Crushes and bribery.

My mother is the person who actually influenced me to start this blog. She said that since I've moved here, I call her constantly with strange or funny stories of things that happen. You know that scene in The Holy Grail where they go to Camelot to eat ham and jam and spam a lot? That's how Orlando feels to me. Just silly. Anyway, baking is very therapeutic for me. My close friends can tell I'm stressed if I'm bringing them cookies and pies more frequently than usual. And I've become known by students and teachers alike at school for bringing cookies to share with everyone. In fact, they're starting to expect them. And its because of my baking that I believe has made me more friends. Everyone is nicer to you when cookies are at stake. Some students say its bribery and that my grades stay so high because of them. Some of my peers even call me cookies. And each batch of cookies seems to come along with a story, as well. So I will start sharing my recipes along with the stories, and maybe they will bring you as many friends and as much luck as they have brought me.

Cupid Cookies (Oatmeal Raisin)

3/4 cups butter, softened
3/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually beat in butter mixture. Stir in oats and raisins gradually and alternating. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. And place a good distance apart, because these suckers will spread!

Now, I've never made oatmeal raisin cookies before in my life. But my last rotation in school was Machine Shop. And I think my teacher is so cute! He's really intellegent and has the best sense of humor. He wears a different belt buckle every day, and has those cute Buddy Holly glasses. I knew pretty instantly that I had sort of a crush on him. Which is bad. And which also means that I can't speak to him at all! And if I do, I studder and say something really bland and usually obvious, then trip over a chair or run into a door. Because I'm smooth and graceful. NOT!

So he finds out about my cookies, and I asked him what kind of cookies were his favorite. Oatmeal raisin. I've never made those, but I figured I'd give it a shot. I was hoping these cookies would act as my own cupid, making him see how sweet and sensitive and funny and wonderful I am. So after I wasn't in his class anymore, I scrounged up some money and bought the ingrediants. I stayed up late one school night to bake them. After they were cooled and packaged, I layed in bed attempting to sleep. But I couldn't. All I could do was go through scenerios in my head of how I would present him the cookies. I imagined what I would say, then he would reply something cute, and I would be clever and witty and he would fall in love with me instantly. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, ya know. So I finally slept a little. I woke up early, got ready for school, spending extra time on my hair, making sure I looked my best for the big day.

I got to school early, and went into his classroom. When I walked through the door, his classroom was already full of his new students, and there he was sitting at his desk. He looked up and said something to me, but I couldn't hear him over the sound of blood rushing in my ears and my heart pounding. I was concentrating on every movement I made so I wouldn't make a fool of myself. All the sudden my arms each weighed a hundred pounds. And I don't remember eating cotton balls for breakfast! I unzipped my backpack, and before he even saw me reach in, he started sniffing around the air. He remembered our discussion! He pays attention to me? God he's cute.... I sat the cookies on his desk, and he smiled and said I was working on being his favorite student. This is it! This is my opportunity to say something so witty and so irresistably charming, he'll think about it all day and won't be able to live without me! So my lips parted, and through a girlish grin I sputtered "Thanks Mr (Country Music Loving Adorable Motorcycle Enthusiast of my Dreams). See ya later." (of course I really only said his name) I picked up my backpack and speed walked to the door as fast as my legs would take me. I reached a clammy shaking hand out, opened the door, and haven't seen him since. No wonder I'm so irresistable to the opposite sex!