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Z is for ZOOM and Stained Glass Cookies, A to Z Challenge 2013

Zoom 1975
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Do a ZOOMdo, edited by Bernice Chesler, Little, Brown & Company, 1975

Z is for ZOOM. In the 1970s, Zoom was a place I wanted to be. Although I lived in Canada, a transmitter relayed the wonder of WGBH-Boston to my television set via Spokane’s PBS station.  I didn’t know where Boston was, except as the home of ZOOM, where kids my age made things.  This is the essence of what captivated me: making.  ZOOM kids encouraged the audience to write them letters, and the address was incorporated into the show with such rhythm, that I had it memorized.

As an adult, I found a copy of Do a ZOOMdo at a thrift store, and all the ZOOM goodness was mine for a dollar.  The pages are saturated with color, and instructions for many of the projects I watched raptly at age 8 or 9.  I kept it on the shelf in reserve, just happy it was there.  I picked it up to write this post, and yes, the most memorable project is there:  Stained Glass Cookies.

Stained Glass Cookies from ZOOM circa 1975.
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Stained Glass Cookies from ZOOM circa 1975.

Two details imprinted themselves.  One was the sour ball candy, and how the kids crushed them and filled in the cookie dough frames.  The other was how baking transformed what was crushed into translucent color.  It is no surprise I married a man who eventually became a stained glass artist. . .

Bonus:  Bernadette Yao’s Butterfly Arms(if you watched ZOOM you know what I’m talking about.)  Also, the ZOOM logo has some fine orange in it for Orange Tuesday.

My previous A to Z posts.

More images on my A to Z Challenge 2013 Pinterest Board.

A to Z Blogging Challenge April 2013

7 comments

  1. Snowcatcher says:

    I’d never heard of ZOOM, and I’d never heard of such a thing as stained glass chocolate chip cookies. That makes me want to go home and bake! Creatively!

  2. Wendy says:

    Lol. We must be kindred spirits. I loved Zoom as a kid and memorized the address from the song as well! I wrote away to get the stained glass cookie recipe and cherished those memories of making the cookies as a kid with my Mom, to making them with my own boys decades later. I have always loved stained glass and after purchasing some pieces finally a few weeks ago and signing up for a stained glass class, I realized it was from my memory of Zoom! I googled it for the heck of it and found this post :o)

    • Wendy, that is awesome that you realized the connection with Zoom and that you signed up for a stained glass class. Definitely kindred spirits!
      I hope you enjoyed your class.

  3. Terri says:

    I watched Zoom as a kid in the 70s, and I had sent a request for this very recipe. Unfortunately, I lost the card over the years. Thank you for posting it here. You made my day!

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