Cauliflower, Cookies and Concern

 Nestle's Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I love them.  I adore them.  I have made them since I was a young girl in my childhood home, watching them disappear as fast as they came out of the oven.  My three little brothers are strongly implicated in that misdemeanor.  I have made other recipes and I love them all.  In fact, a packaged factory-made chocolate chip cookie will do in a pinch.

Today, I tried a new recipe.  How different can they really be?  They are basically flour, sugar, eggs and chocolate chips.  They were excellent, and I must say that I am throwing my Nestle's recipe out at last and switching to this one:


https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/the-best-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

They were very large, and just like the recipe said, made about 18 cookies.  They just barely fit in the little "love from the oven" treat bags.  I put two in each bag and we set out to deliver them.  

We set out on foot with the first deliveries....thereby accomplishing two goals:  getting in our daily exercise and visiting young adults.  We delivered to Adam, Jenny and Madeline.  

We like to take this delightful shortcut/detour up and across the railroad tracks.

Look at the parking lot for the train station - at 3:30 in the afternoon!  This time last year, it would have been full.



You may recognize St. Thomas Street.  The car can almost go on automatic pilot when we turn on this little road.  After a day of rain and then brilliant sunshine, the sky was a gorgeous pink.

This weathered old door is tucked into a old walk that is on a main thoroughfare.


Our next stop was at a young woman's place who is studying day and night and working at her internship at the same time.  She is just a hair away from getting her PhD and she is swamped.  She is a vegetarian, so I also took her some cauliflower soup which I had jazzed up a little more than usual....I think I was a bit heavy-handed on the cayenne and cumin!  

She came down from her flat in the dorms and we talked for 10 minutes or more.  SK sits in the running car with the window down and I stand with my mask on and we visit.  I love this young woman.  I hope she liked the soup.  How can she not like the cookies????

Our last stop was Brian, our Samoan friend.  I also took him soup.  He is so very charming...so gracious.  We hardly know him, but we love him.  I stood there with that little pint and a half of cauliflower soup and two cookies, looking at him.  I thought, "This is barely an appetizer!"  But he expressed such appreciation that I felt OK with my offering.  But I vowed that next time, I will take pulled pork.

It's not much, but when we have had large groups in our flat, we don't often get time to just sit with one person and visit...and 10 minutes in front of an apartment building doesn't qualify as much of a visit, but I think it is good for all of us.  We need to be close to each other, to look into each other's faces and hear their voices in person.  It was like the young woman the other night who gave me bear hugs.  It just feels good to hug each other.  

I am certain that is the greatest toll on all of us...the lack of human connection.  When I do much reading in the news, crimes of violence seem to be on the rise.  Mild-mannered people snap.  

Certainly warm soup helps, and chocolate chip cookies - of course!  But the human touch, human kindness and concern for each other make all the difference.


p.s.  We had American pancakes for lunch, dripping with maple syrup and butter.  Ahhhh.


Comments

melissa said…
American pancakes. Haha!! But I love that about human touch and kindness and connection. We’ve been missing it!
February 19, 2021 at 6:09 PM
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