After school snack

It's funny what you remember eating as a kid. My mother always made home cooked meals and baked every week for my sisters and I. Almost all of the food that we had was made from scratch, save for sliced bread (wheat, never white) and the occasional bag of McCain's frozen french fries. I now realize that it couldn't have been easy for her feeding four kids a healthy diet while working three jobs. All I remember was wanting Chef Boyardee ravioli from a can. I saw commercials for it in between after school cartoons and begged for it (do you remember "thank goodness for Chef Boyardee"?). There was something about that bright red sauce that called to me. After what seemed like months of begging my mother, the day finally came and a dish of Chef Boyardee ravioli was placed in front of me at dinner time, amidst the bowls of rice and soup and vegetables that the rest of the family was having. I dug in, took a mouthful of slippery, nearly neon coloured sauce and pasta and immediately spit it out. It was not what I had expected.

Fast forward a few years, ok, 25 years, and although I've eaten Chef Boyardee pasta from a can a few times and find it almost edible, I can now fully appreciate my mom's home made meals and snacks. There's nothing like food that has been made with your own hands, or better, by the hands of someone who loves you. So here is a quick, three ingredient recipe that my mom used to make for my sisters and I. It is still one of my favorites.

Mom's Oatmeal Bars

3 cups quick oats
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing with a fork until well combined. Press firmly into a 9x9 square pan and bake at 360 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before cutting into bars. Bars are easier to cut while still warm.