February 27, 2007
Since I started blogging almost a year ago, a whole new world of people has opened up to me. The sense of community is something I truly enjoy. I learn about things that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Part of a recent blog post was inspired by a fellow blogger, who wrote a post about Russian New Year’s Eve traditions.
One Russian tradition is to watch a movie called "Irony of Fate." It’s a holiday classic, which she likened to "It’s A Wonderful Life." I was intrigued, so I added the DVD to my online movie queue and had it within days. The movie is pretty long, over three hours and has two parts, so I watched it over two nights. While I was watching it, I thought that it was a shame that I didn’t get to see it on New Year’s Eve, but I still enjoyed it. "Irony of Fate" is a great feel-good holiday film and I can see why it’s a classic.
I added a short commentary about the movie to a blog post and had an interesting comment from another blogger. She mentioned that it was Chinese New Year and was now the Year of the Pig. I looked at the date that I watched the movie, February 17th, which was actually the day before Chinese New Year. What are the odds of that? I ended up watching it on New Year’s Eve after all. I’ll take my New Year where I can get it!
Chinese New Year inspired my recipe for this post. I collect refrigerator magnets and buy them whenever I travel or visit someplace new. I suddenly noticed a magnet with a recipe for Chinese Almond Cookies, which I had never tried. I’ve had this magnet for years and think I bought it at a festival. I have no idea why I never tried this recipe before, but these cookies are great.
I admit that I didn’t have any almond extract, so I used anise instead. I use what I have when I cook, which I learned from my mother, who learned from her mother. Going back a few more generations, one of those daughters learned from a mother who was a slave. It’s an African-American tradition to “make do” with what you have, because at one point, we had very little if anything. This is the tradition that I draw from when I cook. I can adapt just about any recipe. The need to be creative with ingredients in the kitchen created soul food. It’s Black History Month, and I have to salute my mom, grandmothers, and all of my great-grandmothers who created wonderful meals that fed and nourished my family, body and soul, from the past to the present.
Chinese Almond Cookies
(makes about 3 dozen)
3/4 cup butter (softened)
1 egg
1 tsp. almond extract (or anise extract)
2 T water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
About a 1/4 cup of almond slivers (set aside for topping)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in large bowl with a large spoon. Mix well. Scoop dough out by tablespoon and form ball. Place dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Press one almond sliver on the top of each cookie. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.
Comments
Theresa (anonymous) says...
I will make this recipe if only to get a whiff of almond extract. It's my favorite! Thanks, Lisa.
February 27, 2007 at 5:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ljohnson (ljohnson) says...
You're welcome Theresa! Enjoy!
February 27, 2007 at 10:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rvonknorring (rvonknorring) says...
I love almond cookies too!! YUMMY! It's great that you got to see the movie on New Year's Eve after all! I have been collecting fridge magnets for years and also pick one up from whatever new place I am in. I'll have to look through mine to see if there is an awesome recipe lurking on one of them!
February 28, 2007 at 12:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ljohnson (ljohnson) says...
I hope you find a delicious buried treasure!
February 28, 2007 at 2:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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