How to bake cookies without a recipe

I have read a million cookbooks and cooking magazines and it has gotten to the point with my self teaching in the kitchen that I no longer need a recipe so long as I understand the technique. 

Problem is that it is harder to find cooking technique books than it is to find run-of-the-mill cookbooks.

I want to cook things without a recipe and do not want to rely on them.

Here I will use cookies for example, and I hope to teach someone something in the process.

The basic ingredients in cookies are:

Flour

Sugar

Egg

Flavouring

Baking soda

Extra

Fat (Butter, margarine or any other fat)

Now it would make common sense not to use bacon grease as your fat, unless for some reason you wanted to make pork cookies, but the idea here is to learn the science behind cooking so if you ever wanted to make bacon cookies you could. The fat can also be a nut butter or shortening. Think FAT! Oil is not a particularly good choice here because it is not very stiff. 

I start with the fat and the sugar. About equal parts or each, however some like sugarier cookies. Remember more sugar will make them crumblier as the sugar does not bind as well as the other ingredients.

Also, with the sugar, whether you use brown, white, natural, cane or even finely crushed butterscotch or mint candies will make a big difference in your cookies. All white sugar will cause it to come out like a sugar cookie where as brown sugar gives it a softer chew. Crushed candies will also give a flavour to the cookies so you may want to omit any other flavouring. Experiment with whatever sugars you like, keep in mind that if you are looking for a chocolate chip cookie consistency it is usually done with a 50/50 mix of brown and white sugars. More white if you want it crispier and more brown if you want it softer. I personally like 75% brown and 25% white but again, whatever you like, have on hand or depending on the kind of cookie (I might make a bacon cookie with 100% brown sugar but a Christmas style sugar cookie would be made with all white sugar).

Mix this very well, some call it "creaming" the sugar and butter.

Eggs are kind of like the glue that holds it all together, it also causes the cookies to brown. Depending on what kind of cookies you are making and how many would determine how many eggs you use. I have never experimented with too many eggs, so I don't know what happens if you put lots of eggs in your cookies. The amount of egg to batter is hard to describe, but I personally like one egg to each cup of fat used. 

The flavouring is normally vanilla extract when making cookies, though any extract can be used (Almond, mint etc) as well as other kinds of liquid flavouring (Including juice) Add as much of this as you like, keeping in mind that too much will overpower the taste of the cookies and not enough will not have a strong taste at all. It would also be too much flavouring if it drastically changes the texture of the dough you have so far. For myself, I usually add a few tablespoons of flavouring or extract to each cup of fat used though I have seen many recipes and have used 2 eggs for each cup of fat so it doesn't have to be so precise (in fact, this whole process does not have to be precise).

Baking soda causes to cookies to rise. I usually about one teaspoon to each cup of fat used but I have made cookies without it and with extra. It really doesn't make a huge difference but if you want fluffy cookies, use it. 

I usually mix it at this point, but you can not over mix cookies, so mix as much as you like.

Extra stuff are things like oatmeal, chocolate chips, M&Ms, coconut, raisins, crushed candy bar pieces, nuts or really any thing else you want in your cookies. Add as much as you like here. This is really what makes the cookies special and individual so have fun. you can also chose not to add anything here.

Flour is of course the part that makes it all come together. More flour will make it stiffer and less four will make it runnier. The look and feel here will be the biggest key as to whether or not there is enough. You want to be able to make balls with the cookie dough.

If you wish to make a more chocolaty cookie, you can substitute some of the flour for cocoa. Cocoa will make the dough  gooey so I usually use a 25% cocoa to 75% flour mix if making chocolaty cookies. This makes black cookies as opposed to brown or white cookies and taste really chocolaty.

Stir this until it is all mixed well.

To bake, place cookies by balls on a cookie sheet. Grease the pan if your pan is conducive to things sticking to it. Parchment paper is a good idea and I have even used tin foil as well. Anything to keep the cookies from sticking. Of course you don't need to add anything if you have a nice non-stick baking pan.

