Wednesday is the one day of the week that I actually have what I call my ritual "moment to myself lunch" with the New York Times Dining Section. This past week, I grabbed the morning paper as it arrived at the bakery and searched feverishly for the section. I knew it would be devoted to Christmas and I just couldn't wait until lunchtime—my recent lunches have been pretty short; almost non-existent due to my busy baking schedule. This particular morning, I headed to my office paper and coffee in hand and closed the door. The article was titled, The Gifts? I Forget. But The Meal! I loved reading all the food memories and recipes from nine of the most respected food writers of our time.
When I came to Kim Severson's contribution, I was extremely moved. It wasn't what I had expected or wanted to read. Kim's mom Anne, suffers from Parkinsons Disease. I experienced my own mother's 25 year battle with this debilitating disease. Kim shares her mom's recipe for Gingersnaps and expresses her hope that maybe her mom can muster up enough strength, to roll the tender balls of dough between her shaky hands, just one more time.
I quickly tweeted Kim and made Anne's Gingersnaps the next morning. As you can see from my photo, they came out great. These slightly soft and delicate cookies are perfectly spiced and are exactly what you would expect from a classic ginger cookie. In honor of my mom, Dore Blume, who would have loved these cookies and as an homage to Anne Severson, Merry Christmas.
Tags: Anne Severson , Christmas , Cookies , Gingersnaps , Kim Severson , New York Times
Categories: Christmas, Cookies, Holiday Recipes
My Mom suffered with this horrible disease until her death at the age of 68. I still mourn for her and have such sadness for the way that she suffered. Your post was so moving for me and I did not realize that Kim's Mom also suffers from this disease. Thank you so much for posting, the cookies look wonderful.