Dad's Visit - Week Three

It stopped raining for a bit now and then, so we made the most of it when we could. We drove down to Lake Coeur d'Alene to take in the view.

And we sat for a spell watching the birds and boats. OK, there was one boat. It's out there somewhere. Trust me.

We went to Sandpoint on Bruce's birthday and Dad treated us to lunch at Eichardt's Pub.

Bruce told stories.

Dad told stories.

And, yes, that is a beer sitting in front of Dad!

Lunch was delicious. Dad said his Fish and Chips were the best he had ever eaten. This, coming from a 90+ year old! High praise.

Other than that, we've been hanging around the house waiting for better weather so we can take some drives and day trips and get out on the water. In the meantime, I bake cookies, Dad reads, and Angel sleeps.

The rain seems to have disappeared and things are warming up, so we're planning some fun outings for this week. Stay tuned!

Dad's Visit - Week Two

It's been rainy and cloudy most of this past week, so we've been stuck inside the house. Dad has had to endure being a guinea pig for my chocolate chip cookie experiments.

He's enjoying reading White Fang by Jack London. He hasn't read it since he was a kid.

Angel has found a nice spot in front of the wood stove.

And I made two new pillow cases for Dad's guest bed.

So we don't let a little rain get us down around here.

The sun broke through a few times and we took full advantage. We drove over to Farragut State Park.

Yep, that's my Daddy

We enjoyed the views of Lake Pend O'reille.

Dad, Teddy and Angel watched me plant more crops in the garden.

They also supervised while I created this year's Faerie Village in the front flower bed.

Here's to clear, sunny skies so we can get out on Peggy's boat to do some fishing and tour some more around this beautiful area.

The Elusive Perfect Cookie

Back when most other girls my age were experiencing their first dates and going to school dances, I was home almost every Saturday night baking Chocolate Chip Ranger cookies and watching TV with my parents. Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart and The Carol Burnett Show. Good times. I didn't even need to get out the recipe for those cookies, it was burned into my brain. And they came out perfect every time. Thick and chewy and delicious.

Then I let about 20 years or so lapse before I decided to make those cookies again. I had to dig out the recipe by that time, as other items of great import had elbowed it out of my memory. I mixed the ingredients with great anticipation, having previously ensured that I did, indeed, "got milk". The timer went off, I pulled them out of the oven, and...they were flat. They had spread out all over the cookie sheet, melding into each other, overdone. Wha'??? I had followed the recipe exactly!

I tried to make those cookies several times over the next 20 years or so, getting the same result every time. I had lost the touch. I was disappointed, discouraged and depressed. Woe was me. Perhaps I had made my life's quota of those cookies when I was a teen and I wasn't supposed to make any more.

I made many other kinds of cookies with great success, but the Ranger cookie remained elusive. I stored the recipe away and didn't look at it for a really long time. 

But then, a few weeks ago, right after my Dad got here for a visit, we were all looking through the old recipe boxes and remembering the dishes Mom used to make. As I thumbed through the "Desserts", I ran across...Chocolate Chip Ranger Cookies! Could I? Should I? I did!

I put on my apron and got to work. Batch One was...

flat. Flat Flat Flat. But they tasted pretty good.

My willing guinea pig

I sought Peggy's advice, and she said that butter makes cookies spread. She said I should try butter-flavored Crisco. She also said I should increase the amount of baking powder from 1/2 t. to 1 T. if I wanted them thicker. On to Batch Two.

They seemed to keep their height in the oven as they baked. We were getting excited. 

Hey, they looked pretty close to what I remember as a teen! 

A little crisp on the outside, chewy in the middle. Perfect consistency.  BUT, they just didn't have that decadent buttery taste. Even though I used butter-flavored Crisco, I missed that butter goodness.

But we had another full load of chocolate chip cookies to keep us going until I could do some more research. (P.S. By the next day, the cookies had a dried-out, bland taste to them).

Peggy and Gay both gave me some more suggestions. For Batch Three, I decided to use 5 oz. butter to 3 oz. butter-flavored Crisco, and again use the increased amount of baking powder. I also added some chopped up dark chocolate along with the milk chocolate chips.

As you can see, Dad never strayed too far from the kitchen during my experiments!

