Sunny Saturdays, Empty Holes and Aunt Ferns Coconut Cookies

We are enjoying a lovely and sunny Saturday again here at Oak Cottage. It is a most beautiful start to the month of March. There is a bit of a cold wind still about, but all in all, it's a gorgeous day. The kind of day that inspires you to wander about outside and peek at all the little things that are coming back to life after the recent cold and wet winter months.



I guess I am a kind of a fanciful person at heart. There is this big tree down at the edge of our property that has a hollow right at it's base. It's not just any hole though . . . it's a very intriguing hole . . . deep and dark, and full of lots of scraps of earth and leaves and rotting bark.

Every time I walk by it on my way to work, I look at the hole . . . just laying there empty and I long to fill it with something, with some piece of my heart. I want to take a big rock and paint it up like a fairy house and plant it right between the roots, tucked into the hollow heartbeat of the tree. Tis only lack of time, and the fear of someone stealing it that prevents me from doing just that. If I had my way, there would be little fairy houses tucked in here and there all throughout our cottage garden.



Today, I don't know if it was the sunshine or what, but, the mood just hit me and I ran back into my house and grabbed one of my fairies and planted her in the rotting moss and dirt laying in the hole. She looked so sweet there and so magical . . . so inviting. Oh, how I wish I could leave her there so that each day as I walked past on my way to work I could be inspired . . . I just know that she was right in her element, and that she had a very pleasant time playing there amongst the moss and leaves . . .



Alas, she is a travelling fairy though, and it was not long before she made her way to a windowsill, having been intrigued by the blown glass panels that spot them here and there at the front of the house, near the never used front doorway . . .



The next thing I knew, she had made her way down to the windowsill in front of the window which lets the light into our laundry room, still carrying her treasured berry so blue. I think she really likes my new curtains, but then again . . . she is a blue fairy afterall, and she lives in the country.

Before too long though, I cup her in my hands and carry her back in to the house where it's warmer, and the smell of baking cookies helps her, and me, settle in for a nice hot cup of herbal tea and a cookie warm and fresh from the oven . . . one of Aunt Fern's Coconut Cookies. Not having any children around any more, I haven't had one of these delicious treats in years. My, but it's so very good to revisit an old friend like this after such a long absence . . . I love delicious friends such as these . . .



*Aunt Ferns Coconut Cookies*
Makes about 4 dozen

Aunt Fern was my ex husband's Aunt on his mother's side. She lives in an rambling old farmhouse set amongst huge old oak trees in the beautiful countryside of rural Prince Edward Island, and these cookies are exactly what country cooking is all about. Crisp, buttery, wholesome and moreish as the British say. I bet you can't eat just one!

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped pecan nuts (not in the original recipe, but something I like to add)

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Line some baking sheets with aluminum foil and then spray them lightly with cooking spray.

Cream together the butter and the sugars, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Stir this into the creamed mixture. Stir in the coconut, oats and pecan nuts. Mix well.

Drop by tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and let sit on the baking sheet for several minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

I was really excited the other day to find out that Marye of Apron Strings and Simmering Things had decided to gift me with an award! I was thrilled to receive the Excellent Blog Award from her. Thanks so much Marye!!! You really made my day. As with anything good, this only gets better when you choose to share it and so, without further adieu I am sharing it with five other foodie blogs that I think are excellent and deserving of a bit of love.




Hannah of Hannah's Country Kitchen A finalist in last years Masterchef competition Hannah is always sharing little snippets of her country life with us and also great food. This lady can bake!

Maryann of Finding La Dolcevita NOBODY does food porn like Maryann. I love her wit and enthusiasm for everything Italian. This is a lovely blog.

Nic of Cherrapeno Nic is an ace baker and photographer. A lover of chilies and chocolate. She just lives in the next village to me and we often get together to compare foodie cooking notes and share recipes. She's a real great friend and her photos are wow.

Joy from Joy The Baker A relative newcomer, I fell in love with Joy's page the first time I happened upon it. She takes really, really good pictures and her page is inviting and homey.

Kevin of Closet Cooking I got addicted to Kevin's page very early on in my food blogging experience. He always has something lucious on his page and he writes a bit like Nigel Slater. Well worth the read.