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Black beans & yellow rice w/ tostones or boiled yucca...

@salpico - that sounds amazing...I haven't had an egg cream in far too long. I'm off to buy some U-bet & Seltzer!

This is an interesting thread. ALL of my cookies come out flat, and I've never been able to figure it out. I use only butter, always room temp, and I cream for 3 minutes with a handheld mixer. America's Test Kitchen FAmily Cookbok says you should no longer feel the grains of sugar in properly creamed butter, but I have never managed to make them disappear--does that sound right to you all?

My cookies TASTE great, but sometimes I wish they were a little thicker to bite into.

It's not like he ate sausage and cheese (only) pizza every day. He put other toppings on top of his sausage pizza.

Pizza may not be as expansive as my ramen 2 times daily for 3 months, as I changed up the flavor and ingredients every day, so it never got old.

You're not supposed to roll out snickerdoodles. You roll the dough into balls, roll them in cinnamon sugar then bake.

Overmixing will make the dough tough. Not incorporating the fat to the flour also a problem. Oven temp not right problem. Snickerdoodles are sugar cookies they are not supposed to be puffy. For puffiness add half shortening and half butter and more baking powder (2 tsp).

i couldn't eat the same thing for EVERY meal everyday for an entire month. i don't know how that guy did it with the pizza.

I don't know about anyone else, but I've never made or seen a tall puffy snickerdoodle, even in magazine photos. They come out of the oven looking puffy, but quickly deflate into a flat, chewy circle.

If you want puffy, you'll probably need to add baking powder. My snickerdoodle recipe calls for cream of tartar and baking soda, which is what baking powder is made from. I think that adding more baking powder would throw off the recipe's chemistry of rising.

But. . .I just happen to have a recipe that's been in my collection of things that sound/look interesting that I might like to try. . .someday. But I love my flat-ish snickerdoodles just the way they are and never felt the urge to try anyone else's recipe. This one, from Gale Gand, calls for baking soda, one tablespoon (yes, tablespoon!) of baking powder, and no cream of tartar. Sounds to me like the cookies would come out really puffy--like pregnant.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/snickerdoodles-recipe/index.html

I agree with creaming the butter and sugar well so that it's light and fluffy--get as much air as you can into this mixture before incorporating other ingredients. Another thought is what size eggs are you using? Large is standard for most baking, although Ina Garten prefers extra large; going up one size may provide the extra boost you're looking for, but hopefully they wouldn't be too cakey. Also, how fresh is your cream of tartar and baking soda? That could also be affecting how your snickerdoodles bake up. Lastly--do they taste good? The taste is where it's at, and most people would gladly eat a tastie cookie rather than a pretty, yet bland cookie. Good luck, and if you modify your recipe/technique with success, PLEASE let us know. I always wonder how people make out in their endeavors.

I live at 3500 feet in Bend Oregon, and I always have to double any leaveners in my recipes.
I made Snickerdoodles this past weekend to send to my Air Force son in Texas. Although mine were not soft and chewey they did rise just fine. I did use 2 t. of baking powder in my recipe.
I hope this helps.

my mom and dad died in a car wreck when i was 16, i remember lots of meals but for some reason the sweets, the homeade pies and homeade ice cream seemed to comfort me the most.

A bit costly, but maybe two co-workers can go in on this:

Roast a whole beef filet (or half if the family's kind of smallish). Deliver with a big bag of assorted hard rolls, a potato or pasta salad, and fresh fruit or really interesting bottled juices. Add a sumptuous homemade apple cake or pie and/or some good coffee. Also think of breakfast and visiting relatives- assorted muffins or coffeecakes are also practical.

Roast can be sliced for sandwiches or whatever. The suggestions to bring paper products are also good.

This is one I've made frequently - a chicken and corn stew. It's a nice change from lasagna, but still freezes well if that's appropriate. I'd suggest skipping the "corn wafers" and sending some corn bread or muffins to go with the stew.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-and-Corn-Stew-with-Corn-Wafers-12315