Monday Menu: Snickerdoodles and Macaroni Salad

One of my neighbors left us this past week. I only knew him in passing, meaning every day when I walked the dogs, if he was out on his porch, he would say hi and inquire about how we all were doing. When Bixby died, he was sad with us; when Trixie was a rambunctious puppy flopping around on her leash, he laughed with us. I will miss all of that.

I wanted to do something for his family, and as we do during these times, we bring food and flowers. So I bought some pansies for his front garden and made Snickerdoodles for his grandkids.

I like them for gifts because they don’t have nuts or chocolate in them, so I feel like I don’t have to worry about allergies when I drop them off.

Snickerdoodles

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

***

• 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon, for rolling
• 2 tbsp sugar, for rolling

Cream together softened butter and sugar until mixed. Add eggs and beat by hand or with a mixer until fluffy.

Add vanilla and dry ingredients and mix well.

In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar

Roll 2 tbsp of dough into a ball – I use a cookie scoop,  no rolling necessary – and roll in sugar mixture and place about 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 375⁰ F for 8 to 10 minutes. They will still be soft and the center will look undercooked. Let them cool on the cookie sheet before removing to a rack or plate.

Because I was making a full batch, I didn’t use the air fryer method, but these would work wonderfully with that.

I was invited to a party on Friday, so I made a quick macaroni salad to take along. I’ve listed ingredients, but really, you can add whatever fresh veggies you like.

Simple Macaroni Salad

• 7 oz dry shell macaroni, cooked according to package directions
• 6 oz cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 each: red, orange and green peppper, diced
• 4 oz shredded carrots
• 1 small cucumber, diced*

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup, or more if desired, mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Italian dressing or red wine vinegar or dill pickle juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• Spice it up with some seasoning if desired – any of these: chipotles, basil, oregano, hatch green chilis, cumin, jalapenos – you get the idea

*I had no cucumbers, so I diced up two large dill pickles and added dill pickle juice to the dressing.

Once the pasta is al dente, drain and rinse with cold water (this is the ONLY time I recommend rinsing pasta), add vegetables.

Here is the key: don’t add the dressing until about an hour before you are going to serve it. This gives it time to meld without making the pasta mushy.