When You Wish Upon A Fortune Cookie

Whether you stayed up and did the countdown to midnight in front of your tv last night or went to bed early you are probably thinking about what wonderful new things you can do this new year. One of my resolutions is to do a lot more sharing on my blog.

So here is my first day of the new year offering:

Recipes For A Long And Happy Life Filled With Perfection

>Fine food for your body. Fine art for your soul.
Just mix them together and you'll meet every goal.
With these recipes you'll be firm, your spirits will soar.
Combine them with art, feel better than ever before.
When you try these recipes, inspired by my assemblage and collage art, you'll notice an immediate sense of well being. They will improve the way you see the world and the way the world sees you. Why not try foods that fill your stomach and inspire your soul? Do not delay. Try this recipe today.

It was dusk when I saw her walking out of the park towards me. She wore an old overcoat and had something wrapped around her neck that reminded me of a fat gray-green snake. When she came closer I could see that it was a rather ratty muffler loosely draped about her shoulders, easily blown away by a sudden burst of wind. The muffler did not travel very far, landing quickly in a nearby puddle. I ran over to fish it out but it was thoroughly soaked. "It's wet" she said sweetly. "Don't worry", I assured her. "I'll dry it for you". I gathered some twigs and started a fire, hanging the muffler a short distance above the feeble dancing flames. It became very smoky before it began to get even remotely dry. When I handed it back to her she smiled once more, a toothy grin that would melt the hardest heart. Then she reached into her pocket, and I suddenly wondered if she might have a gun on her, but when she held out her hand it contained only a grimy card, and on that card was a recipe. "Thanks", she said. "They call me Lady Luck. Try this recipe for fortune cookies and you'll live a long and fabulous life." And she was right. Ever since I fixed those fortune cookies for the first time, my life has been way better than a bowl of cherries. I hope they do the same for you.

OK...To be perfectly honest, the first time in my life that I made fortune cookies was yesterday. And I found out that only Martha Stewart would tell you that they are easy to make. But if you want to ensure your goof fortune this year ya gotta make a commitment. Here's the recipe I used:

INGREDIENTS:
3 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted and cooled butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon finely grated tangerine peel
1 cup all purpose flour
4-5 tablespoons water

DIRECTIONS:

First of all have your fortunes ready. Print or write them out and cut them into strips. Then preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Whip the egg whites and sugar together on high speed with your mixer for about two minutes. On low speed, add the butter, the extracts, water, and flour one at a time mixing thoroughly after each addition. You may be living in a tent in the Gobi desert or in a Manhattan penthouse and those conditions will affect how much water you will need to add to make your batter a thick gluey consistency. So go ahead and add more or less water to make a pancake batter, spreadable consistency. Put about a tablespoon of batter onto a regular greased cookie tray and with the back of a spoon spread it into about a three inch diameter circle. You can only bake about 2-4 cookies per batch because they will start to harden as soon as you remove them from the oven, and you will need to work fast. Bake the cookies until they have nicely browned edges (anywhere from six to eight minutes) and quickly remove a cookie from the tray and place it on your counter. Place a fortune in the middle of the cookie and fold it in half, then fold the ends of the half over the rim of a glass to form a horse shoe shape. Put the cookies in a muffin tin to maintain the shape as it cools.
You can write your own fortunes or you can chose from this list:

Banish the bushes from your brain and learn to enjoy your life again

Face south at least twice a day and lady luck will run your way

Never snicker when a super hero slips on a banana peel

If you get a lucky lemon, never suck it dry

Run, skip, or jump, whatever it takes to get out of this dump

Sing and dance some every day and you'll never fritter your life away

All will admire you and some will fall down in astonishment

You are so superior that you will sweep away all else

Yellow, blue, red or green. you're the fairest ever seen

Your days will be sunny and you'll have plenty of money

May your life be sweeter than a sticky bun

Some day you'll be so smart your brain will ache

Savor the day, but beware of wild mushrooms

Rooty toot toot, your life is a hoot

Save a little or save a lot, just throw the rest in a big stock pot

Never say never and you'll live forever

Avoid sticks and stones and vile old crones

I took my first ever attempt at home made fortune cookies to a party last night and all who trued them pronounced them to be delicious. They are so very, very, very much better than the cardboard tasting Chinese restaurant versions.

I like the metaphorical significance of the commitment that making these cookies entail. They ain't easy and you will likely throw away your first few attempts, but when you finally get some that actually look like fortune cookies and taste like heaven and contain your vision for your perfect future you will at least be smiling like crazy.

You can view the collage "Lady Luck" that inspired these cookies on my web site in the "Collage" section. Click on "Large View" to see it in stunning full screen detail.