I've found the secret to baking the PERFECT Christmas cookies!
Every year at Christmas time when I was growing up, my mom, my sisters and I baked Christmas cookies. SCADS of Christmas cookies. Not your normal, simple peanut butter or oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies, but old family recipes for pitzels, candy cane cookies, nut balls, strawberry cookies, kolachi cookies (a redundancy, linguistically speaking), and many, many others that call for old-fashioned things like "scalded milk" and "a fist full of flour". Over the years, my mom stopped baking and my sisters and I took the recipes we wanted. My favorite cookies were the kolachi cookies, and for the past 20 years or so I've been baking them at Christmas time.
This year, I had the pleasure of baking these cookies with my daughter. She's 25, lives on her own and has a professional career, so it's hard sometimes for us to get together. This week, we did it and what a wonderful time we had!
Kolachi cookies are time consuming to make. You have to make the dough, roll it, cut it, make the filling, fill the dough, bake the cookies, cool them, and sugar them. And you get at least 144 cookies per batch. As I said - time consuming, but OH SO WORTH IT!
I put John in charge of the Christmas music. He loves the holiday classics by Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Doris Day, and the likes. Our daughter is musically gifted, so she enjoys and appreciates all kinds of music (which is a good thing, or else she'd probably never want to do this again).
Well, when my daughter arrived, I had everything out and ready to go. There was a dough-rolling station, a filling station, a cookie sheet holding area and a cooling/sugaring station (I truly am that organized)! I started work making the dough. She started work making the filling. I rolled and cut the dough, she filled, folded and baked the cookies. When she realized that I was done with the dough before she was done filling, she set me up with a second rolling station so there was no idle time. How cool is that? I guess she's that organized, too.
We chatted, we laughed, we sang. All of a sudden we were done! 190 cookies - just like that. We did in 3 hours what would normally take about 4 or 5 hours. Talk about a well-oiled machine!
The interesting part is that those cookies taste better this year than they ever have before.
So you see, the secret to baking the PERFECT Christmas cookies? Do it with someone you love.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
HOLIDAY SHOPPING
Today seemed like an appropriate day to get some holiday shopping done. It was a blustery day, cold and snowy, but it was sort of uplifting. Quite seasonal, actually. After all, Christmas is coming, and the sales were calling.
As I tootled around town to the first few places on my list, I caught every traffic light green and just cruised about. That NEVER happens. It was a good day, I thought.
And a good day it was, too. The people at the post office were pleasant. The guys at the
plumbing supply house (yes, I'm still dealing with plumbing, only to a decorative extent, now) were quite friendly and helpful. The ladies at the local boutique were sweet, as they always are.
And then there was MACY'S.
I went to the men's department looking for a pair of dress gloves. I found a beautiful pair - leather, cashmere lined, and 40% off, too! How cool is that?
At checkout, there were two lines and two cashiers. One line had three customers, I chose the other, which only had two. By the time it was my turn, the cashier disappeared. He just DISAPPEARED! So I waited. And waited. Finally, I went to the other line, which by this time had only two customers.
As soon as I got there, the other cashier came back and two customers raced to his line! SIGH.
The woman in front of me saw what had happened and made some supportive comments. I told the cashier in my line what had happened. She responded "He's seasonal help and he's driving me crazy".
Well, by that time, two or three other customers had lined up behind me, and I'm sure you can guess what happened next. Yep. A third cashier came and split up the line - starting with the woman BEHIND me!!!!!!!
Feeling a little perturbed, I asked our cashier if she was going to say something to the "seasonal help" guy or should I. She chuckled. Can you believe it? She just CHUCKLED.
When did this kind of behavior become acceptable? When did customer service become a bad thing?
I'd had enough. As soon as "seasonal help" guy was done with his customer, I was going to say something. I WAS NOT going to let him help yet another person before helping me.
"Excuse me, sir!" I said (I'm being polite here). "Would you mind ringing me up next. I've been waiting a long time and everyone seems to be getting service before me".
That got his attention. He took care of me right away. He even agreed to give me the additional 10% discount I asked for. Appeased, I was off to find the drapery department. SIGH.
Now, the Macy's in my area is a very large department store - 3 stories plus a lower level. Finding your way in is easy. Finding your way around - not so much. I found a sales associate on the first floor and asked her where I might find draperies. She very confidently replied, "third floor". "Thanks", I said, and continued on to find the escalators.
Third floor. Bed and Bath. I circled the floor once. I circled the floor again. I could find neither draperies nor a sales associate to direct me. So I circled a third time. Finally, I found someone and asked "where might I find draperies?" She replied "Oh, we don't have draperies".
OMG! I spent 15 minutes circling the third floor, looking for what I was told was there, only to find that it really wasn't there, that it was nowhere because they don't even carry it! Could I get any closer to exploding?
I realized it was time to go home. I was SO done shopping for the day. Maybe even for the rest of my life!
The weather was still cold and blustery when I left the store and I wasn't so lucky with the green lights, but that was okay, I was on my way home. That always makes things better.
As I tootled around town to the first few places on my list, I caught every traffic light green and just cruised about. That NEVER happens. It was a good day, I thought.
And a good day it was, too. The people at the post office were pleasant. The guys at the
plumbing supply house (yes, I'm still dealing with plumbing, only to a decorative extent, now) were quite friendly and helpful. The ladies at the local boutique were sweet, as they always are.
And then there was MACY'S.
I went to the men's department looking for a pair of dress gloves. I found a beautiful pair - leather, cashmere lined, and 40% off, too! How cool is that?
