deja vu

If I was smart enough (or less lazy, maybe?) I'd figure out how to put the accents in the proper places in the title. Oh well. Use your imagination!

Funny what I've found as "comfort food" lately . . .


Cucumber, red pepper, and avocado sushi! Yum, yum, yum, extra yum.


A Greek-inspired pasta salad including whole-wheat spirals, mushroom, red onion, grape tomatoes, cucumber, artichoke hearts, red onion, red pepper, chickpeas, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta. I made a simple vinaigrette from some lemon juice, roasted garlic, olive oil, pepper, and oregano. Again with the extra yum. (I've been taking this for lunch all week long and have not yet grown sick of it!)

speedy, speedy!

Life has been a little crazy lately . . . thus, meals have been quick, simple, and not necessarily photo-worthy! I did manage to snap a couple of pics this week, though:


I haven't had my lunchbox out in ages, I think largely because I've been preparing a lot of one-pot dinners, which have transitioned well to lunches in leftover form. However, I did manage to pack a dinner for my busy Wednesday this week -- ants on a log, pink lady apple slices, a corn muffin, and a small piece of leftover brownie (no, I didn't bake -- leftover from dinner out the previous week,) which I enjoyed during the Haiti partnership committee meeting, before choir practice.

Oh yeah . . . did I mention Dan and I are going on a mission trip to Haiti this spring? Considering I've never left the country, I figure, Haiti would be quite the first adventure! I'll tell more about the trip when we have more details.


Breakfast this morning was mysteriously similar to last Saturday's breakfast . . . can't get enough waffles! The recipe's so easy and so delicious, I can't help it. :) This time, I decided to top them in the manner in which my friend Ann taught me -- peanut butter and maple syrup. (Hey, it's protein, right?)

Speaking of Ann, she was kind enough to help me with my taxes last night, and I'm looking at a whopping refund again this year! Wahoo! Most of my refund will be earmarked for travel expenses, but I may treat myself to a new cookbook, too.


Dinner tonight was simple: hash browns, (which get better and better each time I make them -- this time I tried a higher smoke point oil, with excellent results!), and scrambled eggs with mushroom, onion, garlic, spinach, and feta. YUM.

I may bake later tonight . . . until then!

breakfast and supper

Breakfast this morning:

I'm finally, slowly, starting to explore my new cookbooks, starting with Mollie Katzen's "Overnight Waffles" from Sunlight Cafe. First yeasted waffle I've ever made, and I will keep making them! The overnight batter is incredibly easy to prepare, and the waffles are crisp on the outside, fluffy and chewy and heavenly on the inside. They need nothing more than a teensie dab of butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Mmmm. (P.S. I used whole-wheat pastry flour.)

Dinner tonight:

Collard Green & Black-Eyed Pea Soup, (the vegetarian version,) from a recent edition of Eating Well magazine. Very simple to prepare, very healthful, and very tasty! The vegetables are bright and present, the peas are creamy, and there's just a slight amount of heat underlying from some chili flakes. Yum.

I also made cornbread muffins to go with my soup, which I did not take a picture of, but I have to say, since I've started using yogurt instead of milk in my cornbread, the quality has improved significantly! It has been named "the best" by Dan, (my most important critic, obviously,) because, I think, the extra acid in the yogurt causes the cornbread to bake up fluffy and tender, even when using whole-wheat pastry flour. Bonus!

Otherwise, it's been a quiet weekend here -- the high temps are in the negative degrees this weekend, so it's a good time to hole up with a book, a cup of tea, and some more soup! (Well, and the laundry, later this evening. Those chores always seem to get in the way, don't they?)

Stay warm, everybody!

risotto = yum

Dinner tonight:

"Risi e Bisi" (i.e., rice and peas,) made risotto-style. I only make risotto like, once a year, but I'm not quite sure why -- it tastes so darn spectacular!

Has anybody had any luck making a brown rice risotto?

Sesame-Maple Roasted Tofu!

Dinner tonight:

A recipe from Eating Well, with udon noodles hiding underneath. Other than stringing the peas, which seemed to take an eternity at the time, this was a relatively simple recipe to prepare! I guess that's what I like so much about roasting -- you just chuck everything in the oven and forget about it for a (short) while, and then dinner is ready!

