I spent some good time this week baking with Molly, Mary Michael, Sally, Mom, and Arlene Hauser. Mom and Arlene are in heaven but their recipes were in my kitchen. At this time of year, I’m one to get all sentimental and think about......cookies. No lie; most of my past can be summed up in the cookies I bake.
***************
It was the fall of 1963. We city kids from State Center that lived north of Highway 30 got bused to Clemons Junior High 8 miles from home in the northern part of the West Marshall district. Sounds bad? Bussing? OH HECK NO! Clemons Junior High was where I decided I wanted to teach middle school. You’ve heard the phrase, “Is this heaven? No, it’s Iowa.” Most of us felt the same way about the bus ride, the people that we met, and the activities we participated in.... and school was okay, too. That’s where I met some of the greatest people in my life....but I digress. I wanted to tell you about Snickerdoodle Cookies.
One Clemons lass that immediately captured all of our State Center hearts was Marlys Hauser. She was so much fun and just twinkled at the thought of .... anything. Her laugh was contagious. She was smart as a whip and saw life through the eyes of a dreamer....her imagination and her creativity were marvelous. She had bonfires at her house and....parties! I stayed overnight at her house as much as I could-- she had her own bedroom under the eaves and it was heaven.
Marlys Hauser's mom, Arlene, was one hell of a cook. I mean, the lady was magic. Oh, she taught me so much about baking, food preparation, and combining tastes. Not only did I get to have fun with Marlys, her mom taught me how to make pizza! IN HER OWN OVEN! (FYI....her daddy could be an entire blog by himself....he was one of the nicest people in the world.)
**************
But, the magic that Arlene Hauser’s cooking created that I loved best were her Snickerdoodle Cookies. Melt in your mouth, warm, cinnamonny bites of plain deliciousness--they are a favorite of mine still.
***************
Wednesday night the family played Christmas bingo and Mary Michael tallied which cookie we liked best.... the Snickerdoodles won! I might have been sitting in a farmhouse kitchen in Central Georgia, but my heart was back in a farmhouse kitchen outside of Clemons, Iowa 53 years ago remembering a sweet piece of my life. Marlys, thank you for sharing your family with all of us. Merry Christmas from Georgia!
