Sugar Cookies

At my grade school, room mothers were assigned at the beginning of each year. A room mother was just the mom of one of the kids in the class. Generally, they were in charge of class parties. The unwary were tricked into driving their car with two or three children as passengers for the infrequent outings. 

When I was in the first grade my mom was initiated into that secret society when the other mom's managed to get all the ornery boys in her car. She still talks about having Ricky McKensie, the PK, preacher's kid, in her car.  I don't remember what he did to give her nightmares, but I clearly recall him slapping me once when I beat him at checkers during recess. It must have been bad weather that day because we usually played outside during recess. 

When my brother was in the third grade, mom and her best friend Valerie, were assigned the Valentine's Day party for his classroom of 3rd and 4th graders. That meant they had to bring the refreshments and think of a quiet game for the kids to play.  Actually, Valentine's and Christmas was sort of a free ride in the entertainment department because much of the party was spent exchanging Valentine's cards or modest gifts, respectively. 

A couple of days before the party we went to Valerie's house and played with her kids while she and my mom made sugar cookies. They made a huge batch of dough so there would be enough cookies for all the kids. However, they weren't satisfied with the way the dough turned out.

I don't know what was wrong with it. It was too dry and wouldn't roll out, or it was too sticky and they couldn't get it off the counter. From helping Mom cook as a ten-year-old, I sorta, kinda knew about stuff like that. I couldn't see anything wrong with it, but they threw it out. Being thrifty wives, they didn't just toss it in the garbage. They gave it to us kids to eat. Since there are hardly any ingredients in sugar cookies besides butter, sugar and flour it was safe to eat raw.

We got four spoons and proceeded to chow down on the dough while the moms made another party-sized batch. The four of us kids couldn't possibly have eaten all that dough, but I remember consuming more than my fair share.

The incident gave me a lifelong aversion to sugar cookies.

Stained Glass Windows

Stained glass makes me think of artisans crafting a story with pictures. A friend went to England where he toured historic churches, coming home with hundreds of images he had taken of the stained glass windows. The purpose, according to his guide, was to bring Bible stories to life for the illiterate masses while also allowing light into a building constructed of massive stone walls.

An ingenious cook has translated that concept of color and light into an edible delicacy. I thought it would be a fun project to make with my granddaughter. These attractive, easy-to-make cookies are nice for holiday buffets.

Some families have eccentric relatives who are well-known for eating all the chips and marshmallows before they can be used in a recipe. Therefore, my granddaughter and I devised a "marshmallow" trap out of two paper plates, some staples, and a plastic fork.

In the meantime, here are the ingredients and steps to make the recipe:

  

12-ounce package of real semi-sweet chocolate chips    

 10-ounce package of colored mini-marshmallows

For added contrast substitute part of the colored marshmallows with white ones. (optional)

1/2 cup shredded coconut 

1 stick butter

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts  (optional)

             

Place 1 stick of butter in a microwavable bowl. Empty the chocolate chips into the bowl.

Microwave until the butter is melted.  Watch closely and heat a few seconds at a time.  DO NOT heat until the chocolate chips are melted.

Remove from the microwave and stir until the mixture is smooth. If desired, add the chopped walnuts now. Omitting the nuts results in a smooth mixture. Using them adds another layer of texture to the finished cookie. Cool at room temperature until the chocolate/butter mixture will not melt the marshmallows. If the mixture cools too long, it will stiffen like fudge. Pour the bag of marshmallows into the chocolate and stir with a silicone spatula until the marshmallows are thoroughly coated. 

The marshmallow bandit has not been sighted, so my granddaughter adds more bait to the trap.

Pour out onto two 18" pieces of waxed paper.  Coat hands with a bit of butter and shaped into a 12" log. Sprinkle half the coconut on each roll. Turn the mixture over and sprinkle the remaining coconut underneath the log.

Roll up tightly in the waxed paper.

Then wrap securely in aluminum foil.  Place in refrigerator or freezer for at least two hours before slicing.

We had nearly given up on bagging the bandit when he appeared without warning.

 Uh-oh! He tripped the snare.

                     Gotcha!!

After the cookie log has thoroughly chilled, unwrap and cut half an inch off both ends and eat. There will not be a stained glass appearance to that portion. Use a thin sharp knife to slice off 1/2" pieces and see the stained glass effect.

This makes 2 or 3 dozen cookies depending upon how thick you cut them.


We cut one of the logs and took the plate across the street to share with the neighbor kids. A few cookies did not make it onto the plate since we had to sample them for quality and let little brother taste them. If a two-year-old could vote, he would have advocated sitting down and eating them until they were gone. The remaining log stayed in the freezer waiting for another cookie eating occasion. Unless Daddy finds it first.

My granddaughter enjoyed this project. It taught following directions, kitchen safety, fine motor skills, patience, imagination, and generosity. Grandpa was a good sport and played the bandit to the hilt.

"Ja-ack, get out of the cookies."

My grandmother's best friend was Pauline Degarmo. My dad and his siblings knew her as Auntie Pauline. She didn't have children of her own and doted on them when she came to visit. A published poet, she wrote under the name Pauline Degarmo Wilkerson.

In The Window of Prayer, the publisher prefaces the book with these words:  'Pauline Wilkerson's poetry is filled with gentle surprises. Her eye and ear are extremely sensitive to places, to atmosphere, words and tones of speaking, but this exactitude does not narrow her vision; she evokes the intimacy of a shared past; she writes not only of religious experience but of the small events of her days, described with reverence. Her feeling for children is revealed in the many poignant poems she writes about them.'

Another of her works is titled There Is No Rhyme for Silver.

She was a prolific poetess with a gift for taking an ordinary word and weaving a poem around it. A popular guest at ladies' afternoon teas, she sent everyone in attendance home with an original, hand-written poem themed on the word they had suggested. She must have dreamed in AABB couplets.

This evocative poem, simply called Shopping, was inspired by her friendship with my grandmother and her intimate knowledge of my dad when he was a youngster.

While shopping at the dimestore

Just the other day--

I'd gathered up my parcels

And started on my way,

When I saw a boy looking at cookie jars:

And this is what he did--

He carefully inspected them

Lifting up each lid.

When asked if he found one

He wanted to buy

This I heard him say,

"I want a nice gift-

For my mom--you know--

It's for Mother's Day."

The clerk said, "A cookie jar's real nice,

"I'm sure she'll be surprised."

Then he looked at her so skeptically

With doubt in his big green eyes.

"I don't think any of these will do;

For they all have lids that rattle.

When I sneak a cooky now and then--

I don't want the jar to tattle!"