How cool is it to have a holiday that begins on a Thursday? Leave it to the Jewish calendar to amp up spring with Purim, a holiday that commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia with food and drink. I'll leave the drink part up to you, but for dessert or gift-giving, head to Ricki's Cookies in the Eastgate shopping center for a delectable assortment of hamantashen, the holiday's triangular-shaped cookies filled with poppy seed (Ricki's favorite), chocolate and fruits, including apricot and strawberry. It's easy to miss Ricki's because it's tucked on a side street next to Radio Shack, but take the detour. In addition to hamantashen, this wonderful bakery makes breads and more familiar cookies like soft and chewy chocolate chip bars called chipstick, old-fashioned sugar cookies and chocolate crinkle. I took a mixed selection to my co-workers at the University of Memphis, and they disappeared quickly. See for yourself at Ricki's retail store, which has slightly different hours everyday but is always open by 9 a.m. Tuesday through Friday. Ricki's baked goods also are sold at Kroger on Sanderlin and at Easy-Way stores in East Memphis and Bartlett.
