one day during the cookie year, i came home from school, reported to my place in the kitchen & found someone there-standing in front of the mixer....MY mixer....my avocado green Sunbeam mixer with the big glass bowl. to make matters worse, something brown & sticky was involved as well as my little sister & her neighbor friend, mignonne. on this day (and far too many days to come), they had taken over my hallowed place & were making "no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies"...the nerve.
much as i hated to admit it, they weren't bad...what WAS bad was sharing the cooking spotlight with her. that night daddy gobbled them up like he'd never had a cookie- at least for 24 hours. it was horrible. the next day was no better as she & mignonne were there again standing in my spot making no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies once more. i think i went to pet the dog, janie, or practice for my piano lesson.
this unfortunate pattern continued for at least 13 days straight- one day i think she even made them TWICE. it was like groundhog day with waxed paper instead of bill murray.
by day 6, every cookie sheet in the house was stacked wall to wall in the refrigerator & where the pickles once stood was an army of no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies in varying degrees of dehydration. i fully expected Quaker Oats to erect a silo in our back yard to keep up with the demand for oatmeal. there seemed to be no end in sight. my dad became increasingly unable to hide his fear of the known & began spending evenings away from home- not really, but he did seem to be spending more time hanging out with janie & i swear i smelled peanut butter on her breath.
my sister eventully moved on to other hobbies including far, FAR surpassing any talent i had for the piano & becomming a really good cook. not sure if she still makes no-bake chocloate peanut butter cookies for her kids- she may have blocked it....i'll have to ask when i talk to her today.
it took almost 35 years until i had the chance to try another n-b-c-p-b-c (it's getting tedious to type), but it happened. a couple of years ago, one of my son's football teammates mom brought them to a tailgate party. they were fabulous. the boys went wild. she became famous for them & now totes them along to all our potlucks & parties & get togethers. there's never a crumb left. redemption.
have you tried one since 1976? or ever? if not, here's the recipe for nostalgia....and joy:)
*chocolate no-bake peanut butter cookies*
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cocoa
pinch salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick oats
in a large saucepan, combine sugar, milk, cocoa, salt & butter. mix well. bring to a boil then remove from heat & add the peanut butter & vanilla. beat until smooth. add oatmeal & mix well. let stand for a few minutes, then drop by spoonfuls onto a wax paper lined baking sheet- or two or three...stack in the fridge if you have the space....*you might want to 1/2 (1/4?) the recipe in case you start something with aspiring chefs in your household
-the snackmom (who adores her sisters & may take a wee bit of liberty in recalling the details of her stories)
March 29, 2011
March 26, 2011
C*O*O*K*I*E*S!
for those of you who have been following my blog- well, the one, single, lonely entry to date- you know all about my simple cooking beginnings of endlessly boiling water for dissolving jell-O granules & spending hours creating fruit & gelatin masterpieces consisting of such appetizing combinations as cut up apples with the peel still on(!) suspended in lime Jell-O & my eventual weariness of the jiggly stuff. enter the book that saved the day-possibly the year, not to mention my poor dad's taste buds. BETTY CROCKER'S COOKY BOOK. for old times sake, i recently bought my sisters & myself a crisp new copy of "betty crocker's cooky book". no, that is not a toyp....tpyo....TYPO - betty really does spell cookie that way & as far as i'm concerned, anyone who still looks that good after 74 years can spell it however she wants...
first published in 1963, the book, much like betty, is a real treasure...speaking of betty, i swear, the woman is ageless-actually, i don't think she's even real though i do appreciate her classic style & smart red suit- even if she is only a head with shoulders, but i digress.
every recipe in this bright little collection is a winner (with the possible exception of the prune bars-page 12 & fig nut squares-page 68) -at least as a kid i wouldn't have gravitated toward foods with a laxative effect or without the word chocolate in the title. i spent hours pouring over recipes & pictures-planning the next scrumptous batch of cookies to present to my ever-willing- to- eat -whatever- i -made dad- who always acted like i'd just carved faces in granite or something spectacular whenever i made anything. this one book alone accounted for many, many happy hours baking in my childhood kitchen & every single kitchen in any apartment or home we've rented or lived in since. 9 kitchens to date- hopefully that record will hold as i plan to be buried in the yard of our current home right next to the septic tank.
