Milk and Cookies

It is 1978. A nine-year-old girl takes out her key, opens the door, lets her little sister into the house, then follows. The house is quiet. The girl's brother had decided to stay outside and play with his friends, but the girl watches her little sister until her mom comes home from work in a couple of hours. Maybe she had watched too many "Leave it to Beaver" reruns or "Brady Bunch" episodes, but she felt a pang of regret that no one was at home, waiting for her with milk and cookies, ready to ask about her day. She didn't brood over it, but the thought stuck with her, resurfacing at random moments over the course of the next few years. She understood why her mom wasn't there. As a single mom raising three kids on a nurse's salary, she worked hard and long hours. It was just the way it had to be, and the little girl wasn't bitter, just wistful in a "wouldn't it be nice" kind of way. She vowed that if she could, she would have milk and cookies waiting for her kids.

Fast forward to last week, when my kids started back to school.  I have been a stay at home mom for several years (save for part-time jobs that allow me to be home when the kids walk in the door), and I don't always have cookies and milk waiting for them, but last week that memory from decades ago returned, and it inspired me to make some cookies that first day of school. I am sure my kids didn't see much significance in it (I bake stuff all the time), but it was more for me and that little girl back in '78. Being able to be at home, having cookies fresh from the oven and ice cold milk for my boys, sitting down to ask about their teachers, with whom they walked to school, homework. I didn't really have these conversations with my mom. That's ok; my mom is awesome in so many other ways! Some may think that's a humble dream, to be home to give milk and cookies to my kids, but I am so grateful that I am able to have this opportunity, and some day, I hope my boys will come to appreciate it as well. Maybe they'll appreciate the sacrifices my husband and I made in order to have one of us stay home, but we felt that this was the best thing for us, and fortunately we were in the position to have a choice. Not everyone does.

Maybe I'm starting to realize that, at 15 and 13, my boys aren't going to want to spend this time with me as much anymore. Even dinner time, which I have tried to hold sacred as family time to connect, is starting to slip through the cracks as one kid runs off to soccer practice with the other parent some nights or the older one made plans to meet his friends at the football game. I'm not sure there's much more of a point to my post this time, except to encourage every parent to take a little time, maybe not every day but consciously put aside a few moments, to sit and ask questions and then really listen to your kids' answers. And it doesn't even need to be over some milk and cookies! :-)

Feel free to share in the comments section ways you try to connect with your kids!

Classic Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

(from the Epicurious website, because the Nestle website was taking forever to load)

INGREDIENTS

1. • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
   • 1 teaspoon baking soda
   • 1 teaspoon salt
   • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (Marna's note: I often use 1/2 vegetable shortening, 1/2 butter for softer, less crispy cookies)
   • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
   • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
   • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   • 2 large eggs
   • 2 cups Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
   • 1 cup chopped nuts (Marna's note: I omitted them this time, but I especially like black walnuts if you can find them)

PREPARATION

1. 1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
   2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
   3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
2. Pan Cookie Variation
   1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.
3. Slice and Bake Cookie Variation
   1. Prepare dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
   2. Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
4. Do Ahead
   1. Dough may be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.
   2. Marna's note: I will scoop out dough into cookie portions, freeze on a baking sheet for an hour or two, then put the frozen balls of cookie dough in a freezer bag to store. That way, you can take out just a few to have fresh-baked cookies in just a few minutes with no big mess! Here's how to bake them: take the number of dough balls you want to bake from the freezer, place on a parchment or lined cookie sheet, then put in a cold oven. Turn oven on to 350 degrees (F) and bake for about 15 minutes (if you like them crispier or more golden brown, you might need to bake for a little longer). Hint: on the outside of the freezer bag where you stored the frozen cookie dough balls, write the baking instructions on a piece of masking tape and stick it to the freezer bag.
5. 1. This recipe is made available as a courtesy by Nestle USA and www.VeryBestBaking.com. Nestle® Toll House® is a registered trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland.