One of my greatest pleasures in life is tending to the garden that my husband and I started over 20 years ago. At first, my husband had zero interest in gardening. He liked to keep me company and help me carry the new plants from our yearly visit to the nursery, but that was about it. After watching the garden grow and bloom so beautifully, he took an interest too. Now he is the one to take a walk through our garden to make sure the plants are healthy and growing, and to care for the ones that aren’t doing so well.

Unfortunately, this year my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer and he recently underwent surgery. The operation went very well and he is on the road to recovery, but it is a long process and he is still not feeling one hundred percent. He is not allowed to do any lifting or bending, so we had to hire someone to plant for us.

Here, near my home, we have a beautiful nursery that is filled with beautiful trees, bushes and plants. I love it there. Not only does it smell wonderful, it is truly breathtaking to see all the foliage blooming and the flowers bursting with color.  Families come and go, choosing the right plants for them, and everybody is so excited to bring home their new plants

This year, I went with my gardener to pick out the flowers. It was a different experience, and I missed spending that time with my husband. I went through the nursery with my list and bought everything I needed for our garden. My gardener brought all the plants home for me, and he spent yesterday planting them according to my instructions. 

Although the experience was quite different this year, my husband and I were elated to watch the crew work and see the results. The new flowers and bushes are finally in place, and we got to take a stroll through the garden, which looks amazing. We weren’t able to bask in the achievement of doing the planting ourselves, but we were so proud nonetheless. 

As a treat, I made these cookies. Of course, we all are familiar with banana bread, but this is the first time I saw a recipe for banana cookies– I don’t often come across such “firsts”! They are very simple to make. The bananas ensure a moist delicious cookie, much like the bread. The oats give it a nice, crunchy texture, along with the walnuts and chocolate chips. The cinnamon and the vanilla are the savory, giving each bite delicate hints of these delightful spices. They bake up into yummy treats, perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert (consider pairing with some vanilla ice cream for a delightful treat!). 

This recipe is courtesy of New York Times and will make 2 dozen cookies for people after a long day at work in the garden.

Ingredients for Banana Everything Cookies:

Nonstick cooking oil spray
1 very ripe medium banana
⅓ cup canola oil
⅔ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal or rolled oats
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup chocolate chips (vegan, if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spray two baking sheets with oil. In a mixing bowl, mash banana well.

Add oil, sugar and vanilla, and mix with a strong fork.

Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and mix until just moistened.

Add oatmeal, walnuts and chocolate chips.

Using your hands or a sturdy spoon, mix well, making sure oats are well moistened. (If dough is very slippery, add one or two extra tablespoons flour.)

Using clean, wet hands, re-wetting as needed, roll dough into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball, about 1 1/3 inches in diameter.

Flatten slightly and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

It’s that simple!