Mimere and her Cocoa Peanut Butter Dreams 

My grandmother died last night. She was know as “Mimere” to her many grandchildren (and great-grandchildren), a French Canadian term that roughly translates as “Nana.” Mimere liked to cook – though for much of her life it was expected of her as a mother of seven children. Her approach to cooking was often more practical than fanciful; as feeding nine people on a daily basis was more pressing than trying balsamic vinegar or truffles. However, like most grandmothers, she knew how to pull off a holiday dinner with a dozen (or more) guest without a hitch. Feeding a crowd was certainly her specialty.

So today I’m offering a culinary farewell to her by posting one of her favorite cookie recipes – Cocoa Peanut Butter Dreams. These cookies are a family tradition; uncles, aunts, cousins and even my son all claim these as being their all-time favorite cookie. It was never a question of if these cookies were made – just how many batches should be made! Typically they are a Christmas cookie, but would often appear at other holidays and family gatherings.

Though the recipe is very simple, it is quite temperamental. “Boil one minute” means a hard boil for exactly 60 seconds; if the boiling period is too short, the cookies won’t set up, too long and they will be hard and crumbly. The milk should not be skim, as that too will affect the outcome. (If you normally use skim milk as I do, add some half and half to make the ½ cup.)

While these are far from the most beautiful cookies in the world, they have the power connect my family not only to each other, but to our past. Merci Mimere et adieu. Nous t’aimons.

Cocoa Peanut Butter Dreams
In a medium saucepan combine:

½ cup Butter
½ cup Milk
2 cups sugar
4 Tablespoons Cocoa (unsweetened)

Bring to boil for ONE MINUTE. Remove from heat and stir in:

½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Then add:
3 cups oatmeal (Quick – not instant or old-fashioned)

Drop by teaspoon (or tablespoon) onto wax paper. Let set at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, until set. Store in a sealed container, with a sheet of wax paper between the layers of cookies.
Makes about three dozen.

Blueberry Muffins 

Blueberry Muffins

I’m typically the first one up during the weekend. This is not because I am a morning person, but rather my dachshund, Ace, has figured out that I am the easiest one to wake up when he is doing the potty-dance. So as I am letting him outside, my mind surveys the kitchen (and my stomach) on the matter of breakfast. Cereal usually gets the crinkled nose, we ate that during the week. How many eggs do I have? What needs to be eaten in the fruit bowl or the fridge? And most importantly, what is my energy level? I had bought the buttermilk and fresh blueberries in hopes of making blueberry pancakes, but I forgot the bacon, and really had no patience to stand over the stove. Out of instinct I grabbed my trusted copy of The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook.

There are over a hundred cookbooks in my house, not to mention the set of three-ring binders that hold pages of recipes clipped from newspapers and magazines. However, The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook is a like a worn out pair of sweats – ripped, stained, certainly not the most attractive choice but very comfortable in a reassuring way. Since I have had this cookbook for over a decade, there is history between us. It’s the first cookbook I actually wrote notes in. It has gotten me through fancy Christmas mornings to quick dessert when we were too broke to go out. As the book is an assemblage of recipes from different people, there are some mistakes. Like the pumpkin bread that really makes two loaves rather than one. Or the muffin recipe that doesn’t list eggs in the ingredients, but mentions them in the instructions (So, how many should I use?) I certainly have gotten compliments from some of the recipes, my grandfather swore the chocolate zucchini bread was just like a cake him mom made, and my own mother loves a pumpkin bread recipe from the book. Being over 450 pages (with no photos) I certainly won’t run out of ideas.

There were nine blueberry muffin recipes to choose from. I didn’t fancy blueberry corn muffins, and I had no bananas for the other muffin recipe, this was picked for being very straightforward. However, there were no really flavorings in the recipe, so the lemon zest and the cinnamon sugar are my additions. Living in Denver, I added another tablespoon of flour to compensate for the altitude. This was probably not necessary, since the dough itself was very thick. The end result was a warm, fruity muffin, made perfect with butter and jam. Not a bad way to start a weekend.

Blueberry Muffins
From “The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook” by Kitty and Lucian Maynard. This entry was from the Chaffin Farms B&B in Ithaca, Michigan.

Makes one dozen

1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Grated zest from one small lemon (about 1 teaspoon -optional)
1 cup fresh blueberries
Cinnamon Sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400˚. Grease muffin tins. Combine first three ingredients in small bowl. In large bowl, combine, flour, sugar, powder, soda, salt and lemon zest. Add butter milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until just moisten. Gently stir in blueberries. Spoon batter into muffin tins. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes.

My great-grandmother's tomato slicer.  

Introduction, Part Two

This space will certainly be a culinary outlet for me. I have chosen to keep mum on my work as a college instructor; I’m very aware of the power of school administration. Recently a Denver professor was fired for being critical about her school on her personal blog (see: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_3381544). Therefore, I shall resist the temptation to gripe about work.

My family was blessed with many cooks, and I was fortunate to know and have cooked with not only my grandmother, but also two of my great-grandmothers – a rare occurrence indeed. Lucky, I have some of their recipes and memories to share here.

My recipe collection reflects my life as an “Air Force Brat.” Traveling is in my blood, as I went to 12 different schools growing up. I lived in England for four years and have many foreign cookbooks.

Since I do have an interest in history (and love yard sales), many of my cookbooks are vintage. Some have great recipes, others are… well downright scary to our modern palettes. (“Spam-loaf, anyone?”) I also have many old hand written recipes, most of which are merely a list of ingredients that I will be updating.

Living in the Denver area is wonderful, but has its own set of challenges. It is January, yet 60 degrees outside. (Where’s the snow? Wait until March and April.) The mountains are beautiful, but being a “mile-high” means high altitude baking. My recipes will be tested at this level, however, I will note any specific changes I make for high altitude. Therefore, sea-level bakers should have success as well.

I have just started a blog, and am new to this whole venture. My "goal" is to write about food - recipes, observations and maybe the odd restaurant review.

I have a feeling my "Under Construction" phase may be a bit longer than I anticipated.