Space them with enough room so that the cookies don't touch each other when they spread out from the heat. If you are concerned about the cookies spreading out and sticking to each other just put less on each pan and cook in more batches. Better to be safe than sorry and by the second batch you will know exactly how to space them for maximum cookies baked per batch.

Cook at about 325 degrees until browned on top and they look yummy. The bigger you made the balls the longer it will take to cook. Check them often because cookies cook quickly. small cookies cook in under 10 minutes where larger hand sized cookies can take about 15 minutes. This really depends on the size of the cookie. 

The cookies will be soft when they come out so you will want to let them cool. They can cool in the pan, on a cooling rack, in a plate or on a paper bag. You can let them cool wherever you like. this will help them stiffen and make them easier to eat and distribute. I know you want to eat them hot. Timing is key here, eat some when they are cooled off a little but still warm for best results though cookies are good totally cooled too (but you knew that!)

Hope that gave some insight to baking cookies. Now to figure out how to bake cake without a recipe! It's probably pretty similar.

Contest tips part 2

2)Read the newspaper

*I find that contests in the delivered paper are quite rare. I personally do not subscribe to the paper nor do I read it on a regular basis but when I do there are not often contests in it. The kind of paper I am talking about is the local events/news paper. It's hard to describe this kind of news paper. They are usually free papers and usually have a lot of local events and contests in them.

*In Victoria BC this paper is called the Monday magazine.

In Winnipeg MB this paper is called the Uptown Magazine.

ETC ETC ETC

Find your local paper / magazine, ask around or google it.

Often times this magazine/paper will have a contest where the only requirement is to email them your information and the contests are often listen on their website.

In Winnipeg's uptown magazine (for example) the home page for their magazine is THIS PAGE. From surfing the site you will find their contests HERE.

The contests will vary from time to time so check back weekly and enter any you are interested in. I win this way a lot

Another website in winnipeg with local contests is Accesswinnipeg

Win something already! (contest tips part 1)

Here's something I didn't really want to share because the more people playing this game the less of a chance I have of winning. We're talking about contests here! 

Now I understand that some people "professionally" enter contests using auto fill programs on their computer and have all the angles worked out to get the best odds of winning a new washer and drier or a lifetime supply of instant noodles but I am not going to go into that here, mainly because I do not do that myself and do not really have any advice on that topic. The kinds of contests we are going to talk about today are quite small, the prize is something like a CD or DVD and movie, concert or event tickets. Sometimes you can win CASH! 

1) Listen to the radio 

*If you pick the right station you not only listen to the kind of music you like but they also have contests for similar items. You won't win a rock music album listening to a jazz station. Usually the contest will require someone to be the -somethingith- caller and often need you to answer a question or play a game, but not always.

*Set the radio station(s) you listen to's phone number in your speed dial, in your cell phone or house phone, or memorise the phone number. 

*Listen to the requirements for winning. 

*If you only need to call in, no trivia or anything else then call it! You probably won't get in the first time but if you try often you will win eventually. 

I used to win this kind of a contest once a month (the radio station I listened to had a rule where you could only win a maximum of once per month)

* If you need to know the answer of a trivia question and you either know the answer, someone with you knows the answer or you think you have a pretty good guess call in. 

* If it is a game you have to play like answer a few trivia questions in a row CALL IN. Many times these are multiple choice games or have somewhat easy questions. They also often still have smaller prizes if you don't get all the answers right and a large prize for getting it all correct.

*To win radio contests keep calling in. Call in when you think you will win and when you think the odds are stacked up against you. Just call. You will win more often than you think!

* Check out the station's website. Sometimes they have more ways to win or earn points online.

More tomorrow

Financial Peace University

Educating yourself is the the best start to managing your money and Dave Ramsey has an amazing program available through out Canada and the USA. 

