Swiss Crisps

So we decided to make Swiss Crisps. For those not in the know, Swiss Crisps are a rather fabulous holiday cookie (originally from a Woman's Day magazine, according to our photocopy anyway) that Ted grew up eating. Now, he makes them for his Ekkers brood. Here, we pause to report that historically, Julie's only part in this operation is to sprinkle colored sugar on the cookies before they are slid in the oven, and we would also note that hardly a year passes when she is not looked askance (or chastised outright) for using too many sprinkles.

So when Ted said he was going to attempt Swiss Crisp making with Joe, she thought, "What could go wrong?!" and suggested he establish some ground rules with his sous. Thus was born The Blue Line. Fans. Why didn't we think of this before?! And what else can we put a blue line around or in front of?!?!

The chief rule was that Joe could not cross the blue line. Other rules: only Daddy touches the marble, and we sprinkle the cookies closest to us and then Daddy will turn the cookie sheet.

Overall, things really went surprisingly well. Really, when you began this post, you were thinking that "What could go wrong?" bit was foreshadowing, weren't you, Fans? But no!

Still, as you know, we here at The Continuing Adventures of Our Hero and His Sidekick Birdie strive to report to you, Our Dear Readers, the unvarnished truth. Thus, we must reveal that the rule regarding sprinkling only the cookies nearest one, and thus, the rule banning overzealous sprinkling, were abandoned by Our Hero on one occasion, to near disastrous results. Julie turned from doing dishes and was able to take in the scene and strip off her gloves just in time to prevent an avalanche of blue sprinkles. Mercifully, it was on an edge scrap, rather than a cookie cutter shape. Ted still hung his head in dismay and admonished Joe. Really, Fans. The Swiss Crisps are serious business.

[Here, in the background, you should play Ted saying, "O-kay, Joe. O-kay. That's enough. That's enough!"]

We would be remiss if we did not mention that cookies now go by coo coo (like cuckoo cuckoo clock) in our house, in the wake of Clara once asking, not so long ago, for "more more coo coo." And thus are traditions made and remade, the Swiss Crisp coo coos and The Blue Line.

[waiting for the coo coo]