Cookies – Valerie's Voice

Oops…

We are spending a few weeks with our grandchildren in Virginia. One of the activities we like to do together is bake. We found the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies in the cupboards so we decided to make a batch.

It’s a team effort…the three of us… our oldest granddaughter, her brother and myself. We don aprons, wash our hands, and always take turns measuring the different ingredients, adding them to the mixer, stirring them all together and rolling the cookie dough into balls to drop on the cookie sheet.

Into the oven they went…one cookie sheet at a time. We checked them after nine minutes, the lowest time of the suggested 9-11 minute time check. As we opened the oven door, all three of us were there to inspect. And what we saw was not what we expected. Hmmm…

They don’t look like they normally do…what did we do wrong?

Let’s go over the ingredient list...

Sugar – check
Flour – check
Baking soda – check
Salt – check
Butter – check

Wait...oops...the recipe calls for 1 cup of butter. Oh, Oh...we only added one stick of butter when it called for one cup, which is two sticks.

Darn! I’m sorry kiddos, I told us the wrong amount of butter to use.

“It’s OK grandma…they’ll probably still taste good.” (They’re so sweet!)

And, surprisingly the cookies were tasty! We finished baking all the cookie dough and ate them all up over the next two days. In fact, I may use only one stick of butter the next time I use this recipe…they were that good!

It reminded me of a Thomas Edison quote: “I have not failed. I have successfully discovered twelve hundred ideas that don’t work”

…only this mistake worked!

The Secret Recipe

I was honored to have an out-of-state friend stop by to visit over the holidays. When people come back to town there is always many places to go and people to see, so I felt special that she carved out time to come visit. She is the daughter of a cherished friend who passed away a few years ago. I was excited to see her and her family, and for her to see our new house.

I decided to make cookies…a recipe that used to be her favorite cookie whenever she came over to our house back when she was in high school. When my guys were younger and living at home, I made a special chocolate chip cookie recipe all the time (now I tend to make my mother’s ginger cookies), but for this notable visit I decided to make my “secret chocolate chip” recipe. I never gave out the recipe back then… Now the cookies are long forgotten by many.

However, on this day my secret chocolate chip cookies brought delight. My guest was excited that I made these cookies for her and her young family. It made me happy. As her kids gobbed up the cookies, she asked me if my recipe was still secret and I said no. I made her a copy of the old, tattered recipe clipping from a magazine and handed it off to her.

She said she will take it home and let it be her own secret recipe now.

Meet the Neighbors

When I learned about the death of a former neighbor, I knew I would go to the funeral even though I didn’t know her well. Gary had a commitment, so I went by myself.

The funeral was out of town, so I was driving through country roads that morning. This lone tree was stunning.

That morning, as I drove to the funeral, I thought of all the things I had to do since we were having company for dinner, but whenever I vacillate, I remember I never regret if I “just show up.’” And again, that was the case. I was glad I went. Not only did her husband remember me and ask about our family, but I felt peaceful sitting in the beautiful church, filled with bountiful and amazing sprays and bouquets of flowers, waiting to honor Margaret’s life and learn more about who she was.

Margaret (84) and her husband (in his 90’s) moved into our neighborhood over twenty years ago, and then moved out several years later to other places. We would stop and chat whenever we would see them out and about after they moved away. Margaret would always remind us of the time when Gary and I and our two teenage boys brought homemade, chocolate chip cookies to welcome them to their new home in the neighborhood. She would repeat that story each time we met. She enjoyed it so.

At the funeral, I learned that she, too, would give her specialty cookies, snickerdoodles, to many different folks over the years. Although I brought chocolate cookies that day, the cookies I enjoy most is my mother’s ginger cookies.

I use my mother’s recipe for these ginger cookies, sometimes called ginger snaps.

I wonder if people bring home made goodies to welcome newcomers? I admit I haven’t for a while now. Here are couple of new ideas I’ve heard of…

A couple moved into a neighborhood and made cookies to bring to their neighbors and introduce themselves, instead of waiting for the neighbors to come to them.

When our son and daughter-in-love moved into their new house, they hosted an open house and invited the neighbors over so they could meet them. It was a hit.

It’s a gift to be remembered, however it’s done.

Northfield’s Winter Walk

Last night Northfield’s main street was closed to traffic and luminaries were placed along the curbs and downtown business stayed open late for holiday shoppers. There were carolers, and horse-drawn wagon rides and store-front windows decorated for the festive, annual Winter Walk. I remember the first Winter Walk 18 years ago. I bought a Santa hat at Jacobsen’s Department Store and have worn it to every Winter Walk since. Jacobsen’s closed in 1998. It was a “store with a heart” – so they advertised – a wonderful, old fashioned department store where you could find anything.

Many stores offer treats during the Winter Walk. My friend makes cookies for a corner store on main street with windows are always decorated creatively, no matter what time of year. My friend is a great cook and baker. If she asks me for a recipe I feel special. One year she asked for my mom’s ginger cookie recipe and somehow it was decided she would make 1,000 ginger cookies using my moms recipe to hand out at the corner store during Winter Walk this year! My mother would been surprised and I was delighted to stop by and taste a delicious ginger cookie.

I have always said of Ruby’s ginger cookies…there cannot possibly be anything unhealthy eating a fresh baked, (especially warm from the oven) ginger cookie!