If Its Not Scottish....

it's CRRRRAP! Thank you Mike Meyers for pointing out the obvious. I claim a proud Scottish and Danish heritage which also helps explain why I am cheap and mean. But this time of year is Scottish shortbread weather, and I have just proudly stuck my first offering of the season out in the garage to cool. It is a ridiculously easy recipe, and I haven't met the person yet who didn't love it. One ingrate once said, "It's like a large Lorna Doone!" No, it's not. It's Scottish and therefore may not be compared to anything you fool!

My Great-Gramma, made it -(presumably having watched her mom make it - and she came straight from Scotland), my Grandma Grace made it, my mom made it, and now I make it. I can't say that there are too many holiday food traditions in my family, but this is definitely one of them. One day, I might let Abigail learn how to make it.

My mom says, "Isn't the dough good!" and it is. It makes it hard to resist taking a little pinch off here, and a little pinch off there, and ultimately having enough to justify baking up into nice huge shortbread rounds. In her youth, my mom once ate a whole shortbread cake round that had been chilling, pinch by pinch. Then she thought she'd remedy the calorie intake by taking some syrup of ipecac.

I believe she said that it took a few hours for the ipecac to kick in, but then she barfed until she was 'bout blue in the face and had a headache that lasted for two days. She agreed that she should have just gone on a very very very long walk instead. If you would like to try some of this divine-ness, here is the recipe. It's great to let the kids decorate the tops, and will keep everyone busy on a cold winters eve. And if there is anything missing from my garage, I'll know it was someone who visits here!