This past weekend was something I had been anticipating. The plan was for it to be filled with time with my grandchildren. Things started out well; my son Jonathan brought his son Elijah (4) on Friday morning. After Jonathan left, Elijah and I went through a book filled with cookie recipes; I let him choose two different kinds for us to make.
Following a trip to town to purchase some needed ingredients, plus taking time out for lunch, Elijah and Grammie started making pumpkin bars. Elijah picked them because the picture in the book looked like something he wanted to eat. We made the crust and popped it in the oven to bake. Then we started on the filling. I measured the ingredients; Elijah dumped them in the bowl. When it came time for sweetened condensed milk, I opened the can and gave it to him to pour. Since it was very thick, it took a while to come out of the can. Elijah, much to his Grammie’s amusement, declared, “This is coming out applesaucely!”
While our pumpkin bars were baking, more grandsons arrived. My son Adam brought his two boys to join the fun. Elijah was excited to see Liam (8) and Colton (3). They played in my living room until it was time for supper. After our meal was over, Colton and Elijah took turns helping make the dough for Curly Cinnamon Ducks. Since it needed to be refrigerated, we would bake them the next morning. I enjoyed Colton’s determination as he worked hard to complete his tasks – he really enjoyed sifting the dry ingredients and stirring them into the rest of the mixture. It was the first time he had helped Grammie in her kitchen.
We munched on pumpkin bars for a snack, then it was time for bed. I assigned Liam and Colton to the back bedroom; Elijah was to sleep in Grammie’s room. He really wanted to bunk with Liam, but I thought Colton would do better with his brother since he had never spent the night with me before. The boys were all together for a Bible story, then Elijah and I left the room.
I settled Elijah into my bed, informing him that I was going to go sit in my chair and read my Bible. “Can’t you just read it in here with me?” he begged. I couldn’t resist his plea. I told him that in the chapter I read the night before, Jesus died on the cross, to which Elijah responded, eyes sparkling, “Then he un-died!”
Even though I would have let them sleep in since they didn’t get to bed as soon as they normally do, the boys were up fairly early. We ate breakfast, then Liam and I fashioned duck shapes out of the cookie dough as per the instructions. While they baked, it was a mad dash to get everyone ready for our trip to Lebanon via Zionsville. Liam had to get ready for a ball game that afternoon, as he plays in a fall league. Finally, everybody was in the van, cookies included, and we were on our way to a birthday party for Elijah’s sister Vivian. I breathed a sigh of relief and prayed for us to have a safe trip.
My relief changed to concern after I made it onto I-465 and the red light signaling a temperature problem started flashing on my dashboard. Along with the light, a loud alarm was sounding. Thankful to have a nearby exit, I managed to get off the interstate and into a parking lot. When I turned off the van, steam was rolling out from under the hood. I made the phone calls I needed to make; help was on its way. Adam’s wife, Candice, came to pick up the boys and me. My van went on a wrecker to a repair facility. I was proud and thankful for the patience of the little guys in my van. I heard no complaints and not even once did anyone ask when help was coming.
When all was said and done, I could not help feeling blessed. The Lord had provided for me through the whole incident, even keeping me calm instead of being panicky. Looking back, it almost seems surreal. And we did make it to Vivian’s birthday party, only half an hour late. Afterward, Candice brought me partway home; very kind neighbors came and picked me up for the rest of the journey.
That’s the story; here are the cookie recipes that Elijah, Colton, Liam, and I tried. The consensus was that they were both quite tasty and would serve well for National Cookie Month!
Pumpkin Bars
Oat crust:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pumpkin filling:
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Brown sugar topping:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix crust ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Firmly press mixture into a 13-by-9-inch baking pan to form an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix filling ingredients together until well blended. Pour over the baked crust; bake for 20 minutes.
Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle over baked filling. Bake for 20 minutes longer. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 35-45 bars.
Curly Cinnamon Ducks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
Cinnamon glaze:
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Decorations:
40-45 miniature chocolate chips or cinnamon chips
40-45 roasted pumpkin seeds (in shell)
Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl.
Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy. Add egg; beat until just blended. Mix in dry ingredients to form a smooth dough.
Form dough into two 12-inch logs; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Remove dough logs from refrigerator; cut into 1/2-inch slices. Roll each slice into an 8-inch rope. Coil about one-third of the rope into a spiral shape for the duck’s head. Coil the remaining length in the opposite direction to form a larger spiral for the body. Transfer to prepared cookie sheet, placing ducks 2 inches apart.
Cinnamon glaze: Mix sugar and cinnamon into beaten egg white. Brush over cookies. Stick a chocolate chip into each head to resemble an eye and a pumpkin seed near the base of the head to form a beak (the duck is facing sideways).
Bake cookies one sheet at a time, for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Transfer parchment paper to racks to cool completely. Makes 40-45 cookies.