The Leader • Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020 • Page 1B
Baking traditions bring joy during holidays Zarah Parker Managing Editor
In 2001, Garden Oaks residents Doug and Julie Mischlich started a cookie baking tradition. In the years since, that tradition has turned into a full holiday operation. “It started out delivering a plate of 30 or so cookies to 25 neighbors and friends,” Doug said. “There were nine different types of cookies that were a compilation of simple family recipes we received from our parents. They took a couple days to bake and delivery weekend was, and still is, three weeks before Christmas.” Now a box of cookies from the Mischliches average 100 per box, with 15 different types including the original nine, and are delivered to up to 65 families. “It has become quite the logistical event to bake the cookies over a five-day period and then deliver them from Friday through Sunday,” Doug said. “Some dropoffs are quick while others may involve conversation and a cocktail. As times have changed, this dropoff is the only time we see some families.” The only years the Mischliches have missed this tradition was in 2009, due to Hurricane Ike, and this year, because of COVID-19. “I am a spreadsheet kind of guy, so the shopping list is generated by adjusting the number of boxes, batches and cookies,” Doug said. “It takes 45 pounds of flour, 30 pounds of butter, 50 pounds of sugar, 14 dozen eggs, 1.75 liters of rum, etc.”
Contributed photo Amy Williams’ son, Rhett, cuts out sugar cookies. Williams and her family make cookies and a blueberry cream cheese French toast casserole every year as a Christmas tradition.
Last year, the family made rum balls, tea kisses, spiced nuts, candy canes, magic squares, ginger snaps, almond cookies, pressed cookies, pralines, salted toffee
bars, Rollo treats, macarons, cinnamon pinwheels and cocoa snowflakes. “The yearly Christmas event is so much fun for our family in see-
ing people and seeing the joy they get from the cookies,” Doug said. The Mischliches aren’t alone in keeping baking traditions alive because of the joy it brings others
during the holidays. Another local resident, Amy Williams, makes sugar cookies every year and decorates them with her children. And on Christmas Eve she makes a blueberry cream cheese French toast casserole for Christmas morning. “It’s two things the kids look forward to every year,” Williams said. “So much so that they start talking about it before Thanksgiving.” For Williams’ blended family, she said keeping the tradition is important because it’s special to them. Oak Forest resident Susan Moreno bakes an assortment of cookies to give to teachers and coworkers every year. She said they look forward to them. “I enjoy baking them. And I think it shows to those who receive them that we think they are important enough to spend time doing something for them,” Moreno said. “Traditions, like this one, are important to show others you care and because they are an opportunity to be festive and celebrate.” For some people, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas without continuing their baking tradition. This is how Garden Oaks resident Frannie Gary feels. Her mom always made candy at Christmas: chocolate, butterscotch, divinity fudge and pralines. And now Gary says it doesn’t feel like the holiday until she has made them. And while most traditions bring joy to all, Garden Oaks resident Aitu Taube said she likes to torture her children with a Christmas morning tradition. “I make an egg and sausage ‘Christmas wreath’ every year for breakfast on Christmas morning,” Taube said. “Our kids hate it but we love it, so they obligingly eat it in exchange for opening gifts.”
