Pantry Inspiration 🫙

I’ve finally reached the point in the vacation where I feel like after having enough days in a row to do the mindless things that want to do like play video games and catchup on some TV series I like, I wanted to do some things that are good for the mind.

The pantry was an out of control mess with stuff in the back so old, that it was old when it accidentally got packed and moved with us to the new house. Not only that, the area near the stovetop had become a bit of a dumping ground for anything that got used within the last week or so. (Cooking oil, salt, pepper, hot sauce, garlic powder) I don’t often feel random inspiration to do things, but when I do I try to take advantage. So pulled everything out of the pantry, vacuumed up all the spilled spice powder, wiped them all clean and reorganized. Also, one of my favorite things to do, throwing stuff in the trash/recycle. I get a lot of mental energy from moving on from the old and unused.

You can tell I’m not a professional blogger since I didn’t take a before image clickbait.

It relaxes me to have top counter top empty and all the stuff we use organized. It’s not perfect at all, but I’ll take some system over no system. I think what happened here was as we moved in and unpacked, it was just the goal of getting everything into the house in a usable way and it never recovered. 🫣

An update from another vacation plan of mine, which was to make as many baking mistakes as possible, I made my first Oatmeal cookies!

Fresh out of the oven, these were some of the best cookies. At least for someone that loves an Oatmeal cookie with a gooey center, and a crispy outside.

Learnings from this batch..

• If you don’t have unsalted butter, don’t forget to dial back the salt in the other areas of the recipe.
• Consider the portions. I got this recipe from the internet, and just kinda copy pasted it. It could probably make 30 or so cookies, and now I have a freezer with a bunch of dough in it.
• The stand mixer makes most things easier.

Ingredients

• 225g Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
• 200g Brown Sugar
• 100g Granulated Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs (room temperature)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 250g All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon (optional)
• 300g Rolled Oats
• Optional: 100g Raisins or Chocolate Chips

Instructions

1. Prepare Butter: Allow butter to reach room temperature.
2. Cream Butter and Sugars: In stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until creamy.
3. Add Eggs and Vanilla: Incorporate eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract, beating well.
4. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using).
5. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet, on low speed, until just combined.
6. Add Oats: Stir in rolled oats (and raisins or chocolate chips if using) until evenly distributed.
7. Chill Dough (Optional): If dough is soft, chill in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
8. Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F) and line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mat.
9. Form Cookies: Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared sheets, or roll into balls for uniform cookies.
10. Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown around edges but soft in middle.
11. Cool: Let cookies cool on sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
12. Enjoy: Serve as is, or store in airtight container.

🎧 Orbital