beach improv

If you were hoping for a funny narrative about a comedy show we found while on Spring Break, no luck. Return to whatever you were reading previously.  

But given that this is a food and nutrition blog, I hope you were instead prepared for what I am about to share: kitchen improvisation... the kind where you never really know what you’re gonna get. 

I woke up this morning feeling the call of the kitchen in the condo we’re enjoying surfside during our Spring Break. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen at home and admit, the break has been refreshing. But every once in while when I’m away, I feel the oven asking for a little make 'n' bake. 

As anyone who has ventured on vacay with two kids can appreciate... my condo kitchen did not provide a lot in the way of ingredients, though. But because of some savvy snack packing on my part and a few key ingredients my mother in law managed to bring along, we ended up with *almost* everything I needed to make my oldest son’s favorite cookie - Oatmeal-Raisin. 

The problem: no oatmeal. 

The solution: crushed graham crackers. 

Really? Crushed graham crackers wouldn’t be your first choice as a substitute for rolled oats? Maybe not mine either, but I figured, why not. They make one mean pie crust and are mostly flour anyway, so why not give them a go.

The result was surprisingly good. Everyone in the condo agreed (which trust me... is saying A LOT). 

I based my recipe on this recipe from MyRecipes.com - my perennial favorite go-to source for kitchen-tested recipes. I made a few substitutions based on what I had on hand and my general tendency to experiment.

And what I created was more than just a cookie... it was a reminder that sometimes, what you have on hand is all you really need.