Nona knows cookies

Dear Grandma Nona:

What’s all this talk about March Madness coming up?

Crazy in Cadott

Hey Crazy!

Do I have some stories for you!

I had family drop in on their vacation last March. You want to talk about March Madness, I’ll give you a little background.

My nephew Duke popped in, and I just couldn’t keep food in the guy. I baked. I cooked. I ran to the store. He went through a dozen of the IGA's finest frit ters, and then had the gall to tell me about the doughnuts in East Up North, where he lives.

“They don’t put smiley faces on the doughnuts here,” he said. "A smiley face?" I asked.

“It’s a doughnut with cream filling for the mouth and sprin kles arranged on the top for eyes, eye brows and hair. It’s a great way to start your day, to be greeted by a smiling face in the morning,” he said. I whipped up a batch of Nona’s finest chili in the afternoon, while a roomful of people sat anywhere and watched basketball games for hours. It was like owning a motel and a restaurant all at the same time. I needed a vacation to rest from their vacation. I know a lot of ladies around town are thinking the same things. I collected enough aluminum cans off my end tables this weekend to make a baseball bat. The next morning, the sound of snoring and other things were like a bad symphony around this house.

And I was in a foul mood to start with on the weekend. My dear friend Bertha Bigg-Butt was at the beauty parlor last week and the ladies were badmouthing some of my cookies recipes.

Well, I never! Listen here ladies, and listen here good! Nona’s treats have been winning me pork chop dinners out of the house with the finest men in all of Taylor County for almost two decades. All I have to say is that if you cookies turned out poorly, don’t blame that on Grandma Nona! Nona knows cookies! Nona also knows that you have to follow the directions. Think of baking like a science experiment. I’m not one of those “pinch” bakers. You know, a pinch of this, a pinch of that. That’s not baking. Your cookies should be a work of art and the same every time, not a surprise. Your kitchen is your laboratory. Now, follow the directions and create! Nona’s not telling you to use a half stick of butter because she owns stock in a dairy! It’s because it works, and coupled with a dash of Nona charm, it’s going to win the hearts of the finer gentleman…. You know, the guys with all their teeth and/ or hair. It’s give or take. You’re usually going to find that they have hair or their own teeth. If you find one with both, for cry ing out loud marry him! Here’s another cookie recipe for you. Follow it!

Nona's Favorite Cookies Ingredients: 1 cup butter 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar, packed 1 egg 1 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup shredded coconut 1 cup com flakes, crushed 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy Stir in egg, oil, vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Combine with egg mixture until well blended. Stir in the rest of the ingre dients.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet into balls the size of walnuts and flatten with a fork in criss cross pattern. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before removing.

Nona's Sugar Cookies Ingredients 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cups margarine 2 cups white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 cup white sugar for decoration Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt;

set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slight ly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned at the edges.

Allow cookies to cool on bakingsheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

GRANDMA

NONA

Knows!

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