my very favorite part of the cookbook begins on page 138. cookie recipes are catagorized chronologically by decade starting with the best cookie of 1880-1890 ("hermits", in case you're the curious type- a lot of raisins). anyhoo, to my former social studies teacher sensibilities, this is a terrific bonus- history as well as snickerdoodles.
the "kaleidoscope" cookies were always my favorite (see page 127 for the recipe). the picture of them on page 15 is fabulous. mine never quite looked that perfect. somehow the non-pareils (what the heck is a "non-pareil" anyway? i've always wondered-obviously, i didn't take French- i was way too busy baking) didn't stick as uniformly & my dough logs weren't 360* perfection, but i adored tinting the dough pink & green & rolling it in colorful candy sprinkles & lovingly wrapping it in wax paper-the whole thing was a party.
i remember clearly one afternoon in about 1975 (after my jell-O kick was mercifully over) peering through the oven window watching with delight as my lace cookies spread out all over the cookie sheets-just like they were supposed to- while the "Family Affair" theme song played in the other room. i think it just may have been the episode where buffy wanted to visit her friend on another floor for dinner because she had ice cream for dessert while all buffy, jody & sissy ever got was "plain old custard"...and as i painstakingly wrapped my slightly pliable lace cookies around a broom handle i thought to myself, "not me, not my family, no plain old custard here". we were having lace cookies (again). Mr. French had nothing on me.
cookies are still important to me & we make cookies several times a week around our house- they're attached to so many childhood memories (empty tomb cookies each Easter/ soft sour cream drops in the event of getting my braces tightened/ chocolate chip cookies in the event of anything) & though it would be impossible to single out just one favorite to share, i think you'll like this one...it is tres fab (to mis-use the French i never learned) & came from our dear friend & childhood neighbor, "aunt julie"- everyone should be lucky enough to have neighbors who share recipes. this one's for you, davis...
in a large mixing bowl, cream Crisco & sugar - add the molasses & egg. beat well. sift flour, soda, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves & salt. ( i never sift, but the recipe says to) add to the first mixture & mix well. chill. ( you AND the dough- the hard part is over) form dough into 1" balls & roll in *coarse decorator sugar (it's available at all grocery stores by the sprinkles-it sparkles & is SO much prettier than granulated sugar). bake on a greased cookie sheet or parchment lined baking sheet 2 1/2 inches apart for 8-10 minutes at 350* ...your house will smell like Heaven in November
-the snackmom
first published in 1963, the book, much like betty, is a real treasure...speaking of betty, i swear, the woman is ageless-actually, i don't think she's even real though i do appreciate her classic style & smart red suit- even if she is only a head with shoulders, but i digress.
every recipe in this bright little collection is a winner (with the possible exception of the prune bars-page 12 & fig nut squares-page 68) -at least as a kid i wouldn't have gravitated toward foods with a laxative effect or without the word chocolate in the title. i spent hours pouring over recipes & pictures-planning the next scrumptous batch of cookies to present to my ever-willing- to- eat -whatever- i -made dad- who always acted like i'd just carved faces in granite or something spectacular whenever i made anything. this one book alone accounted for many, many happy hours baking in my childhood kitchen & every single kitchen in any apartment or home we've rented or lived in since. 9 kitchens to date- hopefully that record will hold as i plan to be buried in the yard of our current home right next to the septic tank.
my very favorite part of the cookbook begins on page 138. cookie recipes are catagorized chronologically by decade starting with the best cookie of 1880-1890 ("hermits", in case you're the curious type- a lot of raisins). anyhoo, to my former social studies teacher sensibilities, this is a terrific bonus- history as well as snickerdoodles.
the "kaleidoscope" cookies were always my favorite (see page 127 for the recipe). the picture of them on page 15 is fabulous. mine never quite looked that perfect. somehow the non-pareils (what the heck is a "non-pareil" anyway? i've always wondered-obviously, i didn't take French- i was way too busy baking) didn't stick as uniformly & my dough logs weren't 360* perfection, but i adored tinting the dough pink & green & rolling it in colorful candy sprinkles & lovingly wrapping it in wax paper-the whole thing was a party.
