Snickerdoodles

It came to my attention recently that I tend to write about cooking things around here and fail to post the recipe's for them.  So I will try harder to follow through from here on out.  And on that note, I was asked to share my Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe.  And so here it is.

 1 cup shortening
 1 1/2 cups white sugar
 2 eggs
 2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 2 tablespoons white sugar
 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

   1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
   2. In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended.
   3. In a small shallow bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in the sugar mixture. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should be slightly golden at the edges. Remove to cool on wire racks.

And there ya have it. In my humble opinion some of the best cookies in the whole wide world.

I've been  thinking about different foods from around America.  Things that I just consider an everyday food or meal would to some seem strange.  Or never heard of.  I was talking to a friend from the Pacific North West who calls zucchini squash.  OK, technically  I know it is.  But to me zucchini is just that- zucchini.  When I think of summer squash I think of  yellow crookneck squash. There are bound to be more examples that I'm not thinking of .  My folks never planted things like beets and rutabaga's.  But there was always okra and turnips growing out there. Now I wonder what all do you grow that is more "local" to your area?
I'm looking forward to my first batch of turnip greens cooked with sauteed onions and bacon.  And the first batch of fried okra is always the best one of the year. But by the end of the summer I don't want to look at anymore okra for awhile.  

Did you know you can dehydrate okra?  It makes a tasty snack right out of the jar.  It also rehydrates beautifully.  Right down to the "slime".  It fries as good as the day it was picked!
I am one of those folks  that don't really care for boiled okra.  Maybe I just haven't found the right recipe but unless its in a gumbo of some sort I will usually pass on it.  For me fried is the okra of choice.  So if anyone as an okra recipe you would like to share I would be willing to try once again to find a way to cook it other than frying it.