Why cookies

Today is Crazy Mountain Christmas in Big Timber, an open house for most businesses, who are trying to get people to stay in town instead of going to the big after-Thanksgiving sales in Bozeman and Billings. I took this opportunity to walk around asking people why there are so many cookies in town this time of year . . . homemade ones at that.

The most common answer was: the Norwegians. Apparently, Norwegians love their cookies. And who wouldnt: many are fried puffs of stuff sprinkled with powdered sugar. You can eat a whole lot without really knowing youve swallowed anything. The rosettes you see here were for sale to raise money for Rad Grad, a big graduation party for high school seniors.

The seniors were also selling other types of cookies, wrapped nicely for giving as gifts, or to treat yourself as a special person.

Another thought as to why cookies are popular was: they are easy to make to serve to big crowds. Cake might be nice, but it can get messy, said my informant, who was overseeing the cookie table in Gusts department store. Space is always at a premium in Gusts, but today lucky shoppers were able to squeeze in to taste many delicious cookies made by the employees.

Across the street at Cinnabar Creek, a shop overflowing with ceramic ware, jewelry, fancy socks and gloves, and lots of books, they were a bit slow in getting cookies out. On my first visit, I stared forlornly at an empty tray. "When are the cookies coming?" I asked. "Soon," was the answer, but not the one I wanted to hear.

Later, after hearing a rumor the cookies had arrived, I checked in again. Yes! Lovely treats! "Why are cookies so popular in Big Timber?" I asked once more. "I dont know," said the barista steaming lattes. "Maybe because they go good with a cup of coffee?"

Next door, at an improvised bazaar in the Old Firehouse, Tumbleweed Teas had an enticing display of shortbread along with many tea blends to sample. Tea was the focus, and it was obvious that the cookies were an excellent accompaniment. In fact, they are used to cleanse the palate between sips.

Some businesses did not have any cookies. I remember big plates of amazing goodies at the drug store last year, but today no one there knew anything special was going on in town. They thought they might have some cookies to hand out during the lighted Christmas parade on December 11, but that is too far away for me to get excited about right now.

I was told the 3 banks in town will soon have open houses with treats, so I may get some answers there. I know these banks have employees whom I consider smart cookies indeed.

For my last visit, I returned to Gusts to make sure I had sampled the very best they had to offer. A small boy shyly took a cookie and then handed one to his brother in a stroller.

"Why do you think cookies are so popular?" I asked him.

"Because they taste good," he said.

"Because they taste good," echoed his little brother.

Well, duh. Why didnt I think of that?

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Thanking the mailman

Do you take your mail carrier for granted? I sure dont. So this year I delivered a little treat to him.

A gal in town makes delightful packages filled with small candies, like M&Ms or Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. (She also makes her own amazing chocolate-covered toffee and puts pieces in much bigger packages, but thats for another blog entry.) When I saw them, I realized what a perfect gift they are for a mailman.

Last year I had wanted to give my mail carrier something, but just couldnt think what. I thought he might like something warm, but the logistics of putting a steaming mug of hot chocolate in the mailbox seemed insurmountable. How to keep it from freezing before he arrived, or what if he scalded himself opening the box?

He delivers mail for 3 hours on a 60-mile rural route. Apart from regular mail delivery, he can deliver stamps or take packages that need postage. Or hell call before he begins his route to ask if I want an oversized package delivered to the house or will pick it up myself in town.

And he does this in all weather, 6 days a week. Without his faithful service, I wouldnt have any Christmas presents!

I cant thank my mail carrier enough.

Here is a closer look at the packaging; sweet, eh?

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Good day for tea and stroopwafels

Another snow storm is stirring outside. Inside, its tea and cookies for me.

Now you would think that with all the homemade cookies available that I would have a stockpile of them. Unfortunately, any I find, I eat right away. So today I unwrapped a package of Caramel Cookie Waffles from Dutch Brothers Bakery Goods in Billings.

I know many people who go gaga over chocolate. And its fine stuff, I admit, but Im a caramel person myself. Chocolate and caramel is swell, but I really, really enjoy caramel by itself, and these cookies make me very happy. They taste like caramel wrapped in crispy caramel. You can go to the Dutch Brothers Web site to see how they are made. There you will also learn that although in Montana they are called "Caramel Cookie Waffles," the Dutch word is stroopwafels.

Somewhere I read that these cookies are meant to be put on top of the tea or coffee cup, to be warmed to an enticing melty goodness. Try it, youll like it, too!

The people who bake these exclusive cookies (apparently the recipe is known by a select few) are enthusiastic about their product. You can bet they put a lot of love into their job.

The tea I am drinking today to accompany these caramel delights is Natures Peace Melody of Mint, which I bought at the farmers market in Eureka.

Its difficult to get a good photo of the label, but the serene picture of mountains and water in the Tobacco Valley in Northwest Montana is painted by Montana artist Randy McIntyre.

So although the temperature is expected to drop down to 10 degrees tonight, I am cozy inside with plenty of tea. Sadly, I ate all my stroopwafels. But Ill go get more when they clear the road.

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More cookies!

a few sandwiches appeared alongside cookies
at the Congregational Tea

My question of why there are so many cookies in town during Christmas has not been completely answered. But I believe the place you can find the most cookies is at the annual Congregational Church Tea.

