My Box of Cookies from my secret FFWD Valentine arrived at The Gant in Aspen before me. Although I had e-mailed, called and texted the kids at the front desk to ‘not even think of eating those cookies’, I paid a ransom when I picked the box up. They received a big red tin of homemade Valentine Cookies from me. There were smiles all around.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY 2013……….
This year many of us who belong to French Fridays with Dorie participated in a Valentine’s Cookie Exchange. Everything about this project was supposed to be top-secret until the “Big Reveal” on February 14th. Yeah, right……..
Our leader for this project was Alice Mizer who blogs at A Cooking Mizer. If you remember, Alice masterminded our Christmas card exchange and managed the project artfully. Admittedly, this Cupid Crowd was a bit unruly and, honestly, who can keep a secret? But along came February 14th, we’ve all sent treats to our secret Valentines, and you can see their sugary results and recipes at our French Fridays with Dorie link.
My secret Dorista Valentine knows how to put the Giant in Ginger Snaps. These cookies were humongous and outrageously delicious.
Nothing about this project was difficult for me. I received the name of my secret Valentine, baked my tasty cookies, packaged them up and went to the post office to mail to Massachusetts on deadline. What totally traumatized me was after paying my proper postage, the postal clerk heaved, and, I mean, heaved my box into the postal bin.
How does your cookie crumble?
So, I immediately blew my cover and e-mailed my secret Valentine, Betsy, telling her that if my cookies arrived in pieces to NOT tell me.
The cookies I received were packaged in 9 feet of bubble wrap. Seriously. Trust me, this lady, who owns a bakery, knows how to send baked goods. Thank you, Susan, this bubble wrap will be recycled for my upcoming move and your cookies arrived in perfect condition.
What a perfect dinner, after a ten-hour drive, to celebrate my safe arrival back in Colorado: a glass of wine (or, 2 or 3) and two of Susan’s Giant Ginger Snap cookies. Lucky me.
My Valentine cookie box was waiting for me last Friday when I arrived in Aspen after a ten-hour road trip. Susan, a talented chef and baker who blogs at The Little French Bakery and runs a cooking school in North Freedom, Wisconsin, had baked Giant Ginger Snaps for me. Be still my heart. I am sharing her recipe with you at the end of my blog. Thank you, Susan, for the absolutely scrumptious cookies.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Grandma” There is nothing about my family that isn’t thoughtful. The first thing to pop up on my computer this morning was this long-distance Valentine, filling our now-widened gap between California and Colorado with Love.
Giant Ginger Snaps
Ingredients:
2 Cups Vegetable Oil
4 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Molasses
4 Eggs, room temperature
8 Cups A-P Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
8 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Teaspoon EACH, Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, and Ginger
Granulated Sugar for Rolling
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all the ingredients until a soft dough forms. Roll into balls the size that is slightly larger than a walnut but smaller than a golf ball. Roll in granulated sugar. Set balls on parchment-lined baking sheet. Press slightly. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies will puff, then flatten out. The crinkles will brown slightly. Bake less for chewy and more for a snap!
Makes 3 to 4 dozen but recipe can be easily cut in half.
It’s a truthful statement when I mention that almost everything in my house has been in someone else’s first. The majority of my friends do not relish “The Prowl”, whether it be at flea markets, thrift shops or legitimate antique/collectible stores, but I’ve never let that deter me from scoring a great find or having a hoot ‘n holler time doing it.
An Antique Store Valentine’s Day Discovery
In Snap #23 I wrote that I often go to these places to purchase cheesy, cheap, glittery, heart-shaped jewelry – earrings, necklaces or bracelets – for Valentine’s Day gifties.
As proof that I don’t suggest a Snap I haven’t already tried, here are my Valentine “finds” to date. Still seven days to go.
1. My 8-year-old granddaughter is a frog-iac. This little girl lives, breathes, loves, photographs, studies and dissects frogs. Her pet frog, Blazer, who resides in a mini-condo in the family living room (Yes, it gets dicey when Grandma visits.), eats living crickets. These creatures, who remain alive to the last bite, also reside in a box in the living room. Sometimes the crickets get loose. Although my daughter insists this grandchild is a blood-relative, she carries none of my DNA. But, in a local antique shop, I discovered the Amphibian versions of Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma and Miles Davis. Cost: $9.00 She’ll love it.
The Amphibian Versions of Perlman, Davis, and Ma.
2. For my 10-year-old granddaughter, I snagged something terrific – a Swiss Army knife. Blade. Sharp. School Expulsion. Has Grandma gone crazy? Strange as this may sound, she’ll be thrilled. Emma lives in California’s Inyo Valley with the Sierra Nevada Mountains as her backyard playground. She already has a generic, all-purpose knife, which her parents have taught her to use, but she covets the ‘real deal’. Although that wish will be granted for her mid-Summer birthday, this Valentine version will suffice for now. Cost: $1.00 (I loved the “Climb the Matterhorn” tagline as will she.)
“Climb the Matterhorn” – the tagline for this version of a Swiss Army Knife.
3. Who doesn’t love diamonds? That’s exactly what I spotted yesterday for my daughter: a well-designed, gold-plated, heart pin, studded with 18 (I counted them) diamonds. Okay, so, probably, “gold” is not the right word. The “diamonds” may be rhinestones. And, to be truthful, my daughter doesn’t wear nor even like jewelry. That’s precisely why she will wear and keep this priceless piece. $12.00
All That Glitters May Not Be Gold.
4. And, for my son-in-law. A fossilized sand dollar, millions of years old, for his desk. It’s a guy thing. $7.00
Millions of Years Ago, This Was A Sand Dollar (or, so I’m told).
Here’s the SNAP: Valentine’s Day does not have to be another pricey holiday. For this holiday it really IS the thought that counts. Go to Michael’s or any crafts/party store and spend $15.00 on glitz-and-glitter, Made-in-China Valentine decor. Shape your pizza or meatloaf or mac ‘n cheese or sandwiches into hearts, buy some Valentine’s cookies and toss Chocolates Kisses all over the table. You’ve made a party. Invite your family – that’s what I am doing – or friends or colleagues to join you. That’s showing your Love in the best possible way.
Since Valentine’s Day is less than three weeks away, it’s time to remember your heart not only belongs to Daddy. Use this holiday to touch base with those other important people in your life. Or, maybe it’s time to fix a broken relationship, nourish a fatigued friendship, or tip your hat of hearts to friendly and helpful neighbors. If a friend has lost a loved one this year, a spouse or parent, send a card. It’s a bumpy year for them. You’re acknowledging that with kindness and affection.
So here’s a heart-shaped SNAP:
Valentine’s Day can be more than store-purchased cards. Make a card. Bake a sweet something. Go to antique and thrift stores to purchase cheesy, cheap, glittery, heart-shaped jewelry – earrings, necklaces or bracelets. Done it, it’s fun, may repeat that! Write a “Valentine List Card” – telling a friend the 10 things you love about him/her; recalling ten Together-Memories or making a Wish List for Future Adventures. Or, participate in the Sierra Club’s Valentine venture, “ I Love Wild Places”, and support one of twelve national parks in your recipient’s name.
Be Creative. Be Filled with Love. Make someone HAPPY.
