On Friday, I alluded to a two-day “missionary trip” I was taking to promote the Moxie Recipe Contest.

I have returned from the Scarborough kitchen tour and I have a few sharp words for everyone who came to my granite-countered island at a planned neighborhood somewhere in Scarborough and said “I didn’t know they still made Moxie. The last time I had Moxie was with my grandmother.”

To these folks I say:  “Moxie is alive and well.”

As an ambassador for Moxie, the Moxie Festival, and my hometown, I had to keep my ire and my sharpest words inside and smile happily while providing a brief and informative “talking point” or two. Things like “Moxie is the official soda of the state of Maine,” and “Moxie is more than a soda; it’s a state of mind.”

I could say a few more sharp words and I could even say a few mean words, but I’m going to sail forth on this glorious Monday with positive pep and vigor. Yes, Moxie is alive and well and it’s a beautiful day in Maine.

Here’s a recipe by one of Maureen’s friends and relatives three times removed. Dawn King serves on our local library board; she’s a gardener and a stained glass artist. And she makes delicious cookies!

No-Bake “Moxie” Cookies

1 ½ cups sugar
1 stick of butter or margarine
½ cup plus 4 Tablespoons of Moxie syrup*
½ cup of peanut butter
3 cups of quick rolled oats

Bring sugar, butter, and ½ cup of Moxie syrup to a rolling boil, then boil for 1 minute, and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Stir until smooth then stir in 4 tablespoons of Moxie syrup.

Stir in 3 cups of quick rolled oats.

Drop onto waxed or parchment paper and set aside until cooled.

*Dawn makes her Moxie syrup by bringing 1 liter of Moxie to a medium boil in a saucepan and boils it continuously until a spoon coats with a thick layer of syrup. She says it’s about an hour on medium heat.

Wear your Moxie orange and blue loud and proud today, my friends!

The Moxie Recipe Contest will be held on Friday evening, July 11, 2014, at Chummy’s Restaurant in Lisbon Falls, Maine.  The judging begins at 5:00 p.m. For more information, click here.