Local bakers give tips for making cookies By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com
Allan Hursig believes cookies bring warmth and love to the holidays. “Everyone has an image of that special cookie baked by someone they love during the holidays,” Hursig said, “and that nostalgia just brings such comfort and pause to our lives when we are trying to get by and survive probably the most stressful time of the year.” Hursig, who recently opened his Heights bakery The Bearded Baker at 518 W. 11th St., is known for his decorated sugar cookies. Letting
himself be creative and try new things is how he said he learned most of what knows now. So when giving tips to those baking and decorating at home, he said to also let themselves, and their children, be creative. “For families decorating cookies at home, the first tip I would give is to go into decorating cookies with a fun and excited attitude,” Hursig said. “They’re cookies. They’re supposed to bring joy and lasting memories.” Hursig also said people don’t need fancy equipment to decorate sugar cookies at home. A Ziplock bag with ic-
ing with the tip cut off works fine as a piping bag. If home bakers are going for a fancier cookie, then Hursig said the key is patience. If cookies need to cool, let them do so completely, and if the icing needs to dry, let it. Hursig said the process ends up taking longer if you rush through it. “My biggest tip for baking from home is to buy a kitchen scale and try to measure ingredients in grams or ounces as much as you can,” Hursig said. “Baking is a science and consistency is crucial.” He also suggests making See Cookies, P. 2B
Pictured are holiday cookies from The Bearded Baker at 518 W. 11th St.
Photo from Facebook
Review: Fluff Bake Bar has fun with treats By Zarah Parker
caramel buttercream. If you’re the type of person to eat some cookie dough as you bake cookies, the Booty Call Brownie is worth a try. It’s a brownie topped with chocolate chip cookie dough. The dough does not contain raw eggs. Eating it is a lot like one might think — it’s like eating cookie dough on top of a brownie. What I never knew
zarah@theleadernews.com
Cookies are more fun at Fluff Bake Bar, which has a selection of classic cookies with an upgraded twist, along with staples you can’t find anywhere else. The other dessert options at Fluff are just as good, too. The Unicorn Bait cookie is one of my favorites. It’s a sugar cookie with birthday cake crumb and covered with sprinkles. If I had to bet, I would say it is pretty enough, and delicious enough, to bring even a unicorn out of hiding. The birthday cake crumb and the amount of sprinkles really elevate this simple cookie. The cookie is soft and sweet. The times I’ve purchased this cookie, it didn’t last very long. A cookie you can only find at Fluff is The Couch Potato. It’s filled with potato chips, milk chocolate chips, pretzel sticks, cornflake crunch and mini marshmallows. Does it make you feel like an actual couch potato after eating it? Yes. But is it worth it? Yes. The salty and sweet combination of ingredients is really what made me love this cookie. It’s like stuffing your mouth with different snacks and all the different flavors end up working. The Birthday Cake Whoopie Pie almost became my favorite after I first tried it. It’s two birthday cake cookies sandwiched with vanilla buttercream. With the creami-
before is how much the two would complement each other. The dough makes the whole brownie sweeter, so I ended up sharing my brownie so I wasn’t too sugar-wired. What I like most about Fluff is that there’s always something new and different to try. Even if it’s something that’s been done, like birthday cake, Fluff still puts its own spin on it.
Fluff Bake Bar Address: 1701 W. 15th St. Hours: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday, noon – 5 p.m. Sunday Pricing: $2.35 - $5 (this does not include full cakes/pies) Kid-friendly: Yes Alcohol: No Healthy options: No Star of the show: Unicorn Bait
#1 SHIPLEY DO-NUTS IN HOUSTON Contributed photo Unicorn Bait cookies are the star of the show at Fluff Bake Bar, located at 1701 W. 15th St.
