Nancy's Cookies

Sweet nostalgia from my childhood

Nancy’s Pinwheels and Rugelach

Nancy Zito was one of my Mom’s best friends and was a constant presence in my life growing up.

Mom and Nancy met while teaching at Evander Childs High School in the Bronx during the middle of the last century. Mommy taught Music, and Nancy taught French and Italian. My Mom and Dad also attended Evander Childs High School where they first met, performing in the school’s orchestra.

Mommy and Nancy on a trip to Italy

It has been said that friends are the family you choose, and this was certainly true with Nancy, her husband Dan, and their daughter Lydia. They traveled with my parents and were always included in our family celebrations.

Nancy and Dan, party at my parents’ Farm

Nancy tutored me in French when I took the New York State Regents Exams and gave me a shower when I was a young bride-to-be.

Nancy loved to bake. It was her true gift, and we were the lucky recipients. She enjoyed baking early in the morning and kept numerous tins filled with the various cookies in her repertoire. She taught me that cookies lasted much longer if you kept each variety in a separate tin.

Lydia, me in the sunglasses, Nancy, her brother, my Mom, my Nonna and Nonnu, and my Dad

I remember hugging Nancy when she arrived at our house in her fur coat and silk scarf. I can still remember the fragrance of her perfume. She carried a box of her amazing cookies and her famous chocolate cake… she never arrived without them!

Those of you of a certain age (like me!) will remember the shirt boxes used by stores like Lord and Taylor, Saks, and Wanamakers. Nancy saved these, covered the lids with wrapping paper, and lined the boxes with foil before filling them with her luscious cookies and wrapping it all up in a ribbon. At Christmas, she also added colorful hard candies and chocolate kisses… as if her cookies weren’t fabulous enough without them!

We all had our favorites. Mommy’s were the lace cookies, and I loved the pinwheels and rugelach. Although Daddy enjoyed the cookies, his real favorite was Nancy’s Chocolate Cake. This rich fudgy cake was baked in a tube pan, and finished with a warm silky chocolate frosting poured over it. I loved running my finger along the bottom of the cake carrier to get a taste of the rich chocolate runoff. Sometimes when she arrived, the cake was still warm. Is there anything better than warm chocolate cake??

When my parents retired they moved to “The Farm”, our weekend home in the country. Lydia and her family happened to live nearby and eventually, Nancy and Dan moved to the area to be close to them. Time passed, and their close friendship with my parents continued. Nancy would sit at our kitchen table playing cards with my Nonna while Mommy made coffee and put out the cookies and cake Nancy had brought. They would spend the afternoon visiting, catching up about family, and remembering the past.

The tastes and aromas of food always intensify our memories. I will always thank Nancy, for generously sharing her baking talents but I’m especially grateful for her constant and warm friendship.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and will hit the like button! Please share with your friends and family, and as always, I would love to hear from you!

For my paid subscribers… here are the recipes for my favorite of Nancy’s Cookies, and her Chocolate Cake!