Heavenly Sugar Cookies

I should start this post acknowledging the woman I got this recipe from. Her name is Jan W. I knew her 20 years ago, a wonderful woman I worked with at the time. Very motherly. She'd bake these cookies and bring them to work. We would devour them and beg for more. Being a baker of sorts, I procured the recipe and have made them since to the delight of everyone who tastes them. Even my significant other, who practically won't touch goodies if they aren't coated in chocolate and who really could care less about sugar/shortbread/snickerdoodle types of cookies, likes them.

I want to note they were delivered to her in AZ in 106 degree weather, hence the melted sprinkles. Just sayin'. Also, this post is response to a request from said CA for the recipe.

Heavenly Sugar Cookies

• 1 c EarthBalance shortening (margarine and butter do not work in this recipe but plain old Crisco works perfectly)
• 1 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Milk Mix: 1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 2 Tbsp cream or milk (I use soy)
• Flour Mix: 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cream of tartar, 2.5 c flour
• Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, stir well.
• Alternate adding milk mixture and flour mix to make a very soft dough.
• Refrigerate dough for 15 – 30 mins. Up to you. Sometimes I don’t refrigerate, depends on my time crunch. It does make rolling out the dough easier though. Roll out on floured work surface to desired thickness. Experiment with this for personal taste. I like mine thick but the thin ones get crunchy and they are great too. I usually end up with an assortment of thick and soft and thin and crunchies.
• Bake at 350 for ~ 8 mins. As soon as they start to brown on the bottom, I take them out. This makes them melt in your mouth soft. Cooking longer will, obviously, make them crunchier.

• Cool then frost with: 2 c powdered sugar, 4 Tbsp margarine and just enough milk to make spreadable. (Again, I use the EarthBalance margarine for non-hydrogenated, vegan goodness.) Trust me, you’ll not know the difference between this and regular butter/margarine in the end product. Although not necessary, I sometimes will refrigerate the end product. So delicious cold.
• Dig in. I would love to know how they turn out for you.

We're doing better than I realized

I made a grammatical error on a previous post. (Yes, since corrected.) I really don't care for grammatical errors or spelling errors of any type. I've been convicted of finding errors on websites, in brochures and various other public writings. I even found an error in the dictionary. Granted it was just a pocket dictionary from something like 1983, but you get my drift. I just find those things. They jump out at me for some strange reason. Now, this ignores kitchy personality grammatical tendencies. As an example, I'll not be correcting anyone's personal blog who writes words such as "ya'll". Its regional and conversational. We all get that. So the thing I dislike the most after finding other people's errors, is finding my own or worse yet, someone else finding my errors. So not liking that. The boyfriend found a word error on my cookie post something about hydrogenated and its use or tense or whatever. I actually got him to take five minutes to read my blog, my personal pouring out of emotions and thoughts and inner demons. He's so not interested, and that's fine. It was just nice he took a five minute interest. But, that's not the point. The point is that when we were animatedly debating my use of hydrogenated, I started a search of the cupboards to prove my point. I searched, then searched, then searched a little more. Low and behold, nary a partially hydrogenated product to be found. How fabulous is that! I was impressed. So, we did find a Costco size bag of Chex Mix in the pantry that we had purchased for a BBQ at some point in history, but impressed with us I was. Hope I wasn't infringing on any Yoda copyrights with that back-ack-words (I know!!) sentence structure. I'll let you know if lawyers show up at my door asking me to change this post.

Comments people, Comments!

Have you ever gotten the chance to talk to your favorite movie or music icon? Well, I’m not particularly a star follower, but as I’ve said before in the world of blogs CrazyAuntPurl is right up there with Elvis. I won’t be following her around like the paparazzi (although I do stalk her blog) but if I happen to run into her, I’ll be chatty enough without drooling. “Ya’ll know.” In that light, I commented to Purl’s blog today. *sheepish grin* No big, just a casual, cat yawns are awesome aren’t, they type of comment, but for me, it’s a big thing to be so public. Tons, quite literally, of people read her blog! I just adore blog comments of all types, sorts and varieties so joined in the fray. It’s a global conversation with peeps you’ll probably never meet and that’s ok ‘cause everyone is just having a good time, wasting time.

Ok, so officially scaring myself now.

Cookies

Well, not quite vegan, but definitely non-hydrongenated. I couldn't get past not using eggs. Bummer. On my list of things to figure out I suppose.

