Sugar 'N Spice Cookies

Also known as Oatmeal and Raisin with Spice Cookies.  This would have been a great moment to show how far I've come in actually rolling out dough.  I actually did it, but failed (naturally) to take a picture of the moment.  I have come to the conclusion that non-stick is great except when using it on anything that is remotely sticky and glutenous.  The problem with non-stick is that something will eventually stick (I don't care how much Teflon there is) and then something will stick to the thing that stuck to begin with and then it's just downhill from there.  I have a "non-stick" rolling pin.  Some advice good old-fashioned WOOD is the way to go.  Flour finely coats wood and is fabulous for non-stickiness.  Flour does not stick to non-stick.  Sticky dough does stick to non-stick.  All together equals big giant mess.  Especially when combined with the flour I put down on my counter top (the fancy silpat-ish thing I have to roll dough out on will not A) stay flat on the counter or B) be taped down).  I have seen people toss flour down on a Formica counter top and roll things out easy-peezy.  I am destined to not be one of these people.  The flour went down the dough rolled.  The dough, when cut, stuck to the counter.  This is why I resorted to the make a ball and flatten into a circle method (originally using a "non-stick" spatula and then flouring my hands). 

This was all after discovering - while reading the recipe after sifting together the dry ingredients - that the recipe called for shortening.  I had been a little confused when I read the ingredients list last night to determine if I needed softened butter and discovered that no butter or shortening or oil was listed, but I moved on.  So I called my aunt, who was not home.  This is always the way it works when you need the answer to the question now.  It's like phoning the friend who won't pick up and it's the $600,000 question.  Then I called my mother, she told me to call my aunt.  After establishing that this had been my first course of action, we hemmed and hawed over the amount of shortening based on the flour amount.  I was guessing about 1/2 C shortening, my mother guessed about 2/3 C and so we settled on 1/2 C and adding more if it "didn't look right".  It turns out that 1/2 C is just about right. 

3" cookies that do expand slightly make for somewhat monstrous cookies.  I got about 27 big ones and 9 more little ones.  Remember to adjust the time if you make littler cookies.  These are mostly a crunchy outside, slightly chewy inside cookie.  It's like eating an oatmeal raisin cookie and getting a spice cookie aftertaste. 

Again, there are supposed to be cookie pictures...



cookie dough



Sugar N Spice Cookies



Pineapple Nut Bread

Continuing in the pineapple theme I actually made this bread a week ago.  It was so dense that it would hurt if you dropped it on your foot, you might actually burn a few calories trying to chew it, and all in all it didn't really have the pineapple flavor I'd hoped for.  I attribute most of this to a single ingredient -1 C of All-Bran (Original).  It and the nuts (I chose walnuts) gave the bread a very nutty flavor.  The density I attribute to the quantity of fiber in the cereal.  Overall, the cereal and nuts really masked the flavor of the pineapple.  All-Bran (according to the bastion of current knowledge Wikipedia) has about 20 different varieties sold in various countries, and not all found in the same country.  I found 3 varities at the grocery store, was entirely confused, and went with the rabbit pellet looking Original.  The All-Bran website touts the benefits of fiber and a single serving (1/2 Cup) contains 10g of fiber.

According to the All-Bran website and several others (although I could not find it anywhere on the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 - and the USDA DGA did not pop up in my Google search, although you'd think they'd be the first?) the recommended (again not sure by whom, but supposedly the USDA) daily allowance is approximately 25 - 35 grams of fiber.  Apparently most people get about 15g per day.  Doctors and other healthy do-gooders often recommend increasing my fiber intake (I have no idea what my current intake is).  According to the Harvard School of Public Health website, fiber helps lower the risk of all manner of things beyond constipation including, heart disease, diabetes, and diverticular illness.  I'm not sure I'm willing to eat rabbit pellets just yet, but I am willing to increase the fiber and decrease those risks. Whole fruits and veggies, whole grains (see below), and legumes.  Check.

Since the first batch didn't exactly pan out and we ended up tossing about half the loaf, I decided to experiment.  This second recipe I used whole wheat flour, ground flax seed, and pecans.  I got a nice, moist loaf about the consistency of banana bread (and I think I just got another bright idea).  Very tasty, has fiber, won't injure myself if dropped (except maybe in the dive to catch it before it hits the floor). 

(I have a picture, but it refuses to show up. :( )