Foodie Friday: British Flapjacks

It is Friday afternoon and my brain is more cooked than the usual Friday afternoon. I have so much work that the thought of it (the thought of even half of it) makes me want to cry... but all I want to do today is dawdle around the house. (The traps of working from home.) It has been such a busy week-- my Aunt P was here through Monday (although Monday my body decided it was a day for a pain flare up so I didn't do much), I left the house at 5:30 a.m. Tues morning for two very full days in DC, flight back on Wed was late so it was nearly midnight when I got home, and yesterday I was just drowning in work again. We went to choir last night and I came back planning to submit a letter to a journal that had to be in by midnight... but then our power went out.

We have been having these insane wind storms, torrents of rain and incredible winds. When the power went out at 11 I realized my laptop was completely dead (ugh), but one of our other laptops still had some power (we have three, two quite ancient) and the doc I had to submit was in my email, so we set out to find some internet somewhere. (Obviously with the power off our internet wasn't working.) We got out onto the main road through campus and there was a tree down, a large tree, just completely ripped up by the roots. I'm telling you, this was a crazy storm. There were branches everywhere and all the roads going off campus were blocked (we found out later there were 10 trees down).

Some of the main buildings appeared to be running on generators, so I grabbed my laptop and started walking around looking for internet. Nothing in the main building, but I did manage to find a connection at the library, which was closed. I sat on the wet concrete outside, so cold I could hardly make my fingers type, and actually did get the letter submitted. I felt awesome (kind of Mission Impossible-ish) although I guess the whole thing was pretty crazy. Mostly I just didn't want to lose hours of work that I had put into that letter.

Anyway, today the wind is still screaming around the building and honestly that sound just rips my nerves to shreds. Plus I am just tired. I have found myself chopping broccoli and sauteeing squash just for something to do that doesn't involve my fingers on a keyboard, and flipping through the latest issue of Bon Appetit, which just came.

Where I found a delightful little article by Molly Katzenberg, who writes one of my favorite food blogs, Orangette. I wish I could share the article with you, but I can promise you there are many equally delightful reads on her blog. I haven't begun to read all her past posts (she actually isn't posting much these days as she is opening a restaurant in Seattle), but she is such a joy to read and I love having little Orangette moments when I have the time. And absolutely every food she writes about makes me drool (she is big on desserts).

So in spite of my resolutions to eat well (my goal being to once again fit into my professional clothes before I take three trips to Africa between March and May)... and not get distracted from my work... I couldn't help myself, I had to whip out a pan and cook along with Molly's article, because it just looked so good. I am a sucker for simple flavors in the dessert world. Good vanilla ice cream. Shortbread. Pound cake. And now let me add British flapjacks to the list

Really, it has taken me twice as long to write this post as it did to bake these things, they are so simple. If you don't have a can of Lyle's golden syrup sitting in your cupboard which you are feeling compelled to use up before you move, I am sure you could substitute honey or dark corn syrup, although the taste would be somewhat different.

Molly Katzenberg's British Flapjacks

• 1/4 c. golden syrup
• 1/2 c. dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 c. butter
• pinch of salt
• 2 1/3 c. quick-cooking oats (Molly warns not old-fashioned or instant, and I used old-fashioned as that was all I had, but the texture wasn't quite right)

Melt first 3 all together in saucepan. Add salt and oats and mix well.

Spread in greased 8x8 pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes, until edges have browned. (Molly said 25 min. but 15 was plenty for me.) The mixture will bubble up and not look anything like a cookie, but don't be alarmed.

Cool for 5 min. At this point the smell will drive you wild and you'll have to go write a blog or do something else to distract yourself. Cut the pan into 4 squares, then each square diagonally into 4 triangles. Cool completely. (Or eat them still warm and crumbly out of the pan.)

Have a great little afternoon snack (with tea if you like), then go back to work.

Makes 16.