It was one of those mornings today; the Midwest in the middle of winter, early and I was outside with the dog.

The sun was shining and it was in the mid 30’s and I got a whiff of something that I hadn’t smelled in a long time. It was the smell of wet earth and green stuff; life just below the surface.

It caught me short.

I could hear birds.

It absolutely rejuvenated me.

This winter will not last forever, we will feel the sun on our faces again and there will be smells.

Baking oatmeal raisin cookies seemed the natural thing to do; chocolate chip, too.

The girls would come home from school to a house filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies and when they forgot to shut the back door I let it stay that way for a little while; the sun streaming in, just like it was Springtime or something.

Ingredients:

½ pound (2 sticks butter)
1 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ Cup granulated sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla (the best that you can afford, it makes a difference)
1-1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
3 Cups of rolled oats
1 Cup of raisins

Method:

Heat oven to 350F
Beat together butter and sugars until creamy
Add eggs and vanilla, mix well
Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; mix
Add the rolled oats and raisins and continue to mix
Place rounded tablespoons full on cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Makes about 4 dozen
Enjoy!