Fa la la, SpinArTo and Free Coffee Too!

Christmas time always makes me think of uncomplicated times from long ago.
Things like… making 20 kinds of Christmas cookies and storing them in tubs so the flavors don’t mix. My sister and I would flip through endless amounts of magazines, looking for the most beautiful recipes that promised diversity and/or complications in flavors. No potato chip drop cookies in our house. We would do layered cookies with chocolate, cherries and orange rind. Of course there was always the traditional Italian crescent cookies that batched at 10 dozen and each hand rolled cookie had to be rolled in powdered sugar right after baking. Okay, we would do the good old spritz cookies with a cookie gun but if we took the short cut there, we would balance it out with complicated decorating. Isn’t it a wonder we never cracked a tooth on a dragée?
Since I have become a chef and converted to Judaism, I have had to give up the old list of traditional cookies. The main reason is limited amounts of time. The good news is that I have focused on perfecting the roll-out sugar cookie that we make and sell in the shape of snowflakes.
We did the Farmers Market at the Empty Bottle in Chicago last weekend and our cookies were a hit. We don’t boast that our cookies are vegan or low fat. We proudly proclaim that our cookies are comprised of full fat butter and fresh eggs and yes… flour. This is the holiday season for goodness sake. Diet next week when you are lamenting all your wrong doings of the season. There were many who followed the same belief when they proclaimed, “add a SpinArTo and mini baked Brie to my bag”. I’m sure Gayle has a story about the farm market as well. It was lots of fun and great to see the local providers who painstakingly raise friendly farmed fish and free range chicken and pork. Not to mention Vera our favorite grower from Videnovich Farms and Tom the owner of Earth First Farms, the Organic award winning Cider. Yes, they represent the great state of Michigan. (You know, we are located in the crook of the hand, between your thumb and forefinger.)
I was recently asked to describe my love for coffee, and relay a cherished story. Since I am an admitted coffee snob. So here is what I wrote…Growing up in Chicago and weekending where I currently live, my father would brew coffee in his percolator on the stove top. He was a Chicago police officer and worked 24/7 at home. So weekends were the times when I would get to see him. I would wake to the smell of coffee teasing me to get out of bed. Of course this meant more than just the smell of coffee. This meant my dad had gone to the store and picked up coffeecake or some sort of sweets, and was back brewing the first pot. I would get up, kiss him hello and I would have my bowl of cereal while he drank his strong black coffee from his white fire king mug. After I was awake, (yes coffee is very important to my waking up), we would catch up with each other's week and then go about the day. To this day, waking up to the smell of coffee, takes me back to those times.
My personal consumption began in college. We didn't have microwaves in our dorm rooms in those days. We had some coil device with a plug that we would stick in our mug and heat our water to boil. Then we could put in some horrid freeze dried granules that would produce a rancid bitter beverage. Post graduation, when I started making money is when I started to define my pallet. I'll try every coffee that boasts they are the best, or the most earth friendly, or the crème de la crème. I have my favorites and I admit I'll give a latte a try at just about every independent or franchise that says they serve the best. I do not however, under any circumstances do vending machine coffee.
I have recently decided to become healthier since I am just a few years away from turning 50 yrs old. So I now use sugar in the raw and lean more toward using products that actually care about the earth. My recent viewing of Food Inc. has had a very strong influence in my decision making.
If you are a coffee lover, send me your favorite coffee story and if I like yours the best, I will blog it AND I will send you a free package of coffee! Send your entry to info@dinners-ready.com

Happy Christmas!!!