Square Pegs Do Fit in Round Holes

As you may know, April is Autism Awareness Month and I am both thrilled and honored to be writing this guest post for The Cookie Puzzle as she promotes knowledge of what Autism is and is not.  

Autism touches my life in a special way and I thought long and hard about how I wanted to interpret the theme in cookies and in what I wanted to say about it.  

By now, you have heard about what defines Autism and Autistic Spectrum Disorders.  You have been presented with statistics and some wonderful personal stories of people that deal with life that is way more colorful than most.  

I like a lot of color in my world.  

I am the mother of a child that was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder at the age of 4.  Her official diagnosis was PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified) and it came after many, many testing sessions with a multi-faceted team of pediatric medical specialists at our local Children's Hospital.  

According to the Wikipedia description of PDD-NOS which (I am assuming that you will take the time to read this article) states that this particular population shows some characteristics of Autism, but not all and often milder.  

It was an interesting journey to take with this amazing child, but it was also so difficult.  I mean, I was a first time mother that had to circumnavigate the maze that is the pediatric community.  Holla' if you feel me....

I can honestly say though...I never thought of that diagnosis as an impairment.  Here was this incredibly intelligent, gorgeous child who was deeply immersed in her surroundings and had a difficult time communicating.  She attended a special language immersion program at the hospital three days a week.  She had an IEP even before she was in Kindergarten.  By the time she was in first grade, she was the only child in our school system to have both a Special Education designation AND be qualified for the gifted program.  

She modeled after excellence and life was so much better for her...because of early intervention, she was thriving and growing.  

There are still communicative difficulties that she deals with to this day, but she's gonna be fine.  As a family, we chose to not limit her by ever considering her to be disabled.   She was always treated as if she was perfectly normal because in our eyes, she is.

I have also come to realize that she comes from a long, distinguished line of women who can be diagnosed with the same disorder....

Myself included.

Her Grandmother, definitely.

And most likely my Grandmother, her Great Grandmother.

I took the test of AQ (Autism Quotient) and I scored well within the range of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

When I was growing up, there was only a problem if it was severe as far as pediatricians were concerned.

A Square Peg trying to fit into a Circle.

I will bet you know several people that could fit the same description as a "Square Peg".  You couldn't put your finger on it, but they were always a little different...

Yep, that's her...that's me...and that's definitely my mother.  (I do love you, Mom)

So, let's say YEAH for those that don't fit in, the paradoxes, the brilliant minds... the ones that are a little different than all the rest.  Admit it, we make life more interesting and create really awesome stuff.

This is Home Girl and I'm not a cookie blog....I swear.

Here and Now

When I look in your eyes
There I see
Just what you mean to me
Here in my heart I believe
Your love is all I'll ever need
Holdin' you close through the night
I need you, yeah

I look in your eyes and there I see
What happiness really means
The love that we share makes life so sweet
Together we'll always be
This pledge of love feels so right
And, ooh, I need you

Here and now
I promise to love faithfully [Faithfully]
You're all I need
Here and now
I vow to be one with thee [You and me], hey
Your love is all [I need] I need
Say, yeah, yeah...
When I look in your eyes, there I'll see
All that a love should really be
And I need you more and more each day
Nothin' can take your love away
More than I dare to dream
I need you
Here and now
~

Luther Vandross (1951-2005)

You were totally singing along with me, weren't you?  

Truth be known, this is not my most favorite wedding song.   In my opinion, it's not a classy wedding without an Ol' Blue Eyes remake by Michael Buble'.  You know the one I'm referring to....

This is Home Girl and I loved working on this wedding themed cookie set.  It doesn't mean I ever want to join that institution again, but the thought of just having a reception is pretty fun sometimes.

Those thoughts are fleeting though.  Thank God.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Start ~Your ~Engines!

Nascar Sprint Cup Racing begins today with the running of the Daytona 500 and it just wouldn't be the same with out some Race Day food.

To me, that means a icy cold beverage and food you can wrangle with your hands.  One of which is a huge platter of perfect Buffalo Hot Wings.  You can always grab some pre-made wings from the freezer section of your grocery market or you can get real ballsy and make your own.

I obviously like to make my own and now you can too!

Here is what you'll need to have your own Wing Fest:

Enough chicken wing pieces (Flats and Drums) to feed your crowd.  I usually make two servings more than what I will need to ensure that (a) there are enough to go around, (b) in case there are unexpected guests, and (c) I hide some in the fridge to munch on the next day.

Frying Oil :  Peanut Oil or Vegetable Oil is just fine.

Flour:  just regular ol' white stuff.  Nothing Fancy.

Salt n' Pepper and whatever other spices that might thrill you. Sometimes, I even get all fancy and add some Garlic and Onion powder in there.  I live on the edge.  I don't use exact measurements.  Use your brain....if you can operate a stove then you know what too much spice looks like.  If you don't, then please don't attempt this.  Just go to Hooters and smile nicely at the servers.  They'll bring you lots of wings.

Hot Sauce:  Texas Pete, Frank's, Generic...doesn't matter.  I prefer Frank's Hot Sauce because The Queen uses that brand.  She puts that shit on everything.

