Halloween prep while nauseous is a special kind of misery. The sugar cookies Mom makes every year require standing at a counter rolling dough, which requires being upright, which requires a stomach that cooperates, which mine does not.
Caleb is going as a firefighter this year. A FIREFIGHTER. When asked why (he's been fixated on dinosaurs for a year), he said: 'Firefighters help people. Caleb helps people.' At three (almost), my son has a moral framework that includes helping people, a career aspiration, and a costume that cost $15 at the PX.
Ryan said, 'He wants to be a firefighter, not a Marine. Should I be offended?'
'You should be relieved.'
(Ryan was not relieved. He was slightly offended. Marines.)
I managed to bake the sugar cookies — the annual tradition — by doing it in stages. Cut the dough Monday (lying down afterward for an hour). Bake Tuesday (lying down afterward for an hour). Ice Wednesday (lying down afterward for an hour). The cookies took three days and three naps and looked slightly less professional than Mom's, but they EXISTED, and that's what matters.
Caleb helped with the icing. His cookies looked like they'd been decorated during an earthquake. He was incredibly proud.
The book ARCs go out in January — three months away. Clara is coordinating with reviewers, military spouse organizations, and food media. The promotion machine is building.
'Are you up for podcast interviews while pregnant?' Clara asked.
'I was up for a deployment while pregnant. I can handle a podcast.'
The pregnancy has given me a new perspective on the blog: I'm writing about cooking while NOT cooking much, which means I'm writing about the philosophy of food rather than the execution. Posts about why food matters, not just how to make it. Posts about the meaning of dinner at 1800, not just the recipe.
The audience is responding. 'This is deeper than a recipe blog,' someone commented. 'This is about what food means in a life.'
What food means in a life. That's the book. That's the whole book.
Made (Elena made) green chile chicken enchiladas this week. I ate two, which is a triumph over nausea. The enchiladas are powerful enough to defeat first-trimester queasiness.
Hatch chiles: stronger than pregnancy hormones.
The cookies took three days and three naps to exist this year, but the frosting — that’s where Caleb got to be the chef. I needed something simple enough that I could make it on day three with whatever energy I had left, and forgiving enough that a proud almost-three-year-old firefighter could slather it on with zero technique and total confidence. This vanilla frosting delivered on both counts. It’s the kind of recipe that asks very little of you and gives a lot back — which, this trimester, is exactly the recipe I need.
Vanilla Frosting
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3–4 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Food coloring, sprinkles, or sanding sugar for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- Beat the butter. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add the sugar. With the mixer on low, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing after each addition to prevent a cloud of sugar.
- Add vanilla and milk. Add the vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and 3 tablespoons of milk. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2–3 minutes until smooth and spreadable. Add the remaining tablespoon of milk if the frosting is too thick.
- Adjust consistency. For a stiffer frosting (better for piping), add a little more powdered sugar. For a looser, spreadable frosting perfect for little helpers, add milk a teaspoon at a time until you reach the right texture.
- Color if desired. Divide frosting into small bowls and stir in gel food coloring a drop at a time until you reach your desired shades.
- Frost and decorate. Spread or pipe onto completely cooled sugar cookies. Let set for 30 minutes before stacking. Hand off a butter knife and a bowl of sprinkles to any nearby three-year-olds and step back.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 95 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 15g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 15mg
About the cook who shared this
Rachel Abernathy
Week 289 of Rachel’s 30-year story
· San Diego, California
Rachel is a twenty-eight-year-old Marine wife and mom of two who has moved five times in six years and learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with half her cookware still in boxes. She married young, survived postpartum depression, and feeds her family of four on a junior Marine's salary with a freezer full of pre-made meals and a crockpot that has never let her down. She writes for the military spouses who are cooking dinner alone in base housing and wondering if they're enough. You are.