It's called Financial peace university. I have been taking this course for a little over a month now and I love it. I have already saved money and payed off more dept that I would have without this money managing course. It is funny and serious and smart. Dave Ramsey talks with such bluntness about how being in debt is wrong that needs to be told to so many people today. 

Now you probably know that debt and poverty is not the way you want to live and know how to educate yourself, you are in a cheap living blog reading my posts and probably read many others or even have your own, but do you know everything you know to fight debt and win in the game of finances? 

At my church this course is free but it may not be free in all locations so search your area for a course starting now and call the location to find out if it is free or if there is a fee. If you can not find any up coming courses in your area check for classes that are currently in progress (by choosing 'advanced search" from the search page)and call the location to ask when they will be starting again or if you can join in part way through. I have two friends that are just starting on week 4. In my church the course is 18 weeks long but this will vary by location as well. It is also requested that you purchase the workbook. In my area it is rather pricey ($130, Yowtch!) but I am finding that taking notes instead of buying the book is working out really well. They hand out any important paperwork in class so I don't feel you need the book, but some people like it.

There are many testimonials on the FPU website. Surf the page and read a little about it. I'll wait.

On top of this there is a special presentation, Town Hall For Hope. This is a special event that will be broadcast live to several locations and is about the recession in particular.  "I am an American and I am not participating in this recession" is the tag line found on the Town hall for hope website. I wish I could attend but I found out about it too late to inform my church about presenting it and it is not showing in my area. You can search for your area from the search section of the homepage.

Make your own Swiffer accesories

I can not take credit for this. This collaboration of links has been put together by Tipnut and am just sharing them with you here.

15 homemade Swiffer cloth patterns includes patterns for knitting, crocheting, sewing and even a no-sew option for the craft challenged (it uses an old sock... brilliant!) 

It also includes a link to a pattern to make your own Swiffer duster and how to take the cap off of a Swiffer wet-jet canister so you can fill it with whatever cleaner you prefer.

The link to the full article in tipnut is HERE.

I personally saw a reusable Swiffer style cloth at Dollarama an just picked one up the other day and then use a spray bottle to get the floor a little damp with a home made cleaner. I'm not as fancy as some people with the whole "Swiffer system" but it works for me.

Customer service, Warenties and Gurantees

My husband bought Transformers Stratego, a board game by Milton Bradley. It was on discount at 'The bargain shop' and I think I know why....

It was missing the stickers you put on all the little pieces, in other words the game was unplayable.

That was about a month ago, today I looked at the box and they listed their website. From there I navigated the page to find the customer service phone number. I called them during regular business hours and explained that I bought the game a month ago and told them about the piece that was missing. She then took my information and said that they would be mailing me the missing stickers for free.

This is the kind of service I regularly get when I call companies. I say this because I know that people are afraid to call companies to complain sometimes, but they will usually do their best to satisfy your needs.

Did you know that most companies guarantee their product? They want you to be happy with it!

Here are a few more examples of times I have called customer service and been totally satisfied.

Last year I bought a $50 breast pump for milk for my baby. I only bought the one for occasional usage, not the heavy duty one and I used it too much and it broke. I called the company that made it (the first years) and after walking me through some troubleshooting steps and found it was beyond repair they replaced it with a more heavy duty model. I only had to pay shipping to send my broken pump back to them. I saw the newer model at the store and it was worth $150! 

Several years ago after Halloween I bought some Halloween M&Ms discounted at the store. They came in small individual bags and I was putting them in my lunch. I was disappointed to find that some of the bags of candies only had 2 or 3 M&Ms in them, so on a whim I emailed the company about it. They called me a few days later, apologized and mailed me coupons for $10 of free M&Ms. Funny thing though, Christmas was coming so just after the holiday I stocked up on $10 worth of discounted red and green candies. That was a lot of candy.... 

