Baking Nanaq's Cookies

Over the years watching Deborah bake cookies with our children and grandchildren has always been a treat… because after they do all the work…I get all the cookies I can eat. Her cookies have been eaten in our house and on the beginning of many a trip and I think I speak for the family when I say our favorite cookie is chocolate chip. They're made with peanut butter, chocolate chips, a cake mix and on a cookie sheet are formed and they melt in your mouth if you're lucky enough to eat them when they're warm. Cooking with Nana is easy…there's no pressure…no strain…no stress In Nana's kitchen you're supposed to have fun…and it's okay to make a mess. The other day I appreciated all the baking lessons Nana ever taught her when I had occasion to bake chocolate chip cookies with Ava…our granddaughter. Somewhere in the baking process…while watching Ava working with the dough I began to understand why Nana loves it so. When I saw our smiles mirrored in the oven window while her chocolate chip cookies were baking I realized the cookies weren't as important as the memory we were making. The cookies, although essential to the process, are actually secondary The time we spent together is the memory we'll carry. When Ava said, "These taste just like Nana's." It was music to my ears… and if I was a sentimental fellow I might have shed some tears… Thinking how Ava learned Nana's lessons well She made sure we had fun she was messy…not very neat… and most importantly… she did all the work and I got all the cookies I could to eat. Yes…I would have shed a few tears thinking how this memory turned out great… If I wasn't so busy eating cookies…I stopped counting…after eight.