Teddy was out of doggie biscuits, so I made some of those before starting on the cookies.

Flatter and lacier than EVER! What the heck? I also decreased the temperature from 350 to 325 after the first two sheets came out, because they were spreading and browning so fast. Peggy told me later that I should never bake cookies at less than 350 degrees, otherwise they will spread. Well, they're already spreading! But OK. "Hot and fast" is how you bake cookies, she said.

Bruce's advice during all of this was "add more oats". I laughed at him. But, at this point, I thought "why not"?

So last night, I made Batch Four.  I added 1/4 c. more oats, 2 T. more flour, used all butter, included the chopped dark chocolate (because it was heavenly) and baked at 350 for nine minutes.

 

Thinner and flatter and lacier than ever!!!!  But, the taste was out of this world good. Bruce decided to make the best of the situation. Introducing the Ice Cream Cookie Taco.

Put spoonful of ice cream on cookie and fold in half.
Remember to stick out pinkie.

Bruce seems pretty happy with these.

So, what is my recipe after all of these experiments? I'm not even sure. I'm just happy I didn't gain 20 pounds trying to fine-tune it.

If anyone has a suggestion or two for me, feel free to share. Otherwise, I'll just keep experimenting and Bruce and Dad will keep helping me empty the cookie tub.

Dad's Visit - Week One

Rocking on the front porch is a favorite activity of our guests, and Dad is no exception. Angel likes it too. Listening to the chimes, birds, and wind in the pines seems to slow everything down.

One of our first suppers included Bang Bang Shrimp, the dish I made with Gay. It turned out pretty darn good, except the cornstarch coating fell off a lot of the shrimp. I think I put too much on. I guess I'll just have to try it again!

Dad and Bruce had no problem with the meal, which included pot stickers. I'm getting hungry...

On Tuesday, I took Dad with me to Coeur d'Alene to do the monthly shopping. I wanted him to see Lake Coeur d'Alene, so we drove straight to the new McKuen Park to take a walk and look at the sights.

A huge houseboat was being launched at the dock next to the Coeur d'Alene Resort, right next to the park.

And then, Dad fell. He was walking a few feet in front of me, and didn't see some shallow steps on the walkway. Luckily, he fell on the grass. Two helpful people rushed over to provide assistance. Nothing was broken, and Dad insisted he was OK. After brushing him off, we walked over to the railing.

A few minutes later, Dad pointed to his hamstring and said "That doesn't feel so good". After determining he did not want to go to the ER or go home right away, we decided that I would go ahead with the shopping and he would wait for me in the car. Not a good way to start off the visit!

We decided to lay low for a few days and have Dad take it easy. Muscle relaxers and heating pads seem to be doing the trick. The dogs are getting along just fine...

Pretty much ignoring each other.

Dad and Angel are enjoying the sunshine (when it's not cloudy or raining).

Notice Prisoner Scout

We needed to get out of the house, so we took a country drive north of our neighborhood. Bruce and I have lived up here for 3 1/2 years now, and although we have had our share of moose in our yard, we've never seen them out in one of the many marsh areas or lakes in this area. Finally...

we saw a mama moose slogging through a marsh, and her baby was running down the middle of the road in front of us. (I couldn't get a good photo of the baby. You'll just have to trust me). There's a strong probability that this is the same mama and baby that have been in our yard. Moose can cover a lot of miles, looking for food and water.

We traveled on, enjoying the pastoral scenes and wild life.

Angel has a princess seat and really enjoyed being chauffeured through the countryside. She alternated between sleeping and looking out the window.

Getting ready for another nap

Beefalo - yum! I'm getting hungry...

A few days later, Dad and I visited Peggy's for lunch.

Dad sitting in Peggy's livingroom

Angel got to get in Daddy's lap after we ate

Peggy and Dad reminisced about their favorite childhood foods

After lunch, we showed Dad the infamous sewing room

We had a lot of fun at Peggy's, as always. I'll go back soon to do some sewing. Dad has given us a project - making new "sails" for one of his garden whirligigs.

Back at the house, we have just been puttering around, reading, taking naps and letting Dad's sore muscles continue to heal. Angel has found a nice warm spot for outdoor viewing and naps.

To be continued...