Monday Menu: Snickerdoodles and Macaroni Salad

A plate of snickerdoodles on a counter

One of my neighbors left us this past week. I only knew him in passing, meaning every day when I walked the dogs, if he was out on his porch, he would say hi and inquire about how we all were doing. When Bixby died, he was sad with us; when Trixie was a rambunctious puppy flopping around on her leash, he laughed with us. I will miss all of that.

I wanted to do something for his family, and as we do during these times, we bring food and flowers. So I bought some pansies for his front garden and made Snickerdoodles for his grandkids.

I like them for gifts because they don’t have nuts or chocolate in them, so I feel like I don’t have to worry about allergies when I drop them off.

Snickerdoodles

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

***

  • 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon, for rolling
  • 2 tbsp sugar, for rolling

Spring Surprises

Forsythia in full bloom

Seven years. Seven years is how long it took me to get this forsythia to look like this. When I first bought the house, I didn’t even realize it was a forsythia. It was severely overgrown and the first spring had very few if any blooms on it.

And yesterday, a complete surprise as the day warmed. 

Work Wednesday: Really, It’s Research

Pussy willow buds against a wood fence
The pussy willows popped this week, and the lilacs are not far behind

I get to have some interesting conversations. This week’s:

me: can you dumb down money laundering for me?

legal eagle: ummm, sure. I know you’re tired of your day job, but do you think going straight to money laundering is really the best option?

me:

him:

him: okay, I’ll write something up for you