I began baking in earnest during our years at the youth ranch, making after-school snacks daily for the kids. Whether cakes, cupcakes, cookies, or brownies, all were devoured daily over homework and the hubbub that accompanied 10 kids. Even the most withdrawn teen would open up a little over cupcakes and milk.
As I was baking a variety of cookies this weekend, I thought about how the base is common between most recipes: flour, sugar, salt, soda and shortening or butter. From there, other ingredients influence the taste: peanut butter or chocolate chips; oatmeal or coconut and often become the names of cookies we enjoy.
In much the same way, our club members share a common base of ingredients: love of country, family, fellowship and service. Yet how we exhibit that service varies widely: Citizen of the Quarter, Interact, international, parades, social events, flag program and more.
Our boys ate a lot of peanut butter cookies since we were part of the school lunch program and received free government peanut butter. Chocolate chips, however, were out of our budget and were rarely made, causing them to become Matt and Kenny’s favorite cookies. They burned out on peanut butter cookies and to this day will pass them by.
What if our club had only peanut butter cookies? What if we only had one avenue of service available? I’m guessing our appeal might be limited and our membership might dwindle. We would not be feeding as many people, either inside the club or beyond.
Some of us prefer chocolate chip, others grab for the oatmeal raisin. In the same way, we each hopefully have an area of Rotary involvement that is our favorite. If you have not yet found yours, I invite you to sample our array, find one (or more) that you enjoy and dive in. The results are filling, fulfilling and sweet to all who partake. And, just as I enjoy trying new recipes, if you have ideas of new ingredients to bring to our club, let me know. We're always seeking to expand our recipe repertoire.
