We all have memories. The question is what triggers those memories. Yesterday, I had a taste memory. I have talked frequently about growing up with my grandmother. Holidays were busy times, as they are for most families. Yet, my grandmother would always bake.

I made the recipe for sugar rollout cookies this week (see my dilemma regarding the cookie dough). I had not made these cookies in over 20 years. I got to the point where no chill cookie dough was definitely a better option than dough that had to be made, then refrigerated, and then rolled out and cut and baked. Time is a commodity and I was making the most of mine.

I did finally roll out the sugar cookie dough and once they were baked, I was the first to have one. This is not because my children are not cookie monsters but because I was the only one at home while I baked. The taste, the slight almond, the texture – it all took me back to that kitchen on Liberty Street. I was a young girl or a teenager – I was always up for cookies – and my grandmother was the baker. The cookies were delicious. I didn’t put sprinkles on them or icing, something my grandmother did on occasion. I just baked the cookies.

I hope, that 30-40 years in the future, my children bake this recipe and have a memory about coming home to these cookies on the table. Taking a bite of today’s bounty definitely took me back in time and had me looking forward to the future.