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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Gingerbread face off

old-fashioned (left) vs. vegan (right): which teddy bear tastes best?

I enjoyed Lauras blog entry on old-fashioned gingerbread men, although I have often made gingerbread vegans according to a recipe by Jennifer.

Whats the difference, I wondered? The vegan version has no eggs, and the spices vary somewhat, but would anyone notice one way or the other?

I had a great plan for taking a tray of each to church and having folks vote on their favorite. To distinguish between them, I might put a little red bow tie on one batch and a little green bow tie on the other.

But as happens to many plans during the holiday season, this one unfortunately never came to pass. Still, the idea grew on me, until today I baked both Lauras old-fashioned version (stars) and Jennifers vegan version (hearts) to see them side by side.

Jennifer tells you to add more water as needed, and although I added half a cup more, the dough still was very dry when I rolled it out. Lots of things seem dry in Montana, so I blame the altitude and winter weather.

The old-fashioned dough was softer and even a warmer color, although it too was drier than I expected (the altitude . . . the weather . . . ??).

I learned that you need to roll out both versions very, very thin . . . 1/8 of inch. I made some cookies that were 1/4 inch, and although they were tasty and cakey (some people prefer that type), the thinner ones looked better overall and were spicier.

Each recipe has a unique flavor due to its own spice combination, of course, so if you are adventurous (Im not), you can alter them to your own taste.

There is no clear winner in this bake-off. Or rather, I should say, both versions are clear winners. If you dont have eggs on hand, or cant eat them, use the vegan version; no one but you will know.

You can also see from the photos here that cookies do not always turn out picture-perfect. Mine had cracks (from the dry dough), and I dont care. I once read in one of Martha Stewarts cookbooks that even she believes something homemade has every right to look homemade. Also remember, for cookies and cakes: frosting covers a lot of mistakes!

So please dont let imperfection stop you from baking and then sharing with friends, family, or neighbors.

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