Culinary Misadventures With Lumpy, Day 1

Monday truly was a reminder of the truth of my blog's subtitle: Change is the only constant in the universe. How do I know this, Gentle Reader? Well, within two hours--if that--of Lumpy arriving at Chez Boeckman-Walker, I got word that the editing project I've been working on since early July--the one I'd hoped to furiously work on for the rest of August so that I could bring home a nice chunk of change--was ending pronto. Ahh, never count your weasels before they pop, I tells ya.

But the delightful thing about finding myself suddenly between freelance gigs is that I have much more free time. And who doesn't love free time? Let me rephrase that. What faudie with a brand new oven doesn't love free time?

C Is for Cookie--Is That Not Good Enough for You?
In the time between purchasing Lumpy and Lumpy's arrival, I'd decided I'd inaugurate its oven by whipping up a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies, something I've been dying to do since rediscovering the culinary arts but just have not done. While waiting for just the right time to make a batch of these delectable cookies, I've bookmarked at least half a dozen recipes for this simple but scrumptious cookie, so deciding which one to make might have been difficult, wouldn't you think, Gentle Reader?

For once, I actually made a decision without much drama and agonizing. (That's a real victory for me. Just ask the husband.) I went with David Lebovitz's interpretation of Nick Malgieri's chewy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. The original recipe appears in Malgieri's Perfect Light Desserts: Fabulous Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Made with Real Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs, All Under 300 Calories Per Generous Serving (which is on my list of books to keep an eagle eye out for at Half-Price books), while David's interpretation first appeared on his blog, which has been an inspiration for my own, way back in 2006.

The cookie dough was incredibly easy to make and was ready to go in a jiffy. I knew from prior baking experience that the end products would be a bit more dense since the recipe replaces oil with applesauce, and I'm totally fine with that. While some folks balk at such substitutions to bring down the calorie and fat content and urge instead to stick to moderation, some of us can't even have or prefer not to have even fatty, high-calorie treats in moderation because, well, we might have problems moderating our food intake or might have issues allowing ourselves that occasional "indulgence." (Which is why I wish that publishing and higher profile culinary-type folks would remember that for far too many of us, food isn't just about nourishing our bodies; it comes with a whole lot of emotional baggage, thus we need help making sure that our food choices truly are nourishing while we work through our emotional baggage.)

My cookie scoop once again came in very handy, as did the parchment paper, which I opted to use because it was about 4 PM when I started making the cookies and knew that I still had supper to make yet, thus I didn't want two cookie sheets sitting around waiting for me to clean while I was wrangling supper. I was so very pleased by how well the cookie dough dropped onto the paper, unlike those messy key lime cookies I made just a few days ago.

Lumpy Cookies + Lumpy the Oven = Total Awesomeness
I'll admit to you, Gentle Reader, that I was very nervous about preheating the oven. What if it blows up? was the silliest of my fears. What if I failed to remove all the packaging and something catches on fire? was the more realistic of my concerns. What if Lumpy performs about as well as 'ol Lady Kenmore? was the most absurd of my worries.

But have no fear, Gentle Reader, for Lumpy performed beautifully. It preheated so incredibly quickly. While I'd given half a thought to whipping out an old oven thermometer I have to check the temperature once Lumpy beeped to tell me it was ready to go, I didn't do it because, well, I was lazy and just wanted to get the cookies baked before I ate the dough right off the cookie sheets.

As recommended by both David and the folks at ATK and, I believe, the folks at King Arthur Flour, I swapped the sheets on the racks after about five minutes of baking so they'd have equal time in the two possible oven positions. Yeah, sure, it's a hassle (especially when you're operating a new oven and didn't fully read the instructions for the timer before putting it to use and discover that when the timer goes off, the oven shuts off in its basic mode of operation), but if you really, really love cookies and/or your cookies are already handicapped by a bumbling would-be culinary artist, you want to give them every shot at coming out edible, right?

And boy oh boy did these babies come out edible!

If you want to try them for yourself, Gentle Reader, here's the recipe.

David Lebovitz's Take on Nick Malgieri's Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe1 C flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t NaCl
2 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C (packed) light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/3 C rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 C dark raisins (or dried cranberries)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and set the racks on the lower and upper thirds of the oven.
   
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and NaCl.
   
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Mix in the brown sugar, then the egg, applesauce and vanilla.
   
4. Stir in the dry ingredients, then the oats and raisins.
   
5. Drop the batter by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on the baking sheets, and use a fork to gently flatten the dough.
   
6. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until they "look dull on the surface but are moist and soft," according the Nick. Rotate baking sheets during baking for even heating.

The Faudie's Futzings
or
The Faudie's Interpretation of David Lebovitz's Take on Nick Malgieri's Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe

• I used egg substitute instead of the one egg. I never have eggs in my 'fridge. Maybe one day I'll have to break down and buy some since it seems I will have opportunity to use them.
  
• I used Smart Balance butter instead of my usual fat-free Promise substitution. I knew that I'd be dealing with a lot of liquid in the recipe already thanks to the applesauce and didn't want to sabotage it with even more from the fat-free butter.
  
• I used white whole wheat flour. I knew from prior experience that its nuttier taste would go extremely well with the oats.
  
• I used Clabber Girl Sugar Replacer in lieu of the granulated sugar, and I whipped out the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend in lieu of the packed brown sugar. The dough might have turned out not quite a gooey if I'd used the granulated sugar since the Clabber Girl stuff is awfully powder (it looks and acts a lot like powdered sugar), but I didn't want all that sugar in my cookies. I'm a carb-oholic and must do what I can to restrain myself.
  
• I didn't realize until just now as I was coding the recipe's instructions that I was supposed to flatten the scooped cookie dough with a fork. Oopsie! Well, I don't think that really screwed anything up. The cookies came out baked just enough for my preferred level of chewiness.

Pressure Cooker + Lumpy the Oven = Total Awesomeness
For supper, I quickly made some Acapulco chicken. And I do mean quickly, Gentle Reader, for Lumpy had my pressure cooker fully pressured within minutes thanks to one of its two high-power (16,000 BTU) burners--and I only had it set to medium heat! If I'd made this feast on 'ol Lady Kenmore, I'd have needed a good 15 minutes to fully pressurize the cooker.

Nor did I have to worry about ruining my pressure cooker because the burner's flame was just...right. There's no other way for me to describe it. The flame was even, steady and constant and provided even, steady and constant heat. 'ol Lady Kenmore? Constancy and steadiness were just not her forte.

If you haven't figured it out yet, Gentle Reader....

I Heart Lumpy!