I recently found vegan 'margarine' for lack of better nomenclature. It's called Earth Balance, comes in margarine and shortening style, refrigerated sticks or in a tub and actually tastes great. You're right, its not real butter nor does it taste like real butter, but it does taste really good in a margarine kind of way. I'm one of those people who wants the real thing or nothing at all. Don't give me soy cheese (at least not yet). If I can't have the real thing, I'll just go without. In my quest to de-cow my eating and de-hydrogenate my food sources, my searching brought me to this product. I really like it. I'll be getting no royalties, but if I can nudge someone into trying and liking a seemingly better for you product, then that's a good thing. Right? Heavens, I'm so not a pusher kind of person, am I? Oy, I've gone on a serious tangent.

These are my first baked items with it, and either I was starved for sugar cookies, or these may just be the best I've made. Shortening in the cookies and margarine in the frosting. Believe it or not, there's a purpose to this post. All will be revealed in time. In the mean time, phosphorescent cookies on display. And yes, I'd love to be a fabulous photographer, alas, I'm still learning. So as not to scare you, these are all color enhance photos. Again, not a photographer nor a designer, but had fun doing it anyway. If I can't practice here in the safe harbor venue of my blog, where can I practice? Happiness to all on this 24th of May, 2006.

xo

Sprinkles

I'm making cookies with sprinkles tonight. At least that's my plan. Vegan, non-hydrogenated, frosted, sugar cookies with sprinkles, hopefully it won't matter what kind of sprinkles. There'll be lots of sugar so don't worry. If they turn out, I'll be pleased and hopefully so will various others. If I had a digital camera, I'd take pictures of pretty cookies, my plan is they'll be pretty and tasty, only time will tell on that score.

Current vice, coffee with coffeemate. They have the new Soy version, haven't tried it yet. Its on my list of things to do. Well, its on my list of things to cut out, but it still lays on the chopping block waiting for my 'chop'. It may have to wait some time. Not quite ready for that. I'm thinking that when the weather turns all sunny and I get rid of this ridiculous sore throat (mmmm... warm coffee feels so good on a sore throat...) that I'll be ready to throw in the towel, or back to my original analogy, put the chop to it.

I'm rereading Stephen King's: Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower. Its actually on Audible, so a cheat read, but the info gets into the head and I am entertained on my drive to and from work, so there's something to be said for that.

I so wish I could post pics of my most cutest nieces ever!! But, alas, I do fear the internet whackos who could/would/might use the pics for evil. They're just too young and innocent at this point and their mother, my sister, would kill me. So, pieces, and hopefully that will be ok.

He who shall not be named...I'm not talking Voldemort friends

A$$ boy the red. So, that’s the nickname a friend, who happens to be an ex, gave an ex who replaced said ex. Funny, I hadn’t realized the original ex had a nickname for the replacement ex. I like it. Its funny when you break up with someone how much you really learn about what your family and friends really thought about that person. Things they’d never tell you while you were together, but feel very free to tell you later, after its all over… after the fat lady has sung. Did they really think these things during the relationship? Are they just focusing on the bad parts, that we all have, to make you feel better about the breakup? Did they tell me these things ever so subtly during the relationship and I didn’t listen? Would I have listened had they told me during the relationship? Very interesting to ponder. After my brother got divorced I told him I’d be more honest about the next relationship he got into. I said I’d tell him if she was acting inappropriately or just like a crazy person. But, would I? If I saw him blissfully happy would I be able to say to him that she was all wrong for him for reasons 1, 2 and 3? Would I be willing to risk our relationship given that he may very well still choose her and I’d be left with a strained relationship with my favorite person? How would I feel if someone told me they thought my relationship was all wrong? Especially if I believed truly and wholeheartedly that it was wonderful. How could an outsider really know what going on inside a relationship? Would I be able to objectively hear they only had my best interest at heart and that maybe they could see things I couldn’t?

Wow, that’s a lot to stomach for a Monday.

