C is for Cookie…

“I think cookies are sort of the unsung sweet, you know?

They’re incredibly popular. But everybody thinks of cakes and pies and fancier desserts before they think of cookies. A plate of cookies is a great way to end dinner and really nice to share at the holidays.”

~Bobby Flay

Most of us have childhood memories taken from the primary holiday book—cook book that is. Whether a neighborhood cookie exchange, tins of homemade treats for friends, office recipe swap or annual gingerbread house making. Each home has their own story to tell.

Years of Tupperware laden tables with dozens & dozens of cookies is mixed into my own holiday memories. It began as our family Christmas Eve celebration held at my grandparents farmhouse (a mere .5 mile from Belle Flower Farm). As the family member numbers rose, it evolved to my childhood home. The inevitable spread again and a move to the church social hall was incorporated.

Step 1: Gather your ingredients

Sisters that loved to bake. Two of the four took the pastry chef lead on this. They began early as ingredients went on sale, cracking walnuts in the fall & picking up the latest container at that year’s Tupperware Party.

Step 2: Get to mixing

A blend of old and new recipes—grandma’s favorite sugar cookie, nutmeg heavy, sat along side the “modern” Rice Krispy Treat. Peanut butter balls & Snicker-doodles. Chocolate crinkle cookies & Snowballs. Wagon Wheels, Fudge & Divinity. Vanilla jumbles, cutout cookies & more. Both sister baked at least 10 double batches each!

Step 3: Don’t Forget the Leavening

As all the sisters chatted on the phone, updates to the party plans, dinner menu & cookie numbers. Laughter was never far away. The objective, after all, was for the family to sprinkle fun with folding in memory making.

Step 4: Time to Bake

The timer went off & everything came together each Christmas Eve. Over 59 years of celebrating together. Soup buffet, Christmas carols & reading the Christmas story,  box in the box game, BINGO, Family trivia, talent show, Graham cracker houses, Christmas stockings from grandma, and later the “grandmas”—and cookies!

Step 5: Resting

After all of the cookies had been sampled, family members were encouraged to fill their empty containers with cookies to take home. Several dozen remained, set aside to become dessert for our own Christmas Day. A few favorite ones for Santa’s treat later that night.

All shared & enjoyed—until next year.

“Christmas cookies can’t help but be retro—

they are memory first, sugar-flour-egg-redhot-gumdrop-sparkle reality second.”

~Dana Goodyear

My own joy of baking lost its spring for a short time. Gluten free baking took some time finding the right flour to incorporate. As I bake our favorite holiday cookie recipes it now delightfully goes unnoticed. From Chocolate Pinwheel to Macarons, Snow balls to grandmother’s Nutmeg Sugar cookies—I am filling our cookie jar with a new twist.

“..and that’s good enough for me.”

~Joe Raposo

Dedicated to my late Aunt Margaret

Dogs

“Before you get a dog, you can’t quite imagine what living with one might be like, afterward, you can’t imagine living any other way.”

— Carolyn Knapp

It had been nearly 37 years since we were without a dog in our home. When Lilly passed away this spring, it was not only sad to lose her, but the end of a chapter in our family. Our previous 4 dogs had been a part of our young family—growing from a couple to children.

Abigail was our first pup, my Christmas gift the year Mark and I were married. She was a rescue from the Oregon Humane Society. She not only took to nibbling my new wedding ring but a nibble from my heart. Six months later we added Molly, Abi’s quiet counterpart. The early days of being a married couple afforded us weekend getaways to the beach. Their favorite sandy place to run.

Welcoming our sons to our family meant we were a full house. Caring for animals in our home meant sharing our hearts. A cuddle when needed, the joy of playing ball or going on a walk—extra work, but worth the effort juggling schedules and needs. As Abi and Molly grew in age, becoming ladies of leisure, the boys asked for a puppy. One that could once again go on walks and enjoy our new lifestyle at Belle Flower Farm.

We adopted Jack without so much as a second thought. An exuberant bundle of white fur. His addition meant we not only had a puppy but 2 geriatric girls as well. Life was full—full of kid activities & aging parents, settling into our home & developing gardens, businesses & volunteer work—and of course all things dogs.

With the loss of Abigail & Molly, both nearly 20 years old, we knew we wanted to add another pup. We couldn’t “imagine living any other way.” Another Christmas, 20 years after that first Christmas, I opened the door and Mark was holding a sweet 3 pound Cairn. Merry Christmas! Jack & Lilly were quite a duo. Best friends to each other & to our sons. Again, the swirl of activity…again, a life well-lived.

Now it is Mark and I again, and we missed “living” with a pup. A home that missed the joy of a wagging tail, play catch, a companion to join me as I garden and in the studio, see what was ripe for the eating in the veggie garden or curling up in front of the fire.

We are overjoyed to welcome our new guy, Henry!

A new chapter in our marriage & family—we couldn’t imagine it any other way.