Tuesday, December 22, 2009

On a cookie bender



At least on the internet, there is disagreement about when or where they were invented, and what they were originally called before the Dutch named them koekje, which means "small cakes." The origin of the word, interestingly, is something everyone agrees about. Some say the history of cookies began in 3rd century Rome, others believe 7th century Persia was the place of their birth. There were other theories floating around the internets, too.

Who knows? Perhaps this is yet another topic about which I have an over-abundance of curiosity. What I do know is that here in the house on Tennessee Avenue, we are enjoying a bounty of "too many" Christmas cookies - from neighbors, friends, clients and blog friends who took the time to mail them all the way here. Oh my, they are ALL so good! And so pretty.

At the back of my mind a vague memory of how hard it is to break the cookie eating habit lingers. But the sugar and butter induced intoxication that I'm currently in the midst of sweeps away all such nagging thoughts, at least for the time being. After Christmas, when the cookie jar is at last empty, well, then it'll be time to pay the piper.

In the meantime, please pass the rumballs and beautifully iced and decorated sugar cookies, please? Oh, and a pecan sandy and jelly filled thumbprint? Or maybe two? Thank you!!


Both pics today were taken before the blizzard, obviously!

22 comments:

Deborah said...

mmmmmmm cookies

gorgeous photos

love and more love

Whitney Lee said...

I'm having so much trouble staying away from the cookies...and they are soooo good! I love the pictures:) Happy eating.

Anonymous said...

Cookies! Wonderful. I enjoy making cookies for others (actually I just enjoy giving), although I don't really care for cookies, cakes or pies. I'm weird that way.

But throw a slab of stinky cheese at me, and I'm yours!

Although, I DO like butter cookies. MMMMM....mmmm. Must be the butta.

Mrsupole said...

Funny how you mention cookies. We had a cookie exchange at the family get together and there had to be close to 800 cookies there. 10 families, each with almost 80 cookies or more. Then my granddaughter made a mistake on one group that she left here, I made what I thought was a mistake, and left them here, and then we each had to make replacements. Both her batch of 80 cookies and my batch of 80 Turtle brownies are actually just fine and now put into large containers, along with the 800+ we brought home.

Just the thought of another cookie is making me sick right now. I have cookies everywhere and do not even know what to do with them all. I had already made cookies to give away, and now I have all of these cookies that I cannot give away, no one wants any more. So I guess I am going to have to do what my mom suggested and just freeze them all. And then maybe the grandkids will eat them throughout the coming year.

Thank you for sharing the history of cookies. Glad you are enjoying yours. Loved the pics as usual.

God bless.

Expat From Hell said...

I need to regain that balance that you apparently have, Reya. A few more cookies, and less bourbon and fudge! Hope you're having a grand holiday in all of that snow....EFH

steven said...

reya! an abundance of coloured lights. an abundance of little tasties. an abundance of grateful people! i love the holidays for these and more but they'd be high up the list i'm thinking of in this moment of things i love and remember! enjoy this bright, tasty, loving day! steven

Meri said...

Ah yes, I heard it was a snow day for federal employees. I remember those days, when the Metro would freeze in the above-ground places and the city would grind to a halt. I also remember that my boss took the Metro home on one of those early-dismissal days and ran into his wife and her lover on the Metro. Ooops!

kbrow said...

Oooh, pecan sandies...memories of my Grandma Carr's store room, where she kept homemade cookies hidden away. She would bake for weeks in advance of the holidays. My sis and I used to sneak in and gorge on them. I baked a batch of molasses cookies 2 weeks ago, and they are gone. Need more cookies.

Bee said...

Yes, we are hitting the cookies hard here, too. But at least we can walk in the snow and burn some of them off, right?

Happy Christmas, Reya.

Tom said...

c is for cookie, and that's good enough for me....

i wonder who invented the cow pie?

Barbara Martin said...

At this time of year we all need seasonal comfort food in the shape of cookies! Hooray for Reya. Eat away and enjoy yourself.

Reya Mellicker said...

Need more cookies, oh yeah. No wonder January is such a gloomy month - coming off that sugar high is a bitch!

Meri. Wow. What are the chances of that??

Corey you are sweet enough as it is, and do not need cookies to enhance your natural sweetness.

Ronda Laveen said...

Last year I baked cookies but for that very reason, I laid off this year. So many wonderful people provide abundantly for us. Sugar high is right.

I'm glad you explained that the photos were pre-snow storm. I was wondering.

Elizabeth said...

Easiest cookies in the world

I stick butter
inch salt
teaspoon vanilla
i egg
3/4 cup raw sugar
1 cup flour

cream butter and sugar
add salt & vanilla
add egg
stir in flour

add walnuts or other nuts
(choc chips if you must
too much choc around if you ask me)

roll into little balls, flatten a little
bake at 350' for 16 minutes

Melissa said...

yummy Christmas cookies :) my favorite time of year. Something about homemade cookies, brings me back to my childhood in my grandmother's kitchen.

My favorite are dream bars and butter cookies through a cookie press.

Thanks for sharing the history of cookies.

Linda Sue said...

Cookie high- Having not eaten any sugar for two years I finally jumped right in as though I had been in a cookie eating contest- Could not only eat One or two- oh no- had to eat the lot! Feeling a little bit sick at the moment...

karen said...

what amazing pictures! I have been going back and looking at the snowy images with great awe... thanks for thinking of us southern hemisphereans during the summer solstice! what a contrast :)

Pauline said...

Aren't those colored lights splendid? This is the first time in over 40 years that I didn't bake a single cookie for the holidays. My hips will thank me in January ;)

Merle Sneed said...

On a cookie Bender! Ha!!

They could put that on my tombstone.

Jet said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Tess Kincaid said...

I've been partaking of the cookies, too! Mmm-mmm. It's one of the best elements of the holidays, as you would say, oh yeah.

Fab pics!!!

ellen abbott said...

I love to look at cookies. I like to make cookies. But I don't really like to eat them. Maybe one or two every now and then.