Superstitious?

Are you superstitious?  Many of us are and admit it. Many of us say we aren’t, but really are.  There are “bad luck” superstitions and “good luck” superstitions.  Today I thought I’d take a look at some common ones:

Bat and Black Cat Cookies

Bad luck

Friday the 13th – Think about this; if you happen to have a birthday that’s on the 13th, every now and then when it ends up on a Friday, your birthday is bad luck. For everyone in the whole world.

Black cat – There’s a black cat who comes out of the woods behind my house now and then, which explains why my neighbors sometimes see me walking backwards up the hill on the side of my house.

Walk under a ladder – I’m sorry, if you’re incapable of avoiding walking under a ladder I have no sympathy for you, you deserve bad luck.

Breaking a mirror brings 7 years bad luck – Cleaning up the shards of glass is bad luck enough. Adding 7 years is just overkill.
Bird flying into your house brings bad news – Well, yeah, bird poop all over your house is definitely bad news.

Step on a crack and you break your Mother’s back – I can personally debunk this one.  Believe me. After an argument my son is outside stepping on every crack he can find.

If you shiver someone’s walking on your grave – Last time I checked I was graveless.  I’m still alive and kicking unless you know something I don’t know.

Spilling salt – I never understood this one. If you spill salt it’s bad luck, unless you spill more salt to avert the bad luck? Huh?

Good luck

Rabbit’s foot – I'm guessing the rabbit thought it was much better luck when it was attached.

4 leaf clover – I think this one is a conspiracy by Moms to keep their kids outside, busy and quiet for hours at a time.  Genius.

Find a horse shoe – I’m sorry, isn’t the deck kind of stacked for the owners of horses? That’s just not fair.

Cricket in the house – I don’t know who this is good luck for, but hearing a cricket in my house would not be good luck. For me, or the cricket.

Ladybug – I used to love ladybugs but then I moved to the Midwest. There are bugs here that look exactly like ladybugs but they bite, and it hurts. Camouflage ninja stealth biting ladybugs, not good luck in my book.

A Halloween “Welcome to our home” 

Good luck if you’re looking for candy!

Neither good nor bad

Dropping silverware brings company – An omen needs to be good or bad.  Never trust an omen that can go either way.

Now here’s the part I never understood.  There are actually superstitions concerning how to avert bad luck. So here’s my advice: Whenever it’s Friday the 13^th or when you see a black cat, walk under a ladder, break a mirror, have a bird fly into your house, step on a crack, shiver or spill salt, just turn around clockwise 7 times.  That should take care of it . . . knock wood.

Black Cat Cookies
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Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened

1 stick margarine, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 cup baking cocoa

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Candy corn (approx. 72)

Red mini M&Ms or Red Hots (approx. 36)

Directions:
*Cream butter, margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until it forms a dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 baking sheets.

*Roll dough into approx. 36 balls. Place on the baking sheets. Flatten with the heel of your hand and pinch the top to make ears.

*Press the tines of a fork into the upper part of the cookie (closer to the ears, at an angle to make the whiskers). Bake for 12 minutes.

*As soon as they come out of the oven, while they are still hot and pliable, add 2 candy corns to each cookie at an angle to look like eyes. Between the candy corns, add a mini M&M or Red Hot for the nose. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to cool completely.