Easy No Bake Cookies

No Bake Cookies

Ordinary makes me happy.  Yes, ordinary.

For example, the other day I received a card in the mail and it excited me.  It didn’t sing or light up, it was just an ordinary card. It wasn’t only about the words in the card.  You see, this card was handwritten.  I couldn’t remember the last time I opened a handwritten card.  I get several texts, emails, and junk mail every day with a few phone calls (and those are diminishing) sprinkled in.  A handwritten card, however,  is special because of the time it takes to pen it and the thoughts shared through the words.

No Bake Cookies

Ordinary no bake cookies make me smile.  Simple ingredients of oats, margarine, sugar, and milk come together with peanut butter and oats to make one of my favorite cookies.   No fancy ingredients.  No imported cocoa. No gluten free oats or heavy cream.  Plain peanut butter, store brand actually.  Ordinary cookies that are extra-ordinarily good.

 

I like ordinary and I like simplicity. I’ve come to appreciate the routine of everyday, simple things. Through the simple and the ordinary, you can enjoy the important things of life while living in the moment.

Truth is ordinary days will fill most of our calendar.  Some days will be exciting but most will be ordinary.  We don’t have to be told to enjoy the exciting days.  It just comes naturally.  However, it takes some practice to find the joy in ordinary days.

Perspective

So how does ordinary become extra ordinary?  It’s about perspective. Look for the value in the situation. Forget about being an optimist or a pessimist.  Forget about the glass being half full or half empty. Just look at the glass.  Appreciate the fact that you have an unbroken, convenient carrier for that slushing water.  Appreciate the fact the water is clean, pure, and easily accessible to you. And you can decide how to use the water. Some of these options may appeal to you more than others, but none are wrong.  Look at the water, plain, unflavored, un- fizzy, water.  It could be used to water a dying plant.  It could be given to a stray animal.  It could wet the lips of a parched stranger and yes, you could drink it. To the animal, the plant, and the stranger, and maybe even you, this water was extra-ordinarily good.

Appreciate the value of simple things. Appreciate the goodness that can be produced through the  ordinarily simple  whether it be a glass of water,  a handwritten card, or no bake cookies.

 

No Bake Cookies

1 stick of butter

½ c. milk

¼ c. cocoa

2 c. sugar

½ c. peanut butter

3 c. quick oats

Place margarine, milk, cocoa, and sugar in a 2 quart pan over medium high heat.  Stir ingredients while heating.  When the mixture first begins to boil (you’ll see a bubble or two near the middle) , start timing and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add peanut butter and oats.  Stir until oats are coated and peanut butter is melted into mixture.  Working quickly, drop by spoonfuls on to waxed paper.  Let cookies cool.  Cookies will set up as they cool.

This is a guest post by Elisa Oldham