MY RETURN

A few months ago I started to write a food blog, it allowed me to share my passion for food along with stories of the love of my life - my husband Irwin - and my wacky family.  Shortly after I started writing the blog I started to receive horrible comments through my e-mail for the blog, and they continued for a while. It doesn’t make a difference what they were; only know that they were horrible.  Finally after having enough of the hurtful statements being made by “Anonymous,” on the advice of a friend, I decided to go to the local police precinct to find out where the comments were coming from.

What most people do not know is that even if you send an Anonymous e-mail, an IP address can be obtained which can identify the location of where the e-mail came from.  So this is what I did; believe me when I tell you I never knew about any of this stuff until I made that visit to the local police precinct.

On the blog I also placed a counter, and that counter tells me how many people visit the blog every day, and the IP address they visit from.  So doing a little research after receiving these e-mails, which were horrible and hurtful, not only did I find out where they were sent from, but from learning about the location I knew exactly who was sending them - did not take a rocket scientist to make that connection.

Needless to say my discover horrified me; not only did I know the person, but to find out the comments came from a family member was devastating. I always knew this person was sick, but I never realized the extent of their hatred and meanness until now.  Throw in the fact that they are really sick and twisted and it is not a pleasant picture.

I decided to stop writing the blog after a few discussions with my attorney on his advice.  While this was going on I have had some serious health issues which came up and I had to take care of; during this time I had a chance to do a lot of thinking, and what I have realized is that I am not going to let one sick individual stop me from doing what I love to do and that no matter what I do in life they will still be the same sick miserable individual who they have been for their entire life.  No matter what I choose to do or not to do.   It gave me great pleasure to share my stories with you about Irwin, our life together, stories of my family, and my passion for food, and I want to continue to do that.

The positive comments and feedback which the blog was generating amazed me.  The comments and e-mails were positive and encouraging.  I could not believe how many of you actually liked what I was writing.  For those of you who have commented, I thank you for your support and encouragement.  Those of you who are reading my blog, and do not like what I have to say or agree with what I say, go elsewhere and take your negative, nasty comments with you.  In the meantime I am going to continue to write and share different recipes, ideas and different stories with whoever wants to be a part of my wonderful journey. 

Today’s post is about my mother, who in her own simple way is a fantastic cook.  Through the years she had made a few different dishes that have become our family favorites.  I wrote about her famous sausage stuffing for Thanksgiving, and today I am going to share her recipes for butter cookies.  When I was growing these cookies were always around at holiday time; although she no longer makes them, the memories are etched in my mind forever.  Throughout the years I have done my best to collect her recipes so that I would have them for reference when I needed them, but also to keep some of her traditions alive.  I added the royal icing to her cookie recipe for a little extra flare, but she usually just coved them in sprinkles or sugar.  Any way you choose to make them they will be a hit, and your family and friends will love them.  So here is the recipe for Madeline’s butter cookies and Francine’s royal icing.  They will make a wonderful addition to your holiday table.

 BUTTER COOKIES

PRE HEAT OVEN TO 350

INGRIEDENTS

2/3 CUP BUTTER

1 ¼ CUPS SUGAR

2 EGGS

3 CUPS OF FLOUR

1 ½ TEASPOONS SALT

2 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER

1 ORANGE RIND GRATED

1 TABLESPOON OF ORANGE JUICE

DIRECTIONS

CREAM BUTTER, SUGAR TOGETHER UNTIL LIGHT AND FLUFFY ADD EGGS. 

SIFT FLOUR, SALT, AND BAKING POWDER TOGETHER AND ADD TO THE FIRST MIXTURE, ADD ORANGE RIND AND JUICE MIX UP UNTIL SMOOTH, CHILL FOR ABOUT 1 HOUR.

ROLL TO ¼ INCH THICKNESS ON SLIGHTLY FLOURED BOARD, CUT WITH COOKIE CUTTERS (USE ANY ONE YOU LIKE).  PLACE ON BAKING SHEET LINED WITH PARCHMENT PAPER AND BAKE IN MODERATE OVEN (350f) 12 TO 15 MINUTES YIELDS 30 COOKIES.  LET COOKIES COOL AND DECORATE WITH YOUR FAVORITE ICING, SPRINKLES, AND COLORED SUGAR.  THE CHOICES ARE ENDLESS, AND YOU CAN BE AS CREATIVE AS YOU LIKE. 

ROYAL ICING

INGREDIENTS

·         2 LARGE EGG WHITES, OR MORE TO THIN ICING

·         4 CUPS SIFTED CONFECTIONERS SUGAR, OR MORE TO THICKEN ICING

·         1 LEMON JUICED (MAKE SURE TO USE FRESH LEMON JUICE)

·         A FEW DROPS OF YOUR FAVORITE FOOD COLORING

DIRECTIONS

BEAT THE WHITES UNTIL STIFF BUT NOT DRY.  ADD SUGAR AND LEMON JUICE, BEAT FOR 1 MINUTE MORE. ADD A FEW DROPS OF YOUR FAVORITE FOOD COLORING.  START OUT WITH ONE OR TWO DROPS AND ADJUST ACCORDINGLY UNTIL YOU HAVE YOUR DESIRED COLOR.   IF ICING IS TOO THICK, ADD MORE EGG WHITES, IF IT IS TOO THIN, ADD MORE SUGAR.  THE ICING MAY BE STORED IN AN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER IN THE REFRIGERATOR FOR UP TO 3 DAYS.