OATMEAL JIM-JAMS
The truths of life are revealed to us, if at all, in strange ways.
When Mom and Dad moved out of their home in Bessemer and into Hautamaki’s, I took some of their personal effects. One of the things that I took, and treasure immensely, is Mom’s recipe files. I have studied them all. Once in a while I attempt to resurrect the past by application of my culinary skills to a selection from her files that I remember.
For about three weeks I’ve been researching and assembling brown sugar, dates, oatmeal (real stuff, not 1 minute), a new cookie tin, a rolling pin, etc. I couldn’t find a round cookie cutter anywhere on the island so I decided to use a beer glass. I had a grinder that I bought on the mainland last October in order to make potato sausage. (It was too big to pack, so I carried it on the plane with me - don’t you know that got me stopped at carry-on check). Eventually I had everything on the recipe and everything needed to perform the operation.
I made Oatmeal Jim-Jams! For those not acquainted with this delight, they are comprised of two flat round oatmeal cookies made into a sandwich with date filling.
I ground the oatmeal (real stuff, not 1 minute), mixed dough until my arm hurt, struggled to make the dough separate from the cutting board and the rolling pin while trying to make it thin, and finally baked 45 semi round, semi thin, semi brown cookies. Did you ever try to grind oatmeal (real stuff, not 1 minute)? Too little in the grinder and it never gets to the blades. Too much and it sets up like concrete.
I chopped dates (why can’t we buy chopped dates?), cooked and stirred them forever, cooled them, and spread them on 23 cookies, ate the odd one open-faced, and ended up with 22 date sandwiches – Oatmeal Jim-Jams (real stuff, not 1 minute)!
They actually turned out pretty good, although the cookies were a little thicker than I remember, the filling a little coarser than I remember, and my right arm a little sorer than I remember.
Truths? When I think back at how casually I requested Oatmeal Jim-Jams or other labor-intensive culinary treats, I can't help but be a little ashamed of myself.
Oatmeal Jim-Jams