The Pantry Dish

These delicious cookies have been a hit in my home.  Normally I would make one batch but a few weekends ago my brother and sister came over to spend the weekend with us while my mom celebrated her birthday in Vegas, so we made an extra batch.  At the end of the weekend they took a little over a dozen back home with them.  This was the first time my mom actually tried them and she loved them.  To you this may mean nothing but let me tell you a little secret about my mom.  She doesn't like anything sweet!  Not even chocolate!!  What's my point in bringing up my mother's opposition to desserts? Well, she loved these cookies!  Not so much the chocolate part, but she was pretty impressed and delightfully satisfied when she had one of these oatmeal cookies with her coffee.  Yay! 1 point for team Stephanie!  Next time I'll have to make some without chocolate for her :)

It would be nice to take full credit for these soft dunk-a-licious cookies but truth be told,  I owe this pleasure to Quaker Oats.  The recipe is on the lid of the Oatmeal box.

This was the first time my little girl and her Tia made anything together.  Not quite the experience I had expected but it made me realize something.  We don't spend enough time together.  Quality time is even less!  As a matter of fact, as I write this post I can't help but feel like a bit of a failure as a big sister for never having thought to do this before.  Maybe it's all just  now coming together for me and making sense as to why it is important to involve children in cooking. 

I get it! 


OMG I'm having an epiphany right now.

I get it!!  I wholeheartedly get it now!  My understanding of this "inclusion" of kids in the kitchen has finally settled in with a clear understanding.  It feels as though the final puzzle piece has been placed.  There is more to it than learning about measurments, developing motor skills, expressing creativity, science and sensory exploration, the list goes on.

  Have I been misising the point of it all this whole time?   

Beautiful hands :)

It's about actual quality time with people, not just your own children, or the people you live with, but anyone you are close to and love.  It's about taking your time, enjoying each others' company, doing something together that is meaningful and doesn't involve the T.V. or spending money (ok maybe a little money).  It's about building realtionships and close connections and bringing families together.  Homemade meals go beyond the meaning of a healthier approach (and sometimes not so healthy but we are human and have needs......better yet, food addictions....like pasta and chocolate).

What matters is at the end of the day, after all the cooking and cleaning,

the true hidden reward is so much more than just a tasty treat.