No More Sweets
The hubbie has given up sweets for Lent, and thus my cooking repetoire from MCC has been cut in half for the next 40 days. Initially, I was concerned this might be a problem, but upon further examination of its pages I've found plenty of recipes to keep me busy aplenty until Easter.
Before the commencement of Lent, however, I decided one last sweet treat was in order, and decided to make Chocolate Drop Cookies, pg. 252. We also have some neighbors moving in to the house just east of ours, so I planned on sharing a plate of cookies with them as a housewarming treat (this also seemed to fit in well with the themes of Mennonite hospitality, and waste not want not).
I discovered a container of shortening in our pantry (who knew?!) and decided to follow the recipe exactly, although I too resonate with the sentiment expressed in an earlier entry by CPG, "Who uses shortening anymore?" Well, I guess I do, now. The cookies were a bit blah for my taste - not very chocolatey, with only the chopped nuts to add a bit of interest. But the texture reminded me of my grandma's cookies, and I think it might just be the shortening. They were a little lighter and fluffier than other cookies I've made.
Joe and I took them over on Sunday and introduced ourselves and Sadie, who was jumping up and down in puppy glee. At first I was concerned that the cookies just weren't impressive enough to give away. They were nothing special. But frankly, cooking from this book has been an overall humbling experience for me. It is not cooking to impress, not buying the best ingredients, not creating some exotic mind-baffling taste sensation. Rather it's cooking with what you have and making that good enough. So in the spirit of being Mennonite, I gave them a plate of cookies, and put the rest of them in the freezer until after Easter.
Before the commencement of Lent, however, I decided one last sweet treat was in order, and decided to make Chocolate Drop Cookies, pg. 252. We also have some neighbors moving in to the house just east of ours, so I planned on sharing a plate of cookies with them as a housewarming treat (this also seemed to fit in well with the themes of Mennonite hospitality, and waste not want not).
I discovered a container of shortening in our pantry (who knew?!) and decided to follow the recipe exactly, although I too resonate with the sentiment expressed in an earlier entry by CPG, "Who uses shortening anymore?" Well, I guess I do, now. The cookies were a bit blah for my taste - not very chocolatey, with only the chopped nuts to add a bit of interest. But the texture reminded me of my grandma's cookies, and I think it might just be the shortening. They were a little lighter and fluffier than other cookies I've made.
Joe and I took them over on Sunday and introduced ourselves and Sadie, who was jumping up and down in puppy glee. At first I was concerned that the cookies just weren't impressive enough to give away. They were nothing special. But frankly, cooking from this book has been an overall humbling experience for me. It is not cooking to impress, not buying the best ingredients, not creating some exotic mind-baffling taste sensation. Rather it's cooking with what you have and making that good enough. So in the spirit of being Mennonite, I gave them a plate of cookies, and put the rest of them in the freezer until after Easter.
posted by A Knutson at 7:28 PM
2 Comments:
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You can send a dozen my way...no giving up on chocolate for Lent here!
But...if you would like to do another spiritual Lenten activity related to your alma mater, check out these devotions on a daily basis, or sign up to receive them in your inbox.
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