SUGARTOWN

While reading, listen to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzIrfA_t1Yk

Yesterday was my friend Jeanne's annual Cookie Exchange. She and another friend invite all the women they know to bring 4 dozen cookies to one of their homes on the first Friday morning in December. Everyone chats around, drinking coffee, juice and mimosas while snacking on mini quiches and spanakopita. It's a two hour event from 9:30 to 11:30 am. At 11:00 am, the hostesses award someone the prize for the prettiest cookie. Someone else gets a prize for last year's tastiest cookie based on hostess opinion and requests for recipes after the event. (I requested the recipe for a huge peanut butter truffley cookie dipped in chocolate, as well as shortbread that was cut into the tiniest bite-sized squares - obviously those are gone and not in the photo). Then you get a big tray and go around and take one of each cookie. They provide lots of saran wrap, you wrap up your cookies and go. Peter didn't notice there was a huge platter of sugar in the middle of the counter, but Steve always notices. However, there are a few rules for the poor guy. (Good thing he doesn't crave sugar). .....Steve, don't eat the the shaped ones, don't eat the ones that look like they don't have nuts. Don't eat anything that looks like a truffle, or with peanut butter, or really special. If they are a bar cookie without chocolate, with nuts, and look crunchy, show it to me and you can probably have it. And you can split with me any chocolate ones if it looks like they have nuts or fruit in them, but then you can probably have my half too, if I take a bite and don't love them. And you can have anything with ginger, jam or mocha. Except I forgot that the really chocolate-y looking shortbread was a mocha cookie and I ate it. My contribution this year was a simple cookie like brownie with white glaze and red and green holly decoration. I missed the first year of the cookie exchange - it was the morning of the memorial service for my friend Janice who was the most wonderful and avid cook and baker. May her memory be eternal. It is with me, because every year during the cookie exchange I remember her intelligence and wisdom and warmth. She was a great friend. But I digress.....The 2010 Cookie Exchange was a sugary success which has left me on a sugar high, so look out stuff to do....here I come!