Counterfeit Goodies: We're rolling in dough

Our generous neighbors and friends have been carrying out the thoughtful holiday tradition of delivering plates, bags, and tins of scrumptious goodies to wish us a Merry Christmas. These have been much appreciated and devoured almost instantaneously. But now I'm feeling just a smidgen of guilt. No, not over fat and calories. That will come later.

A few years ago, a neighbor brought us a cute little bucket with a lid and handle, filled with frozen balls of cookie dough, ready to place on the cookie sheet and throw in the oven. She said, "Everyone gets too many treats all at once during the holidays. This way, when all the goodies are gone and you actually want some again, you can pull this out of the freezer and just pop them in the oven."

Brilliant! I loved it! Not only did I love the cookies and having them when I wanted them, but I loved the ease of it for the giver. She didn't have to bake them, cool them, arrange them on the plate, etc. No. Just hand them over and let the other person do all that. Like I said--brilliant!

This year, we took it to a higher level. Well, really a lower level. We didn't even make the little balls. We just rolled up the cookie dough in wax paper, put it in a freezer bag, and wrapped it in tissue paper. Voila! Here are your goodies. All I did was make and roll the dough. For 24 hours, it felt like I was in a Pillsbury Bake-off, but then it was done. No cookie sheets and cooling racks to clean. No festive plates or containers required. But now that the deed is done, I feel a little bit sheepish. "Hi. We wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas, but we didn't really want to do anything for you, so YOU can do the baking. Have a happy holiday!" Kind of lame. Sort of a cop-out. Somewhat Scrooge-ish. Yet...brilliant!

Should I feel guilty?

Encoding My Love

I am one of those terrible mothers who feed their children white bread on a regular basis. We also have dessert every night, and there's almost always a bowl of candy somewhere within arm's reach. Sugar cereal? You name it: Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Puffs, Apple Jacks, Cookie Crisp, need I go on? Now I know that part of a mother's job is to make sure her children are fed a diet rich in nutrients and overflowing with life-extending whole grains, which is why I must lay the blame for my dietary shortcomings at the feet of my own mother.

When I was a child, we were frequently allowed to select breakfast items such as: cake (yes, with frosting), waffles with ice cream, leftover pie, or cookies. In fact, once, when my mother saw me eating Oreos first thing in the morning, her response was: "Oreos for breakfast?! When there are homemade cookies?" It was a happy childhood.

While I am blaming her, I am also thanking her. I knew she loved me. I knew it because she told me, and because she made sacrifices for me, but I also knew it because, in addition to giving me the nutrition I needed for growth, she gave me a healthy dose of sweet things. So, one day when I am gone, my children will look back on their childhood and think I must have loved them very much if I was willing to put up with all kinds of criticsm from other mothers and still give them sweet things to eat. I have received plenty of condescending looks and remarks on the importance of feeding children a well-balanced diet. So let me just say, if you could watch my children eat their vegetables, you would probably swallow that judgmental comment on the tip of your tongue. Again, you name it: they eat green beans, carrots, asparagus (no, really), salad, zucchini, and more. But they also get their sugar. All things in moderation, right? Even wheat.

I have to stop writing now so I can go monitor how much whipped cream my kids are putting on their chocolate-chip pancakes. I really do love them.