Comments on: Lottie (+ Graham Crackers)

By: linda

linda — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:11:19 +0000

lottie sounds like she was a woman “way before her time.” a strong soul…
& i congratulate lottie + doof (food) on your 100th post.
you tim, must have many of lottie’s traits & being true to one’s self probably, the most important!
kudos!

By: Morgan

Morgan — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:42:29 +0000

Ahhh. Warms my heart. Isn’t it tantalizing to think of food and the making of food as such a “choice” of our generation? Kind of takes your breath away, in a way. We are so very charmed in this sense. Really enjoyed the perspective here. Thank you.

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:07:27 +0000

OK, so I made the dough yesterday and baked these off this morning…. The dough is sticky, sticky! I hate sticky dough, it’s so fussy and makes me throw flour around my kitchen so thick that I’m cleaning it up for days. The constant in and out of the fridge is fussy too. I hate fussy. But I definitely do NOT hate the finished product. Really, really incredible tasting. I love the snap and I was surprised by what the ingredients consisted of, not fussy at all. I love Lottie and I never even met her, she sounds like my kind of gal and I would have loved that Thanksgiving take out!

I hope you’ll let me indulge in my graham cracker share-back story. My birthday arrives as fall in all it’s glory is ushered in, during the last week of October. I have always wanted to love my birthday. What usually happens though, is something calamitous, or awful, or tragic. It has turned into a family legend… this curse of my birthday. I have even gone so far as to lobby my Mother for an official change of date, hoping to break the cycle.

Well these graham crackers are the beginnings of my birthday reclamation from the dark forces! I will no longer tolerate; hurricanes blowing off my roof, emergency surgery, armed robbery, international incidents, 42 stitches in my foot sans lidocaine, human bites and rabies shots, car wrecks, stolen bicycles, broken ankles, construction accidents or the very worst, my dear father’s funeral. This year on my birthday after having lunch with my best friend, I arrived home to find the back sliding glass doors smashed in and all of my jewelry stolen and my bedroom and bathroom turned upside down… completely ransacked!

I do not believe myself to be the kind of person who dwells on these things, or allows them to stop or even hinder my forward progress. These stolen things however precious and memorable, were only things and luckily no one was hurt. But it has served as the very last straw! I am officially shaking my fist at the universe and making my stand… NO MORE!

I have always wanted to attend a beach bonfire. My whole life. But I have never had the opportunity. I have also always wanted to eat a ‘smore… I’ve never done that either, ever. I am a late-in-life-baby and my parents were just too old and jaded for camping and ‘smores when I reached the appropriate age. Ce’st la vie…

So, Tonight, my wonderful husband a few special friends have planned the biggest, brightest most awesome beach bonfire at the jettys on Dania Beach in South Florida as “Jeanne’s Birthday 2.0″. We are going to drink wine and eat ‘smores under a full moon and kick our heels up and maybe perform a cleansing ritual and reclaim my birthday. I will say a small prayer of forgiveness for the desperate, upside-down people who took my things and melt a marshmallow in honor of forward progress. These graham crackers will be my entrance to a future of uneventful birthdays… maybe the first in an annual tradition…. maybe just the thing to keep it sweet.

Thanks you guys, thanks Lottie wherever you might be.

By: farhana

farhana — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 08:48:04 +0000

i can totally relate to lotti since the situation hasn’t changed yet in my country.my mother hates cooking but she has to do it anyway.i like it sometimes but not always. to me a perfect man is one who cooks .but in our culture men don’t cook, that is why really envy my sister because my brother in law is a great cook and he cooks.

By: farhana

farhana — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 08:45:47 +0000

i can totally relate to lotti since the situation hasn’t changed yet in my country.my mother hates cooking but she has to do it anyway.i like it sometimes but not always. to me a perfect man is one cooks .but in our culture men don’t cook, that why really envy my sister because my brother in law is a great cook and he cooks.

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 01:29:29 +0000

Another one here who had a feisty grandma who hated cooking. I suspect in her case it was insecurity combined with being forced to cook Italian for her Italian husband (she was Polish). I’ll never forget when she quit altogether and for the next 20 or so years we had pizza on Xmas eve with that side of the family. To the extent that although I have chosen to give it up, the rest of my family carries on that tradition despite the fact that they love to cook-pizza on Xmas eve. :). Feisty grandmas rock.

By: aleida

aleida — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:56:11 +0000

amazing how important grandmas are in our lives! lovely blog. keep it up. hope to make the recipe soon.

By: MarmandeintheKitchen

MarmandeintheKitchen — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:05:04 +0000

My grandma’s name was Lottie too (from Wladyslawa in polish) and she was also not so much into cooking. Love your website!

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 00:50:46 +0000

I love this! I’m definitely going to be trying this recipe, and your story was so intriguing and compelling. You’re a fabulous writer and cook; you inspire me!
Your Lottie sounds like she’d be a riot to hang out with. Thanks for the amazing post!

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:06:16 +0000

Great story! My Hebrew name comes from my great grandmother Lottie (Americanized from Zlata once she emigrated from Lithuania). While I never had the privilege to know her, I think about what it was like for her to leave her home forever and move to Chicago, where she had eight kids to feed. Oy. I wish I could sit down with her for just one meal.

By: Rima

Rima — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:06:09 +0000

I like this entry a lot. And you!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:53:38 +0000

Finally had time to return to your website. Belated congrats on your 100th! Such a touching story about your gran. I like the idea of calling them; Tim’s Gran’s Crackers. I think your gran would appreciate the simple humor in “doof”. A laugh is a laugh.

By: cindy

cindy — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:14:51 +0000

Hello- i just found your blog through design sponge and im so happy I did. love your post about lottie…she actually reminds me of my fiesty grandma (who passed a few years ago) great picture of her too!
felicidades on your 100th!

By: su

su — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:07:20 +0000

the name “doof” is very funny for germans! in german “doof” means “stupid” :-)

By: molly z

molly z — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:30:13 +0000

love those top 2 photos together, and hearing about lottie. happy 100th!! xoxo

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:01:31 +0000

Thanks, Ingrid!

By: ingrid

ingrid — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:16:50 +0000

Ooops, forgot to tell you Happy 100!
~ingrid

By: ingrid

ingrid — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:15:36 +0000

Thank you for sharing. Your Grandma sounds like quite the lady! :)

~ingrid

By: Karin's Mom

Karin's Mom — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 06:11:25 +0000

You should call them Gram crackers. Congrats on your centennial. For your 100th anniversary, I hear you are supposed to give hershey bars and marshmallows.

By: Susan W.

Susan W. — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:42:10 +0000

Congrats on your 100th post! I love this site and look forward to more of your “Doof” adventures!