S'mores Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

So, I've been having a hankering for oatmeal no bake cookies lately. Those things are so addictive! With their butter, and their sugar, and their chocolate, and peanut butter!

Then there's the oatmeal, which makes your body think you're eating something healthy!

Quite the vicious combination!

So, in the past, I recall some trouble getting the recipe to work. I'd end up with a gelatinous mass, unwilling to solidify. I gave up on it for a while.

This time, when I could no longer resist the temptation, I went back to the recipe, word for word.

I have a tendency to tweak recipes.

Every. Single. Time.

I can't even remember what I did differently last time, but apparently I tweaked a bit too much, and then decided to give up.

So, this time, sticking directly to the recipe, I had success!

They turned out perfectly, and the family was oh so happy to eat them right up.

So, I made them again. The second time I doubled the recipe, and made them bigger. I also changed some of the ingredients (because I can't help myself).

With the usual ingredients, I used half white sugar, and half dark brown sugar, instead of all white.

I also added crushed graham crackers and Heath bits along with the oatmeal.

They had been s'moresified! They were amazing! Spectacular! Stupendous!

Majorly addicting!!!

So, of course, they went fast, and of course, I had to make them again. (With some more tweaks...which may not have worked as well...but still resulted in deliciousness.)

I thought I'd blog about my incredible discovery...

So, here it is...

S'mores Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

(Single recipe)

1 stick butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup dark brown, or brown sugar

4 tbsp. cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups rolled oats (I use the 5 minute ones)

1/2 sleeve graham crackers, crushed lightly

1/2 package Heath Bar brickle bits

Melt the butter, sugars, cocoa and milk together in a saucepan on medium low heat.

Bring to a boil and let boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until well blended.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients.

Drop by scoop or spoonful onto parchment paper.

The mix begins to set fairly quickly, so try to get them dropped in a timely manner. (You don't have to race, just don't waste time.)

Let cool and enjoy!

Will I Remember?

[Let me preempt this blog by saying that I don't obsess about death. These thoughts take much longer to write down than they do to think of in the first place. These thoughts are fast, but important in my life. They are a part of me that I think is worth sharing, but don't necessarily have the place or time to do so.]

A fleeting thought I have from time to time is about previous lives. Ever since my dad told me that some people believe that we have lived previous lives, I've been a believer. I think I was about 8 or so.

When I was in high school, we had a psychology class and the teacher did a session where she hypnotized those of us who wanted to participate. Of course, I was one.

She had us relax, and brought us to a place that made us feel good. First, I went to Canandaigua Lake. I spent summers there my whole life, and being in that lake is my heaven. I went to the middle of the lake and floated, looking up at the vast blue sky kissed with wisps of white.
She had us go further on.
I went to Egypt. It was hot, there was sand, and I was sitting on a sphinx statue. I felt the hot sun on my skin, and the rough surface of the statue. The funny thing was, I wasn't Egyptian. I was Native American. I was probably about 11 or 12. I had long black hair in two braids hanging down either side of my head. My skin was very brown. I liked it. (I am basically the opposite of this in my present life; red hair, fair skin.)
It was so vivid, more than any dream or daydream I'd ever had. When I woke up from the trance, I was revived. I can still recall all of this, like a memory rather than a dream. It felt so good.
My friends who were the observers in the class said my eyelids were fluttering like crazy! I guess because everything I was seeing and experiencing was so life-like.

I feel so closely tied to certain time periods, I think that I must have lived there. But I don't really remember. I don't remember actually living before, or being in another place or time. I just have a feeling.

That got me to thinking...

If I have a future life, will I have a feeling about this life? Will I feel tied to this place and time along with the others I feel now? Will this life be added to my repertoire?

Mind vs. Body

Mind: Yay! A new day! So many possibilities!

Body: Shut up, I’m trying to sleep.

Mind: Aw, c’mon, get up! The sun is shining, and there are so many things we can do today!

Body: I said shut up. *Rolls over.

Mind: Ooh! Let’s bake today! You love to bake! And we can make some yummy things to eat later! You love to eat! Yummy-yum!

Body: *Groans and rolls over again. Watches tv.

Mind: See, there you go! Way to open those eyes! Now let’s get going!

Body: Dude, I’m not even awake yet. I’m just trying to give you something to do so you’ll shut up.

Mind: You know you’re waking up, and you want to get out of bed. Hey! It’s breakfast time! You love breakfast! Don’t you want to eat?

Body: You know I don’t eat for at least another hour. Talk to stomach. She’s still sleeping.

Mind: Well, let’s give her some water. That always wakes her up.

Body: Not now. Man, just watch tv for a while, would ya?

Mind: Oh, all right. But you’re going to have to get up sooner or later, so let’s just make it sooner, okay?

Body: Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. *Smiles and rolls over. Keeps watching tv.

After this show, okay?

Mind: Yay! We’re going to get up! We’re going to do so many things today! It’s going to be such a great day!

Body: (That’s what you think.)

Hence the daily struggle continues…