Today we observe the birthday of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. – a man whose life, and death, changed the way we see the world.  By now, we all know his story, but today I think we should stop and consider how incredibly young he was when he did all these amazing things.

Martin Luther King, Jr. finished high school at fifteen, and college at nineteen.  He graduated from seminary at age 22, after being elected president of a mostly white senior class (even more remarkable when you consider that most of his classmates were likely older than him).  By age 25, he was pastor of a church and a member of the executive committee of the NAACP.  He finished his doctorate degree at age 26.

I’m not sure I remember what I was doing at age 26, but I can assure you that my house was never bombed and I wasn’t jailed for standing up for what I believe in, much less while trying to raise four kids.  At the age of 35, he was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize, and he donated the prize money to further the civil rights cause he’d dedicated his life to.  He was assassinated in 1968, at age 39.

I am inspired not only by what he did, and his relative youth while doing it, but also by the sheer amount of work involved.  In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times.  Think about that.  That’s well over a half-million miles and 200 speeches per year. (And I grumble about my commute from the suburbs.)

Here’s what I really find interesting, though.  In just forty years since his death, the idea of a segregated society has become unimaginable.  My parents’ high school was segregated – one single solitary generation ago – and here we are today with a black president.  I would like to think that racism no longer exists, but heck, Harry Reid and Rod Blagojevich proved otherwise just this month. But while knuckleheads and their knuckleheaded thinking persist today, we’ve still come a looooong way as a society, and that’s just part of the legacy that MLK left behind.

Now for some honesty.  When I was considering what to write today, my thought process went something like this:

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Tags: baking recipes, cookie recipes, dessert recipes

I had never heard of such a service.  As far as I knew, there was no Christian element relating to the changing of the seasons.  To be honest, it sounded a little squishy and new-age to me.

Turns out, it’s sort of like a specialized Advent service for folks who are in a rough spot in life.  We all know that for many people, the holidays are a difficult time.  Death, divorce, job loss, regrets, and old hurts seem especially painful this time of year.  Memories of holiday celebrations during happier times seem like salt in the wound.

Everyone is just so… cheerful.  And some people just… aren’t.

That’s where the church service comes in.  It’s designed as a time for like-minded folks to come together and acknowledge their pain.  It’s a cathartic moment for people who need it, amidst the sometimes-saccharin cheerfulness of the holidays.  A time to look among the pews and see that wow, I’m not alone after all.  There’s an entire service for people like me.  And the service focuses on the Christ child, pointing out that He, too, was an outcast in many ways.  If nothing else, it eases the loneliness.

When someone loses a loved one, their life comes to a complete halt, but the rest of the world has the audacity to keep turning.  That stupid reality show still comes on at the same time every week.  The grocery store still mails out their circular.  Kids still ask you to come watch their ball games at school.  Life goes on.  Pretty soon, it starts to feel like the world never cared that your loved one existed, while you’re still stuck, struggling with darkness and grief.

What a great idea for people to come together on the longest night of the year to address their sorrows head-on.  That way, four days later, they have a shot at actually celebrating.

But you know what’s more powerful than even that?  You.

If everyone avoids the topic of loss, it starts to feel like the whole world has forgotten about that loved one.  And that’s a low, lonely feeling.  It means a lot to express condolences and sympathy when the loss happens, but in some ways, it means even more if you remember to follow up and ask months/years/decades later.

If you know someone that is facing a difficult time this holiday season, ask them how they’re doing and specifically mention their loved one.  It’s okay if it’s a little awkward – how can it not be?  In this case, the cliché holds true: it really is the thought that counts.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

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Paper thin sugar blobs with absolutely no resemblance to trees whatsoever.

This subsequent attempt turned out much better, probably because Abby was supervising.

From the beginning, I envisioned a this blog having a lot of honesty about my adventures in the kitchen.  I enjoy a lot of Martha Stewart’s ideas, but one of the things I like least about her shows and magazines is that everything is sickeningly perfect.  I say if you’re not screwing up, you’re not trying hard enough.

In that spirit, here is a photo of a recent effort to make holiday sugar cookies, using the recipe posted below.  Nice work, Laura!  What happened, you ask?  I got distracted while measuring the flour, and added 1 1/3 cups instead of 2 1/3 cups.  They turned out like those paper thin lace cookies whose name I can’t recall at the moment.  I felt like walking silently to my front door, opening it, and hurling the cookies out on the lawn – cookie sheets and all – and slamming the door.  Grrrr!

The easiest way I’ve found to break the ice when checking up on someone is to take them food.  Ah yes, it all comes back to food.  And what better food to take this time of year than traditional holiday sugar cookies?  Below is the recipe I use from Joy of Cooking for all sorts of occasions, but especially Christmas.  Break out all those cookie cutters and have a ball (with a kid?) and then share the love (and calories).  The clean-up is pretty easy, because the dough stays between sheets of wax paper and never actually touches your rolling pin or the counter top.

Rich Rolled Sugar Cookies
From Joy of Cooking

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Colored sprinkles or colored sugar (optional)
Royal Icing (optional)

Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until very fluffy and well-blended.  Add the egg, baking powder, salt, and vanilla and beat until well combined.  Stir in flour until well blended and smooth.

Divide the dough in half.  Place each half between 2 large sheets of wax or parchment paper.  Roll out to a scant ¼-inch thick, checking the underside of the dough and smoothing any creases.  Keeping the paper in place, layer the rolled dough on a baking sheet and refrigerate until cold and slightly firm, but not hard, 20 to 30 minutes.

Position rack in the upper third of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease cookie sheets.

Working with one portion of dough at a time (leave the other refrigerated), gently peel away and replace one sheet of the paper.  (This will make it easier to lift the cookies from the paper later.)  Peel away and discard the second sheet.  Cut out the cookies using 2- or 3-inch cutters.  With a spatula, transfer them to the cookie sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.  Roll the dough scraps and continue cutting out cookies until all the dough is used; briefly refrigerate the dough if it becomes too soft to handle.

If desired, sprinkle the cookies with colored sprinkles or colored sugar.

Bake, one sheet at a time, just until the cookies are lightly colored on top and slightly darker at the edges, 6 to 9 minutes; rotate the sheet halfway through baking for even browning.  Remove the sheet to a rack and let stand until cookies firm slightly.  Transfer the cookies to racks to cool.  If desired, decorate with Royal Icing.

Makes 2 ½ to 3 ½ dozen cookies.

Tags: baking recipes, cookie recipes, dessert recipes