Brownies

My mom taught me how to make brownies when we were little. I remember pulling a chair up next to the green stove at our house and watching the butter slowly melt in the pan. I was careful not to let it boil as the recipe and my mother both cautioned.

Stirring in the flour was always the hardest part. I remembered my muscles straining as I used all my strength to turn the spoon. Inevitably, I would have to have my mom finish it up for me because I was too tired, and I'm old at how well and how quickly she could do it with her arm so strong.

Today, I made brownies again for our company coming over for dinner. I know the recipe almost by heart, pausing only to double check certain measurements here and there. As I added the flour, I expected to feel the strain as I turned the spoon, but it was easy. The memory of making brownies with my mother was so full and so close that I almost forgot that I am grown up and stronger.

How fast time seems to pass, but now and then we glimpse memories reminding us of how we were and who we are.

Saturday

Things I Want, But Don't Need:

Coffee Table
Yoga Block and Strap
Urban Decay "Toasted" Eye Shadow
A New Couch...probably an expensive one
Under-the-Sink Organizers
A Nap
Blanket Basket for the Living Room

Things I Need:
A Meal Plan for Next Week
Exercise
To Put the Laundry in the Dryer

I will stick with the needs and keep life simple.

Thought for Tuesday

It seemed important to start writing again. So, I am.

I called my Grandpa today. It was good to hear his voice. I miss the Saturday mornings when I went over, every week at 9 a.m., to see him and help him get his breakfast and take his pills. That time was precious, and it was fun for the both of us, at least I know it was fun for me. I'd tell him about the antics of the four-year-olds in my Primary class (I unfailingly had a colorful anecdote to share). We'd talk. He would eat, and then I'd have to go and get on with my daily tasks.

Once while I asked him questions and he reminisced, he spoke of the women of the neighborhood where he grew up. His father died when he was very young and his mother made a living for the family teaching piano. He mentioned that his friends' mothers often invited him in to join them when they had dinner, welcoming him as they would a member of the family.

He told this story only in passing, but it has stayed with me. I spoke a silent thank-you to those women who helped take care of my Grandpa as a boy. It was sweet to me to think of those kindhearted ladies reaching out to help someone I love so much when there was no way I could have done it myself.

Kindness does not go unnoticed. It endures through years and across generations. Such is the Touch of Christ.

Hibernation

As I am sure you have noticed, at the moment this blog is hibernating. When I started blogging a lot for work, updating this blog became difficult and a bit draining. I don't know when this blog will wake up from its long winter's nap. In the meantime, you can follow me on twitter @whitneydenney and I am periodically updating a Tumblr blog http://thewhitden.tumblr.com/(micro-blogging is all I can handle at the moment).

Blast from the Past

I found some fun old things in my filing drawer today. First was the chore chart my mom made for each of us when we were young. Then a recipe a friend and I made one day when we playing at her house.

Inspiring ducks?

At work, every cubicle is equipped with a whiteboard. One of my co-workers usually has written on his:

Why do ducks have flat feet?
To stamp out forest fires.

Why do Elephants have flat feet?
To stamp out flaming ducks.

What is this supposed to mean exactly? To think creatively, to challenge common thought? To reach new technology frontiers by seeing things in a new way? Is it inspiring?

I have no idea. I'm more inspired by late nights, colored pens, and works of art. But I'm sure one could be inspired by obscure phrases.

Perhaps it just makes him laugh throughout the day when he looks at it. It's a joke-- at least according to the internet (I Googled it, I admit). Is it funny? I can't quite tell...

Jelly Biscuits

It’s been so long since I’ve made Jelly Biscuits and tonight I just couldn’t resist the temptation to eat some, so I fired up the oven, found the Jam, and mixed away. This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. I’ve been making it since I was about ten and I got the recipe from Samantha’s American Girl cookbook. It’s gotten a lot easier to make over the years.

I must admit that I seem to be the only person who loves this recipe. Frankly, it’s all I can do to stop myself from eating the whole pan right when they come out of the oven. My Mom likes them, but my Dad joked one day, “If you’re going to make something, why don’t you make something good?” When I asked Derek if he liked them he said, “Yeah, they’re actually really good. (I hope he doesn’t like them too much so I can keep them to myself.) After the mixed review, here’s the recipe you can try for yourself, if you ever get the notion to.

Jelly Biscuits from Samantha’s American Girl Cookbook

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening

¾ cup milk

Flour for cutting board and rolling pin

½ cup jelly or jam (raspberry is my favorite)

1.Preheat oven to 425.

2. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in mixing bowl.

3. Add shortening. Use a pastry cutter to blend shortening and flour mixture until it becomes a coarse meal (after all these years, I still don’t get what a “coarse meal” is supposed to be or look like. I just go until there aren’t huge chunks of shortening). If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use two (butter) knives to “cut in” the shortening.

4. Add the milk and blend with a fork until the mixture forms a soft ball of dough. (This doesn’t happen with just the fork. You will actually need to moosh it together with your hands at the end to form a ball.)

5. Sprinkle a little flour on your cutting board and rolling pin.

6. Put the ball of dough on the cutting board and kneed it 12 times.

7. Roll out the dough until it is about ¼ inch thick.

8. Cut circles with a large round cookie cutter or glass. Put circles on a cookie sheet.

9. Roll the dough out again and cut more circles. This time cut out the middle with a one-inch round cookie cutter or bottle cap to create a ring. Place the rings on top of the circles on the cookie sheet (so each biscuit has two layers: a complete circle on the bottom and a centerless-ring on the top.)

10. Repeat step 9 until the dough is all used up.

11. Put a teaspoon full of jam or jelly into each ring.

12. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.