Cookies, yay cookies

This recipe is my all time favorite cookie. It just melts in your mouth, leaving a happy feeling on your tongue. It is from my favorite cook book The Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking. It was originally printed in 1947, my edition came out in 1959. It is a total hoot. There are all these creeds, the "meal planner's creed", the "cook's creed". It is comedy gold! My favorite? This section

"Butter is more than just a nutritious food with a delicious flavor; it may be highly decorative also, if shaped with imagination. All these attractive little butter pats, balls, curls and blossoms can be made by any enterprising housewife armed with a sharp knife, a pair of wooden paddles, a butter curler, and a mold or two. When directions are followed, they are easy the first time, easier the second and fun no matter how often you make them."

What is not to love? A) any cook book saying butter is nutritious is awesome B) making butter decorative? cool C) envisioning a life where you have time to make pretty butter? where were the children, in the basement??

You can feel the effects from the Depression with all the ways to use everything, bacon fat and stale bread. There are lessons on how to make attractive canapes, keep your fridge clean (I skipped that section apparently), pick good fruits and veggies at the store. It even has a sample weekly menu for each month. I have been looking through this again the last few months and am amazed at how many of our family recipes are adaptation of this cook book. My grandma has one, and she bought one (actually it's two books) when mom got married I think. My SIL found mine on amazon or ebay a few years ago. I remember using this book as a very young girl. My mom's book still opens automatically at this cookie recipe.

Almond Crescents

1/2 C almonds (chopped fine) (Walnuts work as well)

3/4 C + 2 Tblsp. Flour

1/8 t salt

1/2 C butter

1/3 C powdered sugar

1/2 t vanilla

1/4 t almond extract (if you don't have it use extra vanilla)

extra powdered sugar

Heat oven for 10 minutes before baking at 325 degrees. Cream butter until shiny, add sugar and cream well. Stir in flavorings, then almonds and flour and salt. Knead dough til smooth. Divide dough in two. Roll each into a rope of 15 inches. Cut ropes into 1-inch lengths, then roll each piece to 2-inch lengths, curving to a crescent shape. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, bake 15 minutes until a pale golden color. Remove at once to cake rack, then roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Makes 30.

When I make this, I just roll it into balls, because I am lazy like that. Also I never get 30 cookies, more like 2 dozen, so I triple or quadruple the recipe. You have time to make these for the big game today! yummmmm