Erik's Cookies

  Christmas traditions are carried on generation after generation.  Whether it be placing Baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve or ringing Christmas Bells at midnight.  The customs vary from place to place and from family to family.  There are several "hand-me-down" favorites that have made it through the ages here on the Bayou.  We still sing carols from the small paper books that Mom used as she played so happily on the old piano back on the farm. We still bake until "the cows come home".   We still hang the old cloth socks from my childhood (not the newfangled stockings) from the mantel.   We still enjoy family time.  These will always be a part of our holidays.  There are a few "new" traditions that I started with my kids that I sorely miss since the kids have grown up and left the Bayou.  I miss watching Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Judy Haynes in "White Christmas" with my oldest son.  It was one of our favorite times together.  After he was "in the know" about Santa, he stayed up late to help me on Christmas Eve, then we would settle in to watch the movie together.  Watching the movie is not the same since he is on the island so very far away.  Some day..maybe...maybe.  Then, there was the tradition of lying on the floor and looking up through the Christmas Tree with my daughter when she was a tot.  We continued that even when she would come home from college.  That has gone the wayside, too, since she is married and in her own home creating their own happy traditions.  Some day..maybe...maybe.   The tradition with my youngest son was making new ornaments for the tree each year.  This, too, has ceased since he is grown.  Although, he is still on the Bayou, his ornament-making days seem to be something of the past...perhaps a fond memory.  Again..some day..maybe...maybe...

  Now, I have sort of inadvertently stepped into another tradition.  For the past few years, a certain nephew has always gotten a plate of his favorite cookies.  Erik proclaimed that the Plum Dot cookies are the "best ever cookies".  His fondness for the baked treats lead to me baking two batches each year...one for all visitors to the Little Bayou House and one batch just for Erik.  In fact, I now call these "Erik's Cookies" when I start to bake.   His ooohs and ahhs over the baked goodies are all it took for this old aunt to make sure that he has his very own supply.  That young man knows how to smooth talk an old lady into baking for him but, then again, he is mighty special to me!  

  Today, the tradition of baking "Erik's cookies took place.  Not a one of the cookies made it to the treat table as they were secreted away so they would be ready to be presented to Erik.  No one gets to eat off that plate!  Tomorrow, the second batch of the Plum Dot cookies will be baked and those will be placed among the other trays to be sampled by any and all who stop in for a visit.  Christmas traditions on the Bayou say that you will not go away hungry!  Last year, I fretted that I would have to alter the recipe due to the fact that I had used my very last jar of plum jam.  How thankful I was to see that the plum trees outdid themselves this summer.  Sixty-three jars of plum jam line the shelves so it was easy to reach up, grab one and fill the cookies for Erik!  (Just so you will know, the recipe for the Plum Dot Cookies is on the Cooking on the Bayou page on this blog.  Happy baking!)

The Cookie Mallet!

  Down in the Deep South, we try our best to pass along kindness to others and we repay kindness done to us.  It is one of those things that we learned from an early age.  Be nice to folks.  It never hurt anyone to show a bit of kindness and returning a favor is just as important as doing one in the first place.  More oft than not, folks do not expect anything in return but, you can bet your bottom dollar, they are tickled pink to see something come their way.  It was when I was "returning a kindness" that I made a happy discovery.  A couple of days ago, Son had to repair the pump on the well.  The air volume control went a bit haywire and started spraying water out of its side.  We called around in search of the part but could not find one handy so he went to ask my brother for help.  Son was duly instructed on how to jury-rig the pump until the part could be ordered.    That bit of kindness saved us a lot of trouble and we did not go without water.  So...it was my turn to share a kindness.

  Learning from Mom, all of my aunts and my grandmother, baking is the best way to let folks know you appreciate them.  There is just something special about home baked goodies!  Knowing my brother loves cookies, I decided to bake up a batch for him.  The dough for peanut butter cookies was mixed and I had all of those cute little balls rolled when I realized the time consuming part was next.  Pressing the balls down with a fork always bores me.  Press this way...press that way.  Why?  If the whole process is merely to smash the cookie flat and leave some little ridges to add crisp, there had to be an easier way.  Thoughts of what to use started rolling about in the brain.  Potato smasher??  Spatula??  Duh!  Meat tenderizer mallet!! Yep!!  Now that is using the brain!  Here was using a bit of ingenuity to get the job done!

  Who uses one of those things to mutilate meat anyway?  Just buy a decent piece of meat in the first place.  Those little pyramid shaped mounds on the metal worked like a charm and, in just a few moments, the entire sheet of cookies was flattened!  The hash marks were perfectly spaced and the cookies were evenly flattened.  Keep in mind that I GENTLY pressed the cookie dough!  I did not smack it like you would using a hammer.  GENTLY!!   Good job...but would they crisp well with this method?  

