A Trip Down Memory Lane

Why is it that most of my childhood memories … ok … maybe adult memories as well … center around … FOOD?

This week I did some baking. This week I also shared some of my past with a new friend. Today, I mixed the two together … baked while thinking about my past. The end result … peanut butter cookies!

My Mom was a great cook. I have memories of her baking things seasonally that kicked-off a new time of year. For example, Monster cookies meant we were down for the long winter. She would have my Dad get “the big green bowl” to mix up the monster recipe. After making a few dozen for us little hungry peasants to sample, she’d tuck “the big green bowl” into the freezer until the next time. She’d make up a batch of spiced tea and hot chocolate mix, each having their designated Tupperware containers, for those cold winter nights. Dutch babies (a northern inspired soufflé kind of thing with lots of eggs) were a Saturday morning treat, reserved for cooler days. They came complete with homemade syrup. Homemade ice cream, vanilla only, from our turn crank ice cream freezer was always a summer staple. And, finally, the Pièce de résistance was cookies! Peanut butter, no bake, chocolate chip and snicker doodles were a regular cookie treat … but … the one cookie my Mom made that made my chubby little mouth water were … potato chip cookies.

Aww … potato chip cookies. I’m sure the FDA never got wind of my mother’s recipe, for if they had there would have certainly been some sort of “not safe to feed small children” warning accompanying these tasty morsels. Ingredients: sugar and lots of it, and, you guessed it … potato chips. The crowning achievement was the butterscotch chips that were added for pop of sugar.

I love my memories … and the food they center around. The best thing about the memories – no calories! However, as I bake my peanut butter cookies with my girls (and a visiting friend, Alyssa) I can’t help but wonder what little memories they are tucking into their brains while they are cramming the yummy goodness into their bellies.