December 7...and Infamy

Wow. It's hard to say anything "new" about the events of 72 years ago today--that unforgettable attack on Pearl Harbor. Amazingly, there are still survivors who come together each year to commemorate the event. Sadly, as many of them reach their 90's, these reunions get smaller and more poignant on each anniversary. We don't see much in the media unless it's a "big" anniversary, which we'll have in three years...but how many survivors will there be by then?

I remember being at Pearl Harbor in 2001, just a couple of months after 9/11 and right before the 60th anniversary. It was just about the final stop on our week-plus trip to Hawaii. We'd been to Kauai and the Big Island, so we'd flown several times during that week. Each airport was heavily secured, filled (it seemed) with military men carrying huge guns for our safety. It was alarming rather than comforting. Visiting Pearl Harbor was something we really wanted to do, although we had no idea what it would be like. Out of respect, or curiosity, or patriotism? I'm not sure, but it was important to go there.

The thing that struck me most was the quiet, no matter where you were, even in the gift shop. It was like everyone there was just overcome with the hugeness of what had happened. Most of us weren't yet born when the attack occurred, but of course we'd heard about it our whole lives. And there we were. It's just a harbor, with water and boats. But when you get on the shuttle boat out to the memorial, and you see the oil still seeping up from the wreckage below...it's overwhelming. You learn that something like 1000 victims are still on the USS Arizona, beneath where you stand. Even more moving are the veterans who volunteer there and who can remember vividly the exact moment when it all started. They're there to answer questions, but somehow it's hard to say anything except a quiet "thank you" and solemnly shake a weathered hand.

I can't imagine what that day must have been like, either for those on the ground at the harbor or for those at home hearing the news on the radio. How terrifying not to know about loved ones...how horrible to see the pictures later. (And you have to wonder, how different was it from the "war trigger" we all can remember -- the 9/11 attacks, where we watched the horrific events live on television? Of course, Pearl Harbor was a military target, unlike the World Trade Center, but there are certainly comparisons to be made.)

If you visit Hawaii, please make time to visit the memorial. It's sobering, fascinating, and hugely important. And something you won't easily forget! Now I think I'll go watch the news and see if they cover the story...

 

This is one of the most-seen pictures from the attack. At the site, it's available on postcards.

Let's Eat : Kenny's Cookies

Sometimes you have a recipe that's a real treasure. It's easy, consistently delicious, versatile and everybody loves it. If you're lucky, the recipe has a history and brings back memories whenever you make it.

Kenny's Cookies is "that recipe" for me. Hand-written on two index cards with post-it notes pasted all around it in an old-style sticky-page photo album, this is my go-to cookie recipe. I got it from a friend (that was Kenny -- surprise) years and years ago, probably in the late 80's.

Here's the recipe, along with my tips:

Kenny's Cookies

• 1 lb butter, softened
• 2 C brown sugar
• 1 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 3 eggs (2 eggs for a half-recipe)
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 1/2 t salt (optional)
• 6 C all-purpose flour, or use a combination of white whole wheat and AP flours
• 2 12-oz bags chocolate chips
• 2 C nuts (optional)
• 1 handful coconut

1. Cream butter and sugars.
2. Add eggs, vanilla, soda and salt.
3. Add flour, 1 cup at a time.
4. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts and coconut.
5. You can make these very large (golf-ball sized spoonfuls) or smaller (I use a medium cookie scoop). Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. If you prefer a soft cookie, remove from oven when just starting to brown on the edges. They're also good when a little more brown, but they won't be as soft.

It's easy to get creative with these -- there are about 6 cups of add-ins, which can really be any combination of chips, nuts, seeds, oatmeal, dried fruit...whatever you like. The coconut can be omitted, but it's really good if you like coconut!

This recipe makes a lot of cookies (the exact number varies depending on size) so if you don't need them all, shape the dough and freeze it to bake later. They just bake a minute or two longer, straight from the freezer. You'll be delighted when you need to bake a couple dozen cookies in a hurry! A half-recipe works just fine too, using 2 eggs as noted above...but I usually make the full batch of dough.

These are still warm...

For Christmas, I like to use a combination of dried cranberries and white chocolate chips, and sometimes add walnuts or pecans. They're pretty without having any food color, and make great gifts too.