Pretty much the same story about Bicks pickles. I bought a jar of mixed veggies and there was only one pickled onion in the jar, sent them an email and they called me get my information so they could send me coupons for 2 free jars of pickles. Well the coupon didn't state what size the pickle jars had to be so I went to the superstore and got the biggest jars they had. This was just last year too.

More recently, my baby gate broke (1st choice brand). From wear and tear I guess. I called the company and they mailed me a form to send them back with the broken piece from the gate. I am now waiting the coupon for a free baby gate to replace the broken one.

Here's my point. Companies have a customer service and will guarantee most anything they sell. They want you to be a happy customer and want you to try their products again. They hire people to do this. Nervous about calling them, send an email. There are often email addresses on the company website as well as phone numbers. I have also never had to prove purchase with copies of receipts when contacting the companies directly. 

Stores also guarantee the items they sell. I know many big box stores will accept exchanges on many products so long as you have the receipt. Wal*Mart is particularly good when it comes to returns with a receipt and will exchange anything within a year so keep those receipts! I find a lot of stuff from Wal*Mart breaks so this is handy to know. 

I wonder though. With the board game I called about today, could you call about a game you bought used? She never asked me where I bought it, just when. They do want you to be able to use their game and play with more people to get them to buy their own copy too so it wouldn't be stealing unless you lied if they asked whether or not you bought it used.

I will have to try it next time I buy a used board game that is missing pieces. But then again, sometimes it's fun to use random marker pieces.

Money tips from the 'Ultimate Cheapskate'

Recently MSNBC had an interview with Jeff Yeager, proclaimed 'ultimate cheapskate' with some tips and to plug his book.

It used to be that “stuff” made you cool. That is so 20th century. Jeff Yeager, the man dubbed the Ultimate Cheapskate by Matt Lauer on TODAY, offers a completely fresh take on personal finance, teaching us how to enjoy life more by spending less.

Click here to watch the interview

free tax software

For those people with only simple returns this year, quick tax offers free programs. Specifically to Canadians with simple income (T4, T4A, tip income, pension income), college and university students with tuition fees for the 2008 tax year or Canadians with simple tax situations, including T4s & charitable donations. 

To start click HERE and pick 'choose yours' under 'NEW! Free editions'

Two things in life are certain

Death and taxes.

A few ways to help with taxes though are Canadian tax cuts and write offs. 

Let's look at the tax cuts from this year first. There are many things you can claim on your taxes. Did you know you can claim your bus passes from last year? How about that soccer club you enrolled your kid in last spring? Do you or your spouse work in the trades? You can claim some tools they purchased last year. Did you know you can claim medical expenses? 

This government website has a nice spattering of info that can probably help you. 

If you are nervous about claiming too many things remember some tax places like H&R Block have a guarantee where if you get audited (happened to me once) they will send all the necessary documents to the government for you and if you incur additional cost from a mistake they made (like claim too much?) they will eat that cost. Maybe paying them $80 is a lot to pay for someone to do your taxes, but if you are looking at getting $500 back per child for their summer camp you enrolled them in, it may be worth it after all.

Blog? Do you?

The following I got from wisebread.com and is a list of 101 things you may be able to write off if you are a blogger or freelancer.  I believe this is an American list, so if in doubt please contact a professional.

Here are the expenses you should look into deducting if you’re a blogger and/or freelancer, assuming they apply to your chosen blogging or freelancing field (you can’t deduct movie tickets if you have no reason to be at the movies…but if you have a blog all about movies and reviews, go for it). 

As always, you need proof of this stuff. No good saying you bought 50 magazines last year if you can’t find the receipts. With the government hemorrhaging money, they’re looking for any opportunity to keep as much of your cash as they can. In the event of an audit (aaarggghhh) you want your finances to be watertight. 

