The other day I was thinking about makeup.
What does that have to do with my mom, or mothers in general? Well, let me tell you. I was walking down the street, thinking about how I really hate taking off makeup, and that I'm so happy that I don't feel as though I need to wear makeup to go out of the house. And that made me think about how my mom doesn't wear a lot of makeup, either. Because she doesn't need to. She's lovely. And then I started to think of just how lovely she is and all the amazing things she has done for me, which is appropriate seeing as it is Mothers' Day season. Unfortunately, I did not have the time, nor the resources, to send her a gift this year (never fear, she got an excellent birthday present), but I still want to give her something. So I decided to give her my first blog post after a bit of drought.
Thank you, Mom. Thank you for not wearing a lot of makeup, and not inflicting on me some sort of beauty regime. But also, when I needed to look good for college auditions, thank you for taking me to a high quality makeup counter, and treating me to that makeup. As you said, since I didn't ask for any makeup until I was 19, it seemed okay to buy it for me. I still remember that shopping trip. Thank you for the makeup and the dresses. Going out shopping was never really our thing, and that was a very successful, fun day.
Thank you. Thank you for taking care of me every single time I got sick. Which, as we both know, was ALL THE TIME. It was probably no fun taking care of a little girl who managed to contract scarlet fever. And walking pneumonia. And is allergic to penicillin, but caught strep throat at least once a month. Oh, and who would sleep through her own coughing attacks, while you laid awake. You're a champ.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the times we didn't/don't see eye to eye. I'm sorry about the time I didn't want you around for homecoming pictures. I'm sorry about the times I came home after having a little too much to drink. I'm sorry that I don't wear a helmet when I roller blade, and I know it makes you worry. I'm sorry about the one year I thought it was a great idea to buy you goldfish for Mothers' Day. And I don't mean the crackers. I mean two live goldfish.
But thank you. Thank you for reading to me when I was little, even if it did always make you fall asleep. Thank you for making the world's best cookies, which I'm still convinced are the reason I ever had friends growing up. Thank you for making a killer apple pie, and for teaching me how to bake.
Thank you for the ability to say that I had only ONE store bought Halloween costume. And for loving holidays as much as I do. And embracing all that is Christmas. Christmas is important. Thank you for decorating the house so beautifully every year and playing Christmas music and making hundreds of cookies. Thank you for always making sure that my birthday presents are always wrapped in birthday, NOT Christmas, paper.
Thank you for supporting my Wizard of Oz obsession. And my acting obsession. And almost all of my hair brained obsessions and choices. Thank you for believing I am smart enough to be a doctor or a lawyer, and accepting that I have degrees in Public History and Musical Theatre Performance. Thank you for letting me do whatever I wanted to my hair and coming to see all of my shows. Thank you for staying up to help me finish homework and other projects I left too late.
Thank you for teaching me how to manage my money. Thank you for teaching me how to craft, and the simple beauty of something made by hand. Thank you for teaching me how rewarding doing something for some else always is. Thank you for the night we watched "Big Business", and for all the times we kicked Dad out of the Man Cave so that we could watch "Cupcake Wars".
Thank you for marrying Dad, because we all know he would be dead in a ditch if you hadn't.
Thank you for being there for me these past 25 years. I look forward to many more.
There are innumerable other things which deserve thanks, but let's save some for next year.
Love you.
Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Tagalongs
Cookies are very important. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
In the world of Girl Scout Cookies, there are really only two kinds that actually matter. Tagalongs and Thin Mints. There are a few out there who also pay homage at the purple altar of the Samoa, but I don't think those people have souls. Coconut is an abomination. I'm pretty sure it's a texture thing. A texture and horrible taste thing. Certainly we can all agree that these three varieties evoke the strongest response in the general population. I was going to point out that this is probably because these three flavors come in boxes that are the secondary colors, but when I turned up my lights all the way, it looked like my Tagalong box was more red than orange, which is too bad.
