apricot oatmeal bars

I've been reading about writing lately.  Yep...reading about writing.   It seems weird, I know, but I love to  read and I love to write to people (see here), and I love to eat cookies, which you will see at the end of this post.

Right now I'm reading  "Put Your Heart on Paper-Staying Connected in a Loose-ends World" by Henriette Anne Klauser.  (It has such great  suggestions for staying in touch and staying connected ).

In her book she mentioned  how we  used to pass notes to each other in class.
Do you remember that?  Passing notes?  I loved passing notes.  We never wrote really bad stuff in the 60's and 70's.  More like:  do you think Alan likes me?   or:  this class stinks.  Or:  There's going to be a fight after school by the old gym!
(there usually wasn't because the teachers intercepted the notes and the principal would should up and all of us spectators would scatter like leaves in the wind).

I am just wondering.....are passing handwritten notes a thing of the past?  Now days everyone can just text, right?

And did you ever write a lipstick note on the bathroom mirror to your spouse or lover?  (okay...I'm laughing my ass off now, because the word lover does not flow from my mouth EVER.   It does from Stephen King's mouth tho... I saw him and his wife Tabitha on a interview show once and they made it clear they were "lovers" first and then parents, and then authors.  It kinda creeped me out hearing SK say  lover.    But later, after reading some of his memoir,  it didn't creep me out at all...I find it endearing that  SK and TK  love each other so much and aren't afraid to voice it.   Still.....  that word makes me laugh--I raised 3 boys and can't get over the sophomoric sense of humor they left me!)

Moving on....lipstick notes?  Did you ever write one?   Lipstick's really hard to clean off of a mirror!  But what the heck...so are toothpaste splatters!  Or shaving cream blots for that matter.  (I don't know what the  heck we do in the bathroom, but it's messy.)  
It's kind of sad that Lipstick notes used to be romantic and now they are just a pain to clean. 

Maybe I'll go write one tonight before I go to bed, so the Handyman will get up in the morning and see it.  
After all,  he did ask for a second helping of my Apricot Oatmeal bars last night.   He never does that.  In fact, if I didn't just hand  him dessert on a plate, he would probably never eat it.   He does not have a sweet tooth like I do.

I used to make these bars every fall, but it's one of those things that fall by the wayside somehow.  It has been a good 10 years since I've made them.  Once I tasted them again, I thought man, these are good, why did I wait so long to make them? 
Apricot preserves are spread on top of a buttery almond flavored shortbread then sprinkled with coconut.  They just melt in your mouth.  I've eaten more than my share in the past couple of days.  They can be very dangerous---You have to like apricots,  almond flavor and coconut tho.  Some people don't, but that just means there is more for me!
They are just a good bar cookie --or dessert if you want to call it that.  They would not be bad with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top...ESPECIALLY when they are warm.  Mmmmm.....  and you could leave a sticky note-love note on the ice-cream, so your lover can see it when he opens the freezer...to stay connected.  It said so in the book I'm reading.

All joking aside... I love these apricot bars and I think you will too.

Apricot Oatmeal Bars

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup melted butter
2 tsp almond extract

Combine all in a large mixer bowl.  Beat at a low speed until crumbly. Reserve 3/4 crumbs.  Press remaining mixture into the bottom of a greased 9-inch square baking pan.

3/4 cup apricot or peach preserves
1/3 cup flaked coconut

Spread preserves to within 1/2 inch of crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture and coconut.

Heat oven to 350. Bake for  2-25 minutes, or until browned. Cool completely.
Cut into squares.