Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Food

Cookies, Sunshine and Duck Butts?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

There is a lot to be said for serendipity, sunshine and the simple pleasures. Moseyed over to the opening day of my local Farmer’s Market to check out the wares and goodies. Came upon a booth with ginormous cookies.

Wait a minute. Those cookies looked familiar. I never forget a cookie! They were the size of pancakes with every kind from Cowboy Cookies to spicy chocolate cookies. Looked around and saw jars of jams and preserves, then some fresh fruit.

The Cookie Bar sign from Packer Orchards and Bakery in Hood River, Oregon. Or as I like to call it, Cookie Heaven!
The Cookie Bar sign from Packer Orchards and Bakery in Hood River, Oregon. Or as I like to call it, Cookie Heaven!

Yes! It was the Packer Orchards and Bakery from Hood River where I stopped on my way to the Alpaca yarn shop. Chatted up the booth cash register lady and she confirmed it was their first year having a booth at my market. It’s a miracle! Since the orchards and their store with the COOKIE BAR is a good 75 miles from my house, they moved the cookies closer to me!

Seriously, I’m going to have to take up running in addition to walking with this many treats so close. Procured a peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie and a marionberry pie sweetened with pear juice. Those gems were nestled right next to the cinnamon rolls with marionberry topping! I felt my jeans tighten just looking at them.

So I did a circuit of the rest of the market and found fresh asparagus, hanging baskets, jewelry, Hawaiian BBQ, all kinds of fun stuff. Then I parked myself in the line to get a chicken Greek gyro. Sun was out, great Spring day and cookies. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Yesterday at the day job the gorgeous weather continued and our resident pair of ducks were having a great time during lunch playing in the water feature in the man-made waterfall. I enjoyed my lunch in the sun and watched the ducks go hunting for morsels in the water, their cute butts going straight up into the sun.

You know it’s the perfect time of year when the farmer’s markets start to open, the ducks are playing in the water showing their butts and I can get humongo cookies every Saturday. Welcome Spring!

Got a favorite farmer’s market? Or cookie bar? Or cute duck butt sighting?

Got Chocolate Leftovers?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

The only thing I like more than leftover chocolate Easter cupcakes is Easter candy on sale! Since we always have candy snack packs for the “big kids” every Easter, I had to stock up ahead of time on treats. The bags were on sale two-for-one before the holiday, so I experimented and found some Hershey’s chocolate covered almonds.

Chocolate covered almonds and chocolate cupcakes; double-decker dessert! Yes, but of course I have pink china.
Chocolate covered almonds and chocolate cupcakes; double-decker dessert! But of course I have pink china.

Weekend before last when I was under the weather, it seemed the perfect time to taste test the new morsels. They were fabulous. Included some in the snack sacks and then shared them on the top shelf of the cupcake dessert display.

Added some of the Dove dark chocolate half eggs in the bunny bowl on the table and all the treats seemed to disappear throughout the meal.

Decided to check out the leftover Easter candy after work last night and the locusts had already hit the store; no Hershey’s chocolate covered almonds in sight. Sigh.

However, I did find some sugar-free dark chocolate covered almonds in the bulk candy section. It’s a miracle! They also have milk chocolate covered almonds too, so I must insist on testing those out.

I always travel with snacks so I must see if these new items are worthy to be added to the peanut M&M’s I always carry when I take a trip. One thing the military taught me, always pack snacks. It’s logistics!

Now all I need to do is put a reminder in my calendar to stock up on the Hershey’s chocolate covered almonds next Easter. Maybe a case. Buying in bulk is always a good idea when it comes to snacks. Got candy?

Do You Need A Stash Of Tea?

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by Kimberly A. Cook            (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

Friday I went on a tea adventure to one of my favorite shopping spots, the Stash Tea Store in Tigard, Oregon. Since I buy English Breakfast decaf tea by the ton, this fabulous shop located inside their warehouse always has new treasures for me to find.

Back by the miniature tea sets for sale, you can peek a look in the warehouse. Tea heaven!
Back by the miniature tea sets for sale, you can peek a look in the warehouse. Tea heaven!

Tea drinking came to me after the Army, when I was on a three-month camping trip in Europe. My boyfriend would bring me black tea with sugar and cream and a piece of toast with jam for breakfast. It seemed quite decadent since I was usually still in my sleeping bag.

