Celtic Cookies and Choosing our Culture
A few years ago my husband was on a business trip to Seattle and between meetings he managed to chase down these Celtic cookie stamps. I have a thing for cookie cutters. I have cookie cutters for almost every holiday and have spent a lot of time making sugar cookies with my kids. We have loved making and gifting them. The lesson I have learned over the years is to start small, I usually halve my recipe, and we make a smaller amount and enjoy them. I’ve been asked why bother making such a mess, and why not make it a full morning activity if you are going to bake, but a half recipe suits their enthusiasm and my patience. We finish on a happy note with good memories.
Half of my heritage is Celtic and this was always a source of pride in our family. Strangely no one ever acknowledged the stubbornness or cantankerousness that may also have been inherited – no, that is called tenacity and simply knowing the correct way of doing everything! I think my children are lucky to live in a multi-cultural Canada, where they can have home-cooked Korean food and I can learn to cook Thai dishes. Food can often bring us together even when our politics or religion differ, it can be a bridge to understanding, or at least goodwill.
I think most people who have a mixed heritage identify more strongly with one side of their family, it is a balancing act to embrace both. Regardless of our feelings though, we are able to acknowledge that we do encompass both heritages. How strange that when we become parents we find our parenting philosophy and can be so judgemental of other’s choices. The human instinct is to define ourselves in relation to others, and always our choices are the right ones. This can be a philosophy of doing everything different than our parents or embracing an author or parenting style. On this St. Patrick’s Day, one year into the pandemic I hope you can focus on connecting with family and creating happy memories and leave all the rest in the compost bin.
Here is our family recipe for sugar cookies, cut in half for a fun time!
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
Bake at 375 degrees until browned around edges, approximately 7-10 minutes.