St. Patrick’s Day : Eat Your Oatmeals

Different cookies suit different times and moods. Chocolate cookies have a place, especially with vanilla pudding. Pecan bars and coffee are good mates. Melting moments (also known as lemon bars) can lift sagging spirits. But none of these are as satisfying as a good Raisin-Oatmeal Cookie around 4 o’clock on a rainy afternoon.

During our recent stormy weather, I started to think about this particular cookie. Every afternoon between lunch and dinner, I would imagine how good a plain, coarse-textured cookie would taste. Eventually, I decided I’d wasted so much time thinking about the cookie that I might as well just make it. I tried several possibilities and the following Raisin-Oatmeal Cookie won.

Creamy Rice is another dish I like to eat in bad weather. It is a bit difficult to describe: simply rice, water, milk, a bit of butter and flour, lightly flavored with lemon and nutmeg. It isn’t exactly a soup nor is it firm enough to serve on a plate. You will have to try it to see if you like it, but for me it has just the right elements to be satisfying on a stormy day. Served in a bowl, it’s not bad with buttered peas.

RAISIN-OATMEAL

COOKIES

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup honey

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups oats

1 cup raisins

Cream butter with sugar in mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs and honey, beating briskly until well blended. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix thoroughly. Add oats and raisins and mix well.

Drop by tablespoons onto buttered baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between mounds of dough. Flatten dough with fingers, dipping fingers into cold water before flattening to prevent sticking, if necessary.

Bake cookies at 350 degrees until light brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on racks.

CREAMY RICE

4 cups water

Salt

1/2 cup long-grain white rice

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

4 cups milk

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg

Bring water to boil with 1/2 teaspoon salt in 5- or 6- quart pot. Slowly pour in rice, reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes, stirring often. When done, rice should be soft and some water should remain in pot. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine butter and flour in 5- or 6-quart pot. Stir to blend and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes. Continuing to stir, slowly add milk and cook sauce 3 to 4 minutes. Add cooked rice with its water, lemon juice, lemon zest, nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to blend. Taste to adjust for seasonings. Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes as it thickens somewhat. Serve hot. Makes about 4 servings.