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One of the best things about growing up in the 60s and 70s was watching the holiday episodes of our favorite weekly TV shows. In the 1990s many of these episodes were replayed each year on "Nick at Night's" annual "Merrython" which aired each December. I recorded a lot of those old shows onto VHS tapes… Continue reading In Search of Classic Christmas TV
The best oatmeal cookie recipe isn't hard to find. It is printed on the lid of the Quaker oatmeal box. And it makes sense doesn't it? Who would spend more time testing oatmeal cookie recipes to find the very best one than an oatmeal company? This is the same recipe that my mother used to… Continue reading Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
These cookies may look rather plain but looks can be deceiving. These puffy, sugar coated rounds are packed with flavor. I bake them throughout the year as a special cookie jar treat. Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies 1/2 cup shortening (part butter or margarine) 1 cup sugar one egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 2/3 cups all-purpose… Continue reading Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies
In the early 90s, I completed part of my college coursework locally, at one of Kent State University's branch campuses. I worked at a local bakery in the morning. In the afternoon I hurried off to classes. Those were fun days filled with friends and a heavy schedule of student activities (I was student body president… Continue reading Peanut Butter Pie
When I was a kid, my mom made a lot of fudge. It was simple to make. It didn't use a lot of ingredients and therefore it was cheap. My mom made it in a big, heavy saucepan. Sometimes chocolate. Once in a while peanut butter. It was better than good. A pan of fudge… Continue reading Real Old Fashioned Fudge
I like to Christmas shop early in the season. I wait for the Christmas decorations to go up but like to be finished with my shopping list before the post Thanksgiving frenzy begins. It’s not that I don’t shop in December. But I find shopping in December to be a lot more fun if I… Continue reading Weekend in Columbus: Let the Holidays Begin!
Who doesn't get a little bit excited when they open the mailbox to find a handful of stiff, hand addressed envelopes in white, red, or holiday green? With mail from January to November being almost exclusively made up of machine generated bills and junk advertisements, finding a hand addressed envelope is rare. When December mail… Continue reading Bringing Back Tradition: the Christmas Card
Christmas commercialism getting you down? Once again, stores are filled with all manner of things that I don't need or have any interest in buying. There comes a point in life where acquiring "more stuff" just isn't important anymore.
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