Once upon a time, there was a girl named Mrs. Brownstone. (Well, she wasn't always Mrs. Brownstone, but that's neither here nor there.) She lived in a little place called Our Town. And by "little place"...well, let's just that actually means "little place".
Lots of people have asked her through the years if she ever wished she had grown up in the city; but Mrs. Brownstone always thinks about it for only a moment before shaking her head in a "no". She thinks Our Town was a great place in which to grow up and have experiences that might not have been as readily available in a big city. She got to do LOTS of things.
Through the course of her eighteen years before college, she was involved in at least three kinds of dance; learned to play six different instruments; participated in five sports for fun and a little competition; participated in five different Varsity sports for fun and serious competition; played in three different kinds of bands; learned lots of things in organizations like Girl Scouts, 4-H, and Future Homemakers of America; participated in lots of academic and literary competitions like poetry and prose reading and four different kinds of competitive writing; got to be an editor and a writer in journalism; participated in all facets of drama; was active in Student and Class Councils; and was a National Honor Society member, among other various activities and accolades.
Growing up in a small town afforded Mrs. Brownstone lots of opportunities, the most important of which was the opportunity to be well-rounded. She never had to choose only one thing in which to participate or excel, and there was never a great expense to participate, because Our Town needed every member! At the same time, there was never a lot of pressure to be the best! There were not a lot of other things to do in Our Town, so these things were considered more fun and play than work and responsibility.
Though Mrs. Brownstone excelled at some things (like running), she was certainly not the best at everything (like tennis). BUT...I'll tell you one thing ~ that girl could make a mean batch of Corn Flake Macaroons! One year Mrs. Brownstone entered this delight of the cookie family into a 4-H cooking competition. And GUESS WHAT!?!!
She won!!!
Amongst the medals and trophies...amongst the broken tennis rackets and nearly new swim goggles...she still has that beautiful little blue rosette ribbon. Maybe she should just bust that sucker out of the storage box and display it in her kitchen! In the hustle and bustle of city life, it might be a good reminder for Mr. Brownstone that she actually CAN cook!
(Or at least bake...)
Following is the prize-winning recipe, courtesy of her mom's recipe box:
Corn Flake Macaroons
2 egg whites
½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup sugar
2 cups corn flakes
½ cup nuts
¾ cup coconut
Place egg whites and vanilla in mixing bowl; beat until foamy. Gradually add sugar while beating. Beat until stiff and glossy. Fold in flakes, nuts, and coconut. Drop by level tablespoon onto well-greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. Immediately remove from baking sheet.
Happy Baking!
for inspiring this post through her
The theme this week was "cookies"!For other great cookie recipes, click the graphic!
For other great recipes from the kitchen of Mrs. Brownstone, click here!
Posts
