Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-07-10

HOMEMAKKRE COLUMN.
on topics Of interest 70 ths lsdis.
e so6oi1ed. Address: Editor HonU1AKn1C
OoLuM. Oxford Denocfas. South Paris IL
0randmother's Ginger Cookies.
was searching through my cook
book for Q recipe that would use up
some sour cream whom came upon my
Weatherbee's ginger
cookies. During my engagement days.
not 90 far past-I had pasted the old
yellow paper With the fne, oramped
upon one OF the cards OF
my very modern card index to preserve
her handwriting, though 1t looked odd
among the other recipes, neatly, stifay
and had promised myself
that once safely settled In tho now homo
should experiment with that recipe
whose results had known 20 we'll 40 .
little girl, and surprise my grandmoth-
er's new NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. she
would never know-with her prowess
and mine. For grandmother legend
invented that giuger cookie
recipe herself, and in the good old days
It was famous In her village.
L remember grandmother a. . very,
very, very old lady, with me, tiny girl,
upon her hp. She used to hold me
with my feet and hands 10 the stove
whom came in, cold from play; and
once, remember, when We we're sitting
DO, the little brown clock that had not
run for year fell Of its shelf on to the
floor and started to tick again, and We
thought it very funny, grandmother and
I, and laughed over such silly clock.
It kept perfec, time from then on:
scanned her ginger cookie recipe
with the critical eye OF young bride
and smiled indulgently at the oid'fash-
toned measurements largo cups
molasses, I teacup shortening; heaping
and scant tablespoonfuls
how very out of date they were!
Bot stop! held my breath at TIP
audacity OF the thought! Could.was 1t
possible for that recipe to be made lout
of the sour cream instead OF the shorten
ing? sank on to my kitchen stool,
trying to remember what my neighbor,
Mrs. Martin, had told me only last week
about making her biscuit with cream and
no butter at ell. Why had l not listened
more carefully? Ny card index pressed
tight against my chest while I tried, bit.
ing my lip, to remember what she had
said about cream instead OF butter, l
suddenly learned for bit OF advice
from grandmother herself. How lovely
1t would be to 60 to the telephone there
on its new table In the hall
ooh, grandmother, did You ever use
sour cream In this recipe instead OF
What would happen II
tried it?''
I smiled at the thought Of my dear
old grandmother talking into the other
end Of telephone. And the thought
steadied me little. for in those days
housewives were supposed go think aud
manage for themselves, efficiently, Ca
pably, even while they Strengthened ont
the difficulties of variously assorted
email sons and daug -Grandmother
had had eight!-and fed grandfather
three husky meals day and cared foi
chickens and the garden, and washed
their own clothes and ironed them and
mended them. What that darning must
have been! And 90 I decided, putting
on my big apron, to make this very bold
experiment In the spirit OF my grand
mothers time.
/ reduced the recipe quite materially,
for 7 suspect. Judging from ITS ample
proportions, that grandmother must
have kept q large cookie jar down cellar,
we'll flllsd at ali times for her family OF
eight to MUNICH upon, 1t not being such
a crime In those days to eat between
meals. recall distinctly that 1t took
more -four than had expected 1t would.
quite scraped the bin with my alumni
NUN measuring CUP. And -four was how
much how? put down "Flour" on my
grocery list With sigh. But anyhow,
grandmother had lived through Civil
War times with her family of eight and
prices high. Surely fought to be able
10 manage efficiently for two!
1.-TWO eggs" Together or separately'
Grandmother didn't say. To be on the
safe side, I beat them separately In my
new shining bowls, rinsed my egg. beateI
carefully, and wiped It dry. And
thought about her all the while was
rolling out the dough-for l finally, by
means of much -four, worked 1t into
reliable consistency-and the memories
of my little girlhood came rushing back
again at the sight of the light ginRery
m ass crinklipg under the rolling pin.
The milkman, remember, after grand
mother came to live with us, always
guessed her ginger cookies before DC
climbed the back steps. and he used to
come smiling into the kitchen with that
pleading, hungry look that haunts
mans eyes when he smells something be
wants to eat. Grandmother Weather
bee always gave him three big fat ones
and be used to All up the quart meas
ure In the top of the shining can until II
oyerflowed down into the pan she set fol
him. I wonder who drew the small
measure on that quart. j..
"Roll thin, cut 10 oblongs, and scratch
.engthwise with the tines OF fork"
followed her Instructions dutifully,
slipped the limp oblopgs of dough on to
my tins, glisteDing even through the fine
mist OF -four, and popped them into my
gas oven, With, must confess, Q eighty
shaky fear that they were not going to
come out right after all, even though
hey did look as hers used 10. held
my breath for long period that l think
must have been Ave minutes. my hand
on the rod of the oven door. Finally,
very cautiously, / peeked in. Those
blessed cookiesl They were rising, the
dsrlings! Puffy and soft and spicy they
wsre. could have clspped my hands,
quite like the excitable little girl used
TO be in the days when grandmother
nsed to let me, a. q great concession
when bad been very good, scratch the
backs OF her cookies before they went
into the oven. For my first great ex'
pertinent had been success.
burned three, remember, and l ate
those for my lunch, saving the best, OF
course, for that man Of the house whose
praise was to add sort of sweet frost.
Jog to my great achievement. washed
up my cooking things and put them
away and laid my cookies gently In my
white cake box. 1t was warm, remem.
Der, as I set 1t back on Its shelf.
But 40 lovingly replaced the yellow
I'd recipe on Its card back In the index
and snapped down the wooden lid,
found that miracle had happened. For
that grandmother OF mine, who had al.
ways seemed 90 very, very, very old
while was 90 rdiculously little, had In
some magical way become young like me.
felt as much OF . kinship With her %