Fortune cookies incite a certain amount of superstition. A
friend of mine keeps every fortune she’s ever received. They’re
stacked in her desk drawer, chronologically, but the stack of tiny
papers constantly topples over so the order may be a bit off.
Fortune cookies incite a certain amount of superstition. A friend of mine keeps every fortune she’s ever received. They’re stacked in her desk drawer, chronologically, but the stack of tiny papers constantly topples over so the order may be a bit off. I know many, many people who keep their favorite fortune in their wallet, perhaps as a reminder during the daily grind of the good things to come.
I’m superstitious enough to know that it’s important to treat fortune cookies in a certain way. For instance, I always try to choose one that’s on the left or farther away from me on the tray or table. I believe you have to actually eat the cookie that contains your fortune or it doesn’t apply to you. But I have also been known to open a second cookie if I’m not happy with the first fortune; my logic is that if I eat the second cookie, then the better fortune will be mine.
I’ve never seen a truly bad fortune in a cookie. Some are benign or boring but most are encouraging in a convoluted way. Each recipient reads into his or her fortune what they most want. If the fortune says, “Everything now will come your way,” it could mean a new car, a clearer mind or a true love. If it says, “You are a very positive and energetic person,” it could mean it’s time to go meet some new people or a reminder of the person you are on your better days. What we wish for can take so many forms, and the right fortune cookie is an encouragement on the way to our goals.
Homeless people in our community could use some encouragement and warmth, too. Many of you e-mailed me after our Pledge-a-Pie event to ask, “What can I do for the homeless this year?” Well here’s one possibility: Give them fortune cookies.
I don’t mean the kind with paper messages hidden inside. I mean the ones with invisible, subtle meanings, like “You are worthy” or “I care about you” or “I wish you the love of Christmas and a truly better new year.” There are many messages contained in a homemade peanut butter cookie, made by hand and given with generosity to someone who, for whatever reason, doesn’t have a home to bake in. And if we are one of those who can afford this year to give our time and effort and flour and sugar to others, then we truly are fortunate.
The fortune cookies will be given out on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, when the homeless leave the shelter at 7 a.m. Like fortune cookies at your favorite Chinese restaurant, they are a token of thanks, of caring and, in their own way, a message of hope and encouragement.
If you would like to donate some cookies, please bake a dozen or more of whatever variety you choose and cool them thoroughly. If it’s not too much trouble, you can bag them, three to a bag. (If you don’t have time, volunteers will bag them for you.) Deliver them to one of the following places: Anytime on Monday, Dec. 22, to 775 West Ninth St. in Gilroy. Or from 10 a.m .to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 23, to 7761 Rosanna St. in Gilroy. Isabel Cadei, Maria Skoczylas and their helpers will bag the cookies and distribute them to the homeless shelter on Christmas and New Year’s Day.
You do not need to e-mail me. Just deliver the cookies and, please, sign the donation sheet. Last year’s drive netted almost 100 dozen cookies and several hundred homeless people at the shelter were sent out with small bags of homemade hope and good wishes for the future, thanks to you.
• A use for persimmons: I see a lot of readers are harvesting persimmons by the bucket. Here’s a wonderful use from them, two old family recipes from my friend Dina Campeau.
Persimmon Drop Cookies
1 cup mashed persimmon pulp
1 teaspoon baking soda in pulp
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup melted oil, butter or shortening
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon each of the following: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
Cream shortening and sugar. Beat egg, add to persimmon pulp. Sift dry ingredients together and add to the creamed mixture. Stir in persimmon pulp. Add nuts when blended. Drop from slightly heaping teaspoon about 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake 350 degrees 10-12 minutes. Let cool a little before removing from sheet.
Persimmon Pudding
2 cups persimmon pulp
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar granulated
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup seedless raisins
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup walnuts
2 teaspoon lemon juice
Mix together as listed. Put in greased pan. Set pan in another pan of water and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Top with cream cheese frosting (the recipe is on the cream cheese package).
• Blue guacamole: Danny Sherman, a reader from Morgan Hill, wrote to ask me if I could find a guacamole recipe that contained blue cheese. Danny had it at an office party, but couldn’t find the person who made it. This version is from “The Farmhouse Cookbook,” which has turned out so many great recipes. Bill Krome is an avocado farmer par excellence.
Bill Krome’s Guacamole
1/2 oz. blue cheese, at room temperature (about 2 T.)
2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 cups diced avocado
1/2 small onion, diced
Salt
1/4 tsp. Tabasco, or to taste
Put the blue cheese and lime juice into a bowl and whisk until they are combined. Add the avocado and crush it, using a fork or a potato masher, until the mixture forms a chunky puree. Add the onion, then season to taste with salt and Tabasco. Stir well and serve immediately, as it won’t keep. Makes about 2 cups.
• For unexpected guests: Here’s a frittata that’s a cinch to make. When an unexpected guest drops by, or you invite someone over on the spur of the moment, this is the dish to make. It’s from a great inn, Zaballa House in Half Moon Bay.
Green Chile Frittata
Beat 10 eggs until frothy.
Add:
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pint small curd cottage cheese
Stir in:
1 lb. shredded Jack cheese
1/2 cup melted butter
8 oz. green chiles
Grease two 9-inch pie pans. Divide egg mixture evenly between pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
Notes from Jenny’s Kitchen
• Quick dessert: Pair a good cheese with fruit and a glass of wine or aperitif for the perfect dessert. Try creamy blue cheese with nectarines or peaches. Pair Roquefort with pears, apples or grapes. Or try a feta with strawberries. Yum!
• Napa Valley Mustard Festival: This food festival runs Feb. 1-29, 2004, at different venues throughout the Napa wine country. Activities range from special dinners and concerts to art shows and the “blessing of the balloons.” To find out more, or to find lodgings, go to www.mustardfestival.org.
Tip of the Week:
Looking for a quicker roast? Choose one with the bone in. The bone acts as a heat conductor to the roast’s center.
• End notes: “We must express gratitude for every day of life, every crumb of success and each encounter of love.”
~ Isaac Basheris Singer
