Winter Joy Retreat-Day 4-Food and Childhood

I'm participating in an online writer's retreat, thanks to Nina Badzin's blog. The topic is "Edible Memories," so all the posts will be about food. I will try to post every day to keep up, but there are some I might come back to later, depending on my schedule and when inspiration strikes.

Today's topic:
Tell us about a memory from your childhood where food was a part of the scene. Food whose smell and taste you can’t forget even if what was included was as simple as a sardine sandwich, a ripe fruit, a slice of freshly baked pie, or a glass of warm milk. Where does this memory take you? What emotions does it bring back?

When I think of food and childhood, the first thing that comes to mind is making sugar cookies with my mom and sister. I don't remember if I helped make the mixture, but I can clearly picture myself rolling out the dough and then placing cookie cutters on top. Then we'd sprinkle colored sugar crystals on top. After the shapes were cut out, we'd put the remaining dough back together and start over again. The shapes were usually holiday-themed, most likely menorahs and stars for Hanukkah. Maybe there were snowmen too? The best part was sneaking pieces of the raw dough. We didn't think about the health implications of eating raw cookie dough when I was a kid (or even when I was in college). It was so sugary and delicious. I couldn't get enough of it! Of course, the end result of the cookies coming out of the oven hot and crisp was a reward in itself.

Over time, my mom and I would bake other desserts together. I got this recipe for a chocolate chip cookie cake (like the cookie cakes you'd see at Mrs. Fields) when I was in a junior high cooking class. We enjoyed making that together sometimes. When I was in high school, I learned about a recipe to make Funfetti cake mix into cookie dough. I started making cookies that way and bringing them to speech tournaments. They were a huge hit. One of my friends on the team wanted most of them for himself, so when it came time for his birthday, I made him a Funfetti cookie cake. I put it in a pizza box and brought it to school that way. He was thrilled, and of course he had to carry it around all day because it wouldn't fit in his locker. After that, I would bake Funfetti cookie cakes for the tournaments. That was definitely my contribution to the team, as I didn't really win all that much.

My mom definitely instilled in me a love for baking. Sometimes we bake challah together when she visits. I've passed this love for baking along to my kids, especially my older son. I hope it continues for future generations.