ness of the buttercream, the cookies are given an extra softness. Biting into it is a lot like eating a slice of Funfetti cake. So, if you don’t have time for cake, this handheld option is the perfect replacement. Fluff ’s SHO cookie is its version of an Oreo. It’s hard to compete with a lifelong favorite of mine, but I really enjoyed Fluff ’s version. The filling tasted pretty similar to that of an Oreo but without all the preservatives. The chocolate cookie sandwiching the filling reminded me of the cookie part of ice cream sandwiches. Of the non-cookie selection at Fluff, I love the Cup|Cakes, which is Fluff ’s
idea of what’s next for the cupcake. It’s basically cake in a cup. I’ve tried both the Birthday Cake and Veruca Salt flavors. The Birthday Cake is Funfetti cake with chocolate buttercream, sprinkles and cake crumbles. As my fork went through the layers in the cup, it picked up a little bit of all the ingredients. It is really like a slice of cake in a cup, which makes it easy for storage and portion size. The Veruca Salt is devil’s food cake with salted caramel buttercream, pretzel crunch and chocolate crunchy pearls. As much as I love Funfetti cake, this one ended up being my favorite of the two because of the salted
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Page 2B • Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020 • The Leader
Food briefs: Christmas-themed pub crawl upcoming By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com
Cedar Creek Bar & Grill, 1034 W. 20th St., is hosting the Holly Jolly Pub Crawl and Toy Drive this Saturday. The event begins at The Boot, 1206 W. 20th St., at 5 p.m. Crawlers then will visit Drift, Bungalow Heights, McIntyre’s, Wicklow Heights and Preslee’s. At 8 p.m., Cedar Creek will have a “Best Santa” contest and the winner will receive a $100 prize. Toy donations are for the Pancho Claus Toy Drive. New ice house on Washington Avenue Last weekend, Memorial Trail Ice House opened in the Juergen building, which is a historic building at 6202 Washington Ave. The location includes a halfacre of outdoor seating, with covered and heated sections. The bar boasts of 18 beers on tap and crafted cocktails. The ice house also serves light snacks and will have food trucks on site. Bourbon goodie box Eight Row Flint, 1039 Yale St., has put together a holiday goodie box for bourbon lovers. The box includes three 50-milliliter samplers, including Eagle Rare, aged 10 years has a palate described as a rich
oak and caramel; Knob Creek, aged six years with a palate described as leather with a bit of vanilla and baseball park peanuts; and Old Forester, aged five years with a palate described as a cigar and tobacco spice bomb. The box also comes with pre-batched Old Fashioneds for two, with Old Bardstown Bourbon, piloncillo and angostura bitters. Each box is $75. Call 832767-4002 to order.
Pictured is the Memorial Trail Ice House.
Photo from Instagram
Pre-ordering bread for Christmas Artisana Bread, 965 Pinemont Dr., is taking preorders for breads and desserts. See the pre-order menu at http://www.artisanabread. com. Deadline to order is Dec. 21. Cookies benefiting charity Common Bond, 449 W. 19th St., is selling rolls of cookie dough to benefit the Texas Children’s Hospital. These “Cookies for Santa” chocolate chip cookie dough makes six cookies. For every roll sold, $5 will benefit Texas Children’s. Buy one, get one at Flying Fish Every Tuesday, Flying Fish at 1815 N. Durham Dr. is giving away free food. When you buy one meal to
Photo from Instagram Pictured is the Bourbon goodie box offered by Eight Row Flint in the Heights.
go, you get one free. This is for to-go orders only. Holiday meal package BCK, 933 Studewood St., has put together a holiday dinner package, available for pickup on Dec. 24. The package, which is $200, includes one protein with sides and dessert. It feeds 4-5 people. The protein options are dry-
aged prime rib roast, brown sugar baked ham and bourbon cranberry pork loin. The sides are mac n’ cheese, scalloped potatoes, maple-glazed root vegetables, rolls and butter as well as your choice of green beans, green bean casserole or broccoli. For desserts, choose between eggnog bread pudding and pecan pie. Protein options are also available a la carte.
Pictured is the flyer for the Holly Jolly Pub Crawl and Toy Drive to be hosted Saturday by Cedar Creek Bar & Grill in the Heights.
Cookies, from P. 1B gingerbread cookies because the dough is easy to make and the cookies are easy to cut and decorate. Samantha Peterson, owner of Underwater Oven, which is a vendor at Eleanora’s Market, 2120 Ella Blvd., said you can’t go wrong with a simple sugar cookie recipe, especially since you can change the extract to give it a new flavor. “And, really, you can’t mess up a sugar cookie,” Peterson said. Peterson’s tips for baking cookies at home includes not handling the dough too much because it will get tough and become less enjoyable. If using royal icing, Peterson said not to add too much water. It’s better to have too little and add later, because once it’s in you can’t take it out. “It’s better to start with less and slowly add until you get to the consistency you’d like,” Peterson said. “Too much water will cause the icing to be runny and you won’t get those pretty details.”
