Easy oatmeal lace cookies, a cool frame for photobooth photos and my favorite perfume

Plus, a gift for that person who has everything

Affiliate links are bolded so you know when I’ve used one.

Sometimes the little things in life are actually big - like when my oldest turned to me this week and said with a sigh as he pulled his homework out of his overstuffed backpack at the kitchen table, “What I’d really like is some oatmeal lace cookies.”

This week marked the end of the long slog from September to Thanksgiving break - a sort of slalom course of deadlines and school work, now all downstream. We’ve all been tired; all of us hanging on for a much-needed break in the action.

Without missing a beat, I reached over and turned on the oven to preheat at 375. “Oatmeal lace cookies, coming up,” I replied, already reaching for the ingredients. “Really?” he said. “Really,” I said. I’ve been pushing hard at work, he’s been pushing hard at school; Tim’s been studying to be a volunteer EMR and taking shifts driving the ambulance in the meantime. There haven’t been many family dinners recently. Family cookies, however, we could do.

Years ago, my father counseled me that it was worth learning a few recipes by heart - those you can cook almost by muscle memory. For him, it was a cheese omelet, a pan-fried steak, and mashed potatoes. For me, it’s turkey chili, tuna pasta, and oatmeal lace cookies.

The key to these cookies is to measure out seemingly tiny, misshapen blobs (use the actual teaspoon to measure the dough). Then, pull the cookies out of the oven at the 5-minute mark - they will seem not quite cooked - but I promise, they will cool to perfectly lacy cookies that melt in your mouth.

I’m taking a little break this week to enjoy Thanksgiving Break with my family. There will be no newsletter next Sunday, but I’ll be back in your inbox the first week of December.

Oatmeal Lace Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup (226 g) butter

▢ 2 1/4 cups (479 g) light brown sugar, packed

▢ 2 1/4 cups (200 g) rolled oats

▢ 3 tablespoons (23 g) all-purpose flour

▢ 1 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt

▢ 1 large (50 g) egg, lightly beaten

▢ 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract - I use this bonkers vanilla bean paste and highly recommend it.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375º F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

• Heat butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring frequently, until butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in oats, flour, salt, egg, and vanilla.

• Drop cookie batter by the teaspoon (this is CRITICAL for success!!!!) onto prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie to allow them to spread.

• Bake for 5 -7 minutes, watching closely to prevent them from burning. The edges of the cookies should be golden brown, but you’ll think they need more time. They don’t.

• Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 30 seconds, then remove to racks to cool completely.

• Store in an airtight container.

A. Speaking of cookies, these round cookies are the perfect amount of luxurious - the kind of thing I’d never buy myself but would love to receive.

B. This 24k gold-plated hair clip is very extra ($62/2 clips), but if you have someone in your life that these would be perfect for: priceless!

C. I grew up near an LA Burdick’s outpost in New Hampshire - so I’m as close to a forever fan as you can get. A box of these mice chocolates is my go-to gift for that person in your life who has everything.

D. One of my favorite holiday pleasures/traditions is making handmade ornaments with my kids and then sending the ornaments to friends and family. We’ve never made foil ornaments before - giving it a try this year.

E. I smashed the add-to-cart button so fast on this magnetic frame designed for photobooth pictures when I saw it in The Big Salad Gift Guide (tip from A La Carte)

F. I saw this artist on the go kit and think it would be a nice gift for a 5-8 year old in your life, especially if you’re going on a trip in the next few weeks.

G. We just bought our 7-year-old these Hoka sneakers and they’ve been a big hit.

H. These Kule socks are a dopamine hit waiting to happen.

I. A boss once gave me this Hermes perfume sampler kit - to help me find a signature scent - 20 years later, I still wear Un Jardin sur le Nil. This would be a lovely gift for a teen or tween girl in your life.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, consider clicking the ❤️ button — it really does help other like-minded readers discover my writing (oh, algorithms!).

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I occasionally include affiliate links - typically to products from Etsy, Ebay, 1st Dibs, Bookshop, and yes, sometimes, Amazon. Starting this week, affiliate links will be bolded so you know when I’ve used one.

I firmly believe that our most consistent political power comes from exercising our values via our wallets. I’m always thinking about cost, accessibility, and the planet. It’s a work in progress.

I include a few bonus finds here each week for paid subscribers as a small token of appreciation for making this newsletter possible.

1. Tim bought me these Pro Heal Band-Aids this week when I had a gnarly infected paper cut between my thumb and index finger that wouldn’t heal - these are terrific! The cut healed in 24 hours - I’m a convert!

2. I’ve shared my love of Levenger pads before - I recently reordered and bought these two pads - one is for simple lists and the other is for “mind maps”. I’m loving the mind map to do my daily “brain dumps” - a key ADHD survival tool - something about drawing out clusters of to-dos instead of forcing my non-linear brain into a linear list has been a relief.