I'm one of SconeLadyLarkin's left coast internet friends. Even though I'm not part of the cookie swap, I just received a package of cookies from her.
Ms. Seversen, please interview her again next year, and this time, get recipes.
I have 20 years more baking experience than she does, but she shames me. I'd fight you for the recipe for her cutout cookies (even the plain ones are flavorful), while mine are just okay. Her gingerbread people--take THAT, Tucker Carlson!--are soft but sturdy and are perfectly spiced. And her delightful brandied cherry shortbread cookies, well...I've never had anything like them, and now I want more. They made me feel like a proper Brit as I nibbled them alongside a cup of tea this drizzly afternoon.
These cookies are better than some of the ones I've baked from recipes at cooking.nytimes.com I know I can cadge the recipes from her personally, but it would be nice if your readers could also bake them.
Congrats to Liz Larkin - she's a rock star. This swap is lots of fun. It's nice to receive homemade goodies and other treats once a year - never knowing what will be inside the package when it arrives!
This reminds me of a short-lived offering in the NYC area (and perhaps other cities?) called Mealku, which was around maybe in 2012 or so. 'Strangers' would cook up meals in large batches, and then share portions of those meals with strangers. People would be matched-up online, with the 'cooks' indicating the meals they'd be offering up, and on what days of the week, and potential 'diners' selecting the meals they'd like to 'order' and have delivered to their home. The cooks had profiles and reviews from people who'd previously ordered their meals, but if I recall, at some point the 'average Joe' cooks were trending more towards professional caterers, or otherwise people looking to make a name for themselves. I guess in some respects, it became like so many other sites... Airbnb....Meetup...etc. whereby the original concept was about people simply doing good...connecting with their fellow man...and then everyone started becoming more focused on how to make a profit.
It was nice in theory, and I actually got a few pretty good meals out of it.
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Lovely way to celebrate the holidays.
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Liz Larkin, her cookies, and scones, bring cheer at all times of the year. So happy to see her here in the NYT as well as right down the road from me!
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Run — do not walk — to get one of Ms Larkin’s scones in Pound Ridge. I found religion on one and never turned back.
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Congrats to Liz Larkin, friendly, talented neighbor and passionate baker extraordinaire, and to the other creative and inspirational Food 52 friends. Homemade gifts and goodies are cherished expressions of love and friendship. Happy holidays!
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