SUGAR AND SPICE COOKIES AND A FEW GIRLS GONE WILD IN SKAN TOWN.......



I simply MUST interrupt today's regularly scheduled programming, all about the cookie that started it all, to fill you on in my fantastic Valentine's Day, 2012!

It all started with getting this little invitation, via Facebook.........

You see, my dear friend Cindy, who lives in the glorious New York Fingerlake town of Skaneateles (pronounced, "Skinny-Atlas") in a pre-Civil War era farmhouse (Hidden Pond Farm), has this HUGE, HUGE Valentine's get-together for all of her friends. Every. Single. Year. For over 14 years now.....girl knows how to throw a love fest, to be sure!

This year, she invited over 500 people, and I am honored to say that my good friend and former editor (even though she fired me) Lisa and I were on the guest list. And as a girl who loves her some Valentine's Day, well, how could I pass this invitation up?

We started by having lunch at one of my favorite places down in Skan Town, the BlueWater Grill....this is Lisa, trying to look like a model, gazing at the lake.......

And this is her "normal" face--always laughing. Which is PRECISELY why I like hanging with her...she makes me laugh!...Hey, isn't life too short to hang out with "serious" people?.....



For lunch, I had the most marvelous Smoked Salmon (Food of the Gods alert!) B.L.T., and I think Miss Lisa had chicken and biscuits....MMMMMM!!! But we were good girls and saved room for dessert, because, after all, we WERE headed for a tea party! I think tea parties normally have cookies and scones and scrumpets and such, no?

I put Lisa in charge of the picture taking.....BIG mistake, as she didn't take ENOUGH, in my book, so this is what you're gonna get.....here's me, on Cindy's front porch.....

And here's Miss Cindy....(I'm actually happy that my part of the picture is all blurry)....Cindy is about 5 feet tall, soaking wet,  and absolutely the most darling woman you're ever going to meet (and here's something pretty funny...her husband is about 6'6"...talk about Frick and Frack!).............

Here's Cindy's alter of worship to all things COOKIES..she even had a gluten-free platter....

An awesome candlelight-only chandelier hanging over her dining room table....I am telling you that being in her home is like stepping into a time machine, back to the 1800's.....LOVE IT.......

Cindy had a large table brimming with make-it-yourself Valentines supplies...every kind of paper and glue and glitter and rubber stamp and ribbon you could ever need to be as creative as possible with your homemade Valentine creations!...............

Here's where I decided that I'd lost my patience with Lisa's camera pointing, and decided to stab her with my little kid's scissors....you should be very a-fear'd.....

(Don't you feel sorry for that poor guy next to me? He was the only man there, by the way--brave soul!)

Lisa made the SWEETEST little cone-shaped cookie holder for her son, Luke......

Awww...what a great mama.........

And since I had already made and/or purchased all of my Valentine's cards for others, I made this little number for one of my very favorite people on the planet--MYSELF! ha ha......

Well well well, waddya know.....it says, "Sugar and Spice"....hey, that's me!..

Oh, and I forgot about the TEA....Cindy made the BEST Chai tea, from scratch, and served it with coconut milk and honey, in these darling antique tea cups...mmmmm!...

All in all, we had such a wonderful day--thank you so much, Cindy!!! And thanks for the fun company, Miss Lisa...here's to many adventures to come.....

Oh and in case you were wondering....Wink ! had dinner waiting for me when I got home--tacos, what else! Truly my favorites....and I was spoiled rotten with gorgeous new pearl earrings and my very favorite chocolates and lots and lots of kisses....I am one lucky woman!

*********************

And now onto the cookie that started it all...the whole Sugar and Spice empire that I've created. You see, for 3 plus years I wrote a weekly newspaper column, called Sugar and Spice. The column was truly a great joy in my life...and it has evolved into this little blog, which I creatively (note: sarcasm) titled the very same thing.......

Why Sugar and Spice, you ask? Well, first there's the fact that my husband Wink ! says that I'm part Sweet and part Spicy....I think I like that description of myself! Second, these cookies; my mom gave me the recipe years ago, and I find myself reaching for it again and again when I need to whip up a super easy but delicous cookie...

Funny story here...check out this recipe......



Do you notice anything strange in the dry ingredients listed? What on earth is "slat"? WELL, silly me didn't realize it was a type-o, and actually went to two grocery stores, searching in vain for a mysterious spice called, "Slat". I got a lot of strange looks from store clerks, lemme tell ya. Later on, my mom told me that she meant, "salt"...well DUH! That's what you get when your mom e-mails you recipes after her 3rd glass o' boxed wine........(she's gonna KILL me!)......

You will just love these cookies...they are full of wonderful spices like cinnamon, cloves and ginger, and have a wonderful molasses-ey flavor. I love the way they make my home smell when they're baking and cooling......to begin, cream shortening and sugar.....

Add egg and molasses......

Sift together dry ingredients, then add to shortening mixture.......



Form dough into walnut-sized balls, then roll in sugar. Place on baking sheets.....

And here they are, hot out o' the oven......got milk?.........

I hope you love these...here's the recipe. Thanks, Mom!

SUGAR AND SPICE COOKIES

Makes aprox. 32 cookies

3 / 4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 / 4 cup molasses

Cream together shortening and sugar; add egg and molasses

Sift together:

2 cups flour

2 tsp. soda

1 / 4 tsp. SALT

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. cloves

3/4 tsp. ginger

Add to shortening mixture and mix until well blended. Form into balls the size of walnuts. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on greased or silicone lined baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool on wire racks.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR.....

***The weekend our daughter is spending in London with her hometown friend Chelsea P, who is also spending her semester abroad in Europe.....They will be celebrating Abbie's 21st birthday (!), coming up on Monday! Hoist one for us, girls!

***A nice quiet weekend ahead of us, and maybe taking in a matinee on Sunday.....

***The future, for she is bright and shiny!