So much beauty and compassion in this post, Alison! I felt immediately inspired to get up and cook something for my loved ones. Looking forward to following your long-awaited move to Portugal.
For my family it’s cut out Christmas cookies right out of Better Homes red and white 3-ring cookbook. I admit the cookie chapter pages have all of the stains. It’s a tradition my grandma started as just one of the many Christmas cookies she made. Her main known for sweet was hand made Carmel’s. But my mom continued the cut out cookies, and yes I’m talking traditional shapes. I’ve become known for these under baked, very thick soft cookies covered with colorful powdered sugar frosting. It’s kept people in my life, which I wasn’t expecting but fills my heart when they call me to find the date to get together. I hear stories every year about where they hide their stash from each other and themselves to make them last. It’s hours on my feet multiple days in December and it’s worth every trip to ship them to AK, NY, VT, and OR where my extended family has spread out. Tonight I’m gonna leave a few out for Santa (cause you know it’s tradition) but also one out for John.
John’s unexpected death is so sad. I’m sorry. I have my mother in law’s handwritten recipe cards, as well as the Fannie Farmer cookbook given to me by my mother—an updated version of hers. I pull all of those out every holiday season and bake Christmas cookies from their favorite recipes. I love how this simple act of baking brings me closer to these women and ignites so many memories.
The Columbia Records promo evokes many memories...hours pondering my 12 choices...boy, that really dates us, doesn't it? I just watched "A Serious Man" on recommendation from my 24 year old daughter then had to explain the Columbia dilemma (which features prominently in the movie) to Gen Z incredulity
I need to rewatch that movie. Such a difference between their on-demand expectations and our more measured bounty. Remember when The Wizard of Oz and Born Free were only on TV once a year?
This is so heartfelt and on many levels. I have the same sort of depth of recipe files and they bring up so many memories, as do songs... and thank you, now I have Dreamweaver stuck in my head. But what really got me was when I clicked over to the NY Times to print the Cranberry Pecan muffins because I still have cranberries leftover from Thanksgiving, and I saw that it was Molly O'Neill's recipe. I had the pleasure of meeting her years ago through a mutual friend, a food critic, and Molly signed a cookbook to me- and then we became friends in the early days of social media- or maybe it was a blog thing- it was a while back and I can't remember clearly- but we made a connection. And I was so sad when she was gone. Her recipes live on.
Thank you for this. Tonight I mixed up the dough for chocolate Crinkle cookies. It is in the refrigerator now. It seemed when I made it a few years ago from an old written recipe, it just didn’t seem right. I asked my cousin who lives in NYC if she had her mother’s copy. She carefully typed it out and sent it on messenger. So sweet. And the cookies will be great I am sure. I also recently purged my much smaller cookbook collection. The Deborah Madison Vegetarian Cooking made the cut. I will keep those muffins in mind. I love you and K. I am proud of you for realizing your dreams. And for taking such good care of your painters.
I gave my copy of the Deborah Madison book to a dear friend. It makes me happy to know it will be in her kitchen instead of in my garage or at Goodwill. I love those chocolate cookies. Thinking I need to make them when the girls are home.
Loved this. I do have an evocative recipe -- my grandmother's Glory Be Prune Cake. It's a spice cake made in bundt form, and it uses a jar of baby food prunes. I only make this cake in the winter, and it inevitably involves trips to multiple grocery stores to find that elusive baby food. (Could I plan ahead? Apparently not!)
No. It's a very old southern recipe, often brought to church events. I have the family's recipe card from 1898, so it's been called that for more than a century. (Now I'm wondering, though, about the jar of baby food prunes. I don't think those existed in the 19th century. The recipe must have been modified along the way. The original probably used prunes from a backyard plum tree.)
So much beauty and compassion in this post, Alison! I felt immediately inspired to get up and cook something for my loved ones. Looking forward to following your long-awaited move to Portugal.
Crank up some Stevie Wonder while you cook!
Music and Food! Both reach to the soul to connect us. Thank you.
Dave! Let’s get together one more time time before I go.
