“Remember well, and bear in mind, a constant friend is hard to find.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
I like to think of Laura as a good friend. I first “met” her as a shy child who devoured her books, and she’s remained a constant presence in my life as a reader, writer and human being.
I’ve enjoyed deepening my connection to Laura by learning more about the foods mentioned in the Little House books (via Barbara M. Walker’s Little House Cookbook), and making some of the recipes contained in The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook (Trophy Press, 1997). Some of you may know that this cookbook contains over 70 recipes compiled by Laura during the 30’s and 40’s when she lived with Almanzo at Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri.
Last year, I made her Chicken and Dumplings and Apple-Upside Down Cake, and two years before that, her famous Gingerbread. To celebrate Laura’s birthday this year, I decided to try her Apple Slump, another of the six apple recipes included in the Country Cookbook.
Oh my, but I do love Sara Varon’s Bake Sale! And recently I made the brownies featured in it. *dies*☺
Such a lovely, feel-good story about friendship. This toothsome graphic novel is just quirky enough — a few squiggly degrees to the left of center — to avoid being cloying, overly sentimental, or cutesy, something that can easily happen when your main character is a pink cupcake in a town populated with walking food.
So, Cupcake is living the sweet life — bakes delectable treats at his own Sweet Tooth Bakery and plays drums in a cool band with his best friend Eggplant. Despite having won blue ribbons for Best Fruit Pie, Fluffiest Cake and Most Perfect Cookie, Cupcake gets into a baking rut.
Just so happens Eggplant is planning a trip to Turkey to visit his Aunt Aubergine, who is business partners with Turkish Delight, the greatest pastry chef in the world and Cupcake’s culinary idol.
They were simple butter cookies decorated with multi-colored sprinkles. She packed them in round plastic containers with a gift tag that read, “Merry Christmas from Uncle Keung Ho, Aunty Esther, Patti and Cindy.”
Each of my mother’s eleven siblings and their families received a batch of these lovingly baked treats every year. Their rich, velvety texture, generous kiss of vanilla, and perfect crispness made other holiday cookies pale by comparison. These cherished gems also had a way of magically disappearing within minutes of their arrival.
When we told her how much we loved her cookies, my aunt would often half apologize: “We can’t afford to buy presents, so we gave everybody cookies.”
She visited us in 2001.
I wish I had been articulate enough to properly thank her for our only homemade present. How to put a price on time, care, a gentle spirit, an open heart?
Little did she know how everyone waited and waited for her cookies, and when they finally came, what jubilation! More than a gift, they symbolized another passing year, a sweet reminder of how lucky we were to have such a large, close-knit family.
These days, I don’t bake quite as many holiday cookies as I used to, but I usually try my hand at Aunty Esther’s butter cookies. And I say, “try,” because so far, I haven’t been able to duplicate them even using her exact recipe. Did she add a secret ingredient? Lightly tap the rims of her mixing bowls with a magic wand? Maybe it was her apron, a certain time of day, or her favorite music playing in the background.
I was a lucky child, blessed with many gifts each Christmas. Aside from a certain yellow sweater and a beloved Ruthy doll, I don’t remember most of them, but I still covet Aunty Esther’s cookies, which were flavored with her kindness, love of books and music, and appreciation for all things bright and beautiful.
Cream the butter and sugar well. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until batter is light and fluffy.
Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add to batter gradually and mix well.
Shape into balls, flatten slightly with the back of a teaspoon and decorate with non-pareils.
Bake at 325 degrees F about 16 minutes.
*This batter can also be used to make thumbprint cookies. After rolling into balls, make an indentation in each cookie with your finger or the end of a wooden spoon. Bake 10 minutes, fill with your favorite jam, then bake 5-6 minutes longer.
TIP: Make these with someone you love, or share them with someone you love. Make a new memory. No one will ever be able to duplicate them!
“Christmas is the day that holds all time together.” ~ Alexander Smith
“At 9 o’clock she made breakfast — that was her part of the household work — The tea and sugar stores were under her charge.” ~ Caroline Austen (My Aunt Jane Austen: A Memoir)
It’s December 16th! A most noteworthy date to be sure.
In 1773, an impassioned group of colonists held a certain Tea Party in Boston Harbor, and just two years later, on this very same December day, Jane Austen was born at Steventon Rectory.
Why not celebrate Jane’s birthday with a fine cup of tea and a treat? The Alphabet Soup kitchen helpers are serving English Breakfast Tea by the English Teddy Bear Company. Please help yourself to a steamy cup while reading Jane’s poem.
The Jane Austen Centre calls this 11-stanza verse, “sprightly.” Indeed, it reveals her keen wit and charming powers of persuasion. It was written a few years before she moved to Chawton House with her mother, sister Cassandra and dear friend Martha Lloyd, who later married Jane’s brother Frank. Seems Jane was trying to find a way to have Martha come and visit her.
Not only have I reread this totally scrumptious companion book to It’s Raining Cupcakes (Aladdin, 2010), but I made Monster Cookies — one of two recipes included in the book (the other is Isabel’s prize-winning Chocolate Jam Tarts). Perfect way to get into the holiday spirit AND indulge my neverending cookie cravings.
Just in case you haven’t read Sprinkles and Secrets (please remedy that immediately!), it’s about Isabel’s best friend Sophie, an aspiring actress who gets her big chance to audition for a television commercial. She’s thrilled, of course, until she finds out she’d be advertising for Beatrice’s Brownies, the chief competitor to Isabel’s family’s cupcake shop. She tries to keep the specifics of the commercial under wraps for fear of jeopardizing her friendship with Isabel, but things go from bad to worse when she wins the audition and still can’t bear to tell Izzy. How do you choose between your fondest dream and your BFF?
Jama's Alphabet Soup 