sick day

My daughter called me and said that she needed a tissue.  Her nose was all stuffed up and she had the remnant of a sneeze dripping down her face.

At 2 am.

Thankfully I fell back to sleep, only to hear that familiar call, although slightly more distraught, an hour later.  I returned to her side, wiped her nose, and held her hand until she got comfy again.

3:30 am.  The voice is now thoroughly upset, punctuated with sniffles, cries, and whimpers.  Ok, time for my baby girl to come into bed with me...

If you have never had a sick child in bed with you, it really just means restless sleep for her, and no sleep for you.  But at least when she wakes up crying, all she has to do is reach out to touch your hair, take your hand, and then let out a very satisfied sigh, knowing that she is not alone.  That one moment makes all the sleeplessness worth it.

My favorite thing to do for my babies when they are sick is, first of all, make homemade chicken noodle soup: the epitome of comfort food.  There has been so much research done on the health benefits of chicken soup.  I wonder though.  Are there any comparable studies on the healing properties of cookies?

There should be.



















This (adapted) recipe comes to us from the lady who first inspired my cookie obsession, Mrs. Fields.

Thank you, Mrs. Fields.


Cinnamon Sugar Butter Cookies
Mrs. Fields Cookie Book

topping:
3 tbs white sugar
1 tbs cinnamon

cookies:
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 c white sugar
1 c earth balance butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

yield: 3 dozen

Preheat oven to 300˚F.
In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon for topping.  Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.
In a large bowl, blend sugars with an electric mixer set at medium speed.  Add the butter, and mix to form a grainy paste.  Scrape sides of bowl, then add the eggs and vanilla extract.  Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add the flour mixture and blend at low speed just until combined.  Do not overmix.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar topping.
Place onto ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool, flat surface.