Sunday's Plate

One of my friends was saying she loves to bake, but she really hates the clean up. Let's travel together making one of my favorite cookies step by step and learn that your kitchen does not have to suffer the mess of baking to get a fine result.

First step: wash your hands and put on an apron. Grease stains!

Second step: clean up anything in your kitchen before making a new mess including wiping your counters and cutting boards. Your kitchen should be sparkling before you cook. That way, the orbit of clean is perpetual.

Third step: fill your sink half full with hot soapy water.

Fourth step: pull out two sticks of butter from the fridge, open the butter sticks and throw away the paper wrapper NOW. Put the butter into your food processor.

Fifth step: measure out 1/3 cup sugar and put the sugar into the food processor. Wipe up any spills and put your measuring cup into the sink.

Sixth step: take two eggs and separate them. That means crack the shell in half and pour the egg into your hand while your hand is over a small bowl. Let the white ooze through your fingers into the bowl while you catch the yolk. Do this twice putting the yolk into the food processor.

Seventh step: wash your hands and dry them on paper towel. Never use a dish towel to dry your hands because it will spread all kinds of germs. Throw out your paper towel NOW!

Eighth step: put your egg whites into a jar and place them in the fridge. Put the bowl you used into the sink and wipe up any spills.

Ninth step: turn on the food processor until the butter, sugar and yolks are a nice light paste.

Tenth step: Measure out two cups of flour one cup at a time - process - and add the second cup. You will find a nice soft dough results.

Eleventh step: In a square baking pan, press half your dough into the bottom of the pan with the back of a greased spoon. Use oil, it works best and goes faster than using fingers. To get the oil on the spoon, use a can of pan spray. Put the rest of the dough into a bowl.

Twelfth step: wash your hands and dry them on a paper towel.

Thirteenth step: Put your food processor bowl and blade and your measuring cup into the sink.

Fourteenth step: using half a jar of your favorite jam or jelly, spread the jam or jelly onto the dough with a spoon. (I use homemade cranberry jam I make by boiling two cups frozen cranberries and 1/2 cup sugar for five minutes on the stove.)

Fifteenth step: put your spoon into the sink and your jam jar away or the empty into the trash can NOW.

Sixteenth step: using the remaining dough dot the jam with clumps of the dough. This is the time to add nuts or any other garnish that seems like fun. Put your bowl into the sink.

Seventeenth step: Put square baking pan into the oven at 350 degrees for about twenty-five minutes or until the edges are brown.

Eighteenth step: Wash your two measuring cups, your two spoons, your two bowls and your food processor and blade. Rinse and let dry on a towel. Wipe down your counter.

Nineteenth step: lay out your cooling rack.

It's a start to bake without a mess. Baking is one of the most enjoyable jobs there is in the kitchen. Baking without a mess makes the treat so much sweeter!