By Heat dome over Pendleton this week. Hundred-and-five inland. Pre-deployment workups have been ramping up. Ryan was gone Wednesday through Friday for a field exercise.
Caleb, 7, wants to be a firefighter still. Has not deviated. Hazel, 4, chaos incarnate. Put a peanut butter sandwich in the DVD player Wednesday. Showed zero remorse.
Grilled fish tacos Saturday. The San Diego standard.
The freezer is the secret. The freezer was full this week.
My therapy session was Tuesday. We talked about the deployment cycle and the way the body holds dread and the ways the body holds it. The hour passed. The work continues. I have been doing this work for years. The work pays.
I sat at the kitchen table Tuesday night writing in the journal. Volume 10 now. The handwriting has not gotten neater. The journals are a record of the life I am living, in the moment, in tiny script that I will look back on someday and not be able to read. That is okay. The writing was the thing.
Caleb watched the firefighters at a school visit Wednesday and came home buzzing. He is going to be one. I have known this since he was four. Some kids tell you who they are early.
The kitchen counter has a chip in it from someone before us. Some military housing thing. I have stopped asking what. The chip is fine. The whole kitchen is provisional. We are renting from Uncle Sam.
Caleb's school had a fundraiser this week. I baked cookies because I always bake cookies. The cookies were the standard chocolate chip. They sold out in twenty minutes. I am the cookie mom of this PTO and I have stopped fighting it.
The Friday before-school morning was chaos. Three kids, two backpacks, one missing shoe. We all made it to the bus. I drank cold coffee at nine AM because that's when I sat down. Standard.
Hazel and I had a hard moment Tuesday at homework time. She is in a season of testing limits. We worked through it. We always do. She is mine.
Donna sent a recipe card in the mail this week. She has been doing this for years. The recipes go in the binder. The binder is full. The newest one is for a green bean casserole that uses fresh green beans and fried shallots and which I will absolutely make for the next holiday.
The kids' soccer game was Saturday morning. The other parents brought oranges and Capri Suns. I brought a thermos of coffee for myself and a folding chair I bought at Target three years ago that has been to four duty stations now. The chair is a more loyal companion than some of my friends.
Wednesday morning meal prep — Sunday afternoon, hours of containers. The freezer is full. The future-me thanks present-me. Donna taught me this routine. Donna's freezer was always full. Donna saved her sanity with quart bags labeled in Sharpie.
I went to the commissary Saturday morning. Got the grocery haul under sixty bucks for the week, which is a small victory. The cashier knows me. We talked about her grandkids while she scanned the chicken thighs and the family-size box of pasta. Small-town energy on a Marine base in California.
The military spouses' Facebook group had a small drama this week. Two women fighting over the playgroup schedule. I muted notifications and cooked dinner. Some weeks the group is the lifeline. Some weeks it is the source of unnecessary stress. The skill is knowing which week you're in.
I went for a walk Sunday morning before the kids got up. Half an hour. The fog was burning off. I needed it. Some weeks I get the walk in. Some weeks I don't. The week tells me which.
The chocolate chip cookies went fast — twenty minutes flat, which is frankly a little insulting to the effort, but that’s a bake sale for you. Next time I’m bringing these cherry cookies, which have the same drop-and-bake simplicity with enough visual interest that people actually stop and look before they grab. I have accepted my role. I am leaning in. The freezer was already full, the week was already long, and if I’m going to be the cookie mom, I’m at least going to be the cookie mom with the best table.
Cherry Cookies
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 11 min | Total Time: 26 min | Servings: 48 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup maraschino cherries, well-drained and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup dried tart cherries, roughly chopped
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drain maraschino cherries thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels — excess moisture will flatten the cookies.
- Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat softened butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add eggs and extracts. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and almond extract and beat until combined.
- Incorporate dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing on low just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
- Fold in cherries and chips. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chopped maraschino cherries, dried cherries, and white chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Portion and bake. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers look slightly underdone. Do not overbake — they firm up as they cool.
- Cool. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze in a single layer before stacking.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 92 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 13g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 52mg