I tried out a new variety of tofu in this recipe -- Wildwood has started making a super-firm tofu that is just like water-packed tofu, only not packed in water, so there's no pressing/draining needed. It's awesome! I think that one 10-ounce pack of the Wildwood tofu has about the same tofu as a 14-ounce water-packed block, once the water has been pressed out.

I may be a convert, and never go back to the other types of water-packed tofu I've bought in the past! Way to go, Wildwood! (They also make an excellent soy yogurt, in my opinion!)

500th post!

Wow! I just noticed that this is my 500th post! Very cool.

Anyhow, I apologize for my absence from blogdom -- as many of you can relate, the holidays were BUSY! Between travelling for two family Christmases, visiting with lots of friends who were in town, and still having to work, I felt like I did nothing but run in circles for two weeks straight! It was wonderful to see everyone, but boy am I glad I have almost nothing to do this week! We all need a little rest -- Dan's been under the weather, and we had to take Ollie to the vet on Friday (urinary tract infection.) Kitty's been very good about letting me give him his antibiotics, and he's definitely on the mend.

We've still been eating and cooking some! Photos:

I had a cold the week between Christmas and New Year's, and Dan surprised me one night by buying me some pho soup from the Vietnamese restaurant up the block:

I love the freshness and clean taste of pho soup. I should try making my own, eh?

Homemade pizza:

We stayed in on New Year's Eve and constructed this loaded veggie pizza deluxe. Yum.

Pull-N-Peel Twizzler silliness:

Dan had a little too much fun with dessert on New Year's Eve!

Muffins:

Wholegrain Banana-Coconut-Almond! Yum!

Oliver thought these looked good, too:

Does anybody else's cat sneak bites of freshly baked goods? He never eats them, though -- always spits them back out. Grumble, grumble.

New cookbooks!

Mollie Katzen was a gift from my parents, Anna Thomas was a gift from Dan's parents, and I bought the middle one (from The Cheese Factory Restaurant) on our way back from Wisconsin -- there is this incredible vegetarian and vegan restaurant in the middle of nowhere in Central Wisconsin! Our meals were excellent, and I can't wait to try out their recipes in my kitchen!

New books!

Dan gave me "Millions of Cats" (a children's picture book) as part of my Christmas present -- I wasn't terribly familiar with this story, but it is funny and a little dark and very witty and charming. It was also written by a Minnesotan! My parents gave me "The Omnivore's Dilemma," which I can't wait to start reading. My friend Marie gave me "The Alchemist," which I'm not familiar with, but will add to the stack of stuff to read!

That's all, for now. Hopefully we'll get to the grocery store tomorrow, and I'll have a chance to cook something wonderful later this week! Until then . . . .

Christmas Cookies

Clockwise from the left: Pine Nut Biscotti, Butterscotch Blondies with Cranberries and Pecans, Chocolate Coconut Almond Merengues, Grandma's Christmas Cookies, Curried Peanut Brittle, Chai Shortbread, and Sweet and Salty Peanut Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

My final review on each cookie:

Pine Nut Biscotti: Personally, I love these cookies. They are slightly sweet, subtley lemon-flavored, and dunkable but not too crispy to be enjoyed on their own. However . . . no one seems to like eating biscotti besides me! Argh. I'll rethink including a biscotto recipe next year.

Butterscotch Blondies with Cranberries and Pecans: YUM. People gobbled these down, and they were pretty easy to make. Next year, I want a bar pan with a removeable bottom -- I'll put it on my long-term shopping list, so I don't have to wrestle with the foil any more!

Chocolate Coconut Almond Merengues: Despite the fact that these baked too long, the flavor combination was spot-on. I will try a different merengue recipe next year, with the same ingredients.

Grandma's Christmas Cookies: These were easier with the streamlined single shape and half-recipe. People also gobbled these down, which they almost always do.

Curried Peanut Brittle: After learning my candy thermometer lesson, the only thing I'd change about this recipe is increasing the amount of curry powder, or grinding my own from whole spices. We shall see . . . !

