Post #17 – Women’s Memoirs, ScrapMoir – Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnett
By Rhonda Esakov
Back in the late 1980’s, I was at the top of the world and top of my game. I was a happily married world traveler, had a beautiful home and a successful tax business, was an internationally rated sports judge; we were active in many challenging outdoor activities and full of life and friends. We enjoyed ski competitions, sky diving, hunting, canoeing and more. To launch a small book I had self-published, I planned a large launch party for some of our friends and my tax clients, many of whom were cross-overs amongst our various interests.
For my book launch party near Christmastime, I invited about 25-30 of our good friends to share an evening with us. I had catered small parties so this one would be a snap, sure to have my delectable chicken balls, fresh aromatic herbal teas, homemade breads, prize-winning fudge and best of all – the Christmas cookies. I decided on a new recipe this year to add to the collections of past years of cookie baking fame. This year I was going to make Gingerbread Characters. What made these ginger folks special was not the ingredients (although they are really good!) – but the character of the designs.
I found special cookie cutters in the shapes of airplanes, balloons and canoes to add to the standard boy, girl and bear cutouts. There were dozens of other forms as well, but basically I used the three new ones and a few others for variety. Each cookie was carefully decorated – I had parachute people with the parachutes decorated in many of my friends’ eye-dazzling patterns. I had airplanes with our friend’s airplane tail numbers on them in matching colors. 
Balloons rivaled the patterns seen in the sky at the Albuquerque balloon fest. The ‘books’ would have the title of my new book on them. The house smelled delicious with hints of cinnamon and ginger in the air, and funny Christmas songs rang through the house with a promise of coming laughter and smiles.
At the book launch party, everyone was delighted with their designer cookies. Some even took them home and told me later they had varnished them to keep as a long- lasting ornament. Each cookie was designed with loved-ones in mind.
The little squares I turned out as a copy of my book, with its demur sky blue cover, azure bound edges and tiny white sugar print. Mostly people ate the books and took their special designer ones home. (At least I can say they devoured my book!) Each year, the party grew to a regular holiday blast as I made special cookies for a few close friends. The rest were just cute. Every year, folks would ask, “Are you going to have those flying cookies again?” So much for the book launch, although it sold well – they just wanted the cute cookies!
With Thanksgiving barely over in 1992, I was once again happily puttering in my kitchen in preparation for the year’s annual gala. The invitations had gone out, supplies stocked and the house cleaned within an inch of its life. I was ready to begin baking and could almost feel the cinnamon smells tickling my memories! When the phone rings, I’m full of good cheer and happy to share that with whomever the caller may be. I was hoping it would be my husband calling to tell me he had made it in safely on his return trip to Texas from our condo in Florida.
“Hello?” I say cheerily. A pause greets me…..then my husband comes on the line.
“Rhonda, it’s me. I don’t want to talk about this, but I’m calling to tell you I’m getting a divorce.”
The cold temperature of the phone and the frosty way the message was delivered chilled my heart while tears scorched burning trails down my cheeks. “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”
“It’s not you; it’s me. I don’t want to talk about it. Just sign the damned papers when they come in the mail.”
“But….” The phone was dead. What had just happened to my wonderful life? Further conversations proved fruitless and a painful Christmas season followed. There was no holiday party. Most of all, there were no baking smells, no tasty, eye-catching cookies, and no laughter ringing in my home. From that one chilling call, my life went down hill and I lost it all – my husband, my home, my business, my dog, our friends, my money. At one point, he threatened my life, and I almost lost that too.
Rhonda (in her favorite gingerbread shirt) and her son prepare for a joyous Christmas, 2009.
I haven’t made my wonderful Gingerbread Characters since, but this year, I’m ready to bake and decorate the best cookies I ever made and try to remember there were good times and warm memories in those years that I don’t write or talk about anymore.
What makes these cookies special more than anything is to find a cookie cutter that expresses who you are. Make the gingerbread people mimic the people you love and admire. They take a lot of work and a lot of time, but are so worth the effort and the memories you will gain.
Rhonda’s Gingerbread Characters
Ingredients:
½ cup shortening (not oil)
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 Tablespoons vinegar
5 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon each cinnamon & ground cloves
Cream shortening, butter and sugars. Beat in egg, molasses and vinegar. Sift together in separate bowl the dry ingredients. Blend with the butter/sugar mixture slowly until well mixed. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. (Half can be frozen for later use)
When you are ready to tackle the cooking part, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough to 1/8 inch on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes and place at least 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. (If you place the boys and girls too close together, they tend to reach out and hold hands while baking, and the airplanes like to crash into the balloons). Bake for 5-6 minutes. These are very soft cookies, but easy to handle when cool. If you like a crisper cookie, add a couple minutes baking time. Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet onto parchment paper or whatever surface you have prepared. Don’t decorate until completely cooled.
For decorations – go wild. Start with plain white frosting; then add drops of coloring for variety. Have several bowls handy with assorted M&M’s, crushed candy cane, dried fruit, Candy Corn, Red-hots and more. 
For fine detail, I use some old syringes that you would use to give liquid medicine. Practice first if you are not used to fine details. Sometimes I just cover the whole cookie in white and stick things on it to make a pattern.
Enjoy. Here’s to happy holiday memories.
Check out Rhonda’s book reviews at: www.storycirclebookreviews.org
See Rhonda’s blog at: www.resakov.wordpress.com
