I searched for the answer but didn't find it. Is there some way to set the default for "full menu" instead of the short list, which seems designed to show the top 4 functions that I won't be needing? Or can I at least pick which functions will be on the short list? The way it is now, I'm constantly adding steps.

If you hit the menu button over the icon, you will be able to determine them. The first 5 in the big list are what shows up in the short list.

Also, you may try different themes. Different themes yield different results.