Chai Shortbread: I love these, and they were super easy. 'Nuf said.

Sweet and Salty Peanut Chocolate Chunk Cookies: The idea behind these cookies is great, but the actual recipe is not all that fantastic. I'll use my own chocolate chip cookie recipe next time, (and I'll use better-quality chocolate,) and a different nut -- maybe almonds? Maybe hazelnuts? Love the salt, though -- that part was to die for!

Overall, it's been an adventure, baking so many different kinds of cookies this year! Having them all on hand has been incredibly helpful for my contribution to work potlucks, church choir potlucks, and family get-togethers. I may expand my candy-making repertoire next year -- truffles, perhaps? :) Who knows . . . !?!?

kids say the darndest, plus food

A great work story:

One of the new little girls in my class came up to me yesterday, pointed at my stomach, and said, "you don't have a baby in there -- just a bellybutton."

Sweet. Nice to know my stomach's flat enough that the kids aren't confused! :)

On to the food.

First, Dan cooked:

He made miso soup for dinner on Monday night. Yum! Like me, he's more critical of his own cooking than other people are. Regardless, it was wonderful to come home from work and have dinner already ready!

Second, Dan and I cooked:

We made a recipe from an old issue of Cooking Light called "Tempeh Coconut Curry." It was excellent! (Especially coming from someone who doesn't always like tempeh.) We followed the recipe pretty closely, although Dan admitted that he added more chili flakes than the recipe called for. :) I had intended on making a side of kale with this one, but promptly forgot. Maybe I'll add the kale directly to the curry next time? (P.S. that's actually a yellow-fleshed sweet potato in there -- yum!)

I apologize for the great delay in photographing and posting the final results of my holiday baking, but I've taken trays of cookies to two different parties already, and have forgotten to snap a picture both times. Sheesh. :) I'll remember eventually!

one more . . .

. . . holiday baking preview photo:

last of the previews

some food and a funny

First, a funny food story:

(You'll find this especially funny if you're familiar with the children's book "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom")

I took some leftover Moroccan Chickpea Stew to work for lunch yesterday, and the kids asked me what I was eating. I told them, "Moroccan Chickpea Stew." One little girl looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and said, "You eating 'Roccan Chicka Boom?" My coteacher and I both giggled about that one!

Ok, on to the food . . .

Since I have been eating so much JUNK lately, (mostly at work,) I decided to make muffins the other night, in an attempt to tempt myself with healthier fare. Spicy Seven-Grain Muffins:

The recipe was off the back of the Arrowhead Mills seven-grain hot cereal box. Easy and tasty!

Dinner tonight:

Pasta Alla Puttanesca, technically, alla Bazu! (Thanks for the awesome idea!)

More holiday baking:

(Nice to have two more cookies checked off the list! I'm over half done, now!)

Happy Hump Day, and payday, for those of us who get paid every-other Wednesday!

dinners

Dinner last night:

Honey-Glazed Tofu over couscous with carrots, edamame, and pistachios, and a side of brussels sprouts. My first time making b-sprouts, and they turned out quite well! I halved them and steamed them for a few minutes, and then tossed them with a little bit of garlic butter. YUM. Well, really, the whole meal deserves a big gigantic "YUM" -- this easy, super tasty meal will definitely be a repeat at my house!

Dinner tonight:

Moroccan Chickpea Stew, over brown rice. This meal also deserves a big gigantic "YUM!" Another definite repeat.

It's been a good week of dinners so far, and it's only Monday! Wahoo!

SUGAR, a package, and some regular food

Even though I worked nine hours yesterday at the store, I've been trying to stay on top of my holiday baking prep this weekend. Biscotti Friday night, brittle on Saturday, and two more doughs for the freezer today. Photos:

The second batch of brittle:

Yes . . . the second batch. Why? Because I ruined the first batch, and no, I did not burn it. I followed the recipe instructions, instead of trusting my gut and using my candy thermometer. I learned a valuable lesson -- go with my gut! The first batch was cloudy, greyish, and not really crispy at all. Argh. Anyhow, after throwing out that batch, I pulled out the candy thermometer and started again -- and the second batch turned out wonderfully, as you can see. The catch? I didn't have enough sunflower seeds for the second batch, so I used peanuts. Alas. The curry powder still makes for a unique treat, though!

