How LD Treats started

In the mid 1990s, my husband and I were at wit's end to come up with a birthday gift that would WOW my 70 something Columbus, Ohio, father-in-law, Jack. We live in Kennebunk, Maine, and we had sent him enough gift certificates, fancy nuts, peanut brittle and chocolate covered cherries for previous Christmases, birthdays and Father's Days. They always fell short as a gift since what Jack really loves is baked goods. Jack is a very generous and kind man, and we wanted to give him something that he would honestly enjoy and not a gift to just slip in his wallet to be forgotten, or eaten because it was among the other sweet and savory things he had received for the most recent holiday. His wife, Rita, had been cooking all her adult life and was understandably tired of doing all the home cooking and clean up. 

At the time, I was a full time home economics teacher, and I have always loved to bake. In addition to teaching, since 1993, I have had a business making and shipping neckties, bow ties, cummerbunds and suspenders to customers all over the country. My two websites are bowtie.com and EntirelyTies.com. In the years I've been in business, I have learned a lot about shipping. I decided to combine the two areas and make Jack some wonderful homemade treats and ship them to him in Columbus, Ohio. What a hit! He couldn't stop talking about how much he and Rita and their friends enjoyed the treats we had sent. For several years, we gave Jack or Jack and Rita the gift of a treat a month, and each one was received with great appreciation. Then I branched out and started giving the gift to my dearest friend and college roommate, Maureen in Albany, NY, my brother in Seattle, WA, my stepson in Washington, DC, as well as shipping individual treats to friends and relatives from time to time for no reason except to make them happy.  

What makes a recipe suitable for a Long Distance Treat? The finished product must be something that doesn't deteriorate with some aging, and even better, gets riper (in a good way) with age. It can't be something that is so fragile that the tumble of shipping causes so much damage the item in no longer recognizable as a treat but is rather just crumbs or sludge, or sludge with crumbs. It also has to pass the health test of not spoiling in time on the unrefrigerated road. I was surprised at how creative I could be within these limitations. 

When I have discussed this great gift idea with friends, they marvel at what a great idea it is, but they don't feel like they know what recipes will work best, or how to go about shipping anything other than the standard college CARE package of chocolate chip cookies. So this blog is for you, my old friends, and you, my new friends, who want to do make some Long Distance Treats for friends and family who don't live in your zip code or even in your area code. It's fun!