Angela Crocker

Write. Teach. Organize.

Peanut Butter Cookie Connections

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Peanut butter cookies have been on my mind a lot lately. They are a source of comfort, nourishment, distraction, and connection — especially when we’re living a digital life during a pandemic. So, I’m sharing my recipe in case you are also looking for some of these things.

More Than Nourishment

Orders to stay at home unless necessary mean we have less to talk about online. We’re not going to in-person plays and concerts. We’re not browsing at the mall. (Although, we are picking up staple groceries, sometimes including peanut butter.) We’re not traveling to faraway places. We’re not volunteering in our communities. And, frankly, you can only have so many conversations about COVID-19.

To fill the conversational void, some of us turn to food. I think cooking and baking are about more than nourishment. Food is about community — even when we have to be physically distant. It’s about the connections and interactions that happen when we talk about food: something so universal.

Recipe Connections

Baking nurtures all sorts of connections online. My Facebook feed is filled with friends baking sourdough bread and tips to get the perfect crust. My Instagram feed offers a steady diet of cinnamon buns baked by my friends and connections. I’ve been baking lots of things, too, and sharing photos of bread, scones, and peanut butter cookies. I imagine you’ve had some online conversations about food, too.

One beautiful thing about the internet is we can find a recipe for almost anything instantly. Unfortunately, the internet is also unreliable. Too often, a newly-discovered recipe fails. The ingredient list might be incomplete or there could be a key instruction missing. This is why we rely on recipes from friends and family, even in the digital age.

While I have a robust cookbook collection, my baking recipes come from people I’ve known. My former colleague Tanya shared her banana bread recipe with me. My long-time friend Moira shared her recipe for scones. My grandmother’s molasses brown bread recipe was given to me by my aunt. And, with this blog post, I’m sharing my mom’s peanut butter cookie recipe with you.

These kinds of recipe connections give you confidence in the recipe, and you get to think fondly of the person who gave it to you every time you bake it.

Peanut Butter Cookies

So, here it is, from me, for you. My mom’s delicious peanut butter cookie recipe:

  • 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ½ cup butter or shortening
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda

Yields 3 dozen

  1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Place racks (or foil) on the counter for cooling.
  2. Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add egg. Beat again just until blended.
  3. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to the creamed mixture at low speed. Mix until blended. Do not overmix.
  4. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of a fork.
  5. Bake (one baking sheet at a time) for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and beginning to brown. Do not overbake.
  6. Cool for two minutes on the cookie sheet. Remove cookies to racks (or foil) to cool completely.
  7. Store in an airtight container for up two weeks. Cookies freeze well for up to a month.

Two peanut butter cookies sit on a blue and white paper napin. The cookies have a cross hatch pattern made with the tines of a fork.Please be sure to practice safe food handling. Perishable ingredients such as eggs, butter, and milk need to be stored properly. And raw cookie dough includes raw egg which can contain nasty things like salmonella. Please be safe, even if you are tempted to taste the peanut butter cookie dough. I know it’s delicious. (Do what I say, not what I do!)

Giving Credit

I got this recipe from my Mum and it’s been a joyful part of my life for more than 40 years. My slightly stained recipe card is well used but it doesn’t tell me if my mom invented this recipe. I doubt it as she wasn’t one to develop recipes from scratch. Maybe it was on a jar of peanut butter or in one of her favorite magazines: Canadian Living or Chatelaine? I don’t know. If you know, please get in touch. I’d like to give credit to the chef who developed the recipe.

What I do know is that I share it here with love. Peanut-butter-cookie-filled love. Enjoy!

Education technology tests our patience

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Education technology is everywhere, and it is especially noticeable right now.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, webcams are in short supply. Families are dusting off old computers. Everyone’s testing the limits of their home internet connections. Students are missing their school friends. Parents are struggling. Teachers are juggling.

While it’s wonderful that we live in a time where technology keeps us connected, education technology is the source of a lot of frustration right now. Let’s break it down.

Lessons from teachers and for teachers

If you’re a teacher, you’ve been asked to embrace digital tools with little prep time. Suddenly, your homeroom is on Google Classroom, MS Teams, Zoom, or Bongo. To turn in-class activities into online activities you’re scouring the internet, consulting with colleagues, and making things up on the fly.

