Anticipation

I think most of us experience anticipation related to certain foods or meals. Certainly children look forward to Halloween candy or birthday cake, especially their own. In Kansas City, I look forward to going out for barbecue. When I visit my hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., I can't wait to have chicken wings or beef on 'weck.

During my childhood, especially, I looked forward to the time when my Mother would start baking Christmas cookies. When I was very young, I helped by taste-testing the fruits and nuts that would be used in the various recipes. I also tested the dough because we didn't know then that you shouldn't eat it before it is baked. Of course, the best part was just spending time with my Mom or my Mom and my sister.

I still make two of the cookies at Christmas. I don't feel the same anticipation now that I bake them myself. However, I know that the people I share them with look forward to getting them each year. For that, I am very grateful.

Are there any foods that you always look forward to having?

Thanks to Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt.

Related Posts:

Buffalo Cuisine

The Mountains of Christmas

The Reluctant Baker

Apricot Filling

Apricot Filling

When Mom made 

the koclaczki at Christmas,

the apricot filling

was made from

canned pie filling and jam.

Then one year,

she made the filling from

dried apricots cooked down.

I never asked why

she made the change.

Maybe dried apricots

became more affordable

or more accessible.

Now when I make

the cookies at Christmas,

I don't use pie filling

and I don't use jam.

I only use

dried apricots cooked down.

Oh, and a little lemon juice.

Thanks Dana Dampier for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Food.

The Reluctant Baker

This is the one time of year that I bake. I make only a couple of the many cookies my mother used to make at Christmas. Even after many years, this is not in my comfort zone, but I don't want to give them up. Maybe I need to make sure the memories are well done.

The Reluctant Baker

I am the reluctant baker.
I carry on by making your
Christmas cookies each year.
I should never have been
more than your assistant.
As a young child,
I only kept you company
while you did all the work.
Later, I helped with the easy parts,
like prep work or filling and folding.
I never made the dough.
No, that was your domain.
I will always remember the year
I came home and realized
there would be no cookies
unless I was the one who
mixed all the ingredients.
I did all the work as you watched,
able only to keep me company.
Now, I have friends who count on me
to make the cookies each Christmas.
They have become mine.
For me, they will always be yours,
but not quite.

My mother made Christmas cookies before the days of prepackaging. She made the dough from scratch and also did things like shell nuts and even shave some with a potato peeler. She made at least eight different kinds of cookies and each recipe made several dozen.

The Mountains of Christmas

Mountains lined the buffet
and rose from folding tables
setup just for the season.
Brown sugar and nuts
yielded the darkest terrain.
Pinwheels were stacked into
mounds of red and green.
Frosting and sprinkles created
a glittery landscape.
Powdered sugar provided
a snow-like dusting.
Looking up from the
valley of childhood,
I knew I couldn't
scale these peaks,
but I could take
a little off the top.