There’s old-fashioned recipes that have been around for decades, then there’s the new concoctions that leave me amazed at places a good imagination can take a person. Then you have people like me who have a difficult time even following a recipe! When I open a cookbook and pick a recipe I have a hard time doing exactly what it says. If it’s cooking I’ll be thinking, oh, I could add a dash of liquid smoke, a pinch of onion powder, or some extra salt. When it comes to desserts I always found joy in what I called “Daniel-izing” the recipes to make them match hubby’s taste buds.
Just this week I opened a cookbook to a page where I had several years ago, penned the words, “To Daniel-ize, replace some of chocolate with butterscotch and peanut butter chips.” When I read it my heart skipped a beat. That was then. This is now. No Daniel.
Hmm, this is interesting, my last sentence left me staring into space wondering what I should write next. As I gazed out the window, looking at nothing, the first sun rays from the entire day shone through the clouds. May the warmth of the Lord’s provision also warm my heartache, leaving sun rays where only clouds had resided!
The best part of preparing food doesn’t have that much to do with recipes as the plump little hands dumping in ingredients and getting half of it beside the bowl, and declaring the can stir it all by themselves. Memories have a way of wrapping themselves up in the midst of some of the most intense days.
Back to recipes, some people seem to have the knack of just deciding to make something and it turns out just perfect; my sister-in-law, Mary, is one of them. She seldom allows herself the luxury of sitting down with a Taste of Home, or Quick Cooking magazine, but when she does so, she comes loaded with ideas and remembers them so much better than I do. Given a chance she’ll make the dish from the magazine, making it look much easier than it really is, and has it turn out picture perfect. My, where did God get the recipe to make her? I don’t know, but I’ll tell you this, whenever I go to Ohio to spend time with Daniel’s family I am always eager for her cooking and am never disappointed.
Now when I cook, I like tasting as I go, making sure I come out with the right effect; not her, she’ll usually navigate her way through cooking minus recipes and not bothering to taste it once. It’s not uncommon for her to comment that more salt may be added if desired; seldom is it necessary.
And no, she is not planning to open a restaurant, though if she would, I’d be there regularly and would not be served the same thing twice in a row! Chuckling, I think she may say I’ve said enough; keep your eyes open as I’ll be sharing more of her recipes in the future.
Today I’ll leave you with S’more Cookie Bars I had “Daniel-ized” for hubby on those long ago days.
Enjoy and don’t forget to make them to fit your own taste buds! In the kitchen, imagination will give you wings you never knew you had.
S’more Cookie Bars
2/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons whipping cream
10 oz. milk chocolate candy bars, broken in small pieces
2 cups miniature marshmallows
Combine butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla, beat well. Next add dry ingredients and mix all together.
Press into a 9 by 13-inch pan and bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes. Do NOT over-bake. Cool completely. Heat cream to a simmer then remove from heat, add chocolate pieces, stir until smooth. Stir in marshmallows. Next spread evenly over cooled crust. Refrigerate and cut into bars.
