OMA'S JAM JAMS

A COOKIE AND A KISS

A cookie and a kiss

A house should have a cookie jar

for when its half past three

and the children hurry home from school

as hungry as can be,

There is nothing quite as splendid

in filling children up

as spicy little ginger cakes

and sweet milk in a cup.

A house should have a mother,

or Oma waiting with a hug

no matter what a child brings home

a puppy or a bug,

for children loiter when the bells ring to dismiss,

if no-one's home to greet then with a cookie and a kiss

(taken from a farming community cookbook).

This is one of my mother's many specialties. You see I didn't grow up with Chocolate Chip Cookies. I only thought Mr. Christie baked those...grin....and came from a bag. I grew up with German/Mennonite type of baking. I am first generation Canadian so I grew up with lots of European traditions. In grade 2, we had a spring tea at school. We were supposed to ask our mothers to bring "DAINTIES" to serve. So I brought home the sheet and my mom said, "what are DAINTIES, I don't know how to bake DAINTIES". I was a terribly shy kid and didn't know how to tell my teacher that my mom couldn't bake DAINTIES. I just bawled when the teacher asked me...........sniffling, shaking, blowing, I responded "my mama doesn't know how to make dainties".......sniffle, sniffle. The teacher very gently rubbed my shoulders, said that it was OK if my mom didn't bake. I told her she baked lots, like cookies, platz, torte...etc. etc. She replied, "honey those are DAINTIES". Oh I was soooo relieved I ran home with new vigor and told my mom what DAINTIES were......now you know the rest of the story. I hope that you will sample lots of her baking through these recipes.

This is a large recipe that can be easily halved.

2 cups butter or hard margarine

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup syrup

4 eggs

1 tsp. salt

4 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. vanilla

8-9 cups flour

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, beat well. Add vanilla and syrup. Measure flour with soda and salt. Add flour in several portions, mixing well after each addition. Chill dough several hours or overnight. Roll dough one small piece at a time on floured surface. Cut, place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Let cool and put together with "DAMPSUM PLUM JAM", while still warm.

KROEKEL JAM OR DAMPSUM PLUM JAM {Damson is the correct spelling it is just with a German accent.........smile}

This is according to my mother, no real recipe.

take your case of plums, wash them and put in big roaster. Bake at 350 with the pits because the pits bring out better flavor. then when they are soft, and split open and cooked good enough, (what ever that means mom) take out the pits.........soooo, now you measure two parts fruit and one part sugar and put in large pot. cook til thick enough (again who knows how long), you'll know. skim off the schaum (foam or scum but schaum sounds better) as it cooks. save that for fresh buns, waste not want not. when it is done put in hot sterilized jars and cover with melted paraffin wax.

so there you have the recipe exactly how you need it to work.....smile. ahhh handed down family recipes a pinch of this and a smidge of that. you gotta love it.

thanks mama..liebe dich.