Friends and perfect recipes

Over the years, I’ve known some good Hopkins County cooks. Most of them I met via the airwaves during the KSST “Start Your Day with Enola Gay” morning show. Friendships would blossom following a phone call or a drop-in visit to the studio to give me a handwritten recipe.

Listeners o n delivered a plate or dish prepared from a recipe shared in a card or letter, especially during holiday time.

Christmas cards were big in the 1990s and early 2000s! Dozens arrived in the mail bearing recipes, warm wishes, and personal remembrances to be shared with the listening public. _at’s how I met so many good folks across Northeast Texas, whose friendships I cherish and recipes I still use.

Velveeta Fudge is one of those. It’s homemade chocolate fudge that requires no candy thermometer to turn out the perfect candy every time. And yes, it calls for 8 ounces of Velveeta cheese. Once melted, stirred, and poured, the six simple ingredients yield about 2 pounds of the creamiest, most delicious fudge ever. Look it up online. I will always appreciate that listener, whoever she was.

I hope I thanked L.J. Skillman, whose practical help triggered the best cornbread dressing I ever made. Her tip via this column instructed how to add the right amount of broth to make perfectly moist _anksgiving dressing. I will always be appreciative of her.

For me, the perfect peanut butter cookie is one of life’s delights. I don’t remember exactly how this perfect recipe came my way, but I’m forever grateful because it’s simple, quick, and foolproof. Humbly requiring only four common ingredients, the cookies can appear gourmet when you dress them up.

While warm from the oven, press in chocolate chips like a smiley face, or a Hershey’s kiss, or red and green M&Ms for Christmas. Dust the peanut butter cookies while warm with confectioners sugar, or spread cooled cookies with frosting. Shape them dainty or fat and large. Before baking, press coarse sugar onto the tops with a at-bottomed drinking glass for a textured e_ect. Use either creamy or chunky peanut butter.

_ere’s no end to the variations! Plus it’s gluten- free and packed with protein. When you don’t even have time to shape the cookies, just spread the dough in a square pan and make bars.

Commit it to memory and whip up a batch by the time your oven preheats. _is recipe of recipes will save your bacon when you need or want freshly-baked cookies fast.

_ank you to that longago listener who gave me the recipe for Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies.

Mix together 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Chill 15 minutes if you have time, or skip that step. Place walnut-size balls on an ungreased or parchment-covered cookie sheet. Flatten slightly, or not. Bake at 325 degrees for 14-16 minutes. Makes 2 ½ dozen Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies.

I hope your home is warm, cozy, _lled with love, and a pleasant balance of visitors and quiet time before this old year ends. _ank you for your readership and friendship!