Yesterday was the last day of Chinese New Year and I know this because my next door neighbour told me last night. Being a yoga teacher who teaches on Sunday mornings, I don't go out much on Saturday nights and it's quite normal for me to be at home in the evenings. What I'm about to tell you is also not that unusual as I've lived here for almost 10 years and so have my neighbours, but last night was different.
I'm sitting on the couch watching 30 Rock reruns when there's a knock at the door around 8:30. I have a doorbell, so when someone knocks, I know it's a different thing. I go to the door and it's my next door neighbour with a big bowl of what looks like matzo ball soup. Li asks me if I've already eaten and here's some dessert. Li's given me food before but never dessert!
Not only had I already eaten, but I'd decided to make some chocolate cookies, and because I'd followed the recipe, I had made almost 48 of them. After eating half a dozen or so already, I was noticing my mistake and making a plan to freeze the rest of them, after I finished baking them all of course. So when Li was at the door I asked her to wait - I had something for her and I piled on almost a dozen hot cookies onto a plate and sent her back to her place.
I tucked into these hot sesame balls even though I was full because I figured I can't ignore the food that had just come as a gift after all. Fun taste! It was like taking a trip to an unfamiliar place.
A few minutes later there's another knock at the door. She's returning my plate but it's loaded with Chinese New Years candies on it. For heaven's sake. Relieved, I give her another plate of cookies - an excuse to get these things out of my house. She doesn't want to take the plate so she takes them in handfuls. She tells me her kids loved them, in fact James had eaten 5 of them (good boy). He daughter wants the recipe. I tell her the recipe is on the bag of chocolate chips. Even though she's been in Canada a long time, Li still asks, what's that? I show her the bag and I tell her I'll show Nikki how to make them after school one day.
So I'm feeling a bit fat this morning but it's good. The multi-plate dessert exchange was a night to remember and I was happy to have been home to be the recipient of the Chinese New Year goodwill.
You can't tell by looking but these have sweet sesame filling and are warm!
Thankfully, this is the only remaining cookie in my house. It was warm last night.
