The Wonder Of It All

Wonder if it really could be that easy?

If you press the button above what you will find is a very clever, very cute and catchy advertisement for the beloved childhood companion, the Oreo cookie. The idea behind the brilliance of this spot is simple: If you gave an Oreo to a Vampire or a huge one-eyed octopus about to swallow up a boat containing the three little pigs, would they stop and enjoy the treat? Then would they pass that same wonder along? And what would happen if they did? It begs the question: How would it change they end of the story?

So, maybe they have stumbled onto to something here. Can it be that simple? Could the wonder of one of America's favorite dessert staples change the course of history? And what if that wonder really could? What if world leaders ate Oreos at world summits? Would there be no war? What if Oreos were passed out to all impoverished countries? Would there be no starvation? Maybe we should pass out Oreos in places with high crime rates like Detroit and South Central LA. Then, would the Crips and The Bloods still exist?

Maybe if Edward Snowden ate an Oreo, there would be no man hunt today. Paula Deen's Oreo probably would have saved her hundreds of thousands in legal fees and if Whitey and the gang gorged themselves on Oreo cookies, there would be a lot more people alive today.

Oreo cookies, the elixir to peace?

I guess now I kind of understand all of the hub bub surrounding Twinkie's come back on to the store shelves. Could the presence of Twinkies next to Oreo's on our supermarket shelves really change someone's destiny?I'm not sure, but for me they will now be seen as something that can produce wondrous results.

Cookie Monster

No wonder Cookie Monster is one of the most beloved Sesame Street characters of all time, because nothing reduces mature adults into little children more than a plate full of cookies. We had our annual Christmas party yesterday and we decided to participate in a cookie swap. Have you ever done this?

Everybody makes two dozen cookies; the recipe of their choice, and brings them to the party. The cookies get laid out on a table and the guests each get to make a platter full of two or three of each kind of cookie. We had 11 people and about 15 different varieties of cookies to make a generous platter of cookies from. The hostess bought us special Christmas platters to house the cookies and take home as a party favor. It was a blast, and all of the cookies were fantastic. We even ended up swapping a few recipes by the end of the party.

The best part of the cookie swap is that now everyone has all these different, colorful and fantastic cookies, we get to share them with our families! When I got home, the quiet household came to life and more than a few cookies were consumed before dinner. We had gingerbread men, candy canes with colorful frosting and Christmas trees. There were smores bars and wedding cakes and peanut butter cookies with Hershey's kisses. One woman made colorful bags full of a wonderful mix she called "White Trash", which was Check mix with melted white chocolate and another made homemade English Toffee.

I got a recipe for these little treats:

Pretzel Squares
Rollo Candy
Pecans

Put the Rollo candy on top of the pretzel square, then the pecan on top of that.
Place in an oven heated to 325 degrees.
Watch as the candy melts, just enough to adhere to the pretzel and the pecan to the candy, a few minutes.
Remove from oven and let harden.
Enjoy!

The tough part is now staying away from the cookie platter, especially when a cookie would make a nice breakfast on the go and great lunch follow up. Too bad there's not a fool proof way to remove all the fat and calories these colorful creations are chock full of.

Now that would be one heck of a Christmas present, right?