creampuffs for breakfast
just one of the side benefits
being sixty five
Way back in the forever never land of childhood, I read a book of Paul Bunyan stories and one of the stories was all about the lumber camp cookhouse and the head cook, Hot Biscuit Slim and his helper, Cream Puff Fatty, who made the desserts.
The story was how Hot Biscuit Slim planned the best Sunday Dinner ever and he claimed there would be so much food, the lumberjacks would have no room for dessert.
According to the book (Paul Bunyan Swings His Axe), Hot Biscuit Slim said, “Tomorrow, I am going to have the best Sunday dinner of the year. When the men are through eating my hot biscuits with jelly, spinach, cucumbers, young red radishes, and chicken pie, they won’t be able to eat a mouthful of dessert.”
A claim that Cream Puff Fatty took as a challenge.
The books says that Cream Puff Fatty called the dessert boys together and said. “We will make cream puffs that will melt in your mouth! Light creamy ones with whipped cream a foot high! We shall see if they refuse to eat dessert!”
After the dinner was served and the lumberjacks were stuffed full of hot biscuits with jelly, spinach, cucumbers, young red radishes, and chicken pie, Cream Puff Fatty went into action.
“Now is the time, boys!” cried Cream Puff Fatty. The dessert boys strapped on their roller skates and started down the long tables.
“Cream puffs! Cream puffs!” the men shouted as they saw large plates of fluffy white cakes topped with whipped cream. With a shout they picked up their forks and started eating again. Not a man left the dining room! Every single cream puff was eaten!
Well, sir but, Boy Howdy, I have had a weakness for cream puffs ever since.
Problem is that I never found any that met the mark set by Cream Puff Fatty.
That is until my wife started making them back years ago.
I have never seen her bake them, it usually happens when I am at work, but I come home to find a plate of them and I have to shout, “Cream puffs! Cream puffs!”
When the kids were in the house, we would all angle to get as many off the platter as we could and more kids fell for the HEY LOOK OVER THERE to lose a cream puff off their plate then I can count.
In place of a cake, the cream puffs are my birthday dessert of choice and this year was no different.
I came home from work to find a platter of cream puffs out on the counter but had to wait until after dinner.
For dinner we found a nice out of the way place along the Beaufort River in Port Royal and the waiter asked, without knowing of course, if we wanted dessert.
I shook my head and laughed and almost yelled that we were going home to have Cream puffs! Cream puffs!
Home and candles stuck into a cream puff with some of the kids on video call, I got to hear Happy Birthday sung as only my family can … and then it was time for Cream puffs! Cream puffs!
And so I turned 65.
I got up this morning and there in the fridge were something I didn’t see too often.
Left over cream puffs.
I took out the box and opened it and looked at into it for a minute.
Maybe less than a minute.
And I thought, what the heck, I am 65!
And I had cream puffs with my coffee for breakfast!
What a way to start the next chapter!
Don’t get much better than that!
BOY!
HOWDY!
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