Sunday Cooking

Lots of people ask me about certain foods the children eat in school that they just love. I like to post those things here because cooking for kids is a real bonding zone. I make a lot of our food from scratch, and it's as easy as putting frozen food in the microwave. The one difference is a little time, and that time can be spent with kids.

Cookies: I use more or less the same basic dough. I always make more than I can use, and I store the remainder in the refrigerator wrapped in wax paper. When the call for cookies comes, you flip on your stove, grab a pan and slice and bake - same homemade taste!

If you have a machine for mixing, go from fridge to stove without waiting. If you are mixing by hand, let your margarine soften first.

Basic dough: pound of margarine, 2 cups of brown sugar, 2 cups of white sugar, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons baking SODA, 1 teaspoon salt and 5.5 cups flour - (five and a half)

Variations: cut flour two cups and add two cups oatmeal
skip brown sugar and use two more cups white for lighter cookies
add two cups of chocolate chips - I use 60% cocoa from Gheradelli
add both raisins and chocolate chips
add two cups chopped apples with peals
make cookie dough balls, flatten before cooking and add apricot jam
make cookie balls, flatten before cooking, and add Hersey's Kiss after cooking
add 1 cup cocoa to original batter

Always bake cookies in mid oven at 350 degrees until they are just about done. They will continue to cook just a little which will give them that crackly look and that chewy pull.

I use granite steel trays at school. Best trays are old cafeteria trays.

Remember that cookie dough can be frozen and cut frozen for the stove. You only have to make one batch at a time which cuts down on the time. Popping a batch into the oven for "after dinner" while you are cooking dinner is such a pleasure. Putting a scoop of ice cream between two cookies makes a big treat.

Happy cooking!