You’ve had to pivot to use education technology. If you hadn’t already mastered how to make a PDF, you’ve figured it out now. Teachers with ed-tech training are ramping up lessons and, concurrently, mentoring colleagues on how to use the tools to best effect. Plus, teachers are providing tech support to students and parents by email and phone.

Students embrace education technology

If you’re a student, you’ve been asked to embrace digital tools. You think you know it all because you’ve got TikTok mojo and are working on becoming internet famous. For school, you have to convince your sibling to give you a turn on the family computer. You’re looking for your assignments on OneNote, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Finding your daily lessons is a scavenger hunt across multiple digital tools. Education technology requires assignments to be uploaded or emailed to your teacher.

And you’re wondering who’s going to know if you really do 25 minutes of daily exercise as requested by your physical education teacher.

Parents step up

If you’re a parent, you’ve picked up some extra job titles to facilitate education technology. Overnight, you’ve become the procurement manager finding computers, peripherals, tablets, and cables to get your kids online. You’re also IT support, managing internet access, log-in passwords, and antivirus software. Then, there’s your role as tutor helping your child grasp the tools and the “new-new-new” math that’s so different from what you learned years ago.

You’re also worried about how much screen time is too much screen time. Meanwhile, you’re doing your own job or looking for work to keep your family afloat. And of course you’re a parent, whose most important tasks are to love and protect your children.

Abundance and scarcity

Technology is abundant, but do you have the right education technology? Your tween might have their own mobile phone but no computer. Maybe your family shares one computer. Do you have enough technology for every student in your household? What about the adults working from home?

If you need to buy some technology, money might be an issue. Computers and tablets are expensive and many families simply can’t afford them right now. Even if budget allows a purchase, smaller, needed items such as webcams, microphones, and green screens are in short supply at brick-and-mortar stores and online retailers.

Internet access is another expense to consider. Are students relying on the data package on their mobile phone or do they have home internet? I’ve read that some students without the internet at home are being encouraged to visit their school parking lots to access the Wi-Fi. Even families with home internet are discovering the limits to their internet speeds. With a family of three or more concurrently streaming video, many households don’t have enough bandwidth. If budget allows and your neighborhood is wired for higher capacity, you can consider upgrading your service, but it might be difficult to get a service call.

With all family members working and learning at home, space could be an issue. If your family lives in a compact apartment, you might be sharing a dining table or home office. The sound of one educational video might spill over to someone else’s video chat. Finding a quiet spot or some alone time to think or write might be impossible.

What to do

We’re all living the challenges of education technology in these trying times. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Focus on what’s most important: safety, sleep, hydration, food, comfort, cuddles. Remember that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs does not include Wi-Fi.

Be kind: Everyone’s emotions are running high. We’re all experiencing the stress and worry of a pandemic for the first time.

Practice patience: One task at a time. Acknowledge the learning curve. You’ve got this. Remember you can walk away and come back later.

Pick your battles: If completing a lesson is too much, let it go. A student won’t be held back a year for incomplete assignments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Communication is key: Keep parents informed. Ask teachers questions. Find accomodations, as needed. Keep talking to solve problems.

Vent when you need to but be mindful of your audience: Try to do it in private so students and teachers don’t hear.

Avoid unnecessary arguments: Now is not the time to debate the merits of MS Teams versus Google Classroom. Ditto video chat platforms. Use Zoom, Skype, Hangouts, etc. as needed.

Acknowledge differences: Different children have different abilities. Adults have different technical skills. Some have a knowledge of Macs but not PCs or vice versa. Not all people are neurotypical. Remember that a person’s technical skill isn’t linked to age alone.

Keep money in mind: Technology is expensive. Be grateful for what you have and acknowledge that others might not have as much.

Teaching is still teaching

Education technology is the tool, not the lesson. Teachers’ knowledge and skills go far beyond the apps and interfaces they are using to teach today. Parents, too, have a depth of knowledge and skills to share.

Think of the technology as a delivery truck. Students want deliveries from their teachers, and teachers look forward to deliveries from their students.

Together, students, teachers, and parents are figuring out education technology. And we’re all learning; every day.

