I am a lover of women. Don't get me wrong: I love men too. (We can talk more about that in June.) But this is May and of course each May in this country, we celebrate women, specifically mothers. I grew up with a feminist for a mother. In fact one of my earliest memories is of my mother telling me that I could go anywhere, do anything. And its funny that I have ended up as a cookie baker - not exactly the most daring profession for a woman! But I love it, its what I've chosen, and I think of it as a most independent, feminist choose. To choose something else would have been to deny what I actually wanted, for the sake of making a statement, instead of choosing from my heart. When I think of all of the women in my life, I am keenly aware that many of them (including myself) are not truly "mothers". Some are dog moms, some are cat moms, some are stepmothers, some just are amazing women free of any label. And, still some, are incredible, wonderful, generous full fledged "moms". Many of these women have inspired cookies. There is the Julia 96 - a shortbread created for Julia Child's 96th birthday (no, she didn't live that long but I celebrate her birth each year regardless). There is Gracies - named after my adorable niece. There is Grandma Rosie's Oat which isn't actually her recipe but the flavors of pecan and coconut are all Grandma. And speaking of coconut, the Coconut with Blueberries is most definitely my mom's. It wasn't developed with her in mind but she has become a hoarder of this cookie, snatching it out of any care package and storing it who knows where so that she "gets her share". With Mother's Day approaching I want to encourage each of you to give your mom - or daughter, sister, girlfriend, soul mate - some extra love - and maybe some cookies too. You can order: the online store is ready and rocking.