These days, with dozens of recipe blogs and websites, it is so easy to access recipes from the internet. But the best recipes still come from family and friends. Tried and true, they evoke memories. And if we want, we can always add pinch of this or a dash of that to make them our own.
I’m working on writing down family stories for my grandchildren, and I realized that one way to do that was to build the stories around recipes.
My mother, Jessie, was a farmer’s daughter. It followed that she was a good gardener and a good cook. Our family of six had a sit-down family dinner every night at a large table that my father had made. Memory is uncertain, but I don’t remember Mom ever cooking anything that we said, “Don’t make that again.” My dad (Grandpa John) was a “meat and potatoes guy,” so many nights we had steak, boiled potatoes, a vegetable, and a salad. My mother was English, so another frequent dinner was leg of lamb. Spanish rice and pea soup were also favorites. Even though we lived within walking distance of the Pacific Ocean, I don’t remember us ever having fish, and I didn’t eat any pork, other than bacon, until I married. My first husband was from Pennsylvania Dutch country, so pork was on the menu.
These are a little different. I say the more nutmeg the better.
- 1 stick of butter (4 ounces) at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder*
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. nutmeg (Freshly ground nutmeg makes these even better.)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 375 degrees,
Cream the butter and sugar.
Combine the dry ingredients.
Combine milk, egg, and vanilla.
Combine all three mixtures and mix well.
Drop by teaspoonfuls one inch apart on greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
Makes four dozen cookies.
*Baking powder can lose its power to leaven over time. It’s best to test it before assembling all your other ingredients. Test baking powder by adding 1 tsp. to 1/3 cup of hot tap water. If you don’t see active bubbling, discard the baking powder and get a new supply.