Photo from Facebook
Pictured are holiday cookies from Underwater Oven.
Peterson also said to use room-temperature butter when making cookies, and you can soften it by microwaving it in five-second increments without letting it melt. After cutting out sugar cookies, put them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to help prevent
spreading. “Every cookie is different and beautiful,” Peterson said. “No matter what, it’s your own creation and piece of art so just have fun with it.” And don’t forget the sprinkles.
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The Leader • Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020 • Page 3B
Coughing up the facts on barfing dog For vomiting, the name of the game is keeping your dog hydrated after vomiting and feeding her stomach-soothing foods afterward. If the vomiting persists and/or is accompanied by diarrhea or other symptoms, a trip to the vet is in order ASAP. For regurgitation, you’ll want to do what you can to slow down your dog’s eating. Look for a “slow feeder” food bowl, which has nooks and crannies that the food fits into, which forces your dog to work harder for each piece of kibble, thus thwarting the “snowplow” eating style. If you don’t want to spend the money on a new bowl, you can feed her in a shallow pie pan, where the kibble will spread out in a single layer, keeping her from gobbling too quickly. Also try feeding her several small meals a day instead of one of two large ones. This might encourage her to eat more slowly and to eat less in one sitting, allowing her body to digest the food more completely. Here’s hoping that these tips help and that your dog will be back on the road to health and wellness in no time flat!
loud stomach gurgling, too. When a dog vomits, their muscles tense and their stomach heaves and they expel the contents of their stomach (typically all over your expensive new rug). You’ll see food particles, saliva and sometimes bile as well. There are several causes for vomiting in dogs, including (but not limited to) ingesting something they shouldn’t have, motion sickness, intestinal parasites and serious health problems. You should be concerned when the vomiting doesn’t stop, if there is blood present and if your dog is lethargic and just not herself.
Dear Tabby, Our 11 year old dog throws up more than I feel is normal. Sometimes it’s just kind of a dry cough that turns into her “spitting up,” and sometimes it’s a full-blown, retching vomit. Should we be concerned? Barfing in Brooke Smith Dear Barfing in Brooke Smith, You’re right to be a little concerned about our dog’s frequent throwing up. While throwing up can have several different causes, it’s not a normal behavior for a dog to have regularly and it is important for us to suss out the whys of your dog’s barfing behaviors.
Regurgitation Regurgitation looks little like vomiting but is a different action altogether. Typically, a dog who eats too fast and gulps large mouthfuls of food will regurgitate after eating. Regurgitating sounds like the hacking cough that you’ve described and usually is less of a whole-body act, like vomiting is. Shortly after regurgitating her food, your dog is probably back to her old self, and will likely try to eat the food that she just barfed up (sorry, but you know it’s true).
Vomiting vs. regurgitation First up, let’s define what vomiting is and how it differs from regurgitation. If you’re a pet owner, you probably have come to recognize the signs that your dog is about to vomit. The pacing, the drooling, tail-tucked and a look of imminent doom on her face. Vomit might be preceded by
City animal shelter hosting series of community events By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
BARC, the city of Houston’s animal shelter and adoption center, is offering a series of free events through the end of December to provide resources for pet owners who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with Best Friends Animal Society, Rescued Pets Movement (RPM), Houston PetSet and Emancipet, BARC will provide more than $550,000 in COVID-related, community pet support
throughout the holidays, according to a news release from the city. Among events offered will be a foster and transport program, which will run all month. There will be Houston PetSet emergency vet services offered Dec. 23 and 30 at locations across the city by appointment only. There will be an adoption weekend this weekend, Dec. 18-19, and a pet/supplies food bank distribution (first come, first served) on Saturday, Dec. 19 at the BARC shelter, locat-
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ed at 3300 Carr St. The shelter will also host free “pet wellness weeks” Dec. 20-23 and Dec. 26-30 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. by appointment only. “During this time of need it is important not to forget about our four-legged friends,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. Events are open to all residents impacted by the pandemic. For more information on the events and how to register, community members can visit houstontx.gov/barc or call 311.
