MAX YOUR MENU: Thank the Lord for Cooking Shortcuts

There are times in life you just need a quick way to get a LOT done. If you can find shortcuts, take them.

I agreed (at some point this last week when I must have been deeply involved in some other thought process like where to take my afternoon nap) to bring dessert to a BBQ fundraiser on Saturday -- all the desserts -- for fifty people.

Now, heaven forbid that I make it easy on myself and buy a big cake and fruit at the grocery store. NO . . .  I had other plans - plans which have me hyped on sugar right now because after all the licks and tastes, it is a little hard to sleep which is why I have a blog - so that when random thoughts start ticking through my brain at 11:11 PM, I have somewhere to get them out - on the unwitting, unknowing public - that's you.

So, what did I cook? Feeling the unwarranted, unimposed need to bring a diverse offering, I now have:

2 pumpkins pies cooling on my oven top.

1 tray of oatmeal chocolate chunk bars also cooling - made from the oatmeal raisin recipe under the lid of the oatmeal. We just exchanged the raisins for big chocolate chunks.

1 smaller pan of chocolate chip cookie bars already cooled and waiting to be cut.

1 pan of brownies also waiting to be cut and arranged with the other items.

1 keylime cheesecake pie (which totally sounds impressive even to me BUT is only a tub of keylime cheesecake pie filling made by the Philadelphia Cream Cheese company dumped into a pre-made graham cracker crust. Shortcuts are important in sugar baking sprees like this one)

1 apple crisp - waiting to be assembled and cooked in the morning. I still need to cut the apples on that one too.

1 pineapple, 1 cantaloupe and a bag of green grapes to wash, cut, and arrange.

No, I haven't taken any pictures yet. That will have to be in the AM when everything looks all pretty and ready to go.

Oh, by the way, it is raining and all of this is for an outdoor garden party. I might just have to stay home and eat my way through the kitchen. JUST KIDDING. I will go sell all of it on the street corner under an umbrella. I can't eat this stuff. I am on a diet.

I think I'll cook healthy soups next. Soup Spree! Who wants to join me?

Comments

[Jennifer Young]

Haha! We are so much alike. I always have to have variety too. And, who would really care if all you had was brownies! I stress myself out all the time with stuff like this and it drives my husband nuts. One of these days I AM going to buy a bakery cake for a birthday. I promise.