I told her the rep I spoke to yesterday never said I had to use my card at a Ciruit City first, or I would've just told him to forget it since there wasn't one nearby. She said apparently he didn't know your account had been inactive for 2 years. My thoughts are the the rep from yesterday was incompetent. By now I am beyond frustrated! I told her to just cancel my account. She asked if I wanted to talk to their Security center and see if they could activate it over the phone. Ok, I'll try that. Same song and dance from the security rep! The second rep was also incompetent also for not knowing that Security 'could not' activate it. She should have never suggested it. I would like to contact Chase about this, but don't want to get stuck talking/emailing customer service. I'd like to go higher up. Any ideas on what I should do? I'm sure I won't get anywhere with them, but it might make me feel better! You will likely find incompetency clear up the ladder of command. You will likely not find anyone who even cares. I would call and cancel it, and that would be satisfaction to me and make me feel better. Their loss. They lost you as a customer. If someone somewhere is really good when you call to cancel it and explain why, they may just give you a $10 or $20 free credit on your card to spend, if you just don't cancel. Good luck with whatever you do. Please keep us posted. Incompetency just wears me out. It makes me so pleased and happy when I happen upon a really good competent worker, be it on the phone, or in person. Sue

I bake little to nothing other than cookies so I'm no baking expert but I finally got a recipe from a friend that works for me. Pillowy, chewy cookies vs. some previous pancake flat or rock hard recipes I've tried. I don't refrigerate the dough, I use butter and I bake using convection. What I have noticed after using this recipe many times is that the outcome in terms of plump vs. flat does seem to have something to do with how soft the butter is. Yesterday I made them and remembered to take the butter out early so it just softened on the counter. It wasn't all that soft when I made them and they turned out perfect in my opinion. Other times I've had to carefully soften the butter in the microwave. The softer the butter the flatter the cookies. And the harder the butter the more ball shaped the cookies end up. I can also tell the difference in the consistency of the dough - even though all the ingredients are the same. If the dough is "dry" enough that I can form the cookies into a ball then they turn out great (I do make them into balls rather than dropping by spoonful). If it's stickier they end up flatter. If my theory is true, then chilling the dough in the fridge makes sense as the fat would harden as it chills.

I have just had 3 funerals to bake for. I can't believe it's time to start cookies for Xmas. I'd much rather make biscotti than cut out cookies, even though I have a huge collection, over 200 I estimate, of cookie cutters. Only about 75 of those are strictly Xmas/Hannakah cutters. Someday I will count them. Of course some day I will really organize my recipes too! The 1st cookies I always make and freeze are the cream wafers. I need at least 15 dozen of them for all the family and friends that demand them. (My mother can;t really do them any more, so I have had to add her and my 2 brother to the list.) That's 360 cookies since they are sandwich cookies. I freeze them without the filling because they take up less space and I can usually force someone else to fill and assemble when it's time to distribute! Once they are done I can think about the other favorites. I rarely freeze the rolled sugar cookies and Swedish gingerbread. I do those with my nieces, again closer to the holiday, when they are in the mood. Then I make a few Stained Glass as well. They are also a pain, but I made them for my oldest grandson years ago, and of course they are his favorite. I freeze Spritz, Applesauce Cookies, a couple types of biscotti,and my favorite, Swedish Almond Cookies if I think I have time And the chocolate shortbread stars for stareos, if I make them. But Dorrie Greenspan's World Peace cookies are lots easier so I've made them the last 2 years. I just freeze the logs and bake as needed. I never freeze the bar cookies; peppermint brownies, oatmeal carmelitas, and peanut butter brownies. Or the fudge, toffee or meringues. I have a new recipe for caramel this year from Alice Medrich's new book. I have yet to find the perfect caramel recipe except the very expensive ones you buy. And last year I made spoon cookies for the 1st time because my friend who made them moved away. They don't really freeze... I would love to make Sarah Bernhardt's Netla. But I can't add another tedious cookie to the list. I made Sherry's Santa's helpers for the 1st funeral reception but they drove me crazy trying to get them small enough for the platters. They are incredible but I have renamed them Walnut Wonderfuls and will make them NOT at Xmas when I can serve large cookies all by them selves! Have you seen Gourmet's favorite cookies. There are a couple I'm very tempted by! Here is a link that might be useful: Favorite cookies 1941 - 2008

Here ya go. Chewy Molasses Cookies (Annie CF) 1 1/2 cups of shortening (I use half and half with butter, but all butter makes them too crispy for my taste) 1 cups granulated sugar 1 cup dark brown sugar 2 eggs 3/4 cup of dark molasses 4 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons ginger 1 teaspoon ground cloves Chopped crystalized ginger, optional, to taste. I used about half a cup, finely chopped and wish I'd have used more but I love ginger Coarse sugar or turbinado sugar for rolling Cream the shortening and sugars. Add the molasses and eggs and mix until well blended. Sift the flour (yeah right, I don't, LOL) and measure 4 1/2 cups into a separate bowl. Add the spices, salt, and baking soda and whisk to combine. Turn the mixer to low or stir, and add the flour slowly until well mixed. Stir in the chopped ginger and chill the dough for at least an hour. After the dough has chilled for an hour, roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls and roll the balls in the coarse sugar to completely coat. Place the dough balls about an inch apart on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. The cookies will puff up and crack. When the cookies are done the cracks should still look a little wet, but the outside should look dry. They'll "fall" a little as they cool, let them sit a couple of minutes on the sheet before you try to move them to cooling racks.