Let's Be Serious For A Moment

Ever been in the mood for a cookie? If there are none around or only the dry, prepackaged selections from the gas station, you know they are important little pieces of work. They are tedious, but worth it. Some people will turn down a slice of cake or a bowl of ice cream but most people can make room for a little cookie. And a homemade cookie is a thing of love.

Now there are definite favorites in the world of cookies. The most popular Girl Scout cookies are, in this order, Thin Mints, Samoas, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and then Shortbread. I'm not a big store bought cookie fan. They have no spirit and I don't think that a human being had a whole lot to do with their creation. So, I avoid them and their souless existence unless I'm desperate and tired.


In the world of home bakers there is some dispute with the top few but they typically include sugar cookies, chocolate chip and oatmeal. While the typically popular cookies are all undeniably enjoyable, I have a cookie that has been the star of my show for the past few years. It is a butter almond cookies, much like a shortbread. I make them without eggs and they become delicate and light while baking. I normally dip them in either white chocolate and crushed pistachios or dark chocolate and almonds. They are elegant enough for a sweet table and comforting enough for your nightstand.




The most tedious and time consuming cookie is the decorated sugar cookie. The dough is chilled, rolled, cut and cooled. The icings are colored, piped and dried. The packaging is fun and I could pretty much shop in any store and find a fun way to store them. Trust me when I tell you that if someone cares enough to make you decorated sugar cookies...well, they care enough.

So, don't take your cookies for granted. They take time and energy and never get the respect or admiration of a 3 tiered cake or a tart or even a pie, all of which take only a part of the time it take to make most of the cookies I make. Save a pastry chef, eat a cookie.

It's Not You, It's Me

Let's just get this out of the way....I have abandoned this blog for 8 months while I focused on the very thing I write about. I love that damn kitchen and my garden so once I get in either of those places, it is like nothing else matters. That includes this blog. Well, I have seen the error of my ways. I'm back and touting the glory of sugar and its partners in crime.

This time of year places me smack dab in the middle of when I can plan for the garden that will bring me ingredients to obsess over. So, I think a lot of the plants I have hidden under the snow out there in the plot. My rhubarb plant, of course, came back this summer and grew with a vengeance. I was able to make several pies including one for an old guy in northern Michigan who hadn't had this pie since he was a kid. I did my best and he approved. That damn plant is like the loaves and fishes. It just kept on giving. I even made rhubarb creme brulee. So, I have faith as most gardners do that it will keep on keeping on. If you want something rhubarb, hollar at me.

I planted strawberry plants two years ago and last year, while not overwhelmingly fruitful, were growing deep roots and spreading like the good little plants I knew they would be. They even started to sneak outside the garden fence. I do not blame them for wanting to expand their reach. I also planted raspberry and blackberry plants which did suprisingly well for their first year. I always say, "Hey there" when I pass by the snow covered garden. They look dead, but they are not. They are saving up their energy because very soon they will show themselves as perfect partners for my mad skills with sugar.

So I am quite apologetic for my absence. I just love to be around the food and there isn't a speck in this office.