Brittany's Pantry

At the present time, I am dealing with some strange things from my cupboards.  I may have mentioned once or twice (or a dozen) times that we are renovating our house right now, and the kitchen is the next room on the chopping-er, demolition-block.  No pun intended…

So from the depths of my pantry I am pulling forth some strange ingredients.  I am at the point where everything that I don’t absolutely need, gets boxed up, hauled to the basement, and the remaining items get condensed down to my pantry shelves.  The theory is that if we close the doors and drape it with plastic, that everything inside will stay relatively clean when the sledge hammers start to fly.  That remains to be seen, but in the mean time, I need to make room for all of the dishes, pots and pans, utensils, and of course, food staples that we can’t live without.  I want to be able to have access to a few things from my kitchen, even if it won’t really exist at the time.  What is wrong with take-out, you ask?  Well, nothing really.  But we live in a fairly small town and our options are limited.  We are a good half hour from anything beyond your basic fast food, something we really don’t eat anyway.  And no matter how much I might crave a double cheeseburger, it would get old pretty quickly.  Remember that whole conversation we had about me needing variety in my food?  I have a feeling I will be tested in the weeks to come!

Now, I do have to clarify one thing.  I confess that when I saw the Rubbermaid of ground oatmeal, my heart started to go pitty-pat.  Sure, my husband happened to walk past me at the time, but it was also because I knew I could make these!

The only reason I have ground oatmeal (rolled oats ground fine in a food processor) in my pantry is to make these cookies.  No joke!  I wanted to make sure that I would always have the resources to whip them up whenever I wanted.  And I had just enough left in my pantry to make one more batch.  Now, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that as a family, we pretty much think these are the best chocolate chip cookies, ever!  Just the right balance of sugar and butter.  They aren’t cakey, but crisp and chewy.  When we want  just a basic, classic, chocolate chip cookie, this is the only one we make.  Now what to do with all that coconut milk…

Giada’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis
This recipe is from her cookbook Giada’s Family Dinners, and she loves it so much, she made hundreds of them for her wedding.  Once you make a batch, you will see why.  Better yet, make a double and freeze some for a snack later.

1/2 c old-fashioned (not quick cooking) oats
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
1 c brown sugar
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips

Pulse oats in a food processor until finely ground.  Set aside.  Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients, including the ground oats and mix just until combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoonful onto a sprayed or parchment covered sheet pan.  Bake at 325 or until cookies are golden (cookies will flatten slightly), about 14 minutes.

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