Please note I've changed my name to Sassy Goodykoontz. This is to commemorate F.M. Goodykoontz, who opened the first business in Cortez, Colorado (Four Corners area).


"Jan. 1, 1887 — First business opens on the corner of Main and Market streets. F.M. Goodykoontz, a chef, erects a 12- by 14-foot tent restaurant and serves as many as 90 meals per day to hungry men working on the new ditch system."

If old F.M. could dish it out, so can I.

My grandmother, her parents, and grandparents all grew up in that area, so here is a recipe from her recipe box. Grandma Miller was my great-great grandmother. Her husband imported registered Holstein cattle from Holland to graze on the meager grasses of the Colorado desert - my grandmother told me 'he never was very practical.'

Grandma Miller's Ginger Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon soda, dissolved
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
7 cups flour

Cream the sugar, molasses, and shortening. Stir in the boiling water alternating with the sifted dry ingredients. (Chill for a couple of hours and roll out. Cut into shapes and bake at 350 degrees until 'done' but not too dark. )



My Uncle Joe, Great Aunt Anna Heffernan, Great-grandmother Eleanor Miller, and Great-great grandmother Mary E. Miller.