Fierce Foodie: Pumpkin Spice Sure is Nice

I was walking in old town Alexandria, Virginia this past weekend and was lucky enough to catch a street performance by Jamey Turner, a musical genius whose hands literally fly across the mouths of water glasses to create a magical sound somewhere between an organ and a flute.  His table of water-filled vessels ranges from shot glass to brandy snifter size, all of which are weighted down to keep them from moving when he plays.  It’s called the glass harp, and it’s impossible to watch him play without smiling.

People immediately gathered at the sounds, amazed and delighted, and some took pictures and video as the glass harp player swayed and leaned over his instrument.  The expressions of wonder I saw on the various members of the crowd made me think about how as children we were constantly discovering new and wonderful things, and how those experiences become rarer and rarer as we get older.

It occurred to me (because my mind always comes back to pastry, no matter what) that singing water glasses and holiday cookies both elicit a feeling of delight and childlike joy.  And while talent like that of Mr. Turner is a unique and irreplaceable phenomenon, cookies are a little bit of everyday magic we can all make.

Unbelievably Good and Incredibly Easy Pumpkin Spice Cookies

(from AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and pumpkin until well blended. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

featured image credit: Rakka