Right before the big event, in the kitchen were piles of cookies, tins of cookies, platters of cookies, all homemade by generous members of the congregation. "How many cookies are there?" I asked. "Oh, maybe thousands," came the cheerful reply.

Upstairs in the sanctuary, guests enjoyed a Christmas program of stories, Scripture readings, and song. A preschool group exuberantly sang off-key, Silent Night was strummed on a guitar, and a dulcimer brought life to other carols.

Then the crowd eagerly gathered along a table where an endless supply of cookies and elegant cups filled with tea or coffee from silver pots brought much joy.

And a special thank-you to those who washed up afterward . . .

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Cookies with music

Today the American Bank held its open house, with handmade cookies by the talented cook at the senior center.

Every hour or half hour, music was provided by various groups around town. I stayed to listen to the Senior Center Kitchen Band.

This musical group is particularly relevant to my blog because their instruments are things they found around the kitchen: an old washboard, teakettles (brightened with kazoos stuck in the spouts), a plunger, a washtub, and -- clever Marian for thinking of it -- a handful of metal cookie cutters strung together and shaken.

The Kitchen Band began each song with an instrumental first verse. Then, the singing was hearty and often in tune. Just kidding -- they sounded great!

I think this idea could be carried into your own home. Set aside old pots and utensils to be picked up at whim and, when the mood strikes, start singing to the jingle jangle. Cooking dinner and then washing up afterward would be a whole lot more fun.

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Pumpkin soup

enjoy hot soup in a fun mug

I wanted something light to eat for lunch and for some reason pumpkin soup came to mind. Ive never had pumpkin soup and wasnt sure where to find a recipe. But then another thought enlightened me: look in Elizabeth Davids French Provincial Cooking.

Rural French cooking is much like Montana cooking in that it uses whats available. If you can find something fancy to brighten a dish, grab it and rejoice. But often exotic ingredients just cant be found within arms reach here on the ranch. The IGA in town does its best, but they wont sell anything that isnt widely popular and will simply spoil on the shelf.

Cookbooks by Elizabeth David are fun to read, but the recipes tend to be squashed together, and you wont find lavish mouthwatering photos of any, let alone every, dish.

You will find practical recipes that often use plain ingredients. Although I havent done the research to verify this, I suspect that for any ingredient you have on hand, you can find a recipe in one of her books.

Pumpkin Soup

To make a thick, creamy soup, I simmered a pound of home-grown pumpkin pulp (it was frozen, so I just dumped the chunk into the pot), a chopped celery stalk, a cup and a half of 2 percent milk, and a cup of chicken stock. After half an hour, I pureed it with my hand blender and seasoned it.

Elizabeth David went on to add shrimp, but I stirred in a bit of cooked chicken that was on hand.

The photo shows the soup with freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg sprinkled on top. (Sorry for the blurry photo!)

A tasty lunch, with, Id say, 98 percent of the ingredients (I dont know where the celery came from) produced in Montana.

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Time to deliver cookies

Its that time of year when some of us bake and bake, give other people treats, and hope we get lots in return.

I say that with humor, because this time of year we know well all be getting lots of goodies one way or another, even if we have to hang around the bank lobby until they put out store-bought Lorna Doones.

Yesterday I spent the entire day in the kitchen. There are so many people I wanted to thank for being kind to me, or else to cheer up because they had a rough year.

I didnt get photos of the trays because I was so busy wondering how I would deliver them all on icy roads today, but in the photo above you get an idea. That plate is going to a neighbor who lives alone. Some of the people have 3 and 4 kids, so their gifts were more like Christmas bags.

I also hoped to get more photos of the process, but what with one thing and another . . . My kitchen resembled one of those sitcoms where a budding entrepreneur tries to make enough cupcakes to fill an unexpected order for 5,000 -- inevitably the family starts throwing things at each other, although the order does get filled. I can attest that this is a tiring process, even without throwing things around, so not many photos.

I did finish off a 5-pound bag of flour.

I also enjoyed melting chocolate and peanut-butter chips together and adding chopped peanuts to fill some truly delicious Chocolate Peanut-Butter Snowballs.

I was briefly tempted to eat the stuff right out of the pan. But I remembered my friends and controlled myself. Instead I followed the recipe directions and formed them into balls and wrapped them in shortbread dough. The snowballs were then rolled in powdered sugar and baked. (See upper left corner in top photo.)

I also made Fruitcake Bars, which are really, really tasty, but I would call them Fruit and Nut Bars myself. "Fruitcake" definitely gives you the wrong impression here. These are mostly nuts (your choice), dried apricots, and dates. With only 6 tablespoons of flour, you can use a substitute and make them gluten-free.

A few people who were very, very good this year got homemade English muffins and Amish-made dandelion jelly that I bought at the Eureka farmers market. Its light, delicate flavor is quite nice.

I also made two longtime favorites: Apricot, Orange, Cranberry Bread from Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking and Sparkling Citrus Triangles (shown in top photo) from a Land OLakes cookbook I picked up at the supermarket years ago. The latter were already in the freezer waiting to be sliced and baked. This is a handy make-ahead tip, by the way: almost any cookie dough can be rolled into a log, frozen for a month, and then sliced and baked.

I feel kind of tuckered out, as my dad used to say after a long day. Still, it was heart-warming to hear the surprised thank-yous. As I keep pointing out, people do a lot of baking around here, but they are just as pleased to be on the receiving end.

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