Ironically, in recent years Kenny has trained for and completed an Ironman triathlon, and cookies like this may not be in his training diet. I suspect he wouldn't even remember giving me this recipe. But every time I pull out the old recipe album, I think of good friends and casual get-togethers...before grown-up responsibilities and kids had really settled in...and I'm glad the taste of a cookie can bring that back for a few minutes!

Let's Eat : Yogurt Parfaits

Every once in a while we hit on something that's an instant hit with everyone in our house. We've had that kind of reaction to homemade yogurt parfaits, a layered combination of yogurt, fresh and/or frozen fruit, and granola. Breakfast just doesn't get much simpler than this!

When I first encountered a yogurt parfait, Art and I were in New York City (before kids, back in 2000) for a long weekend of seeing the sights, taking in Broadway shows, and eating out. We wandered over to the Today Show plaza and seated ourselves near the plaza-facing window in Dean & DeLuca. I loved that place! That's where we had our first yogurt parfait -- the yogurt was perfectly tart (but slightly sweet) and thick; the fresh berries were ripe and juicy; and the crunchy granola on top was both beautiful and delicious. Layered in a clear parfait glass, the presentation was so pretty that it almost seemed wrong to eat it. But of course we did, from the comfort of our window seats, watching everyone outside try to get into the camera's view behind Matt Lauer (this was back when he had hair AND Katie Couric).

Using my souvenir mug at home reminds me of being in New York!

Nowadays, you can get a yogurt parfait for $1 at McDonald's. They're served periodically at school when it's "breakfast for lunch" day. You can also get one some mornings at my house (and I daresay mine is better, although not quite as perfect as the Dean & DeLuca one in my memory).

(layered bottom to top)
vanilla yogurt, fresh strawberries, yogurt, kiwi, yogurt, frozen blueberries, yogurt, and granola

Of course, if you make your own yogurt or granola it's even better. I didn't do either here, but we did hand-pick the blueberries in East Texas this summer. Which counts for something!

Depending on your choice of yogurt and granola, this can be as healthy (or not) as you choose. When the berries aren't real sweet, a drizzle of honey or pure maple syrup adds the right touch. Just make sure you've made enough for everyone...no fights at breakfast, please.

Opening Remarks

Welcome to our little corner of the web. It's 2013, and we know, we know, blogging is nothing new. Shoot, we've been doing it in our heads for years. Independently, we've gone so far as to set up our own blogs...and then never actually posted anything. So the idea here is that together we might actually get this thing done.

Who are we? At one time, we were three teenagers from different cities and different high schools whose paths only crossed because we each decided to go out and get a job. And, because we were high schoolers, we felt like most jobs would be boring and hard...so we ended up working in an amusement park. The wisdom of the personnel department threw us together and dressed us alike, and as they say, the rest is history.

That really changed our lives, although back then we couldn't possibly have known how much. Now, of course, we're a little older (ahem) and a lot wiser. However it happened, here we are, still together. We share countless memories of all the good and not-so-good times that are inevitable consequences of 30-odd years of friendship: boyfriends, sunburns, late-night inventories, parties, graduations, weddings, new babies, funerals, vacations, all kinds of firsts. Our first posts will introduce us as we are today, and then I expect the unexpected after that!

This is us, Patty, Sharon and Beth (after we stopped dressing alike)

because we just knew 25+ years ago that we would need a picture like this.

Now, a little about the blog:
Real friends.
You've got real friends -- their voices are familiar and their faces tell you just what they're thinking. They'll gladly be your grammar and fashion police. You've known them since way before friend somehow became a verb. They may "like" your posts, but they actually like you. Our posts here are contributed only by real friends.

Real food.
Everyone has to eat, and we've got way too many choices regarding unhealthy, over-advertised options.  Apples and broccoli don't have much chance without marketing managers. And "cheap" isn't at all what food should be! We're all working on what we can do to make our own tables healthier.

Real life.
Life happens to us all -- good, bad, funny, infuriating, delightful, unfair, whatever. So no subject is off limits (reader beware!). We're each unique personalities, in different places in life and with widely varied stories to tell and observations to make. (If we were all just alike, well, that would be boring, and a couple of us would be unnecessary!)

Ready? Let's go!