Sweet and Salty Peanut Chocolate Chunk Cookies:

I love doing this with drop cookies -- scooping them all out onto parchment, freezing the entire batch in little dough balls, and then transferring them to a ziploc once nice and frozen. They take only a couple of minutes to thaw once placed on cookie sheets, and I can choose how many cookies to bake at a time! This time I'll bake off the whole batch, (next weekend,) but in the past, it's been nice to be able to bake just a couple of cookies at a time! (This was especially handy when I used to have a toaster oven -- freshly baked cookies in the middle of the summer! Yum.)

What's that?

Could that be Grandma's Christmas Cookie dough, off to the freezer? Yep. I decided to make half a batch of cut-out cookies this year after all, partially because the brittle didn't yield as much as I was expecting, and partially because, well, I just like these cookies. I figured if I did a half batch all of one "shape," (I'm thinking stars,) frosting and sprinkling will go that much more quickly.

I got a package in the mail yesterday:

My friend Anna and her husband sent me oranges and grapefruit! The oranges are delicious, and I haven't had a chance to get into a grapefruit yet. My immune system will be extra-strong, thanks to all of the vitamin C I'm going to get! Thanks, Anna and Langdon!!

And, of course, packages are fun, even if you're a cat.

(I suppose, technically, Oliver is perishable and should be protected from freezing, too!)

I have been making regular food lately, too.

Baked beans:

This is a simple slow cooker recipe that I haven't tweaked to my liking just yet, but it was quite good the first time 'round. Thanks for the recipe, Courtney!

Agean Eggplant and Lentils:

Awhile back, Vegetarian Times ran an article featuring recipes easily made in a Dutch oven. I loved the concept -- chuck a bunch of stuff in a pot, put the lid on, stick it in the oven, and forget about it for a while. Magically, dinner is ready! This was an excellent recipe, and my first try using capers. (I haven't cared much for them in the past.) I scooped this into a wholegrain pita for lunch yesterday. Tasty delicious!

Cumin-Curried Hummus:

I think Dan could eat his weight in hummus if he tried. A new recipe to try this week!

Have a tasty (and healthy) week -- I'll be busy finishing holiday baking, and will post next weekend, showcasing the results!

holiday baking preview

It's been a busy week, what with work, trainings, choir practice, and general life getting in the way. I have been cooking a little, (I made a slow cooker baked bean recipe Courtney passed my way,) but mostly eating leftovers and simple things for dinner like oatmeal and frozen ravioli, (not at the same meal, I promise!)

Dan and I went to the grocery store last night and stocked up, so my posting dry spell will soon be over. In the meantime, a couple holiday baking preview photos:


I have only very recently acquired a kitchen scale, (this little model by Escali is affordable, comes in a vast array of colors, and gets the job done!), and I have to say, I'm really enjoying baking by weight. Why? Because I don't dirty measuring cups -- I just spoon in the ingredients, until I'm at the right weight for each ingredient. Tare, and spoon again!


Biscotti, after the first trip in the oven. The last tray is finally finishing up its second oven trip, as I type right now. (I'm trying to decide whether it's worth sticking them in the freezer for a week, or if I should just leave 'em alone and assume they'll stay fresh for a while, as long as they are tightly sealed?)

I forget how small my oven is, until I start large baking projects like holiday cookies. Grumble.

Anyhow, the biscotti are fabulous! (I just dipped one into my tea . . . yum!)

Happy weekend, everyone.

busy weekend!

Don't you just love those weekends when you are super-productive, but not exhausted? I've had one of those weekends. I've caught up on email and snail mail correspondence, done some tidying up and filing around the house, nearly completed my Christmas shopping, wrapped all of the Christmas presents I've purchased, made a (crustlesss) tofu pumpkin pie, done some laundry, mopped the floors, washed mountains of dishes, and finished a book! I've also been cooking and eating, of course. :)

One of my impulse buys at the Wedge on Friday:

Pineapple guavas! I was sold on their bubblegum-like fragrance -- I had to give a few a try.

