"I had a farm in Africa."





Well. Not quite a farm...and not quite in Africa...and it wasn't mine....

I just wanted to say that.
With my best Danish accent.

But Out of Africa has nothing to do with this post.

I'm gonna talk about baking at the lodge....in Oklahoma.


The lodge is a spectacular place.

The remodel is chronicled here : Lodge Remodel

It looks very smallish and short from the outside. But I think that is because of it's setting.
Stepping in the front door felt a bit like falling down the rabbit hole.

But it was not filled with odd things. It was filled with familiar things.






The bathrooms were always my favorite.
So spa like.





Here Katie sips a Capri Sun in the middle of the kitchen.
She is in the middle of all the cooking action.
The big stove and fridge is to her left and she is facing the giant island.

But behind her is the baking and dish washing area.
(And if you are Emma, the coffee making area.)

It is a cooks kitchen.
A kitchen for a cook who cooks for large groups.
It is perfect for that!


Cooking in a kitchen like this presents challenges for the newbie.
I can not tell you how many drawers I looked into. More than once.
I needed a map with a big star that said, "You are here."
And I needed to wear my running shoes or rollerblades.

No wonder Ree is so slim! She gets in her daily steps in the kitchen ;o)

But before I could start baking I needed some chocolate chips.
The pantry had everything I needed to make the Neiman Marcus cookies except chips.
(I have a feeling there are chips in the lodge somewhere. I just couldn't find them.)

So Emma and I drove to town. It didn't seem too far. The only unusual part was driving on a gravel road and waving to mustangs for half of the trip.

Once we got home with the chips, I realized that I had forgotten to get the butter out of the refrigerator.

So. I'll just microwave it.
Now.....Where is the microwave?

And I could not find one.
Because the ONLY thing Ree forgot to put in the kitchen was a microwave!


And since it was 100 degrees outside, I stuck the butter on the deck.
I stuck the butter on the deck, went in the cool lodge for a shower and found a perfectly softened stick of butter waiting for me in ten minutes.


The cookies turned out fine, I guess.
They were gone in a few hours.
Don't you love when food disappears!?

I do.
I much prefer it to lingering pans, half-full.
I like to be able to say...All gone!

Neiman Marcus Cookies
Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, slightly crushed (I use 1 teaspoon of instant coffee instead)
8 ounces chocolate chips (I use less)

Directions

1. Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy.
2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract.
3. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
10 to 12 minutes for a crispier cookie. Makes 12 to 15 large cookies.

There you have it :o) Espresso powder...who would've thunk it?
Yum.

I'm not the best cook in town but I do have a recipe page that was started when I started this blog.
The things I know how to cook.
Most recipes are quite simple and fail-safe.

And so ends my thrilling story about baking in the lodge.
Tomorrow I will delight you with my story about turning the lights out at the lodge.
Naw. Just kidding.
Tomorrow I will talk about the wind.
The wind that comes sweeping down the plains.



Thanks for sticking with me :o)

Encourage one another,
Donna