Whew!
Please excuse me if I don't comment much on your diaries this week. I worked today, and I work tomorrow and Thursday too. Long days, and I'm just backlogged with email and this and that. But rest assured I AM reading! That part, I cannot give up!
The family reunion was fun. I got a little sunburned, ate some fabulous potato salad, watched a lady bug migration, and listened to kids running amok in the apple orchard, spilling food all over, which was neatly taken care of by two Jack Russel terriers. At this family reunion, the men do the cooking. About this you will never hear me complain.
As requested, the recipe for Snickerdoodles follows. They were eaten in vast quantities and declared scrumptious. Here is a bit of background about the name from my cookbook:
"The whimsical name of this favorite cookie, which originated in New England, is a nineteenth-century nonsense word for a quickly made confection."
Snickerdoodles
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix this stuff up like you do all cookies. Pretty much in the order given.
Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll in cinnamon sugar
Bake at 400 degrees F. for about 10-12 minutes.
I added a cup of dried cranberries to the dough. That was a lovely touch, that I will do again when I have them on hand.
There you have it.
Okay, next on the list of things I promised to write about:
Why Maple Bars are my favorite donuts.
1. They do not have a hole in them.
2. A rectangle is a much easier shape to devour than a circle.
3. If they come filled with whipped cream with powdered sugar beaten into it, so much the better. But this is not absolutely necessary.
4. One is generally enough to satisfy even my voracious sweet tooth, so you don't look like a pig eating two or three donuts, like one is tempted to do with Krispy Kreme donuts which are good, don't get me wrong, but they are mostly air.
5. The maple frosting is pretty much like mainlining heroin, though I only speak metaphorically, since I have never actually tried heroin.
There you have it.
It is a very Zen like feeling to sit at my computer today. The 6 inch pile of notebooks and file folders that contained my first draft of the novel are now neatly tucked away in the bottom of the desk, awaiting further instructions. My "IN" box is empty. I feel omnipotent. Though I suppose I will begin to whine once more when I start the re-re-write. But I don't plan on doing that just yet. I'm going to let it marinate. And wait for feedback from a small group of readers. It is not fit for public consumption just yet. But it is a fully formed entity and that feels VERY good.
There you have it.
And now,The Little Red Hen would like to say a few words.
[album 65561 GoofyHen2.JPG]
"It is a little known fact, that I am a professional Snickerdoodle tester hen. I would be happy to evaluate any cookies you would care to send me."