Jury Duty Oatmeal Cookies

Today, July 5, 2007, I spoke to my mom. She was called for jury duty and, on day four of jury selection, it was her turn in the jury box. Mom is a naturalized citizen and this is her first time getting this far in jury duty (last time she spent the day watching Montel in the jury room and "dining" in the cafeteria).

It was a criminal trial, and Mom was asked to describe any brushes with the law. Recently, her catalytic converter was stolen off her car during a PTA volunteer appreciation breakfast (as Mom said in the courtroom, "That free breakfast cost me $118!") In addition, Mom was mugged in front of her church on Christmas day a few years ago. Yes, she was heading back to church to enjoy some punch and cookies when a guy jumps out of a car, grabs her purse, and runs back to a waiting car. Luckily, my mom shops at Ross and the straps on her cheap purse broke off. Okay - that is just a plain victim-of-crime story. Good enough to get you kicked off the jury? Probably not. But you're not my mom!

I arrived at the church that Christmas day just when my mom started giving her police report. After describing the facts, my mom proclaims (as she repeated in court), "He must have really needed the money if he is stealing on Christmas Day!"

Shockingly, she was booted off that jury!

I tried Cook's Illustrated Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, sans the raisins. I used my new real nutmeg and microplane thingy to grate some fresh nutmeg - it's damn fragrant stuff!

They were supposed to make huge cookies, but when I used 2 tablespoons of dough, this is what I got. Hum, perhaps they are using heaping tablespoons or I just, yet again, have no clue on this baking thing.

Well, these cookies sucked. One reviewer described them as "close to wallpaper gum." Ugh. Strike one on these Oatmeal cookies.