A Sweet Memory

My Bubbie Raye died this week.

She was my mother's mother. (My father's mother, bless her, is doing well at 95.)
Bubbie was 93 years old, and had 11 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

A few weeks ago, my mom was visiting her and brought to me all of her recipes. Some were not much to write home about, but I found what I wanted.

Bubbie Raye did not live in town, so she would come to visit and we would visit her. For all of her traveling years, those visits began with mohn (poppyseed) cookies. She would pull them out of her suitcase at our house or we would find the container in hers. Not-too-sweet, very simple and plain, full of those little black seeds. It never occurred to me that I could make them myself, they were hers.

So when I heard the news that she had died, I went to the store and got some poppyseeds.

And I made cookies...

Her recipe for Poppyseed Cookies (in case you can't read her handwriting)

Beat:

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 (cup) crisco

1/4 cup oil

Combine and add to egg mixture

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

Then add 1/4 cup poppyseeds

Refrigerate overnight - roll out and cut into shape with a glass.

Bake at 350.

Now, she didn't say how long - I'm sure she made them so often that was second nature. But I'll tell you, 8 minutes is just perfect. Oh, and I put them on parchment paper, but I'm sure she didn't do that either. 

I have many memories of her, but biting into those cookies?

Very sweet.

Me and my Bubbie, in 2008

May her memory be for a blessing - zichrona livracha.