Snowed 4inches...35º

It is still dark but we know from peeking out the windows that it is a winter wonderland outside...I will get this written because as soon as we can see Herb will be on the snowplow and I will sweep the walks and deck...The snow is so much fluff like down from a duck...Maybe more is on its way.

Yesterday I made molasses cookies, honing my skills of cookie making for refreshments for the Big Read tomorrow night...I have a recipe for Chinese Almond cookies...It called for blanched almonds (not to be found in Wallowa County) but easy to do...Boil water, drop almonds into water, cover and leave for 5 minutes, drain and squeeze each nut out of their skins...I hated throwing all that fiber into the compost bin...Now I have blanched almonds to adorn the top of each cookie that I make today.

Herb was eager to help make the molasses cookies, he was waiting for me to finish mixing, then he volunteered to clean up the utensils...After licking the beaters clean and "tasting" the dough a second time to make sure it was right he retired to the living room and waited for the cookies to come out of the oven.

My Mom was never a cookie maker but Herb's Mom was...She taught me as a young bride how to make cookies...At christmas we made a butter cookie in all colors pushing the dough through a cookie press into shapes of bells, trees and Santas...Everyday cookies were raisin oatmeal, chocolate chip and molasses crinkles...Herbs Dad loved molasses cookies so of course my kids learned to love them also...When I worked at the school lunch room I introduced the school kids to molasses cookies, they became a favorite...I don't make as many cookies as I used to as Herb and I try to limit our sweets, but on a snowy night, like last night, molasses cookies and a glass of milk made a perfect bedtime snack.

Molasses Crinkles