Hope you had a beautiful, comfortable, delicious Christmas Alison!
For my family it’s cut out Christmas cookies right out of Better Homes red and white 3-ring cookbook. I admit the cookie chapter pages have all of the stains. It’s a tradition my grandma started as just one of the many Christmas cookies she made. Her main known for sweet was hand made Carmel’s. But my mom continued the cut out cookies, and yes I’m talking traditional shapes. I’ve become known for these under baked, very thick soft cookies covered with colorful powdered sugar frosting. It’s kept people in my life, which I wasn’t expecting but fills my heart when they call me to find the date to get together. I hear stories every year about where they hide their stash from each other and themselves to make them last. It’s hours on my feet multiple days in December and it’s worth every trip to ship them to AK, NY, VT, and OR where my extended family has spread out. Tonight I’m gonna leave a few out for Santa (cause you know it’s tradition) but also one out for John.
Aww, I love this. I’ve had your cookies and they deliciously taste like all that.
John’s unexpected death is so sad. I’m sorry. I have my mother in law’s handwritten recipe cards, as well as the Fannie Farmer cookbook given to me by my mother—an updated version of hers. I pull all of those out every holiday season and bake Christmas cookies from their favorite recipes. I love how this simple act of baking brings me closer to these women and ignites so many memories.
I love these sentiments. Thank you and happy baking.
The Columbia Records promo evokes many memories...hours pondering my 12 choices...boy, that really dates us, doesn't it? I just watched "A Serious Man" on recommendation from my 24 year old daughter then had to explain the Columbia dilemma (which features prominently in the movie) to Gen Z incredulity
I need to rewatch that movie. Such a difference between their on-demand expectations and our more measured bounty. Remember when The Wizard of Oz and Born Free were only on TV once a year?
This is so heartfelt and on many levels. I have the same sort of depth of recipe files and they bring up so many memories, as do songs... and thank you, now I have Dreamweaver stuck in my head. But what really got me was when I clicked over to the NY Times to print the Cranberry Pecan muffins because I still have cranberries leftover from Thanksgiving, and I saw that it was Molly O'Neill's recipe. I had the pleasure of meeting her years ago through a mutual friend, a food critic, and Molly signed a cookbook to me- and then we became friends in the early days of social media- or maybe it was a blog thing- it was a while back and I can't remember clearly- but we made a connection. And I was so sad when she was gone. Her recipes live on.
lol re: Dreamweaver. I, too, miss Molly O’Neill. Many of the recipes I clipped from the Times were hers. How cool that you got to meet her!
Thank you for this. Tonight I mixed up the dough for chocolate Crinkle cookies. It is in the refrigerator now. It seemed when I made it a few years ago from an old written recipe, it just didn’t seem right. I asked my cousin who lives in NYC if she had her mother’s copy. She carefully typed it out and sent it on messenger. So sweet. And the cookies will be great I am sure. I also recently purged my much smaller cookbook collection. The Deborah Madison Vegetarian Cooking made the cut. I will keep those muffins in mind. I love you and K. I am proud of you for realizing your dreams. And for taking such good care of your painters.
I gave my copy of the Deborah Madison book to a dear friend. It makes me happy to know it will be in her kitchen instead of in my garage or at Goodwill. I love those chocolate cookies. Thinking I need to make them when the girls are home.
Loved this. I do have an evocative recipe -- my grandmother's Glory Be Prune Cake. It's a spice cake made in bundt form, and it uses a jar of baby food prunes. I only make this cake in the winter, and it inevitably involves trips to multiple grocery stores to find that elusive baby food. (Could I plan ahead? Apparently not!)
Yum! I love the name of that cake. Is that something your grandmother said?
No. It's a very old southern recipe, often brought to church events. I have the family's recipe card from 1898, so it's been called that for more than a century. (Now I'm wondering, though, about the jar of baby food prunes. I don't think those existed in the 19th century. The recipe must have been modified along the way. The original probably used prunes from a backyard plum tree.)
You have the recipe card from 1898! I’d love to see a photo of that.