Vinegar: White or Apple Cider, again personal preference.

Butter:  Not margarine...butter, from a cow.

Accompaniments:  Celery Sticks, Ranch, Blue Cheese Dressing.  You are free to be as creative as you want.

Okay, let's make some Racin' Wings.

Okay, first off, you do not have to do this step...it's simply because I can not stand...as in I DETEST wings that have not been cooked thoroughly.

Hate it, hate it, hate it.

As in, it drives me crazy and makes me want to throw up.  There is nothing more disgusting on the planet Earth than undercooked chicken.

I boil those puppies until they look like this....about 15-20 minutes.  Then I drain off the water and blot them on paper towels.

This step can be done the evening before and just keep your par-boiled wings in the fridge until you are ready to make them.

Take the wings out of the fridge and again, just make sure all the moisture is dried off.  Dredge them in your Salt n' Pepper Flour and then let them sit pretty on a baking sheet.

After you have finished coating all your wings, get your grease all nice and hot.  I know it's ready when I flick a few drops of water at the swimming pool and it pops back at me.

Fry about 6-8 wings at a time until the float.  UNTIL THEY FLOAT is the key word here.  There is no particular time limit as it depends upon the size of your wing sections and how hot your grease is, and if  the moon is in a certain phase, or how many icy cold adult beverages you have had...

When they start doing the back stroke you can be assured they are done, done, done.

I, know...right???

Nom, nom, nom.

Now, while the kids are swimming, you will want to make your wing sauce.  I like mine to be right in the middle of the hot scale.  Not too spicy, not too buttery.  I use one stick of butter and about a half cup of hot sauce.  Add in about 1 tablespoon of vinegar to your sauce and stir on low.  

 Throw your wings into a bowl and then pour some sauce on top and swirl them around...I even get all Top Chef and shake 'em.

I can do it now without throwing them all on the floor.

Yes, I have done that.

No, it wasn't pretty.

Serve them up on a plate, platter, or eat out the sauce bowl that you just used.

I will never tell.

I can keep secrets.

Now, go make your own.

~

This is Home Girl and I hope you all have a great Sunday Funday doing whatever it is that makes you happy.

Mutti's Almond Spritz Cookies

My paternal grandmother, whom I called "Mutti" (which is German for mother), was a huge influence in my love for baking.  She was this adorable, little, sprite of a lady who would tell you that she loved you over and over and if you got out of line, she'd whack you with her wooden spoon.

She always made Spritz Cookies for many holidays with her Mirro Cookie Press Gun and I spent years wanting to graduate from sprinkles to operating the gun.  I had watched her so many times, I knew exactly how long to press, what temperature the dough needed to be at, and what the finished product needed to look and taste like.  I had grown into a connoisseur and I know that she was thrilled to be able to pass along not only the knowledge of baking sweet, delicate German treats, but the passion...the love.

My beloved Mutti died from cancer in the late 1980's, but her legacy has lived on through me and that of my children.  Several times a year, I take out my own (vintage) Mirro Cookie Gun, which I procured on Ebay and I make these special treats.

The exact recipe that Mutti used is under great debate because I remember her keeping a copy on an index card that was tapped to the inside of her glass cabinet...I thought it was the Mirro Cookie Press Almond recipe, but I also remember her using a tube of Almond paste, too....which the Mirro recipe does not call for, so I was perplexed....

until I ran into this recipe and tried it out...then the angels in heaven sang because I was instantly taken back to the days of my small childhood, barely able to see past the counter tops, but I definitely knew what my favorite cookies tasted like.

I hope you can try it out for yourself...they do require some patience, but they are more than worth it.

WHITE HOUSE SPRITZ COOKIES 

1 can (8 ounces) almond paste 
1/4 cup egg whites, unbeaten 
6 tablespoons sugar 
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened) 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon Almond Flavoring 
1 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour 

1. Break up almond paste with fingers in large bowl (just break up the almond paste. Broken fingers hurt.) Add half egg whites (Do half egg whites come from half eggs? Never mind.) Beat with electric mixer at low speed until mixture is smooth. 

2. Beat in sugar and butter until light and fluffy. (No, this does NOT mean you beat sugar and butter till you burst into song.) Add remaining egg whites, salt and Almond flavoring and mix well. Stir in flour, 1/3 at a time, blending well.  Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.  

3. Fit a pastry bag with a star tip, fill pastry bag with dough. (Really this works just fine in a cookie press.) Press dough out on lightly greased cookie sheets; top each with red or green cherry half or sprinkles.  Sometimes, I will drizzle these cookies with melted chocolate and then more sprinkles. (One can never have enough tiaras or sprinkles in life.)  

4. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until set and edges begin to turn golden. (In my oven 7-8 minutes is fine.) Remove to wire rack. Cool completely.  Store in air tight containers.  They freeze beautifully!  

This is Home Girl and I bid you wonderful baking this holiday season.

Side Note:  If you want to enjoy these cookies at optimum historical appreciation, make a Coca-Cola on ice in a glass.  They pair so well.