Den Mother

Hurricane Irene came fast and furious, and we did all we could to get out of Dodge! But seriously, what on earth were we thinking? Were we all so desperate to be in one another’s company that we all lost our minds? We left our kids and our homes, all for a, um, good time? OK, yeah, we’ll go with that. Right. Talk about a road trip!

When we finally arrived at Camping World, we were like kids in a candy store. For me, all at once I felt like I was getting to be part of The Brady Bunch goes to the Grand Canyon. (Well sort of.) I always wanted to do that as I watched them when I was growing up. It was clear that some of us did not have a clue as to what we were even looking for, however it did set the tone for some fun and hopefully good times in the days ahead.

Our RVs were really fantastic, and aside from having to figure out what I was going to do about Rich’s, um, wardrobe malfunction (AWKWARD!), we made due with our comfortable but tight living arrangements, and in no time at all we were settled in. Greg and Vito were great company, but I must admit that I felt like the den mother!

Everyone we met at our first campsite was so warm and welcoming. It was a pleasure to hear their stories about all of the adventures they have taken in their RVs. Don’t let these campers fools you -- they are definitely seasoned travelers. I really admired the fact that they didn’t care about any fancy resort or huge accommodations. Their focus was the beauty of the great outdoors. They really know about the simple pleasure of enjoying one another’s company around a campfire and feasting on their daily catch. Half Moon Bay was a spectacular sight to wake up to each morning, even though it was much chillier than anyone had expected.

I was looking forward to finding out what Chris Laurita had planned in the days ahead. It was so much fun, so stick around to see the Jersey boys become Beach Boys and try their hand at surfing. I was so happy that Teresa came in to share her feelings with me about what she thought I said to her when Rich and I went to show our support at her book signing. I have to admit though, I was starting to second guess myself and feel bad. I couldn’t remember if I said they were my mom’s recipes. I just couldn’t remember. I certainly didn’t want to fight with her over cookies. Thankfully after watching this week’s episode I’m happy to see that my memory did in fact serve me correctly. I’m glad we are all in agreement that I never said the word “recipe.”

My mom always shared her recipes with all of her sister-in-laws. That’s what families do; that’s what I do. I’m always on the phone with my friends and family playing recipe swap. In celebration of putting this silliness of Cookie Gate to rest, I went through some of my mom’s recipes and I’m happy to send this one out to everyone. After all, family recipes are for everyone to share and enjoy. Below is a picture of my mom’s sprinkle cookie recipe.

I just love the way she spells all the ingredients. Like a true Italian, she spells the way the words are spoken. She’s so cute. Since my mom always cooked for her large family of seven and for everyone else that would pop in, this recipe makes a very large batch. You can easily cut the recipe in half if you like. I hope you enjoy it. If anyone needs a translation, the recipe will be up on my website www.KathyWakile.com and my public Facebook page very soon. Please tweet me your feedback and photos of your own beautiful cookie creations so we can all swap. So far our trip is getting off to a great start I hope you enjoy the rest of the good times along with us. Follow me down the yellow brick road. Ha! Ha! Or on Twitter @KathyWakile and Facebook.

Lots of Love,
xoxo Kathy