Mister

I am so fortunate to have a man as wonderful (and yes, sometimes exasperating) in my life as Nick. Yesterday was my birthday. He stopped on the way home to pick up for me a piece of vegan irish oatmeal cake from my favorite kitchy bakery Piece of Cake. Fortunately for him the bakery is about 6 blocks from the house, but I certain if it had been 6 miles, he'd have done it too. We had dinner at Mint with his sister, one of my very best friends, her boyfriend, so much a brother to me, and his mom whom I adore. They gave me beautiful jewelry from Stellas, probably my favorite quirky shop in NW PDX and a wonderfully sweet and sentimental card signed by each, I had a very lovely time. When we got back to the house and had had dessert/coffee and the fam had gone home, I decided to enjoy looking at my gifts and card again. The card was somehow not in my purse nor in the Jeep. After looking several times in each place, I called the restaurant and explained that I wasn't exactly crazy, but this would probably be the weirdest call for them... Did they happen to find and preserve my card from the table? What wonderful people these are, they had found my card and promptly threw it away, as anyone would. The important thing here is that they remembered us, and actually dug the card out of the garbage for me!! Now that's service. The hostess explained the card was not covered in mushy garbage sauces, but was not quite pristine either. I didn't care, save it for me pleeeease, I'll pick it up tomorrow. My wonderful man will be doing that for me after work tonight, picking up the birthday card formerly known as garbage, formerly known as a wonderful piece of memorabilia I don't need, but want. Sometimes wanting is as good as needing. Boys will be boys, but they can also be quite awesome.

Lather, rinse, repeat

It is amazing how quickly a new day can turn into last week. Time totally flies. I know, I know, that saying has been around for decades, but I can guarantee, those decades have flown by. When I was somewhat younger, all I wanted was for the next birthday to come around so I would be older and proverbially wiser. If only I was 12, I'd be old enough to babysit then I'd have money to buy whatever the cool flavor of BonneBelle lipgloss was all the rage, if only I was 16, I'd be old enough to go on a date with a boy (Ok, so my parents were/are pretty old fashioned. I couldn't 'date' until I was 16. Somehow that was a magical age when I could be what... trusted to make good choices? Hello, in my middleish 30's and still not always making the best choices. But, I digress.) Oh, yeah, 16, I could drive by myself. Wasn't that the coolest experience, being on your own for the first time behind the wheel of some huge 8-cylinder Ford product. Safety first. If only I was graduated from high school, I'd be old enough to live on my own and get my own job and pay my own bills and be completely responsible for myself. Oy! I think that really calls for a second Oy! If only I was 21, I could drink - legally. If only I was 25, I'd be old enough to finally understand guys ~ yeah right. If only ...etc... I'm so tired of the "if onlys". Where was I going with this thread? Oh, yeah, time flies.

If I'm so tired of the "if onlys" what am I going to do about it? Well, that's where blogging, clearing my mind, doing my best to clear the cobwebs of the old grey matter comes into play. Blogging about stuff makes me consider it on another level. If its just in my mind, its rather easy to push it aside and figure out what's for dinner. If I write it, I've thought it through more throroughly, put it into a somewhat more tangible medium, made my fingers feel and my eyes see the thoughts, made the thought more real, more manageable.

Moral of the story, life is now. Stop waiting for the somedays and if onlys and whens. Life is a journey not a destination. Have I said this before? I'm sure I'll be saying it again. Seems I need to keep blogging this thought and that's ok.

**sigh** I just had a nice wave of relaxation. More manageable, I like that. I'm going to change the title of this post now from A-May-Zing to...see above.

as always xo

A New Day

I think its partly a Spring funk I've been in. Everything seems bleak, even those things that normally wouldn't. So, resolve ~ pull out of it. Look at the good stuff, which quite frankly is just about everything, and move forward in a positive direction. **sigh** Can do.

To start the week ~ something beautiful to me associated with some nice memories of family and of course, a tropical island in the Caribbean. Granted, I'm not there right now, but that would be looking at things from a glass is half empty point of view. I was there and this is the proof. Is that glass half full frame of mind? I hope so, that's all I've got right now. Its a start. xo

Are you there God...

... its me, Lucy.

F/F

Its wonderful to have such great friends. Hand made card from the San Diego area. I just love it and its green :-)

Thanks so much.

xo

Immigration Rally - PDX

May 1, 2006 downtown Portland photos of the immigration march / rally. Very organized, much more so than the first which went on for what seemed like hours. Yesterday's march, even with the throngs of people, lasted only a few minutes. From what I could see, the police were passive and the marchers were cooperative. It will be interesting to witness the outcome, where will we be in 2 yrs, 5 yrs?

May Day

I love May Day. Children are supposed to make flower baskets and drop them on the front porches of friends and strangers. I so remember doing that as a kid, granted the flowers were colored construction paper, but the sentiment is there. I hope there are some children out there today dropping little bundles of joy and scented friendship in and around their neighborhoods.