It was the Christmas of l963 that Mom and I baked and baked and baked. Some out-of-town friends of Mom and Dad's dropped by one day and the wife brought a plate of Christmas treats. Hmmm, perhaps we could make some of our own was a thought that came to my mind. Meanwhile, Mom picked up the latest issues of Woman's Day and Family Circle, inexpensive but good magazines available at the grocery store. The Woman's Day always had a tear-out section of recipes and this month's was, of course, Christmas cookies. Right into the palms of my hands! I was a freshman in high school and old enough to handle recipes on my own.
As far back as I could remember there had been a Dormeyer stand mixer just like the one pictured below in the cupboard over the stove.
I don't remember it ever being used. When I asked Mom about it she said it didn't work. Then why did we have it? No answer. However, we were about to embark on some heavy duty baking, so Mom borrowed a hand mixer from our neighbor, Goldie, and we went to work. (Dad gave Mom a hand mixer for Christmas that year so we didn't have to borrow ever again.)
Mom and I continued this tradition for the next few years. I don't remember if I baked when I came home from college on Christmas break, but I know Mom pretty much gave it up. She did, however, turn into a manic fudge maker. As I've mentioned, she was never much of a baker, and she loved chocolate, so fudge was a natural for her. Pans and pans of it, which she shared with the neighbors.
I made some white candy-coated pretzels last night and today I made another batch of cookies--frosted soft vanilla sugar cookies. The recipe comes from the Six Sisters and can be found
here. I discovered the recipe last year and loved the ease of it. Dan loves frosted sugar cookies but I confess to being too lazy to make them if I have to roll and cut.
A cookie decorator I'm not, but the Christmas sprinkles make them look festive. They're yummy, trust me. ♥
What's the rest of the story with the Dormeyer stand mixer?
ReplyDeleteI remember your mother telling us how much she appreciated those little grocery store magazines -- 15 cents they were, and then 35 cents. I bought them myself for years. Actually, my former self loved magazines. Today, you can buy a book for the price of a magazine.
I am not a cookie decorator either. I wouldn't make food into a work of art, even if I could, but my mother and sister did. Mother loved butter-rich cookies -- spritz and shortbread -- which were decorated with bits of red and green candied cherries. Labor-intensive it was!
I don't know the rest of the story. Mom never said any more about it and I didn't find it when we cleaned out the house. It's a mystery!!
DeleteAnd you're right about magazines. I look at them, find mostly ads, and then look at the price and gasp.