Heidi was about three when we were in the kitchen, baking. Her blond curls bounced as she climbed onto the chair, next to the counter where she was watching the mixing bowl. She knew it was her job to add ingredients after mummy carefully measured them out. She had learned to add them slowly, so the flour didn’t make us cough. She knew that things went into the oven to bake, and she knew that she had to share the last spoonfuls of sweet, sticky dough with her older brother, Stephen, who was already standing in the kitchen doorway.
Today, I was trying a new recipe, something called “icebox cookies”. After all the ingredients were in the bowl, Heidi and I each took a teaspoon and dropped little piles onto the slippery cookie sheet. I deftly pushed the edges together, then I slipped the tray into the refrigerator. An hour should do it, I thought. Heidi and I washed up the bowls, she dutifully shared the mixing spoon with her brother, and I waited.
Every now and then, I peeked into the fridge to see if the cookies were firming up enough to bake. I was not too happy with the results. Had we added too much milk? Did we plop them too close together? They looked a little runny, and their edges were already touching. Should I wait a little longer?
Before long, Heidi popped into the kitchen to see about the cookies too. I opened the refridgerator door, and squatted down so Heidi and I could both inspect them together.
“I don’t know honey” I mused. “What do you think?”
Matter-of-factly, my three year old shook her head. Then she answered, ” I t’ink you should put dem in dare,” and she threw a glance at the waiting, warm oven.
I laughed, amazed that one so little and so adorable was already so bright, and such a blazing, joyous light in my world. I popped that tray into the oven, and the cookies ended up just perfect.
Time flies, and little Heidi’s grow up. We haven’t baked together for a long time, but I have noticed that she is still a practical, observant person who tells it like it is.
Tags: baking, children, Cooking, Daughters, family, home, Humor, Life, Love, Stories
