Cookies

Probably the best thing to do when watching your weight is to make a batch of cookies.

So I did.

Appealing to a sudden impulse, I whipped together a batch quickly after dinner. I was feeling a little nostalgic for some cookies I used to eat when I was growing up. I remember my mom making the best oatmeal no-bake cookies in the world. For some reason, my no-bake memory always involves cold winter days with the temperatures outside dropping to numbingly cold temperatures and/or an approaching winter storm coming in to kick up the winds and pushing the cold air through the windows. These days were always the best since the world would slow to a stop, we would all be stuck inside and my mom would seize the opportunity to bake up a storm.

...I was also a "chunky" kid too...

Although I really don't care much for the cold weather, my thoughts and feelings about it are slowly changing. I must confess that I enjoy crisp, cool days. Having been through what is now my 4th Japanese summer, I have to say I don't care much for hot and humid summers. This type of weather has turned my tastes back to the days when outside the temps would be -10 degrees F and the windows have ice frozen on the inside of them. I also have a greater appreciation now for the fact that snow can freeze two times, once when it falls and another if it hangs around to thaw out and freeze again (or everyday, all winter). I enjoy the nice crunch and creench sounds that snow makes when walking on it with heavy, clunky boots. Obviously Vermont isn't like this year round, but a place that produces consistent 95 degree summer days until the middle of September cannot duplicate such an experience.

Anyway, back to the cookies. It's hard to explain the aroma these cookies would give off. They were quite simple and quick to make, but the aroma would hang around the house all day, sometimes mixing in with the fresh, cold smell from outdoors if any people (or our cat) came to the house or left the house. The boiled cocoa and peanut butter had a nice, nutty smell, the oats had a smooth, warm and comforting grainy smell and when mixed with the frozen forest smell of outdoors, I can't think of anything more country like or appropriate for a winter's day.

Alas, those days are gone (for now), but I was able to acquire about 10 pounds of oats. I consider this a major accomplishment in Japan. For a people that claim to be health conscious, I'm not sure how oats slipped past the health radar. I had a nice hearty bowl of oats with brown sugar and milk for breakfast. I came home, took one look at the box of oats, and couldn't resist.

I'm nursing a small cold, probably brought on by stress and being too busy, and these really hit the "soul" spot for my health. With a nice long weekend coming up, I'll have plenty of chances to run these cookies off, but for now, I'm taking a trip to a place I have forgotten about for too long.