Om, Nom, Nom, Nom

 It’s hard to believe, but winter hasn’t arrived yet. The bright colors of Autumn have shriveled and blown, and the fall season has lurched into December. We have one holiday under our belts, and many of us  are gearing up for more. Growing up, I was mainly oblivious to how much effort my parents put into holiday meals, decorations, gifts, and the clean-up that followed each celebration. Having now lived through 76 years of festivities, it’s clear to me that each holiday presents a separate conquest, a trek, of sorts, up a celebratory chain of summits. We’ve got the autumnal peak at Thanksgiving that’s followed by the midwinter highpoint celebration of your particular cultural or religious tradition. And then of the course the crest of joy that erupts for everyone on New Year's Day. Right now, I'm on the other side of this year's climb up Mount Thanksgiving. I've wiped the grease off the recipe cards and put them away. I still haven't gotten the gravy stains out of the tablecloth, but white vinegar is on my shopping list, and I will try that. 

It may not be winter, but we are about a month into the dark days imposed by daylight savings. Given the way dark combines with cold, is it any wonder there are so many attempts to offset all the gloom? Candlelight glows from Christian Advent wreaths. There are Kiwali kinara candles, Jewish menorahs, and Diya lamps used during the Hindu Diwali. When I was a kid, the night our advent candles set my sister's yellow curls on fire remains a favorite family story.

So now that I've lit the candles, allow me to use this quiet moment in the shadow of Thanksgiving to put up my feet and rest. I don't have a sherpa to lighten the load of my next trek, and I don't want to talk about shopping, so before I make my way up Christmas Mountain (ETA three weeks from now), I'm going to luxuriate in memories of one of my all-time favorite holiday traditions: cookies.  

My mother loved sweets and always ensured we had the traditional apple and pumpkin pies over the holidays. When I married into my husband's family, I was initiated into the hard-core practice of baking Christmas Cookies. As soon as Thanksgiving was over, my mother-in-law, Jane, pulled her beloved cookie tins out of storage and laid in obscene amounts of  butter, sugar, and flour, for her annual bake-a-thon. I counted ten colorful cookie tins stacked and ready in her pantry one year. Believe me, these containers invited snitching, and she had to make multiple batches of some, as her kids (eight) would eat favorites just as fast as she made them.  

    I've included three of Jane Graham’s recipes here; all handed down from her mother, Grace Dow Hinckley. My sisters, Beth and Lauren are both cookie enthusiasts, so I asked them to contribute. Lastly, Chairwoman Teresa offers a favorite of hers. If you are not in the mood to bake, accept my hopes that you are finding other good ways to offset the cold and drear.

    I’m with the Cookie Monster who always says, Om, nom, nom, nom. Me want cookie!

Orange Lace Cookies 

1 cup butter

⅔ cup sugar

1 tsp orange rind

½ ts vanilla

½ cup flour

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup of flaked coconut

2 eggs

drop - flatten - 350 degrees - 10-12 minutes

Forget-Me-Cookies

2 egg whites

¾ cup sugar

½ tsp vanilla

1 cup pecans chopped

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggwhites until stiff. Add sugar gradually and beat at high speed for five minutes. Fold in vanilla, chips and pecans. Drop from spoon onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Put in oven and turn off heat. Leave at least 8 hours. 

Rum Balls

2 tb cocoa

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 ½ cups crushed vanilla wafers (one whole box(

1 cup finely chopped pecans

2 tb light corn syrup

¼ cup rum 

Sift cocoa and sugar. Mix rum and syrup and blend in. Add wafer crumbs and pecans. Mix well. Form into balls and roll in confectioners sugar. 

Make these early; the longer these sit the more the flavors meld. Bourbon can be used in place of rum. Some folks prefer to skip the cookie ingredients altogether and just enjoy a good pour.. Your choice!

Microwave Caramel Popcorn - Lauren Robinson

⅔ cup of popcorn - popped

Place the following ingredients into a large microwave-safe bowl - four cup minimum

1 cup sugar

1 stick of butter

¼ cup of water

Microwave on high for 9-11 minutes

Watch closely towards the end. lMixture will turn light caramel brown when ready.

Pour hot mixture over popped corn and mix gently with large spoon to coat with caramel. 

Ginger Cookies - Beth Ellis

¾ cup shortening

1 cup sugar

½ tsp salt

1 egg

¼-½ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp vanilla

4 Tblsp molasses

2 cups four

3 tsp baking soda

Mis shortening, sugar, egg, vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Form into 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar.

Bake 325 10-15 minutes

Caramel Bars - Teresa McDonnell

1 German Chocolate Cake Mix

⅓ cup evaporated milk

1 cup chopped nuts

¾ cup melted margarine

Mix and put half of mixture in a 9x13 pan.

Bake 6 minutes at 350 degrees

Melt 1lb. caramels

⅓ cup evaporated milk

Sprinkle 2 cups chocolate chips over first layer. Put melted caramels over chocolate chips, then put rest of first mixture on top. Bake another 15 to 20 minutes. Do not overbake, or the edges will get too hard. 

If anyone has an irresistible holiday recipe, it would be fun to find a few in the comments.