It’s also worth noting that your expenses shouldn’t really outweigh your income (although sometimes it's inevitable in your first year of business, taking into account start-up costs and so forth). But, if you made $1500 from your blogging adventures, writing off a $3500 computer system may trigger a big bad red flag. The IRS doesn't like it when you spend more than you make.  And if in doubt, double check with an accountant. 

1. Industry books & periodicals, including audio books
2. Other books and periodicals used for research
3. Library book charges
4. DVDs and CDs related to your blogging
5. Movie or theater tickets, if related to your blogging or freelancing
6. Music and TV show downloads
7. Magazine subscriptions
8. Research sites that require a subscription
9. Further education classes
10. Webinars
11. Business podcasts
12. Business-related websites (for me, that would be Adweek)
13. Memberships to professional clubs and affiliations
14. Internet access fees (at about $40 a month, that’s a biggie)
15. Public internet access fees (Internet café’s, airports etc)
16. Stock photo purchases for your blog
17. Search Engine Optimization services and fees
18. Paid site submissions
19. Website hosting fees
20. Website design and/or maintenance fees
21. Website/blog templates
22. Domain name cost(s) and renewals
23. Blog expenses (e.g. WordPress additions)
24. Film & Digital cameras
25. Web cameras
26. Handheld video recorders
27. Digital memory cards
28. Recordable CDs and DVDs
29. Zip drives
30. Photo printouts
31. Film & film processing
32. Printer ink and copier toner
33. Phone charging stations (e.g. at the airport)
34. Second phone line for your business/fax machine
35. Long distance charges related to business
36. Cost of phone/fax/scanner/copier equipment
37. Cell phone & PDA expenses (bills, equipment, accessories)
38. Personal voice recorders and memo machines
39. Business equipment rental
40. Computer equipment & peripherals
41. Computer upgrades (I had to upgrade my RAM twice last year)
42. Depreciation costs of computer equipment
43. Data storage (both online and external HDDs)
44. Any business related software (not games…unless you review them)
45. Software licensing fees
46. Anti-virus and anti-spam subscriptions
47. Unpaid invoices. If you do some work for someone, be it a simple blog article or a much bigger job, and you get stiffed on the bill, you can write off your loss.
48. Fees for other bloggers and freelancers. If you get overwhelmed and pay a friend or relative to help out, any money you pay that person for their assistance is a tax deduction.
49. Tax and accounting software
50. Tax preparation fees
51. Business incorporation costs
52. Costs for Trademarks or Copyrights.
53. Business logos and graphic design fees
54. Business cards, letterhead and other stationery (even stuff you print yourself)
55. Office supplies (everything from paper to paper clips)
56. Home office expenses. You can deduct the part of your home you use exclusively for blogging or freelancing as an expense, including a portion of the rent, water, heating bills and so on.
57. Percentage of your home insurance (for your home office)
58. Online self-promotion fees (that includes banners and Adwords costs)
59. Trade show fees
60. Advertising costs (newspapers, stickers, posters, postcards etc)
61. Photography fees (e.g. headshots, pack shots etc)
62. Photocopying/faxing fees
63. Transportation costs: car mileage; airline tickets; taxis; buses; trains.
64. Highway tolls
65. Parking fees
66. Hotel costs for business trips.
67. Cleaning & laundering services when traveling for business.
68. Costs of conferences, plus all related expenses (e.g. BlogHer)
69. Health insurance costs (if you’re self-employed)
70. Computer equipment insurance
71. Food and drink purchased on business trips
72. Client entertainment (be reasonable…not sure you’ll get away with Strip Club deductions)
73. Postage costs (Stamps.com is ideal for keeping track of postage, and the service itself is tax-deductible)
74. PayPal and Western Union fees
75. Post Office Box fees.
76. Safe Deposit Box fees.
77. Self-storage fees, especially useful if your files and records are spilling over into your garage and you need extra space.
78. Advice. Any professional advice you pay for that pertains to your business is a tax deduction, and that includes counseling or coaching.
79. Membership dues to labor unions (do bloggers have a union?)
80. Charity work or donations (this one’s tricky. It’s limited to your out-of-pocket costs, not the final cost of the product. In my case, I’ve done some writing for charity, which is not applicable because you can’t deduct time spent. But any materials used during your charity work can be deducted).
