Baking with the Boys

(It isn’t laziness as much as forgetfulness.  I only remember the camera is broken on Sunday when it is time to take these pictures.  I did call someone about it yesterday, so there is hope.  This week you get laptop pictures…in the dark.  Bonus.)

There is snide remark that all parents hear at one time or another.  “You aren’t real a parent until you have more than child.”  This certainly seemed like BS to me before I had kids.  I am an only child and my parents certainly did parent-y things like making me eat vegetables, clean the bathroom, and say please and thank you.  There was also the minor business of instilling values, providing comfort and, you know, paying the bills and stuff like that.  I wasn’t writing checks to KCP&L.

After I had my first child, I realized it was just utter nonsense.  When my 9month old had pneumonia?  That sure seemed like parenting.  Ditto for when his forehead made “friends” with the corner of  a glass table at 17 months.  (why must all head injuries look like you have just eaten a hand grenade regardless of the severity?)  And let’s not even get started on his absolute refusal to recognize daylight savings time which resulted in the oh so convenient wake time of 4:50am every f*&#*$^ morning during the summer of ‘03.

BUT, and you knew there was one coming, parenting one is different than parenting two or more.  Until I had two boys, I had no idea how peaceful my house was growing up.  Sure, there were disagreements among the three of us but none that started as “wrestling” matches and ended with slugs and tears.  There weren’t toys ”dropped” in anger or screaming matches over TV shows (usually just snide remarks when my mother insisted that Murder She Wrote was “the only show I watch all week,” which, unless Jessica Fletcher grew a mustache, moved to Hawaii and lived in a mansion** or had a detective agency with her charming but feckless brother, was most assuredly not her only tv show.  one tv and no cable, people.  we couldn’t just let her get away with it).

So, I am constantly amazed at the speed in which innocent playing can morph into internecine battle.  They can be the greatest of friends and the greatest of enemies and back to friends in the space of a Tom and Jerry cartoon.  World peace is a grand idea but most days I would settle for peace on the homefront.  I try to avoid bribing my kids with food (most of the time) but nothing quite settles the mood like a good sweet treat.  As long as there are equal shares for everyone, sibling rivalry is mostly dormant during snack time.

And they most definitely enjoyed snacking on these babies.  For the record, the grown-ups liked them, too.  I didn’t have any big issue with crumbly dough.  I was feeling quite pleased with myself until everyone on the P&Q attributed that to overmixing.  Whatever.  The cookies looked and tasted just like I thought they would.  They were fab and I will definitely be making them again.  I baked off the first log during the Super Bowl.  I got no pictures and no objections when I offered to bake the second log Monday night for photo purposes.  Another win for Dorie!

As unspeakable as this log looks, it didn’t stop me from taking a bite…or two.

Thanks to Jessica of cookbookhabit for choosing a great one.  The full recipe is on her blog.  Next week:  Floating Islands.  Dorie says in the headnote that they aren’t difficult….and then proceeds to spend a page and half detailing the 837 steps involved.  If I have to bust out the thermometer, it ain’t child’s play.

**My husband thinks Higgins was Robin Masters.  Thoughts?  Comments?