June 6, 2010

R & R Crisis!
My Mom, the wise mother of seven kids, once said "Small children, small problems..." As I have raised my own three kids, I realize how true that is. Little ones keep you busy 'round the clock with meals, laundry, supervision and so on, but the adult children occupy you with worry: late nights, dating, driving, working challenges, etc. etc. etc. The bigger they get, the more terror and frustration they can elicit, guaranteed.

Explosion of the Dirt Monster...
Most recently (last night) my two adult daughters were at a wedding social -- we had friends over and were up later than usual; almost to 2 a.m. I went to bed and slept soundly, and did not hear the kids come home. When I woke up I saw what I initially thought were Oreo cookie crumbs on the kitchen floor -- actually first felt the grit under my feet. It was dirt! I looked for broken flower pots, but that was not the case.

What the...?
Next stop the bathroom -- yes, the dirt monster had been here too... There was black mud on the walls, the cabinetry, the tub and tub-surround and even on the toilet bowl and sides. By this point I was beginning to connect the dots as to who the monster was, or as to who may have invited the monster into our home!

Final stop was the back landing and - you guessed it -- more mud, lots of it all over the steps, landing, walls, and area rug. Of course, we just freshly painted those walls a buttery French vanilla colour last weekend... sigh! And I had just swept, wiped the floors and put out a fresh rug yesterday afternoon.

The "Evil Parent"
By this point I was not a happy camper - -I think my older daughter must have heard my swearing! She came stumbling out of her bed, looking pasty and offered to help out. Her story: her friend, "C" fell into a puddle on the way to our house and my daughter had helped her clean up. I countered, "That's what the garden hose is for." My reasoning is, if you act like a pig you don't belong in a human bathroom. My daughter thinks I am terribly harsh-minded -- evil Mommy who doesn't understand her particular brand of drunken altruism. But she has yet to clean Evil Mommy's bathroom, so... I rest my case.

Thank you, Rug Doctor :)
So all of this leads to me spending the first sunny, warm day we have had in about a week indoors, while the carpets are steam cleaned upstairs and down. I decided to bake my nine-year-old son some cookies -- to try and get in touch with my Happy, Nurturing Mommy persona :) Always nice to do something for the little ones who still love you back.

My little dude loves shortbread, which I have only ever made at Christmas, but I decided to break with tradition and made a favourite whipped recipe, with a twist. Here they are, kid-tested and adult-friendly too. Not a diet recipe by any means, but one small cookie is only 60 calories, so hope you will enjoy in moderation; we all need a little food love sometimes and these fruity, buttery delights may be the ticket to accompany your next hot cuppa...

Pam's Cranberry Shortbread

Ingredients:
1 lb. softened butter
1 cup sifted icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1-2/3 cups dried cranberries
3 cups sifted all-purpose, unbleached flour

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, beat the butter together with the salt and icing sugar until fluffy. Mix in the cranberries and salt. Combine the flour with the corn starch and beat into the butter mixture gradually. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto aluminum baking sheets (I use the insulated ones - these are never fail and help ensure even baking).

Bake 10 minutes; yield 5-1/2 dozen cookies approx. 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Finished cookies should be slightly golden but not browned -- be sure to watch carefully in the last two-three minutes of baking, depending on you oven; I always bake a test cookie and set my timer accordingly thereafter.

Great with a cold glass of milk, hot coffee or Earl Grey Tea.