Rainy Days, Memories and Cookies

Rainy days arrived along with autumn and we get out the clothing that goes with the rain and mentally prepare for this season where the sunshine is a very rare occurrence.  Dreary - just really dreary is how it feels when I look outside.   Then suddenly there are leaves fluttering down, gently waltzing their way down to the ground, becoming part of the new multicoloured carpet that covers the wet grass.  These are the days where the cold and damp makes me wish summer was coming soon when in truth it has only just left.  I have to confess that I am a warm climate person and love the hot summer weather but at the same time I love living in a place where we have the variety of the four seasons.    So along with the cool rainy weather I find myself craving comfort food, the slow cooked kind of food that fills the house with warm inviting aromas that hint at flavours to be savoured, and wanting to curl up by the fire and hibernate for the next number of months.

While rainy days of autumn and winter may conspire to keep one indoors,  I find these days open up my memories.  Most of those memories that awaken are comfort memories.   Comfort memories, for me, revolve around the preparation of food.   Our winter food is most certainly more of the comfort food variety.  The one who really taught me to cook is my maternal Grandmother.   She lived not too far away and so as a little girl I spent a lot of time there.  None of my Grandparents were financially well off but they had a wealth of time and love to share with us.   Whether my memories are of the kitchen in Canada or the kitchen in Ireland there are warm comfort memories of preparing food with both Grandmothers.   In fact, these “Grandmother” memories will have a lot to do with how my little Granddaughter and I spend time together in the future as she grows up.  

My husband is a great baker and I love leaving that task to him while I enjoy preparing the savoury side of our meals.   But I have to confess that  those old cookie recipes from Grandma’s recipe box that I have are ones I would love to teach my little Granddaughter.   Grandma had this one cookie recipe for Snickerdoodles.  They are a simple cookie rolled in cinnamon and just the name sounds fun.  This is a recipe that she used since I was a very little girl.  When our Granddaughter is old enough to stand up, together we are going to have a lot of kitchen time on rainy days.  

If it is a rainy day where you are, go ahead, get out the mixing bowls, make some cookies and  let their fragrance waft through the house.  May good memories be attached to this aroma.

Snickerdoodles

Mix together thoroughly:
1 cup soft shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs

Sift together:
2 ¾ cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt.

Mix dry ingredients with the shortening, sugar and egg mixture.  Chill the dough.

Roll the dough into balls the size of a walnut.  Roll in a mixture of 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon.

Place about 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.  If you have parchment paper put that down on the tray first.  Bake until lightly browned but still soft.

These cookies puff up at first and then flatten out with crinkled tops.

Bake at 400F for 8 - 10 minutes
You should get about 5 dozen 2” cookies.