i remember clearly one afternoon in about 1975 (after my jell-O kick was mercifully over) peering through the oven window watching with delight as my lace cookies spread out all over the cookie sheets-just like they were supposed to- while the "Family Affair" theme song played in the other room. i think it just may have been the episode where buffy wanted to visit her friend on another floor for dinner because she had ice cream for dessert while all buffy, jody & sissy ever got was "plain old custard"...and as i painstakingly wrapped my slightly pliable lace cookies around a broom handle i thought to myself, "not me, not my family, no plain old custard here". we were having lace cookies (again). Mr. French had nothing on me.
cookies are still important to me & we make cookies several times a week around our house- they're attached to so many childhood memories (empty tomb cookies each Easter/ soft sour cream drops in the event of getting my braces tightened/ chocolate chip cookies in the event of anything) & though it would be impossible to single out just one favorite to share, i think you'll like this one...it is tres fab (to mis-use the French i never learned) & came from our dear friend & childhood neighbor, "aunt julie"- everyone should be lucky enough to have neighbors who share recipes. this one's for you, davis...
*molasses sugar cookies*
3/4 cup crisco ( i didn't say they were health food)
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
in a large mixing bowl, cream Crisco & sugar - add the molasses & egg. beat well. sift flour, soda, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves & salt. ( i never sift, but the recipe says to) add to the first mixture & mix well. chill. ( you AND the dough- the hard part is over) form dough into 1" balls & roll in *coarse decorator sugar (it's available at all grocery stores by the sprinkles-it sparkles & is SO much prettier than granulated sugar). bake on a greased cookie sheet or parchment lined baking sheet 2 1/2 inches apart for 8-10 minutes at 350* ...your house will smell like Heaven in November
-the snackmom
you had me at Jell-O...
at least that's where it all started... my love, no- my passion for food- baking, cooking - the process of it all. not being one to have the patience to say, restore a house, there's just something magical about transforming simple ingredients into a golden loaf of banana bread within an hour's time that makes my world go 'round... but, banana bread is another story.
it was 1974- carol brady was rocking the long shag hair-do & "1-2-3 Jell-O" hit the shelves of supermarkets nationwide. to my 10 year old self, it was magic... 2 cups of water, the mystical contents of the white packet & WA-LA! three hours in the refrigerator & there sat the most glorious sight-3 separate layers of pink (or purple or orange) gelatinous bliss- darker pink & more solid on the bottom, medium pink, slightly whippy in the middle, & petal pink, frothy joy on the top- garnished with a generous dollop of my favorite Dream Whip & 1/2 a strawberry & i was a goner.
making Jell-O parfaits became my hobby, my favorite past-time, my all-consuming passion. thank heaven my mother was a daily "what's-for-dinner?" kind of gal, so we made frequent trips to the Safeway not 3 blocks from our house & soon i'd amassed a collection of Jell-O that would make a church cookbook envious.
my dad loved it. he was an estate planning attorney who came home every night for dinner , which we (my mom, dad, two sisters & me) ate happily in our customary places around the kitchen table. each night following dinner which likely included chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, gravy, green beans, tossed salad & iced tea (my mom is a good cook), i would present my Jell-O offering as if it were a scepter for a king... served in a curvy parfait with an iced tea spoon -so my dad could make sure & retrieve every jiggly bit . you may be wondering if all this Jell-O became monotonous- heavens no- i had a million combinations of fruits (bananas, pineapples, oranges & apples) & flavors (orange, cherry, lime, and strawberry- banana) with which to wow my family- ok, i did the math, i had exactly 16 combinations, but who's counting ? sometimes, i even tilted the base of whatever sparkling glassware i was using that day in the racks of the fridge for a diagonal effect that took my breath away- i was SO fancy.
well into the first year of my humble culinary beginnings, worried that my dad was at risk of actually congealing in his LazyBoy, i made a momentous decision. it was time to move on... to cookies. and i never looked back.
-the snackmom
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