Vince and wife Christine share a proud moment with their son, Joe, a new Boy Scout. "He has a very good heart," says Vince. "We lost his grandmother to cancer a couple years ago and he became friends with the child of the hospice nurse that took care of his grandmother during her final days. Out of the blue he came to us and said that he and Jacob had the idea to not get presents for their birthdays, but to ask their friends to donate to the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society instead. It's things like that that make you feel that maybe you are doing the right thing as a parent."
“I’m thankful for quite a bit but most of all, I’m thankful for my family,” says Vince Schaff, who cooks for his wife Christine and son Joe in Waterbury, Connecticut. “I couldn’t have asked for better parents. We were not rich but I never wanted for anything. They are the best people I know.
“My mom was always so patient in our kitchen and I learned so much from her about eating well. I think I was cooking compete meals for our family by the time I was in 7th grade. My parents would come home from work and eat whatever I had tried to make. I remember taking one of my mom’s wire whisks and cutting the ends off of it so that I could use it to dip in melted sugar to make a spun sugar bird’s nest for a dessert. She didn’t get mad!
“At the holidays, we always have Kolaches, a cream cheese cookie that my family has been making for a very long time. It’s one of the favorites on the yearly cookie plates we give at Christmas. I bake enough to give platters to about 15 families.”
For another favorite on Vince’s cookie platter, Date Nut Bars, check out the Thanksgiving 2010 catalog.
These cute little traditional cookies from Vince have a nice burst of fruity flavor.
For the dough: Cream together the butter, cream cheese and VANILLA. Reserve 1/4 cup of the flour for rolling out the dough (Vince uses a pastry cloth to make it extra easy). Sift together the remaining flour and the salt. Gradually beat into the butter mixture. Wrap the dough in waxed paper. Chill in the freezer for 1/2 hour. Make the filling while chilling.
For the filling: Peel and pit the peaches and cut into chunks. Put in a small heavy saucepan with the VANILLA SUGAR, CINNAMON and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for 10 minutes. Use a hand masher to smoosh if needed (really juicy peaches pretty much dissolve). Reduce the heat to very low, drizzle in the ARROWROOT mixed with water. One tsp. is usually fine for apples, plums, etc. Sometimes really juicy peaches need 2 tsp. Let cool before using for filling.
Preheat oven to 400°. Remove the dough from the freezer. Roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a pastry cloth or table dusted with the reserved flour. Use a glass to cut out rounds (about 2 to 2 1/2 inches round). Make an indentation in the center with your thumb and place 1 tsp. of fruit filling in the center. Place on cookie sheets 1 inch apart. Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar when cool.
Nutritional Information: Servings 24;
Serving Size 2 cookies (31g); Calories 100; Calories from fat 70; Total fat 7g; Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 75mg; Carbohydrate 8g; Dietary Fiber 0g.
