I made it!  Kind of.  I mean I started with A and here I am on Z, so that’s better than not starting or not finishing at all, right?  It’s been fun to connect with other bloggers through this process.  I’m still amaZed that people do actually time have to write their own blogs and read other people’s, too.   That ability probably gets to the heart of being a true blogger, but then I’m still not sure I belong in that category.  I’m not always comfortable with categories, which is why I’m taking a different tack for today.  The way I see it, this being the last day of the challenge, why not find a word that ENDS with Z?  Don’t get me wrong; I have a son named Zach.  And being the cool kid that he is, he would have been very convenient fodder for his craZy mother’s blog.   But, as I said, playing the game that way, is just too predictable, and Zach would probably be disappointed in my lack of creativity.

So, I picked JaZZ.  Why?  Do I know a lot about jazz music?  Did I ever take jazz dance lessons?  “No” and “No, are you kidding?” are the answers to those last two questions.  As for why…well, I do appreciate and enjoy jazz music, and I did discover this cool website where you can listen to “100 Quintessential Jazz Songs,” including one of my favorites, Take the “A” Train (and no, I didn’t pick that because it fits nicely into the A to Z Blogging Challenge theme.)

And I’ll tell you what: as an added bonus I’ll throw in Zach’s favorite cookie recipe.  If you whip these up tonight, while you’re listening to this play list, it will be the Zenith of your day – maybe even your week.

http://www.jazz24.org/jazz100.html

Zach’s Favorite Cookies

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream:

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter

Add:

3 eggs

1/2 tbsp. baking soda

1/2 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tbsp. salt

1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats

3 cups flour

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup coconut

Drop by spoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 11-14 minutes.  Makes 72 cookies.