Back to the cookies. I grew up knowing only my mom's cookies. These are undeniably the best cookies in the world and the only reason I had friends growing up. As such, we had an unwritten law in my house that banned all commercially made cookies from crossing the threshold. Oreos are not cookies. They make great dirt cups and are welcome as a garnish, but they are not cookies. The exceptions to this rule were Girl Scout Cookies and the cookies from the Meijer bakery. I don't think we ever bought the Meijer cookies, but it was acknowledged that they tasted good. Oh. And the no-bake cookies from the bakery in Pigeon, Michigan. But we're going to count those as homemade and a class of all their own. Nothing as good as those cookies has ever been even thought of. You could tell me that they are made out of lard (which they might be), and I would simply ask for another one. And although these are not large cookies, I don't think I've ever seen a person eat an entire Pigeon no-bake in one go. Such an action is shunned. There are a limited number of no-bakes at any given time, and it is every person's duty to make them last as long as humanly possible. You don't know when you'll see one again. What you do know is exactly how many parts of a no-bake you, and everyone else, has consumed. Food of the gods.
This was supposed to be about Girl Scout Cookies. The point is that cookies are more of a delicacy than something you mindlessly snack on. Each cookie is an experience. It takes forever to eat a cookie. Now, Thin Mints, though very yummy, are not very exciting. I think they may be one of the only kinds of cookies where I can polish a few off without much thought. You stick them in the freezer, you take them out of the freezer, and you try not to scarf through a whole sleeve in one go. They're thin (hence the name), they kind of crumble if you try to break them, and they're not very complex. Still good. But the Tagalong. First of all, you only get 15 to start with, and if Dad gets to them before you, you are screwed. So you have to make them last. You have to savor them. Personally, I like to deconstruct food that probably should be eaten whole. This includes foods such as soft tacos from Taco Bell, swiss cake rolls, and Ferrero Rocher chocolates, just to name a few. It also includes Tagalongs. I am a firm believer that the parts are greater than the sum of its whole, and therefor a Tagalong should be consumed chocolate, peanut butter, and then cookie in order to be truly enjoyed. That's my view of the matter.
In the world of Girl Scout Cookies, there are really only two kinds that actually matter. Tagalongs and Thin Mints. There are a few out there who also pay homage at the purple altar of the Samoa, but I don't think those people have souls. Coconut is an abomination. I'm pretty sure it's a texture thing. A texture and horrible taste thing. Certainly we can all agree that these three varieties evoke the strongest response in the general population. I was going to point out that this is probably because these three flavors come in boxes that are the secondary colors, but when I turned up my lights all the way, it looked like my Tagalong box was more red than orange, which is too bad.
Back to the cookies. I grew up knowing only my mom's cookies. These are undeniably the best cookies in the world and the only reason I had friends growing up. As such, we had an unwritten law in my house that banned all commercially made cookies from crossing the threshold. Oreos are not cookies. They make great dirt cups and are welcome as a garnish, but they are not cookies. The exceptions to this rule were Girl Scout Cookies and the cookies from the Meijer bakery. I don't think we ever bought the Meijer cookies, but it was acknowledged that they tasted good. Oh. And the no-bake cookies from the bakery in Pigeon, Michigan. But we're going to count those as homemade and a class of all their own. Nothing as good as those cookies has ever been even thought of. You could tell me that they are made out of lard (which they might be), and I would simply ask for another one. And although these are not large cookies, I don't think I've ever seen a person eat an entire Pigeon no-bake in one go. Such an action is shunned. There are a limited number of no-bakes at any given time, and it is every person's duty to make them last as long as humanly possible. You don't know when you'll see one again. What you do know is exactly how many parts of a no-bake you, and everyone else, has consumed. Food of the gods.
This was supposed to be about Girl Scout Cookies. The point is that cookies are more of a delicacy than something you mindlessly snack on. Each cookie is an experience. It takes forever to eat a cookie. Now, Thin Mints, though very yummy, are not very exciting. I think they may be one of the only kinds of cookies where I can polish a few off without much thought. You stick them in the freezer, you take them out of the freezer, and you try not to scarf through a whole sleeve in one go. They're thin (hence the name), they kind of crumble if you try to break them, and they're not very complex. Still good. But the Tagalong. First of all, you only get 15 to start with, and if Dad gets to them before you, you are screwed. So you have to make them last. You have to savor them. Personally, I like to deconstruct food that probably should be eaten whole. This includes foods such as soft tacos from Taco Bell, swiss cake rolls, and Ferrero Rocher chocolates, just to name a few. It also includes Tagalongs. I am a firm believer that the parts are greater than the sum of its whole, and therefor a Tagalong should be consumed chocolate, peanut butter, and then cookie in order to be truly enjoyed. That's my view of the matter.
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