Hard to think it was over fifty years ago that one of my large collection of recipes would be shared with one or two of my four youngsters on each side, standing tall on a stool or chair, scooping up a handful of cookie dough, then rolling it out on the kitchen counter, cutting round cookies with the top of a drinking glass, no matter in which kitchen of which house of which town, we lived.

Having my kids next to me at a time like that was a special way of being close, teaching, sharing, and loving. I thought of passing along those recipes to my now grown children… each card told a story; some long ago colored with finger prints from molasses cookie dough, others still sticky from chocolate fudge cooked, then eaten with spoons, licking the best part of the fudge from the spoon and the side of the pan, chocolate tear drops on the recipe card.  Cooking the fudge a little longer might’ve turned it into candy instead of chocolate spoon syrup, but we could never wait that extra minute or two.

When my adult daughters got married, I remembered the love it takes to make cookies with kids on each side, making enough extra dough for little fingers to roll out repeatedly until the crumbs are hard floury balls, then thrown away. A rolling pin could turn extra pie crust dusted with cinnamon and sugar, then baked, into a tasty snack while waiting for the pie to cook until the fruit inside was tender, then cooled.

When you recreate these recipes and go through your little love book or card file of recipes, and you’re having one of those days when you might wonder if what you do matters…know this – what you do and who you are when you’re doing it; whether a friend, spouse, grandparent; if you’re baking, cooking, working, talking, or just thinking up recipes…you make a difference.

Copyright Myrna Estey Coleman