Nov 17, 2011
These were my Dad’s favorite cookies at Christmas. I haven’t made them yet this year, so don’t have any photos for my blog. Again, operative word being yet.
These are like little mini fruitcakes that go great with coffee, tea, egg nog, milk, mulled wine, cider, hot chocolate… pretty much any holiday beverage you prefer.
They’re great to give as gifts, store well in cookie jars and air-tight canisters. They also travel/ship well for those out-of-town travelers and Care Packages.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1-1/4 cup sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup finely snipped dates
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped candied cherries
Halved candied cherries (to top cookies with)
DIRECTIONS:
Cream butter, sugar, and eggs until fluffy. Stir in sour cream.
Sift together flour, cinnamon, soda, salt, cloves. Stir into creamed mix.
Mix in oats, pecans, dates, raisins and chopped cherries.
Drop from spoon 2″ apart onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Top each with halved cherry.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
Cool on rack.
Makes approximately 5 dozen.
This recipe has been entered in the 2011 Holiday Recipe Exchange. “Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by OXO.”
Nov 17, 2011
As I write this, I’m preparing for a Girls Night Out with the Dot and our Second Family.
We’re going to do what has now become a tradition: we all get together for the midnight premiere of whatever spectacular movie is being released. Tonight, it’s Breaking Dawn, Part 1.
And I’m so stinkin’ excited.
Now, I haven’t read the books. I don’t really know how it will end. I know enough. It can’t be avoided when the instant media posts all the spoilers and traps and rundowns… and I live with a teenager who chats it up with her friends. But still… I don’t really know how it will end.
That’s only part of the fun.
Another part is, well, being with the VIP and Second Family. The VIP is my best friend, Julie. “Best friend” sounds so Junior High, though. Our friendship is so much more than that. As close as we are, we keep ourselves so busy we don’t get to see each other but once or twice a month, and even then distractions like family and chores and schtuff like that tends to interrupt. We can talk for two hours on the cell phones, and the only reason we hang up is because the batteries are going dead.
Then we call each other back within five minutes just to say, “Oh, I forgot to tell you…”
I love her kids like they were my own. And they love my daughter like she’s theirs. We’re so close, that when my daughter and I have a serious discussion and I reach for the phone, she says, “Mom, please don’t call Julie now.” But I do. I get her feedback. I treasure her advice.
Julie introduced me to the delight of jalapenos in my popcorn (boy, that’ll clear out any sinus issues you may have!), and the neccesity of Isabella (my KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer). Yes, I name my appliances… what? Is that weird?
Her oldest is my Second Daughter. Our girls are twins, separated at birth and by five years. Elisa is the role model I would have chosen for Hannah, but I didn’t have to. They met at school and became friends long before I ever met Julie.
Turns out our worlds collided several times before we finally figured out we were supposed to be friends. I was the consultant at a scrapbook party they attended years ago. Julie was the choir director at my church for a few months when I was toying with the idea of re-joining. Our kids know the same people.
The week after I met Julie at bunco (we had no idea we’d met before), she saw me again at the high school football game and came over to chat. I was so embarrassed; when she left I had to ask my daughter, “Who was that?”
Julie always has a story to tell, always has a prayer to offer. She is, in her own words, “fiercely protective of family and friends”. And always, always, always corrects me when I place myself in the “friends” category. No, she corrects. Family. Always, always, always Family.
Julie keeps me grounded. I’ve learned to slow down, and when in doubt, call her first. Especially when it comes to our kids. Because I, too, am fiercely protective. But that’s not always what my daughter needs. Julie’s taught me to step back and breathe. And talk more, act less.
And that’s why I love her them. They keep us grounded. They keep us involved. They keep us in the family. No matter what.
That, and we do so much together. We don’t spend every day together. But the moments we do have, we make count. Like go to midnight movie premieres. And laugh at the same things. And watch sports. (Okay, I’m not quite as much into hockey as they are, but I’m learning. Go Maple Leafs!). Julie even rooted for the Yankees this year. That’s a big deal for her!
I look forward to these Girls Nights Out.
We don’t have to get all dolled up. But we will. Because it’s fun.
We don’t have to pretend to be anything we’re not. They love us anyway.
And the best part of tonight will be, we each have our favorite Guy Character. So there won’t be any competition (I’m all about Carlisle, just in case you were wondering).
Just a lot of great togetherness. Girl chatter like we haven’t talked in ages. And jalapenos in the popcorn.
What are friends for?
Nov 17, 2011
I’ve known Claudia for years. What I didn’t know, until I started blogging last year, is that she also likes to write. Accordingly, she likes to read. And, bonus!, she likes to read my blog.
Recently, she sent me this email:
“Blogging everyday is impressive, and it’s also one of the reasons I enjoy your blog. I subscribe to a few others, but posts often are few and far between so I lose interest. I like that yours comes everyday, and the funny thing is that your title alone makes me happy. I love that you call it “Frankly, my dear…” You don’t finish the phrase, which is probably a good thing, but I kind of always like that you write what you write and you do this without seemingly caring about our response. That’s refreshing. I don’t read your blogs everyday even though they come, but I always skim them to see if I might enjoy reading. A lot of times I do just skim, but then every now and then you’ll write something that really connects with me. I guess those random jewels mixed in with all the rest are why I take the time to skim…just in case :)”
When I first started my blog, I did a weekly Comment Commentary; where I’d respond to each and every comment. Sure, that was fine when my comments were one or two per post.
But as the blog grows, the comments increase. I couldn’t keep up with a personal reply to each and every comment (although I really do read them all, and wish I had the time to keep responding!).
When I got this email from Claudia tonight, it just made me feel special. She gets it. She gets what and why I write. She just gets it.
In her short email, she summarized my intent and belief for my blog: “you write what you write and you do this without seemingly caring about our response”. The code word there is “seemingly”. Because I do care. I care that what I write is accepted, promoted, and appreciated. It’s never my intent to offend, but just to offer light hearted daily life stories (and some great recipes!).
It’s a great blend of dreams, imagination, true life, and my observations of all of the above. And it can be work, at times, to make it seem effortless; to not let my current emotions color my posts (lucky you to never seldom hear me rant!) but that’s my job. You’re not a shrink, and I’m not a patient. This isn’t my way of finding healing through vicarious living. This isn’t a narcissistic attempt to gain attention.
It’s just me. Mixing up all the ingredients of life, and sharing them with you.
The comments are just icing on this delicious cake.
Thanks, Claudia.
