Mom on the Run for Feb. 9, 2012

Cookies a fundraising treat

I can’t pass up a fundraiser dinner. Particularly if it’s wrapped in a bulging Styrofoam container and there’s some sort of sauce dribbling out of one side.

Or grease. Either way.

One of the great things about working in newspapers is that I’ve gotten to live all over our state — and make extensive notes on what’s in those boxes.

Northwest Louisiana, where I grew up, is the land of fish fries. Crispy fillets of catfish, crunchy-on-the-outside-velvety-soft-on-the-inside hush puppies, and pinto beans or coleslaw, or sometimes both.

Later on, I moved to northeast Louisiana, where they barbecue to raise money. Those boxes usually house a juicy chicken quarter, salad and white bread. Ribs, brisket and sausage may also be inside, nestled in with buttery chunks of corn on the cob.

South Louisiana serves things that end in “alaya.” Heaping mounds of jambalaya or pastalaya are accompanied by white beans, salad and a roll. I like it best when the sausage has slightly crispy edges and picks up the taste of the big black pot it’s cooked in.

The best fundraisers have a bake sale attached. The trick in cooking for these is to make a treat that looks and tastes delicious, is easily divided, heat tolerant, and is, above all else, portable. No mile-high coconut cakes; think cookies, brownies, bars or fried pies.

The cookies at right are great for such occasions, as well as for school functions or any other time when you need a pretty, durable cookie.

Or because it’s a day that ends in “y.”