Sally Shines at the Holidays

It was the 4th of July, and the Jones family was all gathered together to enjoy the fireworks celebrations. Aunt Clara suggested that they all plan a Jones family Christmas potluck at her house this year. It seemed that this year was going to be a little less special than it had in the past. This year will be a year since Grandma Jones had passed away. She was the glue that kept the family together. The one whose house they had always gathered to enjoy the holiday festivities. The one they all had such fond memories of. When the list was passed around for everyone to sign up for something to bring, Sally decided to make something special. Grandma Jones' famous Ranger cookies. It would be a surprise for everyone.

Sally had made the cookies so many times over the years with her Grandma. She could picture the recipe card from her Grandma's box in her mind. And, how they'd get it out each weekend to bake up a special batch of cookies. The two of them working together side by side. Each of them contributing to the cookies being made - measuring and mixing, putting out pats of dough on the cookie sheet for baking. Each scrumptious cookie disappearing almost as quickly as it came out of the hot oven. She could almost taste the cookies as she sat there, thinking about what a great contribution to the party they would be. Over the years, Grandma had made those same cookies for so many family gatherings.

As the date of the event got closer, Sally decided it was time to start gathering the ingredients that she would need for her baking extravaganza. She was feeding nearly 20 people and decided that each should be able to eat some at the party and be able to take about a dozen home with them. That is an awful lot of cookies! Sally started baking up a batch here and a batch there each night after work. But, none of the cookies seemed to be coming out the way that she remembered them. Something was missing, she was sure of it! She just couldn't put her finger on what was wrong with them. She couldn't possibly take them cookies that weren't right. She wanted this to be such a special surprise for everyone.

Sally decided to start keeping a journal, writing notes as she went, adding a little to this batch, taking out something from the next. She'd check her notes each time she baked a new batch of cookies. But, to no avail. The cookies were just not ending up quite right. Some were too gooey, some not sweet enough. She just couldn't figure out what she was doing wrong. After all, she and Grandma Jones had made these cookies so many times over the years, that she was sure that she'd had the recipe ingrained in her mind.

As Sally baked and tested, she ruled out each batch. She knew that she could not waste them and did enjoy eating many of the test batches. Her neighbors began to think she was going crazy, as she shared several with them. Mr. Black even commented that maybe she was trying to plump him up before the holidays arrived. As much as her neighbors raved about how good the cookies were, she knew that the recipe was still not the right one. She wanted it to be just like Grandma Jones baked them, for her family to enjoy. Back to the drawing board!

The night before the family gathering had arrived, and Sally was at her wit's end. She still had not figured out what was missing from the special recipe that her Grandma had for the Ranger cookies! She wracked her memory, going over each detail that she could recall. Flour, sugar, eggs, shortening, everything seemed in order. But, then, it instantly came to her! A memory of a jar in the cupboard at Grandma's house. There was always a jar of allspice seasoning that Grandma Jones used for baking her special Ranger cookies. Sally didn't have any on hand, as it wasn't a seasoning that she had ever had a use for herself. She knew immediately that that must be what was missing from all the cookies she'd been making.

Sally rushed down to the local market, hoping that they would have it in stock. Down the spice aisle, she gazed. Her eyes running over every label. Until – woot! There it was. Allspice. She quickly grabbed up a jar and headed over to the cashier. The lady exclaimed about what a hurry Sally was in. Sally said, “Time is short and I must get home to bake!” She jetted home and got all her ingredients out again. She began measuring and mixing and plopped those little dough pats onto the baking sheet. Sure enough, the first batch came out and it was wonderful! The smell that filled the air evoked such strong memories of Grandma. Sally knew in her heart, that her Grandma was right there alongside her baking up the wonderful cookies, just like old times. Sally kept at it, batch after wonderful batch. Cookies lining up her counters as she went. Hours later, exhausted, she was finally finished. She collapsed into bed, dreaming of her Grandma and the delicious cookies.

The next morning, with the cookies cooled, Sally carefully wrapped and placed them all in tins for transport. Loading up her car with all of the cookie tins, Sally felt confident about the party. When she arrived at the party, she began to set out the cookies on plates for her family to enjoy. Aunt Clara came over and tried one, exclaiming about how excellent it tasted. Everyone else that tried them also raved about how good they were. She was so glad that she had brought extra for everyone to take home with them. She wanted the feeling of Grandma's cookies to continue long past the party ended. Sally felt proud about figuring out the cookie recipe and decided that from now on that was the item she'd be bringing to all of the family holiday gatherings.

The End

~