friday feast: what is j. patrick lewis’s favorite cookie?

~ jama

Awhile ago, we learned that indefatigable former U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis likes Snickers bars.

Do you think he keeps a stash near his desk, reaching for a chocolaty bite of nougat, caramel and peanuts whenever he starts a new poem?

Maybe.

But.

For someone who writes that much, and that fast, there must be yet another treat fueling his creativity.

Perhaps the answer lies in this freshly baked triolet, which Pat says was inspired by a Valentine triolet about love written by Wendy Cope, one of his favorite light versifiers.

via Secret Restaurant Copycat Recipes

 

OREOS

~ Apologies to Wendy Cope

 

My tongue has just decided

Its favorite treat is you.

And equally delighted?

My stomach! Any-sided

With peanut butter. Why did

I say I’d stop at two?

My tongue has just decided

Its favorite treat is you.

 

~ Copyright © 2014 J. Patrick Lewis. All rights reserved.

*   *   *

At first, I thought Pat’s poem was about peanut butter Oreos (the opening and closing couplets are the “wafers” surrounding a creamy pb middle):

 

But Pat says his poem is actually about these, which are his favorite:

Of course, he admits that if peanut butter cookies aren’t available, Oreos will do. 🙂

Just to be safe, I say we eat Oreos AND peanut butter cookies AND Snickers to build our poetic prowess.

But I can’t help thinking that for a poet of such brilliance, unparalleled rapier wit and prodigious output, there MUST be yet another treat he regularly consumes to keep in tippy top versifying shape. We will continue to investigate. Stay tuned. 🙂

For now, enjoy this little gallery of Oreo cameos by Somervillle MA artist Judith G. Klausner:

 

 

 

 

In case you’d like to make your own Oreos, check out these recipes:

The filling of these homemade Oreos by Bake at 350 is made from shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla, unflavored gelatin and water.
These homemade Oreos by Erren’s Kitchen uses rolled fondant for the filling.

 

And I LOVE this cool spin on traditional pb cookies by Erica at Sweet Tooth:

These Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cookies are adorable. You “paint” the bread crust edges with a mixture of brown food coloring and Vodka!

 

Now, regarding Oreos, some matters of pressing importance:

1. To dunk or not to dunk?

2. Do you separate the wafers and eat the filling first, or bite into the cookie as is?

3. Are you a traditionalist, or do you go for any of the other flavors (Neopolitan, Banana Split, Blizzard, Cookie Dough,etc.)

*   *   *

poetryfriday180The beautiful and gifted Renée La Tulippe is hosting this week’s Roundup at No Water River. Do take her some peanut butter cookies and Oreos (probably not available in Italy) and check out the full menu of poetic goodies on today’s menu. Ciao Bella!

 

Thanks again for the yummy poem, Pat!

via Created by Diane

————————————–

Copyright © 2014 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

53 thoughts on “friday feast: what is j. patrick lewis’s favorite cookie?”

  2. I know this sounds awful, but when I was a kid, I used to dunk my oreos (whole) into orange juice! Nowadays, I’m avoiding wheat, so no more cookies for me. 😦

    Like

    1. Oreos in OJ? Um, it sounds “interesting” — you’re the first I’ve heard of who ever did that!

      I go back and forth with the wheat thing too. I tolerate it better sometimes and then not. A function of age? 😦

      Like

  3. I love J. Patrick Lewis’ poem 😀
    But those Oreo designer cookies? It would be a wee bit harder to eat them, I would feel like I was destroying Grecian art!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    Like

  5. The poem and these recipes, amazing! I look forward to baking them. Your posts are so thoughtful, Jama. They make my day!

    Like

  7. Not a fan of Oreos (the scandal!) but a HUGE fan of JPL’s Oreo poem. My first choice in cookies is a fresh batch of Peanut Butter with chocolate chips…mmm, looks like I’m baking this afternoon. My family thanks you, Jama! = )

    Like

    1. Funny you should mention chocolate chips — my “research” revealed that Pat does not like the peanut butter and chocolate combination (don’t tell Reese’s). 🙂

      Like

  9. Of course, the REAL question is what TYPE of PB does Pat prefer in his cookies? We’ve already learned, thanks to you, that Charles Ghigna and I are partial to Peter Pan – so I think this is an issue that requires some investigation. 😉

    Btw, I split my Oreos AND dunk ’em…and although I like the chocolate-, mint- and PB-filled versions, the originals are still the best. (Although I yearn for my old favourites, Hydrox, which have sadly passed away)

    Like

    1. Good news, Matt! Hydrox cookies are coming back! Leaf Brands bought the trademark and plans to use the original Hydrox recipe and everything. Like you, I prefer Hydrox to Oreos — the filling isn’t as sweet and the wafers are crisper. They should be available at the end of this year. I feel sorry for Hydrox, because they preceded Oreos by 4 years, yet most people seem to think Hydrox ripped Oreos off.

      I agree that I must find out what PB brand Pat prefers. If he says Peter Pan, that could be “scientific” proof that it’s THE choice of talented poets. 🙂

      Like

      1. So glad to hear Hydrox are coming back! You’re right, Hydrox were around 4 years before Kraft took their big marketing machine across America and convinced everyone THEY were the original. Of course, the reason Hydrox was called “Hydrox” is because of the terrible-for-your-health hydrogenated oils – so Leaf might have to tweak that. I’ll keep my eyes peeled…and I expect YOU to keep us posted if/when you see them!

        (Now that I think about it, I always have liked underdog foods: Hydrox, Moxie, and the old kids’ cereal, “KaBoom.”)

