Breakfast Cookies??!! What will they think of next.

A Fun Way to Eat Oatmeal

Oatmeal on a Stick

Oatmeal Cookies: Here is what you’ll need: Assuming you have been married thirty years and the heavy-duty mixer bit the dust. And the cheap little Black’nDecker works fine, but two of the beaters broke a spoke.

Start with a big mixing bowl. Whisk four fresh, raw eggs. Add a cup of sugar. Brown or white. Soften in the microwave in a microwaveable measuring cup a stick and a half of butter (broken, then stirred) for 22 seconds. Add cooled butter to the sugar and egg mixture. Add a package of Pilsbury Pumpkin Cake mix. And more cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Have fun. Sprinkle away. Brush spilled cinnamon off your shirt. Those newly opened spice jars can be tricky to get off the glued paper seal. Dump in oats---old fashioned or quick. Four cups or more. Mix. Dump a cup of raisins out on the counter or table top and pick through them to remove any offending little stems or debris. Add raisins to the cookie dough if you like raisins. They are good for you. A good source of iron, you know.

Now you are ready to bake your cookies. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place a spoonful of cookie dough on your cookie sheet spaced at least two thumb widths apart. Cook for fifteen to twenty minutes or until done. Test for doneness by pressing the hot cookie lightly. If it springs back, its done. If your imprint stays, cook a little longer. Store cookie dough in a buttered baggie in the freezer and carefully cut chunks of the dough to bake a fresh batch. Or, cook up the whole batch and freeze the cookies you do not plan on consuming in the next few days.

A sweet neighbor gave me a tub of Otis Spunkmeyer’s breakfast cookie dough. Since I was unable to find more of the dough at the grocery store, I decided to make my own.

Chocolate chips and chopped nuts would be a good addition to these cookies. And they can be mixed with basic bowl and spatula, so good for guys living on their own without a lot of huge kitchen appliances. You do need an oven, however. Even a little toaster oven is needed to cook cookie dough. It will not work in the microwave, sorry.

Homemade Ice Cream for Breakfast

I have been mulling the thought of homemade ice cream. I found PROMISED LAND cream in the 14 ounce plastic bottle at the fancy store---an item our Kroger and Tom Thumb swore they could ONLY get at Christmas. Right.

What are the elements of ice cream? There is that Boy Scout ice cream-in-a-baggie-of-ice recipe. But, that sounds messy---potentially ruined, as some recipes warn of dire things if the bags leak or break.

But, the whole idea---mixing it to break up the ice crystals while the cream sets--hum. I wondered how this would work if all you had was a blender. So, I took out the bottom basket in the freezer (we have a side-by-side) and fixed a bowl of ice with salt sprinkled on it. Into the blender I placed the PROMISED LAND cream, a splash of milk, brown sugar (we don't even have white sugar in the house since the boys moved out) a teaspoon of kosher salt, a dash of coffee, and whirled. Then I set the blender part with the handle (not the motor) into the bottom of the freezer in a bowl of salt water ice cubes. And set the timer for 10 minutes. Every 10 minutes, I take it out and stir/pulse/whirl. What fun !

I could add eggs, but I want to stick with a recipe that would be kid-friendly. Grandbaby friendly, to be precise.

My Mother will not be surprised, but it is fun to give it a taste and see what it needs---and I am eye-ing those frozen cantaloupe pieces. Won't Bob be surprised when he gets home for supper.

Someday, we may break down and get a ice cream maker. But, ours is a small house, and I don't need any more gadgets. And the tee-tiny ones I have seen that fit in your freezer don't make enough to bother, nor can you experiment. I remember my Mom used to add a junket packet---but what strange chemical is that?? I'd rather keep it free of preservatives and hooves.

Time to put it on the blender motor!!!

Update: Yes, frozen fruit did the trick. Used up some not-so-sweet cantaloupe, and finished bringing the ice cream to a good thickness. I divided the mixture and put some plain in a bowl for Bob for later, and "tested" the cantaloupe ice cream, and wow---I won't need lip stick, as it leaves a very creamy layer on your lips. And I'd better wash off the tail-tell globs off my face and glasses which occurred when I peered into the blender without the lid to see if it was mixing, and the blender burped. If someone asks what I ate for breakfast---cantaloupe and cream... Looks like tiny bits of butter were forming on the blender blades. I am over fifty years old, and now I can say I have made homemade ice cream and butter. Not that my figure needs either one. Ha.