Happy Birthday Mom

Eddie, Grandma Nelson, Andy (Thanksgiving 2007)

Mom celebrates her 88th birthday next week. Her weekly letters from Warren, Pennsylvania, are full of chatty reports about her active life. She cooks and bakes (there's usually more than 6 varieties of cookies during our too-infrequent visits), cleans her own house (where she has lived since 1957), remains active in church activities, visits the public library on a regular basis (likes to browse for fiction), goes out to lunch or dinner with family and friends, and still loves to shop. Two years ago, she became a HUGE Pittsburgh Penguins fan and rarely misses a game on TV -- although it's tough for her to stay up when the team doesn't play in the Eastern time zone. (Hockey. I would have never guessed.)

After sharing my last two cookie recipes with her, she mentioned that the Peanut Butter Fingers in the (1975) St. Paul's Lutheran Church cookbook is one of her favorites recipes.

So I tried it out. And confirmed the fact that you can never go wrong combining peanut butter and chocolate.

Peanut Butter Fingers (attributed to Doreen Seymour)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg (beaten)
1/3 cup peanut butter (I used smooth)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup oats
6 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Cream together shortening, white sugar, and brown sugar. Add beaten egg, peanut butter, soda, salt, and vanilla. Stir in flour and oats. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle on chocolate chips. Let stand for 5 minutes. Combine confectioner's sugar, peanut butter, and milk to make glaze and pour over top.

Can't figure out which pic I like best.

And I'm sure you've noticed how fat I made my fingers!