Hinds County News
 for November 2015

Written October,20 2015

You all, I was making cookies yesterday, The Friends of the Holdrege Library are having a book and bake sale this week.

 I saw on Facebook they were asking for bake goods to sell. ” I can do that” I said to myself and I am thrilled to be able to contribute to an institution that has over the years, meant so much to this community.

Kitchen before cookie making commenced 

After.....

   I am not a “Friend” of the library, I am however a frequent patron and a huge fan of the library.  I do not know exactly what it would require for me to become a “Friend” but, it has been my experience when you join a group, they expect you to show up for meetings, I found out long ago I do not attend meetings well.  And it is not that have anything better or more important to do, because, Lord knows I don’t.  But, often the only decision made at the meetings I was involved in, seemed to be, when to hold the next meeting....It could be exhausting
 But I can bake cookies ‘til the cows come home!

cookies ready to go!

All of that, is not what I started out to tell you.

This is what I wanted to say, while I was in the kitchen baking the cookies for the library sale, I went to pondering on all of the cooks that came before me, like who invented Mayonnaise? If you have never made mayo, it is not hard, but it is a process and it must be followed precisely.

Not only did I wonder Who, but why? Did someone  begin to  beat eggs,  add oil  and  it turn in to mayonnaise!?  They had to be very smart, maybe a scientist?

 Now days, if a chef comes up with an idea.. such as... the of combining chipotle peppers, basil, or cilantro with Mayo he calls himself inventing a new recipe and he considered cutting edge by "foodies"…But he did not invent Mayonnaise....The hard part was done long before he was born.....Long Long Long before he was born.

 What about making candy, who first came up with the idea of combining cream, sugar and butter, cooking it to a particular temperature, and voilà a confection to die for! caramels!  What about meringue?     Sheer genius if you ask me.

And Oh My Word!!! What about Puff pastry or croissants! The lamination of butter and pastry dough! Giving the world those delightful treats to enjoy! Puff pastry and croissants and are not hard to make but, they are extremely time consuming and again must be precisely prepared…. they cannot be hurried! I make both, but never could I have invented ether. 

I said all of that to say this…. I am in awe of the brains that came up with the likes of mayonnaise, Ice cream, pavlova, cookies, apple pie, popcorn balls, potato baloney, cake, popovers, hot dogs, wine, pasta, jelly etc.

 We were taught in school about the invention of the cotton gin, Eli Whitney, radio Gugliemo Marconi, etc.   Now we have all the Tech inventors out there in Silicon Valley, making millions of dollars.

But after a morning in the kitchen in very deep thought, I have come to believe the first cook to boil a potato, mash it, stirred in butter and cream has brought more joy to humanity then the inventor of Twitter. 

Love to all

OH!!!  let’s not forget and the one who rolled out a piece of dough, covered it with tomato sauce and cheese and baked it!  Hats off to you too!!!! Every youth group in America is in your debt!