Grandmother's Oatmeal Cookies

I have few memories of my great-grandmother.  But among them, I can most vividly recall the smell of her kitchen and the taste of these oatmeal cookies. They're chewy and slightly cake-y. It's a texture that-- from familiarity, association or aesthetic-- I think is perfect.

Ingredients

• 2 c. uncooked oats
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c. cooking oil
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1 c. chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 c. raisins
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 1/3 c. plain flour
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground clove
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Combine dry ingredients except for the raisins--making sure that the butter has been broken up and spread evenly throughout. 
2. Mix in wet ingredients with a spoon and fold in the raisins.
3. Drop from a tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350ºF/180ºC for 12 minutes. Makes about 20 cookies.

If you want the quick way out, simply combine the first seven ingredients (oats, eggs, oil, milk, nuts, raisins and brown sugar) with a package of spice cake mix.

Thai Mushroom Pumpkin Soup

This little jem comes from Delicious Magazine--my favourite of the UK cooking magazines. This recipe is quick and easy. Instead of a small baby squash, I used a red kuri squash. It has a autumnal chestnut flavour that complements the dish. Here's how to do it:

Ingredients

• 2 red kuri squash
• 150mL of coconut milk
• small piece of fresh ginger
• 2 small chillies
• 1 clove of garlic
• 4 shiitake mushrooms, caps sliced
• 25g toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 tsp fish sauce

Method

1. Cut a lid out of your pumpkin and hollow out the inside (as though you were making a jack-o-lantern. Place it in a baking dish and the lid beside it. 
2. In a saucepan, bring the coconut milk to a simmer with the chilli and ginger. Then remove from the heat and stir in the mushrooms. 
3. To this mixture, add a beaten egg and the fish sauce and pour it inside the pumpkin. 
4. Bake for 25–30 minutes. 

I didn't care for the pumpkin seeds; they didn't soften up enough and it ruined the smooth texture of the mushrooms and coconut milk (in my opinion.)  Even so it was a combination of some of the things I love most: autumn, squash, coconut milk and mushrooms.