        As for the peanut butter, it’ll at least be “scientific” proof that it’s the choice of two talented poets, and ME! 😉

        Like

      2. Oh, and by the way…when Hydrox first disappeared back around 2002, we spent half of the local radio morning show discussing which was better! My co-host couldn’t believe ANYONE preferred Hydrox – and we got TONS of calls from listeners agreeing with me!

        Like

      3. I’ve heard of Moxie, but never tried it. Can’t say I remember KaBoom cereal at all (maybe they never made it to Hawaii). 🙂

        It will be interesting about the hydrogenated fats — hopefully they can tweak the recipe for a healthier cookie but not lose the true Hydrox flavor.

        Interesting about the radio show debate!There are lots of Hydrox fans still out there. My husband also prefers Hydrox (maybe it’s a NH thing). 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  10. OMG, so cool! I love the Oreo sculptures! I made Jamie a Cookies and Cream Ice cream cake today and covered it in broken Oreos. I don’t eat them anymore — too sweet! 🙂 He and his dad are addicts. Oreos are their crack.

    Like

  12. I see Pat and I have yet another thing in common: we’re chocoholics. By the way Jama I reviewed your lovely book, Truman’s Aunt Farm, on September 2nd over at the Florian Cafe.

    Like

    1. Hooray for chocoholics! Chocolate seems to be the favorite food of writers by a landslide.

      Honored that you reviewed Truman at your blog, Douglas! Thank you. 🙂

      Like

  13. Mmmmmm. Yes, let’s just eat all the different options to satisfy the Muses.

    Those cameos are incredible!

    No dunking here – and good ol’ original Oreos are fine with me. But, like Pat, I REALLY love peanut butter cookies….

    Like

    1. I prefer the original ones too — I was surprised how many different flavors they have now, some of which do not sound very appetizing.

      Nice to know you’re a PB cookie lover too, Robyn. 🙂

      Like

  15. The cameos are marvelous. What wonderful food artists you find, Jama. And this must be the week for J. Patrick Lewis celebration. I just posted about his new book. I don’t buy many oreos, am more partial to brownies when I do the sweet stuff, but I love having a few of the double-stuff ones every now & then. And I love peanut butter-sorry, Jif or organic made with honey-roasted peanuts-Yum!

    Like

    1. Today is definitely J. Patrick Lewis day — loved the sample poems you posted from his new collection, and Tricia also posted one of the same poems. 🙂

      Like

  16. Love the poem and the cameos are amazing!

    First off, peanut butter cookies must be chewy. Must.

    And when I allow myself to indulge in Oreos yes, they must be dunked into milk into soggy. And sometimes I will crumble them into milk so I have a mass that has to be scooped up with a spoon!

    Like

    1. I like chewy PB cookies too. I don’t often bake them because Len doesn’t like them.

      Crumbling Oreos = fun! I’m surprised how many Oreo recipes there are out there, many of which call for Oreo crumbs.

      Like

  17. Jama, the visuals in your blog make me want to bake cookies, one of my favorite hobbies. I have some Italian cookie recipes passed down from my grandmother that are quite good. Thank you for the poem and all the cookies that accompanied it.

    Like

    1. LOL. Wow, you like to live dangerously, flambé-ing your cookies. 😀 I’ve never tried the vanilla ones — to me the whole point of Oreos is CHOCOLATE.

      Like

  19. I’m with Patrick and prefer peanut butter cookies to Oreos. Back when I ate Oreos, I was Double Stuf all the way. Never had a Hydrox! Sounds like I should have.
    Those cameos are impressive!

    Like

    1. Double Stuff is way too sweet for me, as are most commercially baked PB cookies. I’m now curious about the “new” Hydrox due to come out soon.

      Like

  20. Oh, this is a dangerous post, because Oreos were on sale last week and there are packs of both mint AND double-stuff sitting on the counter calling to me.

    How about this for an Oreo recipe — Oreo Cheesecake, with a layer of WHOLE cookies in the middle!

    (Excuse me now while I go sneak an unhealthy breakfast bite…)

    Like

  21. It’s a very good thing I just had a couple of bites of semi-sweet chocolate bars I keep handy before reading this post. Delicious poem by an amazing wordsmith and I love all the yummy pictures galore. I always feel better when I leave your blog, Jama.

    Like

    1. I’m glad this post made you happy, Margie — semi-sweet chocolate – yum! I used to like milk chocolate when I was younger, but now I prefer dark all the way — a sign of maturity, perhaps? 🙂

      Like

  22. Yum to the poem, to the cameos, and to the thought of Oreo Cookies. I nibble the top half off ( and yes I can nibble it all off without hardly disturbing the cream filling). Then, on to the bottom half…nibble, nibble, nibble, nibble the bottom cookie frame around the cream filling so I have a perfectly-iced middle to eat last. I spend time with my Oreos 🙂
    Sweet post, Jama!

    Like

    1. Penny, I am so impressed with your Oreo eating technique! I’ve never met anyone who eats around the filling and saves it for last. Sounds like you’ve had a LOT of practice through the years. 🙂

      Like

  24. I’ll tell you what I have a sweet tooth for, Pat’s poetry! But when it comes to oreos, alas, I don’t buy them anymore because I would eat the whole durn package. If I did, I would dunk them whole in milk. If milk was not available, that’s when I’m prone to eat the filling first. Such a temptress you are, Jama.

    Like

    1. Innocent me, a temptress? How you exaggerate. 🙂

      So, you’re a dunker at heart, Michelle. I’m a filling first eater too, but have never come close to eating an entire package by myself. . .

      Like

Comments are closed.