salsa

chicken thighs
1 lb. ground beef

pantry/fridge/freezer items: pinto beans, sausage, tomato sauce, corn tortillas, spices,  chicken broth

Menu & Grocery list for 9/29-10/6

I’m a little behind with the posting, but I did plan a menu and go to the grocery store on Sunday:

I checked out Martha’s Everyday Food cookbook from the library (remember, I’m kind of obsessed with the magazine) so I’m trying several recipes from that this week. Although I knew I would like that the book is divided by season, I was surprised to find I miss being able to browse by type of dish–it would be nice if there was an index or some other way to quickly scan all the main dishes (or side dishes, or….) Even with that little complaint, there’s a lot to like about the book. I might even add it to my personal library! Recipes I’m trying this week (from the fall chapter, of course) include:

Roasted chicken with mushrooms and oven-baked polenta: although the recipe is actually for braised chicken breasts, whole chickens are on sale and I love having the leftover chicken. The chicken and the polenta cook at the same temperature, so both can be in the oven at the same time.

Chile verde pork with roasted sweet potatoes and pears: the chile verde requires no recipe–just simmer pork in green salsa–but the side dish comes from the cookbook. We will eat this over rice topped with a little sour cream.

Chicken enchiladas with pumpkin sauce: I keep trying enchilada recipes hoping I’ll find one that’s not so bland and gummy. I’ll use some of the roasted chicken from earlier in the week in these.

Potatoes and eggs: we thought we were going to have company for breakfast over the weekend but didn’t, so we ended up with some leftover boiled potatoes and a hankering for homemade hashbrowns. Breakfast for dinner time! Jeff is so excited about this he’s brought it up the last two nights.

Finally, I’ve been craving lentil soup for some reason. Better than craving fettuccine alfredo I guess. No recipe for this, just lentils, lots of veggies, salt & pepper. Might get a little crazy with some thyme or something, I don’t know.

Grocery list:
Still working through the Safeway coupons!

cottage cheese
1/2 & 1/2

whole chicken
chicken broth

green onions (1)
mushrooms (1 lb.)
parsley
jalapeño (1)
onions
sweet potatoes (2)
pears
spinach
carrots
celery
garlic

15 oz. can of pumpkin
green salsa

corn tortillas
cornmeal
lentils

white wine

pantry/fridge items: milk, cheese, butter, pork, eggs, potatoes, olive oil

Find Everyday Food: Great food fast at Powell’s
Find Everyday Food: Great food fast at a library