Christmas Cookies and Beer

Cooking baking was an activity that fell primarily on Mom's pre-Christmas agenda. In years past, she would mix the dough for a dozen different cookies in double-batches during the day and refrigerate them in bowls. When I got home from work (or school), I'd roll them out, bake them and help Mom decorate them. There were some cookies that Mom handled herself, like Spritz cookies. This year, I helped Mom mix the cookie dough and bake them.

On Christmas Eve, I used the hand-crank cookie press for the first time. I was a little concerned because to quote Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, I "have the upper body strength of a Keebler Elf." Although that comparison isn't entirely correct because Keebler elves can make cookies. I doubted I'd have the strength to turn that flower-shaped handle enough to squish out the compacted cookie dough.

Nonetheless, with trembling arms and stifled grunts, I pressed, turned and lifted the cylindrical aluminum press 24 times on the first cookie sheet. Some came out good, while others had to go back into the bowl for re-pressing. I asked Mom, "Am I supposed to be breaking a sweat doing this?"

Mom decorated each cookie with either a red or green candied cherry before sliding them into the oven and setting the timer. I had 7 minutes to press another 24 poinsettia-shaped cookies on to the next cookie sheet. Eventually I found a rhythm that worked. In my humble opinion, the cookies turned out lovely for my first attempt. I really enjoyed that memorable little baking episode with Mom and look forward to using the cookie press again next year.

The Stradivarius of Beers

This morning, Mom and I chatted at breakfast as we nibbled on our Christmas cookies. Mom mentioned that she once had an electric cookie press but the motor had burned out and she never replaced it. She went on to say her in-laws had given the manual cookie press kit to her when she and my dad were first married. Mom believed my grandparents got the kit using coupons from Tavern Pail beer bottles.

I had never heard that part of the story before, nor of Tavern Pail beer. So, I immediately searched the internet and found the interesting history of this popular Chicago brewery. I also found images of Tavern Pail coasters, labels and coupons, as well as photos of a delivery truck and the winner of the "Miss Tavern Pail" contest.

Newspaper ads from the 1930s touted Tavern Pail as the "Stradivarius of Beers," and in the 1940s the beer could be purchased in a convenient 3-bottle box. In the 1960s and early 70s, Tavern Pail was available in sturdy 24-bottle cardboard cases.

But the big campaign was the promise of free gifts for collecting coupons from the bottles themselves. One ad hyped bottles of beer at "4 quarts for $1" and promoted their 1963 gift catalog. Oh, how I would love to find one of those booklets to see what other gadgets were available to homemakers, and what other items might have been acquired by my grandparents and gifted to Dad and Mom.

This little bit of fun history behind the family cookie press made a lovely afternoon of Christmas baking with Mom even more special.

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Inspired by nostalgia.