"Easy"

Webster's dictionary defines easy as

1 a : causing or involving little difficulty or discomfort b : requiring or indicating little effort, thought, or reflection

I don't think that's true. I think the word "easy" is a relative term.

This is the main reason why I don't allow my students to say the word in my math classes. Certain aspects of mathematics are not as easy for some people as they are for others. So, if they insist on using that word, I make them amend it and say the phrase "easy for me."

This year, a group of teachers decided to repeat a fun thing from last year, and we're doing a cookie exchange. It's fun because you bring a certain amount of cookies, and then you go around and get some of everyone else's cookies, too, and you end up going home with the same amount of cookies you brought, but of all different varieties. The only non-easy part of this cookie exchange is that they said you couldn't bring the same cookies this year that you brought last year. Ugh.

Anyway, I remembered that one of my master's ladies had brought some cookies once that were to die for, so I asked her for the recipe. She started the description with how "easy" they were because there were only three ingredients that you needed. Oreos, cream cheese, and white almond bark. So far, so good, in my mind. Then she told me all I had to do was crush the Oreos, mix in the cream cheese, and dip in the melted bark. Sounds "easy" enough, but boy, was it NOT!

First, Kroger didn't have any regular Oreos, there were only Reduced Fat Oreos... weird. Then, there was only one package of the bark, even though she had told me that if I needed anything extra it would be the bark. Ugh. So, I started these "easy" cookies Tuesday night, so that if I needed more stuff, I could run and get it Wednesday afternoon, since we were exchanging our cookies today. Not only did I not have enough bark to dip them twice, it was barely enough to dip them once! And when we say "dip" that's not exactly the easiest way to do that. Oreo balls like to come apart if they haven't been in the refrigerator until the exact moment before you "dip" them. Argh.

So, two more packages of bark later, I finally have four dozen little Dirty Snowballs. They are really good, though, so I guess I'll just have to forget how "easy" they were for next year.

And then, my husband of few pieces of advice, tells me not to forget that the first time you try anything it's always hard. I guess that's his vote for me to make another batch.