Let the Baking Begin

Last year I made Christmas goodies for everyone at work.  There was cranberry/orange nut bread, fudge, pralines, peppermint bark,  cranberry cream cheese bars, chocolate chip cookies, bus-shaped gingerbread cookies, and shortbread.  Whew.

No more of that nonsense.

So why did I find myself yesterday making shortbread cookies after painstakingly writing the recipe on festive decorated  pages on the computer with a new printmaker program that I am not yet familiar with?  Because I told some of the women at Curves about my recipe.  I got it in 1979 from Millicent Simpson Pickard, who was my administrative assistant when I worked for Sonoma County People for economic Opportunity, the local poverty program, and fondly called "Skippy-O"  Millie was in her seventies when she worked for me, when I directed the Senior bus service (my first transportation job) known as "Provide-A-Ride".  She was British and married to Bill Pickard, also British.  She told me stories of how they had survived in Britain in WWII during the Blitz, and showed my her wedding picture -- quite the looker in her satin gown with the train winding around her feet.  Millie did not drive, so Bill drove her to work and picked her up in their little yellow Ford Falcon.  She brought the shortbread to work one Christmas and I begged for the recipe.  She said it was a recipe used by her grandmother, who had a bakery in Scotland in the 1830's.  So the recipe I got was an authentic Scottish shortbread recipe.  In thanks, I bought Millie a ceramic shortbread mold.  When she finally retired (she must have been near 80 then), I threw her a party with a male stripper and a cake that said "Ta Ta Luv".   I miss Millie very much.

Here is the recipe:

1/2 lb butter, room temperature
4 tblesp. Superfine sugar
2 cups sifted flour  (sieved, if you are British)
3 tblesp. rice flour

Method: 

1. Beat butter until pale and creamy
2. Add flour and work into butter with hand until well blended 
3. Add sugar and rice flour, and combine well, still using hand
4. Roll onto a lightly floured board  to about 1/4" thick
5. Cut into shapes with cookie cutter or pat into a small square pan and prick all over with a fork.
6. Sprinkle with plain or coloured sugar 
7. Bake at 275 degrees 445 minute to 1 hour until slightly golden 
8. Store in a well-sealed container.  

I made two batches, and only ate the broken ones because everybody knows that broken cookies have no calories!!!!!!!

Then I made million dollar fudge (a variation of the recipe on the back of the marshmallow fluff jar) and, because we were going up the hill to Ann and Ray's for dinner, a pineapple upside down cake to take for dessert.   I was dusted with flour and tired, but felt happy about accomplishing things. 

I do plan on more baking -- oatmeal cookies with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries, and lemon poppyseed bread.  Likely I ill give everything away, too.   Thank goodness for the dollar store, where i can get festive containers to pack everything up. 

And I will be making tamales, too -- I cooked the pork roast yesterday.  The Economy market on Imola has all of the other fixing I will need, including corn husks and lard.  I already have the poblano chiles and the masa harina.  After all, it's not Christmas in California without tamales!!!!   I might even tackle those sweet tamales that Rod likes made with pineapple and rice.