Everywhere we go, I like to grab some local candy, seasonings and spices, tea, box mixes, and other little food items that make fun souvenirs and gifts. Then, when I’m home, I can remember the trip through my taste buds. I also love using recipes from my family’s history. Today, I combined these two methods of memory into some tasty treats.
Like many of you, I am starting the new year off with anxiety. When I’m anxious, I like to bake. Lately, it’s been cookies. Today, I made snickerdoodles. My grandparents-in-law had a recipe for these cookies, and they used to sell them on the Norman, Oklahoma campus to the football players. Even though they’ve passed, I can still hear them telling me that story every time I eat a snickerdoodle.
I also made some butterscotch toffee cookies topped with Icelandic Lava salt. You have to be careful with this salt, or you’ll accidentally color your baked goods or dinner an alien goop gray color.
All of these cookies remind me of the sweet treats at breakfast in Bulgaria. They had many desserts each morning, along with marinated mushrooms, fish, tomatoes, cheeses…I guess we here in the United States do have donuts and pastries, but they just don’t hit the same as the ones in Europe. I often wonder how disappointed a first time visitor to my country would be with the ubiquitous “continental breakfast.”
So, that’s what we’re up to today. Anxiety baking. I hope your day at least includes a treat. Be nice to each other. Happy adventuring.