When my kids were little, it was not uncommon for them to have a meltdown at the oddest times. After a fun day at the waterpark, some seemingly inconsequential thing would trigger a full blown scream-fest on the way home in the car. We called it the broken cookie syndrome.
It makes no sense to try and talk a child out of a tantrum. A broken cookie tastes the same as a whole one. But after a day of trying to hold it all together, the slightest infraction ie the broken cookie and the wheels fall off.
That’s what happened to me today. We have been four days of caring for our three year old twin granddaughters. We sang songs, read stories, did yoga, drew pictures, and walked to the park, all the things you do with young ones to pass the day. Let’s not forget naps, baths, and bandaids on skinned knees.
Don’t get me wrong, this was a volunteer gig to help out their parents. Except, the girls were supposed to be in school all day and our job was to transport to and from, feed them dinner and put them to bed. Easy peasy right? Runny noses from allergies made it impossible to go to school in the time of Covid. We thought they would get better as the week progressed but they never did.
Today I had my own broken cookie. I made a broccoli slaw which was a first for me. Raw broccoli, carrots and a peanut sauce. The slaw was my own version of a Pinterest recipe, substituting what I had on hand. Yummy. It was a bit of work and I was excited for dinner.
Lisa came to ask what she could do support dinner prep and I suggested she slice up some tomatoes and cucumbers for the burgers. She misunderstood and added them to my slaw.
I have NO idea why it upset me so badly. I wasn’t mad at her. But I found myself sitting in the bedroom senselessly boohooing. Dear God what is wrong with me? I blame it all on a broken cookie . The straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak. BTW the slaw was still delish.
DOS TORTAS
Broccoli Salad (This recipe lends itself to many options, adding pineapple or apple is nice too)
4 well packed cups small broccoli pieces, stems removed (~2 small-medium heads of broccoli) you can grate the inner stems too.
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup shredded carrot
½ cup dried cranberries
DRESSING:
½ cup plain nondairy yogurt
¼ cup vegan mayo
3 tbsp tahini (or peanut butter)
1 ½ tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp white miso (optional)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
¾ tsp fine grain kosher salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
Cheesy Roasted Sunflower Seeds
½ cup raw, unsalted sunflower seeds (or peanuts)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
¼ tsp salt
the adventures of dos tortas 
Loved your story. Have a few broken cookies myself of late. I keep saying, “this too shall pass”.
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I try not to let my life pass while waiting for things to get better. Gratitude gratitude.
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Love the story…. sometimes it just takes a hair to set us off. But you’ve had a wonderful whirlwind trip it seems!
Sorry I missed seeing y’all- had to go thru couple weeks of covid testing during that time due to possible exposure. All neg but you never know.
Broccoli slaw recipe sounds great, Going to make it soon.
Love to both of you and safe travels back to your little piece of paradise❤️
Shirley
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We’ll be in austin next week through the end of the month.
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I love little’uns but giving them back to their rightful owners is even better! 😉
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It was an experience, that’s for sure.
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I love that you call it broken cookie. I’ll be using that phrase from now on! I’ve had a number of those broken cookie moments myself.
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