Trying:

Guavas are a little strange . . . sweet and tart, with an unusual texture. They may not be on my grocery list on a regular basis, but they were worth a try!

Almond Milk!

I realize this looks remarkably like the batches of soy milk I've made with my Soyabella, but I had to post about almond milk . . . because it tastes SO good, and it takes even less time to make than soy milk. Plus, almonds are a natural source of calcium and iron -- bonus!

Falafel for dinner last night:

I baked my falafel this time . . . ew. I will stick to pan-frying from now on, because my oven baked falafels just got dried out and crumbly. My salad (romaine, tomato, artichoke, olives, oil, and vinegar,) was spectacular, however!

The beginnings of holiday baking:

Chai shortbread dough, off to the freezer for a couple of weeks. See you soon, chai shortbread!

Rescuing falafel for lunch today:

I pan-fried the falafel today, with much better results. Sweet potato fries and more guavas on the side. (I'm full!)

I still can't believe it's only 4:15 or so . . . what will I do with the rest of my day? We shall see . . . !

Conundrum completed, plus other stuff

Thanks, everybody, for weighing in on the great Christmas Cookie Conundrum of 2007! I thought I'd share the voting results, as well as what I've decided to do. :)

APRICOT-ALMOND SANDWICH COOKIES
votes: 5 yes, 6 no
I've decided not to make these this year -- although the flavor combination seems heavenly, I think they might just be too much work. I may make them for Valentine's Day instead, using rasperry jam instead of apricot! (And cutting out heart shapes, of course.)

BUTTERSCOTCH BLONDIES WITH CRANBERRIES AND PECANS
votes: 3 yes, 3 no
I will make these because they seem super-easy, and also, I love the flavor combination of cranberries and pecans. Yum.

CHAI SHORTBREAD
votes: 5 yes, 1 no
Can one go wrong with slice-n-bakes? I think not. This is a definite "yes" for me this year.

CHOCOLATE, COCONUT, AND ALMOND MERENGUES
votes: 4 yes, 5 no
I will make these, mostly because Dan actually likes merengues, and he doesn't like many sweets at all!

CURRIED SUNFLOWER BRITTLE
votes: 5 yes, 3 no
I think this one was in the "yes" column all along, because I love curry in sweet things (both chocolate and ice cream, so far,) and also because Dan likes brittles, too.

GINGER THINS
votes: 2 yes, 1 no
I'm going to hold off on this one this year -- if I make that and the chai shortbread, there might just end up being too many round, brown cookies on the plate!

GRANDMA'S CHRISTMAS COOKIES
votes: 5 yes, 2 no
I'm not going to make these this year -- I'm feeling lazy, and my mom makes them every year anyway (with vanilla frosting -- the peppermint is my spin on things.)

PINE NUT BISCOTTI
votes: 6 yes, 4 no
I haven't made biscotti in several years, and I can't wait to try again! Lemon and pine nuts together . . . double yum? Anyhow, this is a definite yes!

PRINCESS TEA CAKES
votes: 3 yes, 4 no
I'm going to skip these, since pretty much everyone and their grandma makes Russian Tea Cakes. Maybe next year.

SWEET AND SALTY PEANUT CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES
votes: 6 yes, 1 no
These will make the cut this year, too! I can't wait to try the sweet-salty cookie!!!

So, of course, I'll post pictures once B-Day is complete, and the flour settles.

Segue . . .

Here's the picture of the banana muffins I made for the cake walk at work:

They were very yummy. I think all muffins might have to have sprinkles from now on!

I was shopping (without a list . . . disaster!) at the Wedge this afternoon, and I discovered this yogurt, made locally!

There are so many things I love about this yogurt!
1. organic
2. local
3. the name is just plain clever
4. low sugar
5. comes in my two favorite yogurt flavors (the other one is peach)
6. the cup is actually recyclable!
7. it tastes good! (more like plain yogurt with a hint of fruit flavor, as opposed to sugary goo)

Speaking of my shopping "disaster" this afternoon, does anyone else have trouble coming out of the grocery store under eighty bucks? Sheesh.