Let me know about any educational technology snags you may be facing, or innovative solutions you’ve come up with during these challenging times.

Checklist for Your Next Live Stream

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Successful live streams don’t happen by accident. Consistent planning and preparation for each broadcast will help you gain confidence and give your viewers a dependable experience. Take the time to do each task for every live stream you do. With practice, these tasks will only take you a few minutes.

Start with the Basics

Before you go live, decide on your topic. The best live streams are focused on a specific subject. Have you picked a topic of interest to the audience? Be clear on what you will talk about.

Decide on a location where you will record your live stream. Are you filming in your office or on location? Will you be indoors or outdoors? Is the spot a public space or a private location? Do you need permission to live stream from this place?

Find your Gear

Of course, you’ll need your camera to record your live stream. The best camera for the job is the one you have with you. Whether you use a DSLR or a mobile phone camera, you can go live.

Once you’ve found your camera, check the batteries. Know that live streaming uses a lot of power so try to start with a full charge. You could also charge your camera while streaming. Plug it in at the office. Use a battery on location.

Shaky video will make your audience feel seasick. To stabilize your live stream, use a tripod. My current favorite is Switchpod — a tripod designed for live streaming. If you don’t have a tripod handy, stabilize your camera on a sturdy surface. Just be careful it won’t get knocked off and damaged!

Lighting is essential to make your live stream sparkle. Let your audience see you and the things you want to share. Natural light from the sun is flattering to everyone, and it’s free! Alternatively, you can arrange any lamps you have to shine light in the right places. Or invest in a ring light* or studio lights to create a live stream set with lots of lighting options.

Bad sound will drive your audience away faster than anything else. To capture the best possible audio, invest in a quality microphone. My favorite for in-office recordings is the Blue Yeti USB microphone and I love the results for the Rode SmartLav+ microphone on location. And, if you don’t have an external microphone, the one in your smartphone will work just fine.

Consider distractions

To improve your audio, be aware of background noise. Can you shut a window to minimize traffic sounds? Or bribe your kids with screen time for a few quiet minutes? Can you stand out of the wind so that moving air doesn’t create excess noise? As much as possible, record in a quiet space.

While you live stream, you are not available. Turn off notifications on your mobile phone. Let people nearby know you are in do-not-disturb mode. Tell your kids you’re about to be internet famous, and when you’re done, let them know you’re finished.

Look after yourself

In my opinion, the best live stream videos have a realness about them. The person on camera looks and acts like the real person they are rather than an actor playing a role. That said, you’ll probably want to check your appearance in the mirror. Have you got anything stuck in your teeth? Are you happy with your hair? Do you want to apply a fresh coat of lip gloss? Check your appearance to boost your confidence on camera.

Now, I’m going to sound like your mom for a minute. Do you need to pee? Do a quick bladder check and hit the restroom, if needed. There’s nothing more distracting than a full bladder.

While recording, you might get dry mouth or an unexpected cough. Hydration is key to keep your vocal cords fully operational. Take a minute to pour a glass of water, just in case. If you prefer, upgrade to coffee or a stiff drink, as suits your preference. If you really want to pay attention to the details, pick a mug that complements your location or topic.

Final Steps to Live Stream

Even with all this preparation, you might need to pluck up your courage. Live streaming is a vulnerable activity. You’re putting yourself out there in real time. Be brave. You’ve got this!

Never underestimate the power of a cleansing breath. Take time to breathe: Inhale then exhale and repeat. Breathing may calm your nerves and settle your mind. Use each breath to focus on what you want to say in your live stream. Use each breath to ground yourself in the here and now.

When you open your live streaming app, you’ll have the opportunity to write a brief caption describing your live stream. Use this copy to entice viewers to join you in real time and to encourage them to watch the replay. Whether you’re live streaming on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or another platform, you should have a chance to type in a short description.

And now it’s time to go live. This is your moment: Start your live video and share your ideas with the world. You can do this! I have faith in you!

To help you gain confidence with each live stream you do, I’d like to offer you this handy checklist; a condensed, one-page version of the tips above. Use it before every live stream. Fill in the form to get the checklist delivered to your email inbox.