Words Alive is a wonderful San Diego non-profit reading advocacy organization that I have volunteered with for many years. I know I got back more than I gave while working with the teens and preschoolers to inspire a love of reading. Their annual author’s lunch is coming up on 11-1-11 and it is always a lively, stimulating event. Check out their website for more information.
Leslye Lyons founded Words Alive in 1999, and she must be amazed at how it has grown to serve over 1,000 at risk, low income children. She was kind enough to share this story about her mother’s recipe box and the memories that keep them connected.
“My mother was the consummate hostess. Her tables were beautiful. She even measured the tablecloths to make sure they were even on all sides. I have many memories of a childhood spent helping to set tables and then peering through the banister while eavesdropping on adult conversation and daydreaming about my own future adulthood.
She died, quite suddenly, almost twenty years ago at the age of fifty-seven. An only child and not yet married myself, I was bereft at having lost my best friend and mother. Soon after her funeral, I found refuge in her recipe box. It not only held her cherished recipes, but also included an index card listing menu, guests and serving pieces for each of her dinner parties. The earliest card was from a mere three months after my birth. I still keep the cards in the same box she used. Every time I pull out a tried and true recipe, I take a few moments to review a dinner party card and visit another era.”
The office staff at Words Alive contributed Clare’s delicious recipe for their favorite comfort food.
“Oatmeal cookies, a story read aloud, sitting by the fireplace on a rainy day. Some images that exemplify comfort…..”
Words Alive Oatmeal Cookies
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup raisins
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped pecans
Combine eggs, vanilla and raisins in a small bowl; cover and let stand for 1 hour. ( I think this step is what makes these cookies special.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar together. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, and baking soda; stir into the creamed mixture. Then stir in the raisin mixture, rolled oats, and nuts.
Drop by teaspoonfulls onto an unprepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
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