That for which there is no excuse

I'm still reflecting on last night's Razz-Ma-Tazz bars. They made an excellent breakfast, and are just as good today as they were yeterday. Unable to sleep this morning, I was up long before the rest of my family and spent a bit of time online looking for other sensational bar recipes. How could you not love a good bar cookie recipe? One pan, one recipe, and easily 2 dozen little bites to enjoy. While I do love a good cookie, bar cookies are something special in my opinion. So this morning I copied and pasted about 20 different bar cookie recipes into my Mastercook and I was casually wondering when I would get around to trying them all. Then I thought that it was a shame there wasn't a bake sale coming up where I could make 3 or 4 different kinds at once.

The bake sale. Where have they gone? Sadly, they have gone the way of homemade goodies, I think. And why is that? I fondly recall going to bake sales and looking at tables and tables of lovingly prepared goodies. Those luscious homemade cinnamon rolls and quick breads and mounds of cookies galore. Gradually as the years passed by, those homemade bites of goodness made way for goodies prepared from a mix, and most recently, I've even seen bake sale goodies bought from a bakery and repackaged. That is a true shame.

And why is it that so many times a cookie bought from a bake sale or sampled at a potluck tastes like cardboard at best? Come on people. Following a recipe is not brain surgery. I have chatted many times with my Mother-In-Law about this very phenomenon. She is also in disbelief that there are so many people who claim they can't cook. There have been many discussions just this year about recipes and how they are being written more simply so that anyone can follow them. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked "where did you learn to cook so well?" And while I can honestly say that I learned a lot about the basics of cooking from my Mom. The main reason why I think I can cook so well is because I know how to read. As basic as that. I can read a list of ingredients, and then follow the directions correctly through to the end. Anyone can read a recipe! What I say to some is quit claiming you can't cook and trying to pass off those bars made from a box as your own. Pick up a cookbook and follow a recipe or two. You will be successful. You will eat much better, your family will eat much better, and your mystery meat dish won't be the most feared thing at a potluck.