In the wide wonderful world of sporting clays, many shooting instructors are fond of saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.
There is a lot of truth to that advice.
One spring morning at the 74 Ranch and Resort near Campbellton, my older brother Harvey and I spent an enjoyable couple of hours pounding away at some of the most challenging targets in the state.
At one station, there was a target that was launched from under our feet as we were standing on a berm. The target seemed to be flying straight away and dropping well out into an open field.
After missing that target 10 times in a row, I changed tactics. First I shot to the left of it, with no success; then I went right, also with no success.
Finally, I did just the opposite of what my mind was telling me about the target path and shot about a foot over what I thought was a dropping target. I crushed it.
What we figured out was that the terrain was deceptively presenting an image of a dropping target that was actually rising. Doing something different produced a different result.
In the wide wonderful world of cooking, many chefs will say that doing something different is the definition of creativity. A tweak here and a tweak there will often result in a new taste sensation.
The following is one example of doing something different, in this case with a cookie staple favored in the Lone Star State.
The substitution of dark chocolate chips and chocolate Rice Krispies really kicks up the favor in this cookie recipe that I first published in my cookbook “The Campfire Chef: Old Boots and Bacon Grease.”
Chef Ralph’s Texas Ranger Cookies
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups uncooked oatmeal
- 2 cups chocolate Rice Krispies
- 1 cup coconut
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Cream together shortening and sugars, add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Roll about one heaping tablespoon of mixture into a ball for each cookie, press flat with a fork and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 12 to 14 minutes.