10.29.2005

2005 Cookie Confab

Hot chicks covered in dough!!

Now that got your attention, didn't it?

Every year I get together with my girlfriends in my office to plan out our cookie baking strategies. (This includes Rick, who by his own admission is one of my girliest of friends.) The Cookie Confabs usually consist of lots of food, lots of gossip and tons of cookies. And a few tears and snarls because not everyone gets what they want. "Oh god...she is not going to want to make those nasty things again this year, is she?"

In attendance:

Gail

Debbie

And myself.

The buffet was very crowded.

(Rick could not make it due to an illness in the family.)

First order of the day: Eat - and boy howdy, did we ever.

The Super Seafood Buffet is an oriental buffet that consists of the usual dishes: General Tao’s Chicken, Seafood Delight, Pizza, and so on, but they also offer a nice array of seafood items as well. There is usually at least one fish that has its head left on. Also the shrimp usually have heads. Some of the waiters do at times as well. Some mediocre dim sum, decent soups (seafood, hot and sour and wonton), ersatz sushi, and a Mongolian grill. Plus raw oysters, crab legs and mussels. You get the idea. Since the space used to be an Old Town Buffet, they have more buffet troughs than any of the other Asian buffets in town. As Jim, Gail's hubby (who hates Chinese food and calls it Catratdog) said when he saw the spread, "Holy cow, Rose, are you trying to kill us? We'll eat ourselves to death!"

(Let me digress for a moment to discuss buffet eating. There are certain rules that I adhere to as much as possible. The first is to only go on days where the buffet will be busy. Turnover of food is a good thing. The second is to never eat any raw items like oysters. The third is to watch what other people are avoiding and do likewise. That may seem rather odd, but I figure if they haven’t bent over and clutched their stomachs, I won’t either.)

Here are some pictures of our plates – I stopped taking pictures after the first volley – I was too busy eating. I can never seem to remember my audience once I start in on the food!

Once we were lying back in our chairs like bloated sea lions, we pulled out our cookie books. We reviewed last year’s list and decided to revise a large part of our repertoire. Last year was a too heavy on nuts and chocolate – so we tried to balance things out a little more. More fruit, more spice seemed to be the consensus. Personally, I think there needs to be more alcohol at the baking sessions, then these things wouldn't be a concern anymore.

Also, since we were baking so many different kinds, we decided to try one of the “all for one and one for all” recipes, where you make up a batch of plain dough and then season it differently for each type of cookie. I have doubts because all the cookies I’ve had using this technique have been too similar in texture and lacking in depth of flavor. It's kinda like your Uncle Fred. This is your Uncle Fred in a blond tupee. This is your Uncle Fred in a red toupee. It doesn't matter what color his hair is, he still tells the same bad jokes.

Also we are going to try making Stroopwaffles, a cookie popular in Holland. Dispite my husband's first thoughts, these have nothing to do with nudity or German pornography. The cookies are two crispy pizzelle-like wafers sandwiching wonderful caramel. They are heaven with a cup of coffee! Of course to hear my hubby talk, so am I. But that is a cookie that won't be baked here.

So, once again, the cookie ladies are embarking on their yearly odyssey. Can they get all their cookies finished? Will Jim gain another ten pounds? Will the staff at work be appeased or will they demand more?!

Stay tuned for updates throughout the holiday season. There will be pictures of the baking days and all the goodies produced. Also, if I can pry some of the family recipes out of the gals, I will post some here for you all to try.

So until Cookie Confab part 2, this is Rosie the Cookie Maven signing off

PS - I have already been told by my family that I will need to make Cashew Puffies, Pecan Tassies and Gingersnaps at my house. Sigh-a baker’s work is never done!

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