Classic Oatmeal Cookies (con raisins)

Feeling a little nervous and getting flashbacks of the nightmares of cooking 6 recipes a day back in 2009, I decided to give myself a break and re-start this project on the simple side.  I have a huge sweet-tooth so naturally I went to the "Cookies and Candy" section of the cookbook to find my first recipe.  Truth be told, I'm not ready to make Roast Poussin With Prunes and Thyme quite yet.  Later, my friends!  Much later after I've made all of the things I want to make.  Anyway, I digress as usual.  So, I chose the good ole' recipe of Classic Oatmeal Cookies (page 507).  The hardest decision with regards to this recipe was raisins or chocolate chips?  I went with raisins (I know, I know).

I haven't been baking much, and by "much" I mean not at all except if it comes in a mix and is sold on the shelves of Trader Joe's.  I wasn't really in the groove, and it was around 8:50 pm when I started baking.  To add to the drama, my largest mixing bowl was (and still is, embarrassingly enough) sitting in our backyard covered in dried mud.  The Golden Retriever rolled in a mud hole after a rain storm, and the kiddos used said mixing bowl to fill up with clean water and wash the Golden Child.  I have considered walking the few steps out the back door, picking up the bowl off the ground and running it through the dishwasher about ten times, but I haven't done so.  TMI.  So, I had to mix the cookie batter in two separate, smaller bowls which was irritating.  It wasn't my night.

I overcame these hardships, mostly got rid of my crappy mood and baked a few dozen cookies.  They were tasty when warm and straight out of the oven, but they turned to stone when cooled.  The family wouldn't even eat them during the next few days which was a sure sign that this recipe was not going to  be a fam favorite.  Outcome wasn't great, but the recipe was completed on 6/13/12 at 9:08 pm.

Ease of baking: 3 (1 being easiest, 10 being hardest)
Tastiness: 3 (1 being not tasty, 10 being scrumptious)

Take care,

Melissa

WHOA...3 Years GO By Fast!!!!

I'm sure most of you have given up on me, and I don't blame you.  First I began the journey to cook 1,100 recipes in 1 Year (I was insane!) starting in August 2009 with "Project Melissa & Martha," and by October 2009, with almost 80 recipes completed, I ended my relationship with Martha Stewart.  She was way too high maintenance for me.  I was in my final year of graduate school, and I couldn't stay committed to the project.  THEN I decided to begin "Project Melissa & Ina"- a much easier cookbook, way less recipes.  I failed miserably at that attempt, as well.  Kind of embarrassing, yes.  Truthfully, I had the best intentions, but I took on more than I could handle.

Well, let's flash forward almost 3 years to June 2012.  That was quick!  Today I found my old "Project Melissa & Martha" blog on the web, just sitting there in the nothingness of the internet.  I read through my posts, looked at the pictures of all the recipes I completed, and I knew I had to finish the project.  I fell in love all over again and am going back for more.  This time I'm a much smarter lady - 3 years will do that to you.  I know that I have a full plate with a family to take care of, a part-time job, a children's book to try to get published and a full-time teaching job to search for.  So, I am resurrecting "Project Melissa & Martha," but this time I'm going to cook recipes at my own pace.  No timelines, no deadlines.  Just leisurely cook my way through the remaining 1,020 recipes created by the ever-irritatingly perfect domestic goddess, Martha Stewart. (I only mean that in the nicest of ways, of course.)  I will bake, cook, sauté, broil, boil, stir and frost in my own time and take pictures and blog about it along the way.

I hope you'll give me one more chance to prove that I can do this.  I can't promise that every recipe will be a success, but I can promise it'll be an entertaining foodie ride!

Take care,
Melissa