Violet's Date Oatmeal Cookies

This photograph is of my paternal grandmother, Violet Edwards. On the left is my Uncle Bob, and on the right, my dad. I love this picture - - I have it displayed in my home, and many people have commented on the resemblance between my dad in this photo, and Camden.
My Nanny loved to cook, and even more than that, she loved to feed people. We use to spend Thanksgiving at her house when I was a little girl, and I think I can still hear her urging everyone to, "Eat more!", even when you were bursting at the seams. We also spent each Christmas Eve with my Nanny and Grampa. She would always make a ton of caramel popcorn balls, and everyone got to take a bagfull home with them (someday, I hope to get my hands on that recipe). My Nanny passed away in 1998. I'm lucky enough to have her original recipe card, in her handwriting, for her delicious Date Oatmeal Cookies. I treasure that recipe card, and the recipe. Steve loves these cookies, and Camden and I are baking a batch for him today.

Ingredients
1 cup shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
8 teaspoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped dates

Preheat oven to 375. Cream together the shortening, sugar, and eggs. In a small bowl, add one tsp. baking soda to 8 tsps. sour milk. To that, add vanilla. Add all of this to the creamed mixture. In another bowl, stir together the oatmeal, flour, and dates. Stir this into the wet mixture until just blended. Drop by tablespoons full onto cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until they just begin to brown around the edges and the centers are cooked.