Stormy afternoon survival kit: A great book, freshly brewed tea, and blueberry jam bars still warm from the oven.

My morning chores were to make a batch of yogurt, sourdough loaves for the week and sourdough pizza crusts for the freezer. Those tasks complete, it would have been nice to go outside for a walk. But this Saturday’s weather turned it into a stay-inside kind of day. We’ve heard that October is the month that Chignik Lake earned its name. Chignik means big winds in the native language. Saturday, it poured rain sideways. The lake was blown into a froth of whitecaps. Our little home here hunkered down solidly, just like our little house in Point Hope. It was the kind of day to curl up with a warm drink, a book, and a blanket. In our house, this scene also begs for a home-baked accompaniment. With a shelf of preserves made from berries we picked earlier, I had no trouble baking up a batch of oat bars filled with jam. The hardest part was to choose which jam – blueberry, currant, raspberry, or cranberry. Blueberry! In just over 30 minutes, I had delicious bars ready to go. This recipe is as easy as pie… or as blueberry oat bars.

Blueberry Oat Bars

Serves 9 polite eaters, or 2 ( if you have limited willpower)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup homemade blueberry jam (substitute any jam you have on hand)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease 8 inch square baking dish.
3. Combine sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and oats in a medium bowl.
4. Drizzle melted butter into flour mixture.
5. Toss until mixture is crumbly.
6. Press 2 cups of the mixture evenly into bottom of baking dish.
7. Spread jam on top of flour mixture.
8. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture atop jam, as even as you can.
9. Lightly press flour mixture into jam.
10. Bake for 35 minutes. Finished bars should be lightly browned.
11. Allow to cool before cutting.