no bake fail.

Here I was, just thinking that I had nothing very interesting to blog about... and then, poof! I had a baking adventure.

Well, it might be better called a "no bake" adventure.

Things started off well, with two pretty rhubarb pies, made from freshly picked rhubarb from our backyard. Then I thought I might make some no-bake cookies for the hubby to enjoy while I'm teaching again this week.

I pulled out my trusty recipe from Sarah, who shared this with me on a day that I was rather in need of chocolate. Here's her recipe:

1 and 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. butter
4 T. cocoa (unsweetened)
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 c. quick oats
1 t. vanilla

And here's the way you're supposed to combine the ingredients:
1. sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa go in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. boil 1-2 minutes
3. remove from heat and add vanilla
4. whisk in peanut butter
5. stir in oats
6. drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper or foil. eat all of them. share with a friend. absolutely delicious cookies.

Being the avid recipe reader that I am, I did this instead:
1. dump all ingredients except oats and vanilla into the saucepan, using shortening instead of butter and crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth.
2. realize that you aren't supposed to boil peanut butter, and that you've created a burning cauldron of black lava.
3. add vanilla anyway, and watch it cause a big boiling, splashing mess.
4. dump in the oats, because you don't care anymore
5. drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper or foil. taste.

Hmmm. Despite all the errors, they still taste...not terrible. Well, if you like toasted marshmallow taste. With chocolate. And peanut chunks. And blackened saucepot.

I shall now re-name the recipe that I have (inadvertently) created:

Blackened S'more Cookies!

I washed the pot, but it's a lost cause. It (along with the "cookies") has found a new home in the garbage can. *tears.

There are no pictures of this escapade.

However, I did take pictures of the rhubarb pie and of the centerpiece I put together for last night's movie with friends.


The centerpiece is made of little flowers from my yard and the side of the road (also known as weeds), and of two lilac-scented candles. The china plate belonged to my great-grandma, Alice. Pretty.