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Thursday, May 3, 2018

Are We Really In Week 17

I can't believe we are already this far into 2018. This has been the fastest year of my life, of course I am older than I have ever been and the ratio of time lived vs. 365 1/4 days has decreased substantially, so in simple math terms it makes sense. In my walking around life though I don't understand how days, which use to seem so long (particularly when there were babies to be fed and kiddos underfoot) disappear so quickly. And weeks? They zoom by before I know what is happening. I am having company the next couple of weekends so I need to get the house deep cleaned and ready.

Our very beautiful niece, K is coming to go to a family wedding in Tuscaloosa (about 45 minutes from Birmingham.  She and my sister in law were going to stay at a hotel there, but did not realize the wedding is the same weekend as The University of Alabama's graduation. No room in the inns! TheHub and I were going to the wedding anyway and it will be fun to have them here. In addition to K, she is bringing her 5 year old son, JP, but just found out that children are not welcomed at the wedding.  Instead of ruining her plans, I told her to come on and I will stay here  and play with JP while they do wedding things. I think it is probably good that they couldn't find a room. I still would have stayed with him, but much prefer to have him here rather than babysitting in a hotel room.

Anyway because they are coming and the upstairs is in shambles, I need to concentrate on cleaning rather than cooking this week. That's right we are going to have basic and not very tasty food this week, but I still needed to try a new recipe. This one feels somewhat like cheating, though I have never made it before. (But I have come pretty darn close)

Evidently back in simpler times preachers would walk about the neighborhood and call on their members at their homes. This was before the days of the mega churches when people worshiped very close to home at churches in their neighborhoods. So the preachers would walk about and call, often unannounced Supposedly any good church member/hostess would have some coffee or tea and  little nibble for the visiting clergy.

When Brother Bill knocked on the door, he could be greeted warmly and Papa would talk about old war stories while Mama ran into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. In the time it took for the coffee to perk (old fashioned coffee for you younger ones)  Preacher Cookies could be made, plated, and ready to serve in just a few minutes. This would insure that Brother Bill not only thought Mama kept a perfect house, but also that she was a perfect wife because she had tasty goodies on hand. I wonder if they believed a clerical seal of approval concerning coffee and cookies  guaranteed admittance through The Pearly Gates for both of them?

I figured if something could be made and on a plate in 5 minutes I had enough time to give it a try so here is the extremely easy slightly altered version of the old Preacher Cookie.

1 cup
sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter (Called for creamy but I only had chunky)
1/1/2 cup quick cooking oats (I only had regular oats)

1/4 cup chocolate chips
2 1/2 teaspoons butter

Before beginning place a parchment sheet on a flat heat proof surface. I use a gigantic cutting board, but a stone counter top or a cookie sheet would work equally well.

Put the sugar, butter and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring and boil for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well then stir in the oats.

Drop the mix by tablespoons onto the parchment and let it cool  slightly. If you are not afraid to touch food, wash your hands a lightly pat them to flatten them out. If you prefer put on some food grade plastic gloves and flatten them out that way. I prefer to live life on the edge and use the bare hand method.

Melt the butter (I use a coffee cup in the microwave) and add the chocolate chips to it. Stir to mix then swirl the chocolate on each cookie top. This made about 3 dozen little cookies. I figured they must have been OK because TheHub ate about 1/4 of them before I even got the chocolate on them.

These really are not a bad bite, though I think they taste more like fudge than cookies. They are still a tasty little treat that is insanely easy to make. If I make them again I will take the time to whirl the oats in the blender, just to get a little finer consistency in the finished product.

Of course I think the probability of our minister coming over unannounced is slim to none, but this might be a fun thing for JP and me to make Saturday afternoon. We will see!



15 comments:

  1. My kids loved those, especially my son. One day when I was gone and he was not supposed to be cooking, he made these. Amazingly, he cleaned up the kitchen perfectly so I would not know. His only mistake? He dropped a blob on a drawer handle! Those look delicious. I bet the chocolate on the outside instead of in the cookie is delicious. Or, they could just be peanut butter oatmeal with no chocolate.

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    1. Of course, he did not make these, just the ones with chocolate in the cookie mix.

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    2. I have done the chocolate ones and like them, but these are a nice change.

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  2. I'm gonna have to wait for my husband to go away for a while to make these. He's still trying to watch what he's eating, and I'm still trying to be supportive. Sigh.

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    1. Good for being supportive! You can wait and make them when he is ready to have a cheat day.

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  3. The last thing I need is a cookie, especially if it's easy!lol
    Sounds like you'll get some fun little kid time soon. Enjoy the family and remember that they'll leave soon too. lolz

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    1. They are too easy, so only make them on a day everyone will be home. I am going to have fun with J.P.

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  4. I hear you on the year disappearing at greased lightening speed. Himself would love these, so I may (if I am feeling friendly) make them for him soon. And do my best to ensure he eats them all.

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    1. TheHub ate most of these. I ate a couple (for research only, of course) and Son2 came by and finished them off.

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  5. The cookies sound like good old no-bakes, without the chocolate! I will try them soon. Have fun with your young guest.

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    Replies
    1. They are, but with a slightly different taste since the chocolate is ribboned on top vs. throughout.

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  6. I love no bake cookies, especially when I want a treat in the summer and it is too hot (in my un-air conditioned house) to turn on the oven! I will be making these, sometime this summer!

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    1. We tend to do these in the summer also. I do not use my oven much at all then, and I do have a/c.

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  7. LOVE those cookies!! Just discovered your blog and am now a follower!!

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