optional: butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, pecans for walnuts Pour 1 cup boiling water over the raisins and add 1 t baking soda. Stir well and set aside. Bring the shortening to room temperature then cream well. Add the sugar one cup at a time and cream well after each addition. Add the eggs in the same manner. Sift together the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, flour and baking powder. Add the vanilla to the creamed mixture. Drain the raisins and sprinkle one tablespoon of flour over them and shake to coat. Alternately add the flour mixture, the milk and the oatmeal. Mix well after each addition. There will a lot of dough and it should be fairly thick. With a heavy wooden spoon stir in the walnuts and the raisins and the flavored chips--you can use any amount of the flavored chips you want. Grease the cookie sheet. Drop the dough by teaspoonful on the cookie sheet. I usually get about 20 per sheet--but then I have very, very old cookie sheets and they are larger than my new ones. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. They will be golden on the bottom and dry on the top. Remove and place on wax paper until cool. Keep in an airtight container--Tupperware is great. Makes about 10 dozen. Variation you can save the water from soaking the raisins and cut down on the milk by the appropriate amount. this adds a very good flavor to the cookies. Enjoy Diane M. Ferrell Colorado dmferrell@happy.uccs.edu