81. Prizes and giveaways. Here at Wise Bread, we give away some very nice things. Often, they are generously given to us as gifts to pass on to you, or readers. But when we go out and spend money on a prize to give away, that can be deducted, as well as the cost to mail it out to you.
82. Business furniture. If you use it exclusively for your blogging or freelancing, then anything from a chair or filing cabinet to the whole desk can be written off.
83. Business functions. If you hold a little get-together for clients, even just one or two, then everything from the rental of the room (or golf course…know what I mean?) to food and drink can be deducted.
84. Business lunches. You can't include your own meal, but if you pick up the tab at a power-lunch (or just a meeting with a potential client) you can write off their part of the check.
85. Props. I sometimes use props for photoshoots, and the cost of those props can be deducted.
86. Job search expenses. Any money you spend trying to get work, from postage to travel, is a deductible expense.
87. Alcohol and drug abuse treatment. If the pressure turns you into a Betty Ford patient, you can deduct the expenses of treatment. Let’s hope you never have to though.
88. Any losses due to theft. Away on business, your laptop gets stolen…write it off.
89. Moving expenses related to your blogging or freelancing.
90. You can deduct 50% of your self-employment tax
91. Home improvements. Turn the basement into a home office, those expenses are deductible.
92. Clothing and accessories. If you have to buy any clothing for a particular job (maybe you needed protective clothing & headwear to write an article about a building site) then those costs are also deductible. But don’t try and write off your new Gucci watch.
93. Business checking expenses. If you have anything more that free checking, it’s a deduction.
94. Business gifts. This is cool. If your mom watched the kids while you went off to do an interview or write an article, and you then bought her flowers or choccies, well, the gift is tax deductible. Very sweet.
95. Annual fees for business credit cards.
96. Physical therapy. Writing for eight hours a day can cause all sorts of problems, including the dreaded Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. I've been advised by many accountants that you can deduct the cost of that therapy. However, medical expenses are a complex beast, and usually need to be a percentage of your income. Check with your accountant for details.
97. Headache pills, eye drops and so on. If staring at the screen all day gives you a killer migraine, you can write off the cost of the meds to help you get through it and keep on working.
98. Wages. Say you pay your kid $20 a month to empty your office trash can, maybe as a way to earn an allowance. Well, you can deduct that expense.
99. Your dog. No kidding, if you can prove it's a guard dog and is protecting your equipment, you can write-off the doggie expenses.
100. Net operating loss. If your deductions outweigh your earnings, which often happens in your start-up year, you can use that loss to lower your taxes next year. 
     

And one big final deduction you may want to think about:

101. Your TV cable or satellite bill. I can deduct it because I need it…I work in the movie business. It’s a very nice deduction, too. If you blog about soaps, movies, TV shows, or anything else in the entertainment field, this could be a nice write-off for you.
     

It's a big list, but even if only 25% of it applies to you, it could add up to a nice chunk of cash back in your pocket. And before I get chastised, I'm not against paying taxes. But when corporations are finding ways to jump through every legal loophole and pay almost no federal tax, I don't think it hurts you to take the legitimate tax deductions on the table. 

Go stake your claim.  

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I would like to add to this list, having a small business myself. Last year the guy at H&R block last year told me that because I use a room in my home in my office I can write off a portion of my gas and electricity bills as well as a portion of my mortgage. I also heard that I can claim donations to my church or other donations. I will be sure to ask the tax guy. I am going to be back to the same guy at H&R as last year because I know he can do a better job (and get me more money) than I ever could but if you have the confidence to do it yourself then do it but really look into what you can and can't claim! There may be money waiting for you.