  Yes, indeed!  The mallet trick worked well.  The cookies were soft with a slightly crispy top.  (Actually, these were some of the best peanut butter cookies that I have ever made!)  I quickly packed a container full of cookies and trotted myself over to my brother's place to return the kindness.  He was thrilled by the act and happily started munching his cookies.  Favor returned and I now have found a use for a dysfunctional kitchen utensil!  Cookie Mallet for the win!

                                           

One Tired Mama

  How much longer?  Little Mama Gray Squirrel looks exhausted.  Even though she was noticeably pregnant when building her nest, she is now huge.  And tired.  If there is one bunch of critters that exasperates me, it would be male squirrels.  They have to be the laziest and greediest things around!  While Little Mama built the entire nest, gathered seeds and nuts to stow away for later use and made haste to secure the nest, the male did nothing.  Well, nothing except go right behind her and eat what she had so diligently stashed.  Now, Little Mama is almost beyond able to search for food and nothing is where she left it.  She is exhausted and hungry.  

  This morning, Little Mama ventured a good ways away from her nest in the tall pine to see if there may be a morsel left in the bird feeder for breakfast.  This bird feeder dangles from a thin shepherd's hook so accessing it is no easy task even for agile squirrels.  Add a big belly in the mix and it is nigh on impossible.  Little Mama climbed the screen door to see if she could make the ten foot leap to the feeder.  Thankfully, she had second thoughts and sat down to rest while thinking of what to do next.  My heart went out to Little Mama.  She needed help.

  All I had readily available was a bag of oatmeal cookies.  Even though the things tasted terrible to me, they may suffice for a hungry squirrel.  With my hands full of cookies, I eased open the doors and stepped out.  Little Mama eyed me cautiously but made no effort to leave her perch.  I held out a cookie and stood silently.  At first, she was fearful and did not move.  After a bit, I guess hunger got the best of her because she snatched the cookie from my hand and started to nibble.  I laid four more near her and backed away to watch her dine and also keep the greedy males at a distance while she ate.

  Little Mama seemed to fully appreciate the handout and ate all of the cookies.  After stopping to drink a bit of water from the cat bowl, she slowly made her way back to the nest.  It would not surprise me if Little Mama has her babies tonight.  Hopefully, my offerings will help her and also let her know that she is welcome to come back for more.  Sweet Little Mama, I will feed you when I can.  Now go get some much needed rest before you give birth.

The Productive (yet fun!) Day

  So cookie baking is in full swing here at the Little Bayou House.  I spent two days baking a variety of goodies only to have the trays cleaned on the third day.  Well, so much for that.  Back to the kitchen to bake some more.  It seems that I have created several recipes that hit the spot with the guys on this hill.  Requests for the Plum Dots topped the list. *Recipe to be included soon!  Today saw me baking another sixty of these and tomorrow will be the same. My niece needs a batch for a corporate meeting of some sort on Monday.  It seems that all of the "Big Guys" are coming to her office for their annual Christmas party and she cannot possibly bake the cookies.  I have been elected. So....a-baking we shall go, a-baking we shall go. Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, a-baking we shall go!
  
  Today, I was fortunate to have help.  Darling Daughter, Elizabeth, popped in just at the right time!  Things always go so much easier when she is here.  Since I already had the cookie dough mixed, we set up sort of an assembly line to shape and fill the cookies.  Once baked, the icing part was so much more enjoyable with her giggles and chatter to keep me company.  The sixty cookies were finished in no time!  Two large trays now sit ready to be packed as gifts....but our day did not end there!

  Once we vacated the kitchen, a crafty project was in order.  Yesterday, I found a wreath that would be perfect for the Little Bayou House but it was a bit out of my price range.  This one was right at $200!  Wow!  I did find a similar one at a discount place but at $30, I was still adamant not to buy it.  Geez!  I knew that she and I could make one for a lot less.  I described what I had found and we started pulling items to be used.  The base was a salvaged grapevine wreath.  This had seen better days but since it was to be totally covered it mattered not.  Burlap ribbon, jute string, pine cones from the yard, artificial berries from the local Dollar Tree store, scissors and a glue gun were all collected and readied.  Within a few minutes, we were finished with the wreath.  It was even prettier than the ones I had found at the store!  (For one thing, the store-bought version was covered with artificial "snow".  I hate fake snow flocking!)  Now my front door has a beautiful welcoming wreath all for under $6!  Imagine!  

  So our fun day was quite productive!  (And tomorrow...it all starts again!)

Working off the Blahs!

