We met my new baby nephew yesterday. Super adorable. And I have to tell you, hanging out in the hospital with my little sister, watching the two of them trying to get nursing figured out. . . I don’t miss the Infancy Era. That was really, really hard. Sure, tantalizing glimpses of kid-personality flared occasionally, but they were wedged between so much sleeplessness and diapers and sobbing (mom’s and baby’s). Now I get entire conversations and soccer games and dance classes that are bursting with personality, and I get to sleep all night. Most of my mom friends are seized by an attack of I-Wanna-Baby occasionally, but I am immune.  As long as I can inhale a little baby-head smell every once in a while, I’m completely satisfied.
I recently ran into a friend at the grocery store, and I watched her toddler so that she could bring big brother into the bathroom with greater efficiency. Toddler’s face began to crumple when mom left, but I discovered that she’d hold it together as long as I kept up a cheerful commentary.  I realized that it had been years since I have done that Grocery Store Monologue. It used to be such a part of my routine that on those rare occasions when I shopped alone, I’d realize halfway through the produce section that was I was talking to myself–loudly. And now I’m the mother of school-aged children. Honestly, it seemed somehow unattainable when I was a new mother: I just wasn’t sure that we’d all make it this far. So, yay us.
Anyway, I brought my little sister some No Bake Cookies, because I know that she likes them. Between the butter and sugar, they do have some redeeming nutritional value. There are variations all over the internet, but this is the recipe my family’s been using for at least 30 years. It’s also my Emergency Chocolate Delivery System when I don’t have any other chocolate in the house. I’m so pathetic that my recipe card includes all sorts of mathematical calculations from the times I’ve had to recreate the recipe based on what was available in the kitchen, like only 2 T of butter, or 1/2 cup of milk.
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or Earth Balance buttery spread
- 2 t vanilla
- 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 3 1/2 cups raw old-fashioned oatmeal
Put first four ingredients in a pot, bring it to a boil, and cook until the sugar is dissolved (so it doesn’t look gritty). Then, bring to a low heat and add the last 3 ingredients. Mix. Spoon the mixture onto wax paper and let it cool.