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Page 4B • Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020 • The Leader
Heights records long-awaited playoff win By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Even when the Heights Bulldogs suffered their lone loss of the 2020 football season to Fort Bend Travis on Oct. 16, head coach Stephen Dixon had a sense about the team’s direction. “We were right there at the end – the kids didn’t point fingers or place blame, they just fought back,” Dixon said. “At that moment, I figured this could be a pretty special team moving forward.” The season has played out that way, with the Bulldogs having validated Dixon’s confidence in them. Heights led wire-to-wire in taking down Cypress Creek 39-21 last Saturday in a Class 6A Division II bi-district playoff
game at Delmar Stadium, advancing to the area round for the first time since 2013. The Bulldogs (7-1), who already possess their winningest season since 2015, will take on Katy Taylor (82) out of District 19-6A at 7 p.m. Friday at Delmar Stadium. Heights junior quarterback Jalen Morrison had his most prolific passing game of the season against Cy Creek, throwing for 293 yards and three touchdowns, including strikes of 31 and 61 yards to Kendric Rhymes. Morrison added a first-quarter rushing touchdown, his fifth of the season. Rhymes, who added a rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter, has a team-leading 16 total touchdowns on the season.
Leading receiver Keyondrick Douglas also hauled in a 47-yard scoring strike from Morrison in the third quarter, while senior running Patrick McDowell punched it in from 1 yard out just before the half to give the Bulldogs a 25-7 lead at the break. On the defensive side of the ball, junior cornerback Sy Johnson picked up his second interception of the season near the goal line late in the game to essentially Heights’ sixth straight victory. The Bulldogs’ stingy defense (16.9 points per game game) largely held Brad Jackson and the Cougars’ high-scoring offense (31.9 points per game coming in) in check. Follow us on social media @ FromTheLeader
Photo from Twitter Heights High School football players celebrate after securing the District 18-6A championship earlier this year.
First phase of Spring Branch Trail complete By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
A plan to connect the White Oak Bayou Greenway with trails to the west has taken its first step toward coming to fruition. The Spring Branch Management District, along with the Houston Parks Board and Houston Parks and Recreation Department, unveiled the first segment of the new Spring Branch Trail on Dec. 10. The 10-foot wide concrete trail for hiking and cycling, which cost $1.7 million to construct, stretches between Blalock Road and Wirt Road along the CenterPoint Energy easement north of Hammerly Boulevard and
south of Kempwood Drive. Subsequent phases are planned for the Spring Branch Trail, which aims to ultimately connect the White Oak Bayou Greenway that runs through Oak Forest and the Heights area with the Addicks Resevoir trail near the Energy Corridor. “We are serving more than Spring Branch,” Pat Maddox, board chairperson for the management district, said in a news release. “Phase 1 of the trail is a key piece of a planned network that will connect the Houston area like nothing Houston has seen before at a time when people are looking for more ways to get around without sitting in traffic or creating
more pollution.” The project is being funded by the Spring Branch Management District, and the Houston Parks Board managed the design and construction of the first segment. The parks and recreation department managed the contract between the district and the city for the design, construction and maintenance of the trail. Josh Hawes, deputy executive director of the management district, said earlier this year that the entire trail project spans 11 miles, will cost at least $7 million and could take at least three years to complete. For more information, visit www.sbmd.org.
Contributed photo A 2.4-mile segment of a new hike-and-bike trail in Spring Branch was recently completed.
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