sasha

Hi kdl1221...Thanks for all the great info. SPC Brian is at Camp Scania and I'm sure he has access to email. I'll send him a post card with my email address and see if he answers. My other soldier, PFC Joshua, still has not written. I can't imagine how hot it is at 122 degrees. We're having a heat wave here in Southern California that is probably very typical for those of you who live in the South. It's about 100 degrees and quite humid due to the hurricane. Usually, it's very hot here, but fairly dry as this is basically a desert (I live in northern Los Angeles County-nowhere near the beach!). Another thought I had regarding keeping the cookies fresh is to add some corn syrup as it tends to attract moisture from the air and might keep the cookies softer. I made a yummy coffee chocolate chip blondie this weekend that got better with age. Of course we ate them all up so I don't know if they would be ok or like a piece of styrofoam in 3 weeks! By the way, where is your uncle stationed and how long has he been in the Middle East? He's lucky to have a niece that is a good baker and likes to be creative in the kitchen. I'm sure he's really grateful for all you send. Please keep in touch...I enjoy hearing from you. "Sasha" aka Jodi

Hi kdl1221...Thanks for the feedback and everyone else too. I'd love an update on your stale test. It would be very helpful in preparing the packages. Also, regarding the concern expressed about soldiers receiving homemade goodies that might be tainted, the soldiers at Camp Scania have a personal connection with the gal that got me soldier Brian's name. The soldiers give permission to the chaplain to give their name and address to my friend and they know she screens her adopters carefully and knows them all personally. I don't believe that fear of poisoning is an issue. The recomendations for bug repellant , sunscreen, antifungal foot powder were all good ones. My goal is to do something that will make these young men and women a little more comfortable when they're so far from home. Thank you all for your valuable advice. Please keep it coming if there's some new idea or thought !

After nearly two and a half months, I received a short note from soldier Brian. Unfortunately, he's a young man of few words, so I learned very little about hi m. I adopted another soldier from soldiersangels.com so I'll report when I get a note from soldier Joshua. Meanwhile, I've decided to bake some pan cookies and add a bit of corn syrup to help keep them moist during the three week trip to Iraq. I'll make some brownies and oatmeal raisin pan cookies, stack them uncut in a metal pan from the 99 cents store (so they're less likely to dry out), and wrap the whole thing in heavy duty foil. The women I've spoken with who send cookies abroad say they must be layered with popcorn beads and wax paper so they won't break.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I definitely will be making some raisin oatmeal cookies, shortbread stuffed with raspberry filling and some apricot cookies. I'll include some packages of individually wrapped coffee bags, the homemade biscotti, and powdered drinks made with sugar. Drink mixes made with Equal or any artificial sweetener become toxic in the high heat of the desert. So, after March and before December only goods with real sugar may be sent. Also, Wendy's suggestion of making chocolate chip cookies works during Winter. I've been told not to send anything containing chocolate this time of year (even choc. chips or M & M's) because the temperature is already over 110 degrees! When I receive a letter back from my soldier (Brian), I'll fill you in with what I learn. A friend suggested anyone wanting to "adopt" a soldier go to anysoldier.com. By the way, anyone sending goodies to a soldier can use the U.S. Post Office flat rate boxes which allow you to ship really heavy stuff for the same price ($7.70) as light items. I hope other egulleters will use their cullinary talents to lift the spirits of our service men and women overseas.

Please help! I've "adopted" a young man serving in the Army at Camp Scania in Iraq. Last week, I mailed him a package with goodies-all store-bought. I included Oreos because I hear they travel well in the heat. But, I really want to make home made cookies, etc. for this young man. I'd appreciate any suggestions egulleters might share with me as to what withstands the heat and the 3 week delay in package arrival to the Middle East. Thanks in advance for the help.