That hooked me on the power of tea. Then having high tea at Harrod’s when we got back to London took it to a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I never acquired a taste for coffee, even in the Army. I was a hot chocolate girl in those days. Coffee smells great but doesn’t deliver as far as taste for me.  When I transferred into headquarters supply with the 4th S&T Battalion at Fort Carson, Colorado, my new Staff Sergeant told me I needed to make the coffee.

Need a tea pot? Or mug? Or tea bag holder? You might be able to find one here.
Need a tea pot? Or mug? Or tea bag holder? You might be able to find one here.

In 1976 we were sneaky about asserting our women’s rights, so instead of telling him I didn’t drink coffee and didn’t think I should have to make it, I made it. Using three times the coffee grounds required. I think it beat Navy coffee since you could barely get a spoon into the cup.

 

“What did you do to the coffee?” he bellowed.

“Did I make it wrong? ” I asked. “I don’t drink coffee, so I wasn’t sure.”

“You’re never making coffee again,” he yelled at me.

“Okay,” I replied. Mission accomplished. I did get a hot water pot for us hot chocolate, soup and tea fans, but I hadn’t ventured into the full romantic realm of tea.

I love everything about having tea; the tea pots, linens, golden spoons, China cups and saucers, scones, clotted cream, jam, steeping and most of all, time to relax with friends and family and chat. Such a civilized snack time. Or curling up with a good book and a hot cup of tea? Priceless.

Knew you wanted to see the miniature Peter Rabbit tea set close up. It's bunny time!
Knew you wanted to see the miniature Peter Rabbit tea set up close. It’s bunny time!

And it’s good for us too, antioxidants! So for anyone who hasn’t been to the Stash Tea Store, you can shop online and enjoy yourself.

P.S. I had to buy the Manatea tea infuser by Fred. Fill the manatee’s body with loose tea and his (or her) flippers hold onto your mug. Too cute!

Happy shopping!

www.stashtea.com

www.fredandfriends.com

 

 

 

 

In The Mood For Chicken And Dumplings?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                     (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

We are in the full court press run up to the holidays and things are getting wacky. From crazed drivers to potluck parties and trying to get two minutes to think, taking a break is a great idea. A comfort food timeout is even better.

Dumplings cooking away on the stove, right before the lid went on. Can you smell the magic?
Dumplings cooking away on the stove, right before the lid went on. Can you smell the magic?

I’ve been trying to make chicken and dumplings for two months and I finally accomplished it Sunday.

My co-worker gave me her quick and easy recipe which included using meat from four leftover baked chicken thighs, 6 cups low sodium chicken broth, 1 bag frozen peas and 1 bag frozen corn, 1 drained jar sliced mushrooms, 3 stalks cut up celery, 1 bag cut up baby carrots, minced garlic, 1 small white onion and 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil to sauté the onions and then veggies.

The fun part was making the dumplings. All it required was 2/3 cup of Heart Smart Bisquick mix and 3 tablespoons of milk. Mix together and drop on top of the simmering soup, leave for 10 minutes uncovered and then put the lid on for another 10 minutes and dumplings! Too easy.

When I got home from the day job on Monday night, heating up the chicken and dumpling leftovers in the microwave was super easy and left me to watch Monday Night Football. Sometimes we just need to slow down and smell the dumplings.

You could even put these dumplings on top of canned soup. The possibilities are endless. Try the Crock Pot too. The next best thing to Bisquick strawberry shortcakes is dumplings. So take some time in this busy holiday season to treat yourself. Dumplings for all!

Coping? With The Holidaze?

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by Kimberly A. Cook         (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

On Saturday, November 1st, I dashed into our local Freddie’s store to pick up some items I forgot the day before. Stopped short in my loafers – Christmas had exploded in the store. Looked around and did a mental double-take. I was eating Halloween candy YESTERDAY, right? The orange and black decorations were all gone and it was full press holiday overload. Like the elves and a thousand minions re-did the entire store overnight. Must have been some good spiked eggnog.

For the wild children out there, try this no fail scratch pie crust recipe. It's a friend's high school home economics recipe. Pretty sure that makes it vintage!
For the wild children out there, try this no fail scratch pie crust. It’s a friend’s high school home economics recipe. Pretty sure that makes it vintage! (Click on the photo to enlarge)

In the military when something expanded or moved up we called that mission creep. Now we’ve got Christmas creep or Kwanza Creep or Holiday hustle. Pick your personal celebration. It’s enough to make my frazzled brain ask for a holiday time out. Seems buying bathing suits in January isn’t bad enough, now we lose out on the discount Halloween candy! Is there no justice?

