As we passed the salad, veggies, main dish and rolls around the dinner table at my daughter’s house last week, family chatter centering on what happened at school that day reached a crescendo level. There’s just so much happening in the kindergarten and third grade!
When we were clearing the dishes, I noticed a recipe on the refrigerator written in my eight-year-old granddaughter’s simple script. It was not the usual Betty Crocker type recipe so I asked her about it.
“Oh, my teacher gave us an assignment about character traits and wanted each of us to come up with a recipe with ingredients that would combine to make what we are. I think I’m like a cookie. What do you think, Grandma Barbara?”
Here’s what my young Martha Stewart wrote as her recipe:
The Katy Cookie
- 2 cups generosity
- 1 cup consideration
- 2 tablespoons responsibility
- 3 teaspoons open-mindedness
- Just a pinch of pessimism
Mix two cups generosity with one cup consideration, using a blender set on High.
Now mix two tablespoons responsibility with three teaspoons of open-mindedness and blend on Medium.
Add the pinch of pessimism and mix well.
Pour the cookie batter in a square pan and bake at 350 degrees until it looks light brown.
Let the cookies cool for 20 minutes.
Cut the cookies into 3×3-inch squares.
Eat the cookies.
Enjoy!
I wondered why my young Katy included pessimism as a trait she saw in herself, especially since she’s always so cheerful. I just had to ask her!
“Well, Grandma Barbara, I heard one time that some people have a glass of milk that’s half full, but they see it as half empty. I think that’s negative thinking, but sometimes I think that way too. I thought it was important to add that to my recipe.”
And to think Katy is only eight-years-old! I was speechless.
