Interim reports came out on Monday, and my daughter is in danger of failing one of her courses. My husband yelled at her, and in the course of his lecture stated that getting bad grades could negatively impact her ability to get into college, which could negatively impact her desire to be a veterinarian, which could lead to her being a failure and having to work as a clerk in Safeway.
This all led me to thinking about success and failure, because I am pretty sure that the people who work at Safeway do not think of themselves as failures.
So, what is success? We will be able to pay for our kids to get their college degrees, albeit not at an Ivy League college. We own a house, two cars, and have a bit in the bank, and we can afford to help people out when they need it. Now, we aren't in the Warren Buffett/Bill Gates leagues but we are okay. Is that financial success?
I did a piece of stitchery. It is a technique called goldwork, and I wanted to try it, so got a kit that was fairly simple, for beginners. I did it, and am in the process of turning it into a jewelry box. I belong to a group called Embroiderer's Guild of America, EGA for short, and I brought the box to a meeting to show it off. Most of the group were complimentary. One person decided to explain where she thought I had done something wrong. I may have, but the end result was very pretty, so I was not terribly worried about whether I had done it properly, because it looked right to me. Now, I am not against analyzing something to decide whether it is done correctly, but there is a time and a place for it. This was not the place or the time. (No prize, no judging, that's my motto, along with, I do this for fun, not for profit. If it isn't perfect, it is okay.) In any case, I was pleased with the result, so was the project successful?
Anyway, these cookies are a success. Several of my kid's teachers raved about them, and yes, I did give them copies of the recipe.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
4 oz. butter
4 oz oleo/margarine
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbl vanilla (yes. that much. Trust me, you will thank me later)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
2 1/2 cups chocolate chips (this is a compromise, because I like cookies that are basically chocolate chips pasted together with a little dough, and the husband likes cookies that are accented with a few chocolate chips. I don't get as many as I want, he gets more than he wants.)
Warm the butter and margarine to room temperature. Mix in the sugar, and beat well. Add eggs and beat again. Add the vanilla, salt, and baking soda, stir well. Add flour and oats, mix just until you don't see any loose flour. Add chips, and stir until they are all stuck to globs of dough.
Um. You know, I have heard the thing about not eating raw eggs. So far, so good, and I haven't gotten sick from eating this dough raw, and it is really yummy. Probably I shouldn't, just to be on the safe side, but hey, I don't use drugs, I don't speed (much) and I don't drink and drive. So yeah, I do have a spoonful of the dough here.
Oh, and FYI, these are really good if you want to get some fiber into your diet. Remember the oats?
Scuse me, but the tub of dough is calling me... can you hear it?
'Kay, I'm back. Bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes, or until the cookie dough is solid, if you want them to be fairly gooey, or an additional 5 to 10 minutes and until the cookie is darkish brown if you want them to be crispy. Oh, that is the other compromise--husband likes gooey, I like crispy. Exactly the opposite of our toasted bread preferences, actually. If you do cook them until they are crispy, they almost caramelize on the outside, and they are to die for (My opinion). We both agree that fresh baked is the best, so I keep a tub of dough in the fridge so we can bake as wanted.
THE Magpie
This all led me to thinking about success and failure, because I am pretty sure that the people who work at Safeway do not think of themselves as failures.
So, what is success? We will be able to pay for our kids to get their college degrees, albeit not at an Ivy League college. We own a house, two cars, and have a bit in the bank, and we can afford to help people out when they need it. Now, we aren't in the Warren Buffett/Bill Gates leagues but we are okay. Is that financial success?
I did a piece of stitchery. It is a technique called goldwork, and I wanted to try it, so got a kit that was fairly simple, for beginners. I did it, and am in the process of turning it into a jewelry box. I belong to a group called Embroiderer's Guild of America, EGA for short, and I brought the box to a meeting to show it off. Most of the group were complimentary. One person decided to explain where she thought I had done something wrong. I may have, but the end result was very pretty, so I was not terribly worried about whether I had done it properly, because it looked right to me. Now, I am not against analyzing something to decide whether it is done correctly, but there is a time and a place for it. This was not the place or the time. (No prize, no judging, that's my motto, along with, I do this for fun, not for profit. If it isn't perfect, it is okay.) In any case, I was pleased with the result, so was the project successful?
Anyway, these cookies are a success. Several of my kid's teachers raved about them, and yes, I did give them copies of the recipe.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
4 oz. butter
4 oz oleo/margarine
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbl vanilla (yes. that much. Trust me, you will thank me later)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
2 1/2 cups chocolate chips (this is a compromise, because I like cookies that are basically chocolate chips pasted together with a little dough, and the husband likes cookies that are accented with a few chocolate chips. I don't get as many as I want, he gets more than he wants.)
Warm the butter and margarine to room temperature. Mix in the sugar, and beat well. Add eggs and beat again. Add the vanilla, salt, and baking soda, stir well. Add flour and oats, mix just until you don't see any loose flour. Add chips, and stir until they are all stuck to globs of dough.
Um. You know, I have heard the thing about not eating raw eggs. So far, so good, and I haven't gotten sick from eating this dough raw, and it is really yummy. Probably I shouldn't, just to be on the safe side, but hey, I don't use drugs, I don't speed (much) and I don't drink and drive. So yeah, I do have a spoonful of the dough here.
Oh, and FYI, these are really good if you want to get some fiber into your diet. Remember the oats?
Scuse me, but the tub of dough is calling me... can you hear it?
'Kay, I'm back. Bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes, or until the cookie dough is solid, if you want them to be fairly gooey, or an additional 5 to 10 minutes and until the cookie is darkish brown if you want them to be crispy. Oh, that is the other compromise--husband likes gooey, I like crispy. Exactly the opposite of our toasted bread preferences, actually. If you do cook them until they are crispy, they almost caramelize on the outside, and they are to die for (My opinion). We both agree that fresh baked is the best, so I keep a tub of dough in the fridge so we can bake as wanted.
THE Magpie
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