Each year I surrender earlier to the holidays. Really reduces my stress level. Lower your expectations, it’s a great thing. We’ve even decided to have pizza for Christmas and friends are cooking for us on turkey day. A first. Fabulous!

I used to slave over making the pie crusts from scratch for turkey day until my brother-in-law’s mother confessed she used Pillsbury pre-made pie crusts. The family was stunned and shocked. I had no idea her amazing pies were not scratch crusts, so I decided to do the same thing. (I think mixing up the Libby’s pumpkin pie recipe and pouring it in the pie pans counts as cooking, don’t you? I add evaporated milk, eggs AND spices. )

In this season of “everybody looks happy on tv” (it’s fantasy) and “everybody has tons of fun festivities to attend” (who has time for all those parties? Fake tv people!) it can become a bit overpowering if we’re not in the same mind-set or personal situation.

So besides lowering my expectations and surrendering to the holidays, here are a few things we can all do to make the holidays easier to cope with, besides chugging hot buttered rum.

Do one fun thing for yourself each day. Take time to blink. Or breathe. Give yourself a foot rub with lotion or Crisco – whatever works for ya. Watch a favorite movie. Smell a holiday tree. Sniff cloves or cinnamon – sniff not snort, safety first here. Cuddle with a pet or person – either/or need to give their permission first. Wear those comfy raggedy lounge clothes at home while watching football. (Just because my 300-year-old sweatshirt has blue paint on it does not mean it’s worn out.)

Do one nice thing for someone else each day. Smile at people; a nice smile not a vampire on steroids scary smile. Comb your cat or dog or parakeet, if they’re okay with it. Open a door for a fellow human. Give someone a compliment. Donate some canned food to the food bank if you’re able. Take your friend, pet, spouse or kidlet for a nice long winter walk. Send someone a snail mail card for the fun of it.

One of the driver training videos by our Sheriff’s Department talks about how you will drive where your eyes look; so if you focus on the holiday crazies that’s where your brain is going to go too. Try evasive maneuvers if you start to get the holiday blues. For me this is a time to cuddle up at home, write, read and bake in the warm comfort of my toasty house and comfy LaZBoy. Especially since our Oregon weather temperatures are rising again; I am SO SORRY for the rest of the country on Arctic Cold Outbreakageddon- the sequel.

Feel free to bake cookies or cupcakes or pie crusts. Go online and listen to my current fave radio station www.island985.com on iheartradio for some Hawaiian reggae music. Or eat baked goods – just not ALL of them. The holiday season is still young – pace yourselves!

Got any holiday coping tips?

Did You Eat “Military” Candy On Halloween?

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by Kimberly A. Cook              (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Some folks are amazed how easy it is for me to find military connections for my writing and blog posts. The history of the United States revolves around our men and women patrolling and fighting around the globe and in space to protect our freedom. One of my favorite research topics has always been the role that candy plays in the military.

Part of my patriotic candy stash!
Part of my patriotic candy stash!

If you ate M&Ms, Hershey chocolate bars, Tootsie Rolls or Necco wafers this last Friday, you ate candy either developed for and or supplied to our troops in their rations. American troops in Iraq prized the Peanut M&Ms since they didn’t melt in the heat. The Marines at The Chosin Reservoir in Korea were air dropped Tootsie Rolls and it saved their lives. World War II soldiers were given Hershey chocolate bars, Tootsie Rolls, Mars Candy bars and Necco wafers in their rations.

Aside from being treats and sugar for energy, candy was also a way to connect with locals. My Dad told a story about being in occupied Japan on patrol in the neighborhoods. Since he was among the first troops in after Japan’s surrender, locals were afraid of what the American GIs might do to the Japanese.

He said they came down a street and kids were outside playing. The children stopped in fright when they saw the soldiers. Dad called one kid over and gave him some of his Necco wafers. Dad ate one himself and then showed the child through pantomime to share with the other kids. The young one did as he was shown and the kids all scattered inside their homes. Later on, the children would come out to get the treats when troops came by, beginning détente after a brutal war.

Who knew the power of candy for improving world relations? One never knows how one single gesture can affect so many lives. To the Hershey company who produced more than a billion ration candy bars during World War II and Necco wafers and Tootsie Rolls who did the same, I feel it’s my patriotic duty to support these companies year-round.

The astronauts even chose M&Ms as the first candy to go into space.  If there is one thing we all have to do on this planet, it’s eat, so it might as well be patriotic candy. Especially on Election Day. Got any military candy stories?