At checkout, there were two lines and two cashiers. One line had three customers, I chose the other, which only had two. By the time it was my turn, the cashier disappeared. He just DISAPPEARED! So I waited. And waited. Finally, I went to the other line, which by this time had only two customers.
As soon as I got there, the other cashier came back and two customers raced to his line! SIGH.
The woman in front of me saw what had happened and made some supportive comments. I told the cashier in my line what had happened. She responded "He's seasonal help and he's driving me crazy".
Well, by that time, two or three other customers had lined up behind me, and I'm sure you can guess what happened next. Yep. A third cashier came and split up the line - starting with the woman BEHIND me!!!!!!!
Feeling a little perturbed, I asked our cashier if she was going to say something to the "seasonal help" guy or should I. She chuckled. Can you believe it? She just CHUCKLED.
When did this kind of behavior become acceptable? When did customer service become a bad thing?
I'd had enough. As soon as "seasonal help" guy was done with his customer, I was going to say something. I WAS NOT going to let him help yet another person before helping me.
"Excuse me, sir!" I said (I'm being polite here). "Would you mind ringing me up next. I've been waiting a long time and everyone seems to be getting service before me".
That got his attention. He took care of me right away. He even agreed to give me the additional 10% discount I asked for. Appeased, I was off to find the drapery department. SIGH.
Now, the Macy's in my area is a very large department store - 3 stories plus a lower level. Finding your way in is easy. Finding your way around - not so much. I found a sales associate on the first floor and asked her where I might find draperies. She very confidently replied, "third floor". "Thanks", I said, and continued on to find the escalators.
Third floor. Bed and Bath. I circled the floor once. I circled the floor again. I could find neither draperies nor a sales associate to direct me. So I circled a third time. Finally, I found someone and asked "where might I find draperies?" She replied "Oh, we don't have draperies".
OMG! I spent 15 minutes circling the third floor, looking for what I was told was there, only to find that it really wasn't there, that it was nowhere because they don't even carry it! Could I get any closer to exploding?
I realized it was time to go home. I was SO done shopping for the day. Maybe even for the rest of my life!
The weather was still cold and blustery when I left the store and I wasn't so lucky with the green lights, but that was okay, I was on my way home. That always makes things better.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
FIRST IN LINE
Thanksgiving came and went without a hitch. John was home for a four day weekend, the food was really good (if I do say so myself), and we always enjoy the cheer and laughter when our family, small as it is, gets together.
This year, however, something very interesting happened.
Have you ever watched the news reports about the infamous BLACK FRIDAY and wondered how someone actually gets to be first in line at these electronics stores? I mean, how early do they have to get there in order to be first in line and how do they know that?
Well, this year, after Thanksgiving dinner, our son started gathering his winter weather gear and announced that he and a friend had every intention of taking advantage of those very limited BLACK FRIDAY specials. Meaning, of course, that they were going to camp out for the night to be first, or close to it, in line!
I'm a born skeptic, but I fully, 100% support my son and know what he can accomplish when he makes up his mind. After all, he's a poor college student who had his eye on some pretty cool electronic equipment for not a whole lot of money. What more motivation does one need to spend the night in the below freezing weather (I think to myself, eyes rolling).
So, caring mother that I am, I fix my son a thermos of hot chocolate, 3 turkey sandwiches, and 2 plates of pumpkin pie. Then I go to the tool room and retrieve four 12 hour hand and feet warmers, remind him to take some chairs and tell him to be careful. I always have to tell him to be careful - that's my job.
Well, I called him after a few hours. He said he was first in line and a few people had shown up about 20 minutes after he and his friend got there. More people showed up throughout the night and by the time the store opened at 8:00 am, the line contained about 1,000 people and circled around the building. BUT HE WAS FIRST!!! FIRST IN LINE!!! FIRST IN THE STORE!!!
He was damn cold and oh so tired by the time he got home, but HE WAS FIRST!!!
I no longer have to wonder who those people are that get to be first in a HUGE line. You see, my son showed me who it is (him) and how it is done (determination).
Isn't it great, the things you learn from your kids?
This year, however, something very interesting happened.
Have you ever watched the news reports about the infamous BLACK FRIDAY and wondered how someone actually gets to be first in line at these electronics stores? I mean, how early do they have to get there in order to be first in line and how do they know that?
Well, this year, after Thanksgiving dinner, our son started gathering his winter weather gear and announced that he and a friend had every intention of taking advantage of those very limited BLACK FRIDAY specials. Meaning, of course, that they were going to camp out for the night to be first, or close to it, in line!
I'm a born skeptic, but I fully, 100% support my son and know what he can accomplish when he makes up his mind. After all, he's a poor college student who had his eye on some pretty cool electronic equipment for not a whole lot of money. What more motivation does one need to spend the night in the below freezing weather (I think to myself, eyes rolling).
So, caring mother that I am, I fix my son a thermos of hot chocolate, 3 turkey sandwiches, and 2 plates of pumpkin pie. Then I go to the tool room and retrieve four 12 hour hand and feet warmers, remind him to take some chairs and tell him to be careful. I always have to tell him to be careful - that's my job.
Well, I called him after a few hours. He said he was first in line and a few people had shown up about 20 minutes after he and his friend got there. More people showed up throughout the night and by the time the store opened at 8:00 am, the line contained about 1,000 people and circled around the building. BUT HE WAS FIRST!!! FIRST IN LINE!!! FIRST IN THE STORE!!!
He was damn cold and oh so tired by the time he got home, but HE WAS FIRST!!!
I no longer have to wonder who those people are that get to be first in a HUGE line. You see, my son showed me who it is (him) and how it is done (determination).
Isn't it great, the things you learn from your kids?
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