I have been feeling a mite poorly as of late so in order to get my mind off of my ailing body, I needed to find something to do.  There had to be something that I could do that would not involve high physical labor but where I could at least feel a bit productive during this lapse in energy.  I had no inclination whatsoever to go outside in the muggy heat nor did I wish to drag out the mop and bucket.  My ideal task for the day would be something low energy but with a lot of showy productivity!  I had to make folks at least think I was doing something important!  So....I baked!  Baking is one of those things that I find truly relaxing.  It lets my mind wander to wherever it desires.  As long as I keep some semblance of order with a recipe, it usually turns out well..at least edible!  Today, however, I would follow a recipe closely since the brain seemed a bit addled.

While searching for a suitable recipe, I came across a very old, ragged cookbook.  It was just a binder that was filled with newspaper and magazine clippings and handwritten recipes.  Each recipe either had "Good!" or "Bad" inked in beside it.  This tickled me a bit as I wondered just why the "Bad" recipes were kept in the first place!  Why not just toss something that tasted horrendous instead of keeping it and going through the trouble of labeling as such?  It did make life easier for me, however!  The old cookbook once belonged to a lady named Mrs. Cora Elmer Enochs.  She was a friend of the family's from way..way back. All throughout this cookbook were recipes labeled as Mrs.Cerenich's Pecan Pie or Mrs.Nekoris' Apple Snow (?) or Elsie's Pickled Cucumbers. Pages were dedicated to helpful tips! Things like "Using starch as a cleanser", "How to clean brass" and "How to get rid of Pill Bugs"! (The Pill Bug thing was almost disconcerting as it called for " bran, molasses and arsenic".  This was to be mashed together and spread on the baseboards inside your house!  Hmmm..not sure I want to go around spreading arsenic, bran and molasses around my house!)  Still, I thumbed through the pages until I found one recipe that was rather interesting.  "Lemon Spritz Cookies" sounded yummy!  I read down the ingredients..seemed simple enough...uhhhh..cornmeal?  I had never had cookies made with cornmeal before so this was chosen!

Later, the taste test!  The Lemon Spritz Cookies were actually quite tasty!  The texture was a bit different but once I got over the "grit" feeling, I found that I liked the tidbits! The Lemon Spritzes were set on the table next to some Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches that I had made as an experiment!  They, too, were tasty!   The question, though, was about the cornmeal creations. I called Michael downstairs..his would be the decisive vote..keep the recipe or mark with a "Bad".  He agreed that the texture would take a bit of getting used to but the overall taste was palatable!  (His word.)  I will be honest and say that although he found them "palatable", he immediately filled a plate with the Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches and headed back upstairs. That stands to reason though, as I find that most young men love chocolate and well, the cookie sandwiches were cream-filled and three inches in diameter!  More more of a man-sized cookie than my small Lemon Spritzes!  I think I will delve back into Mrs. Enochs' cookbook and while away the hours while trying to recuperate from my malady!

Too Many Cookies..or Cookie Pudding!

Cookies! Lots and lots of cookies were delivered to my house over the holidays. They were all made-from-scratch, some were artfully decorated and all incredibly delicious. I am not complaining about receiving so many thoughtful gifts as I love cookies of any kind. But.....I also baked cookies..lots and lots of made-from-scratch, artfully decorated and ummm..well, delicious cookies! So you can began to understand that there might be a bit of a problem here. I had cookies on trays, platters and in jars! I had cookies on the table, buffet and shelf! Everywhere you turned..there were cookies! I ate cookies, far too many and it soon began to show! My son and husband ate cookies! Our friends and neighbors ate cookies! Still there are cookies. Just what do you do with left-over Christmas cookies after everyone begins to tire of them? Well, I could freeze them..if I had room in the freezer..but, I don't. I could give them away..but everyone else has an abundance of them. I could toss them, but that seems to be such a waste and besides..those that sent the cookies to me, worked hard to bake them. I cannot toss them! Then I had a hankering for Bread Pudding! Well, how about Cookie Pudding??

Cookie Pudding

4 cups of broken cookie pieces..any kind

2 cups milk

1 cup cream

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

4 eggs (well beaten)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

Butter a large baking dish and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the dry ingredients (sugar, cinnamon, salt and cornstarch) and set aside. In a large saucepan, place milk, cream and butter and over LOW heat melt the butter. Cool to lukewarm. Add well beaten eggs and dry ingredients to the milk mixture. Blend well and return to MEDIUM heat. Stir continually until this begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir well. Fold in cookie pieces and dried cranberries or raisins. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. Serve with a scoop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired!

This recipe does not make the cookies any healthier for you at all! It just sort of disguises them and adds wonderful things like cream and butter to make them a bit more fattening. It is delicious, though and helps use up a bunch of tired cookies! Now..we all will have a reason to diet after New Year's Day! Resolutions, People, resolutions!