A Clip From "Baking with Molly and Tia"

Margaret: "Hi, I'm Molly,"
Teresa: "And I'm Tia,"
Stereo: "And your watching Baking with Molly and Tia"
Teresa: "Today we will be making our favorite, chocolate chip cookies."
Margaret: "Have you ever wondered how to make them melt in your mouth perfect? Well, we will show you, step by step. we will tell you all of our secrets."
Stereo: "Right after a word from our sponsors."
(Cheesy smile, camera's fade out)
Cut to: Teresa standing at the kitchen table with a bottle of Miracle Whip, making a sandwich. Slowly she spreads the mayo on and assembles the sandwich. Finally she lifts it up and takes a bite. "Mmmmm now that's a sandwich."
Enter from left stage Margaret acting like the energizer bunny "She keeps going, and going, and going." Margaret exits right stage and Teresa looks after her confused.
(Camera fades in on kitchen counter)
Margaret: "Our first tip is to always use Nestle Toll House Morsels."
Teresa: "That's right Molly, Nestle's chocolate chips are much much much better."
Margaret: "Much. If you stick with us you will also learn how to increase the vanilla, melt the sugars, and..."
Teresa: "Make a double batch without running out of chocolate chips."

...

A familiar scene my best friend and I replayed over and over again as young girls. For as far back as I can remember we would do this, making chocolate chip cookies, pretending to be filming our own cooking show (Molly and Tia also co-hosted a craft series and interior decorating series), staying up late into the night, laughing, "re-shooting", making up commercials and funny outtakes, at our sleep overs. I don't know how she did it, but her mother (the mother of 5 children, 4 boys, 1 girl, and me) always had a never ending supply of Nestle chocolate morsels awaiting our cookie making desires.

Every time I make chocolate chip cookies I think about these moments, these treasured memories of a friendship that we thought would transcend time. Life has taken us in different directions, but the holidays, the cookies, always bring me back to thinking about that girl. My ten year old friend, her long natural blond hair, her voice, laugh, and smile, but also about her best friend, my ten year old self.

Today I realized my ten year old self might hate me just a little, for my frugal purchase of off brand chips, and the careful attention I paid to making smaller than small cookies so the dough would go farther, she'd also be shocked to discover it took me 4.5 months in my new house to realize having a double oven would make cookie making go faster. Oh but how those ten year olds would love my kitchen, the window, the counter space, and of course the double oven.

Over the years I've had other cookie friends, in high school I'd make cut outs with one friend in particular for every holiday, I hardly ever make cut outs now, they are too specifically associated with this friendship, that I dearly miss. I love how things like cookies, music, or certain clothes, pictures can bring back strong memories that you thought were long lost. I love reflecting on who I was, and whom I have become. I'm so grateful for the friendships I once had, those that have faded as time has taken us to different states, stages in life, and family values.

I think I'd make more cookies, now as an adult, if I had a cookie friend.