Measure By Measure

I'm a bit of a fiend for measuring cups, like when I make pancakes or cookies -- I like to make'em the same size, more or less, for consistency of cooking, so I pour'em with measuring cups. Usually, an ice cream scoop's worth of cookie dough, which I then halve, rolling them into balls. That gives me a consistent outcome. For pancakes (etc.), usually one-third of a cup is ideal for a nice-sized pancake.

Blanching

I've taken to getting fresh baby leaf spinach and blanching it a minute in the microwave, then adding feta cheese and black pepper to it, and blanching it another minute. Then I like toasting a plain bagel and putting the spinach-n-feta mixture on it. Really tasty!