Staples for Survival

When I was in third grade, my class compiled a book of recipes we all liked to make. As the daughter of two crafty cooks, was mine something like yellow cake or granola bars? Ahh, no. It was cereal and milk. That was the extent of my knowledge; embarrassingly, I did not even know how to make Kraft Mac N' Cheese until I was twelve or thirteen. My tastes have always been pretty basic, but over the past few years I've had fun slowly expanding my repertoire. Last fall, I would occasionally wind down after work watching Top Chef or Ace of Cakes. Baking is such a fun pastime, especially with a buddy! Here are my favorite things to delight friends and family with.



Chocolate Chip Cookies
taken from the book 400 Desserts, which I excitedly used some of my sixteenth-birthday from Mrs. Yorio to buy while shopping with my valuable companion grandma Robbie

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons (1/2 tablespoon) baking powder

a dash of love

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter/margarine

1/2 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 tablespoon) vanilla extract



12-oz. bag or a bit over 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips



Method:



Sugar Cookies and Frosting
from my attempt to copy my mom's sugar cookies ~ they are certainly not like her famous ones, but it is an easy recipe to remember and adapt


2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt



2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons (1/2 tablespoon) vanilla extract



Frosting:
also taken from 400 Desserts - it is amusing how the author loves fruity things and the more gourmet, rich versions of American desserts, and I pick the simplest ones!

3 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons softened butter/margarine

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

food coloring as preferred



"Poop Slough" Chocolate Crinkles
another attempt to work the magic my mom does ~ I have a recipe written down somewhere on an index card from my mom, and one that I liked from Allrecipes.com.


Cinnamon Rolls with Frosting
from my mom's - actually my sister Tenley's, but she ruefully lets our mom use it - 1970s Betty Crocker cookbook

Soft Garlic Breadsticks
taken and tweaked a little from Allrecipes.com
flour
sugar
salt
baking powder
milk
garlic
melted butter
cheddar jack cheese

Really Good Spaghetti/Lasagna Meat Sauce
ground beef (I would like to try to substitute ground turkey meat some time, since it's cheaper)
Prego Classic Mushroom Garden tomato pasta sauce
sugar
garlic
salt
black pepper
chili powder
oregano