Welcome to my Tea Party in the garden! I thought I'd go with a Canadian theme, since a friend gave me some lovely gifts for Canada Day. With a house full of boys, I don't really do tea parties, but when I saw the invitation to join in a tea party tour, I thought it sounded like a neat idea...and what better place to greet my guests than in the garden? I also take part in Bloomin' Tuesday, so I thought I'd combine the two for today. (Note: This post was originally written for two linkups, that are no longer running.)
No tea party is complete without cookies, so I thought I'd share a favorite recipe, that I learned as a child. It's a very common recipe, but it has a story. When I was little, a neighbour was asking my mom for the recipe for these cookies, and couldn't remember the name. She called them those fiddly diddly things, and the name Fiddle Diddles stuck. I have made it my mission to convert the world to using this name. Funny thing is, I googled Fiddle Diddles one day, just to see if I had succeeded in spreading the word. I was quite surprised to find the recipe on a website. Further research uncovered a real surprise....Fiddle Diddles were included in a Company's Coming cookbook called Kids Cooking, published in August 1995. Ok, I didn't see that coming! All these years, I thought that only my family called these cookies Fiddle Diddles...now, I don't know if the story from my childhood was not quite as I remembered it...perhaps they were already called Fiddle Diddles, not fiddly diddly things...OR, we were really successful in spreading the word, and the recipe made it's way to Alberta by 1995! If anyone can tell me the true history behind the name, I'd love to hear it!
So, back to the recipe.....You may know them as chocolate unbaked cookies, haystacks, or beaver damns....everyone seems to have their own name, but none as good as Fiddle diddles! Our method of making them is a little different too, as we pour the hot liquid ingredients into the dry, but it seems to work better that way. I hate to admit it, but my husband is much better at making these treats than I am! Mine are always too dry or too soft! So, now that I've shared that family secret here is the recipe:
Fiddle Diddles
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup hard margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pinch of salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup coconut
4 tbsp. cocoa
Mix oats, coconut, and cocoa in a big mixing bowl. Melt margarine in a heavy pot, then add sugar and vanilla. Add milk slowly and bring to a hard boil for one minute, then add to the dry ingredients and mix. Place spoonfuls on waxed paper or a cookie sheet, and leave to set....if you can wait that long!
Now won't you come and stay awhile?
These pictures were taken on a sunny day, so the colors are a little washed out, but you can see that the yarrow has many different color varieties.
You can also see that the weeds are winning the battle this year! Eventually, my husband will find the time to run the tiller along the edge of the driveway and flowerbed.
Aside from the weeds, I'm loving the way this flower hedge is turning out!
Thanks for stopping by! ~~~Deb
