Giving the gift of food is the act of giving love. We have a long history of families who show love to their children and one another through the act of cooking, putting food on the table and enjoying it together.

Is baking cookies the ultimate way of showing you care? I think so.

My Mom had a tough time saying she cared about you. Was it a cultural thing? An age thing? I don’t know! What I do know is that she showed she cared through her cooking. And at the holidays, she, along with her sisters and her own mother, did it by baking cookies. Lots of cookies, in all different shapes and sizes.

When my Mom’s arthritis made it nearly impossible to bake anymore, I think it pained her more not to be able to make the cookies than the physical pain itself.

It has taken me more than half my life to figure this out: Why it was so important that her cookies were better than the others? (They were, by the way.) Not because the cookies as a physical being were so important; it was the love that she put into them that she could feel, that she wanted you to feel.

The cookies represented her “being”. The rewards, for her, were all the compliments and the thanks she got for baking.

I remember that one year, as a child who could barely see over the counter, I managed to eat more than half the crescent cookies she had made before she spotted my little hand...trouble I was in for sure, mad she was for sure, but she was smiling, too.

I have a memory of her fabulous crescent cookies (recipe below) which were better than everyone else’s and will always be. Not because they are actually better, but because it is a cherished memory that can’t be replaced.

The cookies I make today are nothing like the ones my Mom made.

I started 15 blue moons ago with a monster cookie that consisted of peanut butter, instant oats and lots of M&M’s. The goal for the cookie at the time was sustenance and lots of calories you could eat while on the go. I have been trying to improve them so they taste even better. So far, the squirrels are enjoying them.

My biggest current success is the Chocolate Cocoa Crinkle Cookie. The recipe is a based on the classic crinkle cookie. Our version is gluten- and dairy- free, which was the intent. A batch takes about 48 hours to disappear at home.

The future looks bright. I plan to make better cookies this year, the perfect sugar cookie and cookies made with almond paste are my goals.

I am also thinking it might be entertaining to make some super tedious, way-too-many-ingredients cookies, or some cookie that surprise you when you take a bite. I like cookies that are crispy, so maybe I will try to find a soft gooey recipe I like....

My goal this year is to make as many cookies as I can.

Cheers and Happy Everything to you from all of us at ChefShop.com.

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This recipe comes from my Mom. Though I expect it is similar to many others. My niece said that she always doubles the recipe.

See the Viennese Crescents Recipe here!

For almost 15 years we have made panettone French toast on Christmas morning as our family tradition.

The trick is to not dry out the bread and to only quickly dip the bread in the egg quickly, or you will be having a panettone multiple egg omelette.

Any panettone works great to make French toast from and it is always crazy good! Rich, sweet, delicious and wow!

See the easy Panettone French Toast Recipe here!

Sugar cookies are supereasy to make, a blast to shape and quick to bake. You can eat them straight, or dress them up with pretty sugar, frosting, chocolate or jam. This is a versatile, simple sugar cookie recipe to which you can add cinnamon, cardamom or another spice of your choice.

See the Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe Here!

Circa 1960 - the origins of this recipe might be as old as 600 A.D.! And most likely arrived on our shores from England where history says that the King liked them and carried the recipe in his pocket...in 1458. Not quite sure this is all true. Still, we can surmise that the recipe is old.

See the Cinnamon Jumbles Recipe Here!

Chatters - Here is an oatmeal pie that tastes and looks like a pecan pie. A pie with origins in the civil war? When pecans were in short supply?

See the Oatmeal Pie recipe here!

This is the recipe my mother used. She clipped this from The Boston Globe several decades ago.

See Mom’s Congee Recipe here!

If you haven’t tried this recipe it is easy and awesome. We have published this recipe here many times in the news before, but just in case you need it this weekend....

See the Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe here!

I cannot remember who gave me this recipe...it was a long time ago, but thank you!

I used to make this for the crew when we had an exceptionally tough and long shot list for the day. Calories and sugar are important to getting things done with a smile on your face.

This cookie recipe came about when I filmed the original monster truck Big Foot, at a Monster Truck Rally in the Kingdome - way back when - and the cookie became a "Monster" (not a "Big Foot").

The key was to double or triple this recipe, use margarine instead of butter, and both chips and M&M's. Then make balls of dough ice cream scoop size or bigger. Don't cook it too long, as it is meant to be a little soft'ish and it will tighten up as it cools.

I think they keep, I can't quite remember. If there were any left after a day of shooting crime scenes, my friend Scout and I would eat them for dinner. Those were the days.

See the Monster Cookie Recipe here!

This easy and classic cookie is fabulous year round and dressed up with fancy sugar for the holidays! Plan to make the dough the day before and then chill overnight. I think the GF is better.

See the Chocolate Cocoa Crinkle Cookies Recipe here!