Christmas Cookie Conundrum

With a delicious Thanksgiving dinner under my belt, my thoughts, of late, have turned to Christmas. Christmas gift shopping, Christmas decorating (I was certain I wasn't going to put up the tree this year . . . but I bet I will!), and Christmas cookie baking.

Again, I thought I would maybe not bake this year -- what will I do with all of those cookies? In years past, I've made between two and four different recipes, always including gingerbread dudes and my Grandma's Christmas Cookie recipe (frosted with peppermint buttercream and covered with sprinkles,) and possibly one or two new favorites.

This year, I have a problem. I have, um, ten recipes I'd like to try? Now, obviously, I'm not going to make all ten recipes. I do plan on boxing up some cookies to take to my coworkers, and will probably take cookies to Dan's family over Christmas, and my parents and Grandparents the weekend following Christmas, so I'll use up all of the cookies this year.

Still, ten recipes is a LOT of baking. The real trouble is, I've selected ten very diverse cookies . . . and I need YOUR help making a couple of cuts! I'd like to get the list down to six recipes, but I think I'd be willing to go up to eight if I just can't cut one or two options. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think about the following ideas -- ones that you think are must-keeps, ones that you think I should cut, even just rank them from best-sounding to ok-sounding!

APRICOT-ALMOND SANDWICH COOKIES
These are basically an almond windowpane cookie and apricot jam sandwich that you dip in a chocolate glaze. I've never made these before. Pros: They look absolutely stunning (a cover recipe from Eating Well a few Christmases ago,) and I love the flavor combination of apricots and almonds. They also call for whole-wheat flour. Cons: They take several steps (including making the dough, rolling and cutting (including little windows,) baking, cooling, filling, and dipping in the glaze;) and the glaze calls for corn syrup, albeit only 1 1/2 teaspoons.

BUTTERSCOTCH BLONDIES WITH CRANBERRIES AND PECANS
I made this recipe last weekend without eggs, with somewhat, erm, flat and sticky results. I'd like to give the recipe another go. Pros: The flavor of these bars was spot-on blondie fabulousness. Also, bar cookies are a snap to make -- they take almost no time. Cons: The cookies were a little bit sweet for my tastes (hopefully the addition of fresh cranberries will balance them a bit better.)

CHAI SHORTBREAD
This is a slice-n-bake chai-spiced shortbread that I'm excited to try for the first time. Pros: The dough can be made ahead and frozen, which would make baking a snap on the day I plan to have my baking marathon, and I think the combination of spices sound delicious and interesting. Cons: They call for powdered sugar as the only sweetner, which is pretty processed, as well as white flour.

CHOCOLATE, COCONUT, AND ALMOND MERENGUES
Aren't merengues fun? Pros: Flavor combination first and foremost, with the portability and storability being close seconds. Cons: Merengues can be a bit persnicketty to prepare, and can go soft if stored for too long.

CURRIED SUNFLOWER BRITTLE
I'd like to try my hand at a little candy-making this year, and this was the most interesting-looking of the brittle recipes I have on hand. Pros: Brittles are pretty foolproof as long as you don't burn the sugar, and well, sweet curry and sunflower seeds just sound addictive, don't they? (I could buy some hot curry powder for extra-fun good times!) Cons: Calls for corn syrup.

GINGER THINS
I thought this recipe might be a nice alternative to gingerbread dudes this year -- less rolling/cutting/icing work, with some of the same flavors. Pros: Uses whole-wheat pastry flour and a whole host of amazing spices, as well as some molasses and candied ginger! Also, it's a drop cookie, so I could freeze the dough ahead of time. Cons: Calls for several ingredients I don't typically keep on hand, so they may end up hanging out in my cupboards for an indefinite period of time.

GRANDMA'S CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Is this one a gimme? Maybe not. Pros: Biscuit-like dough is less sweet than a traditional sugar cookie, so they balance all that frosting and sprinkle action quite well. They also look very festive when all decked out! Also, the dough can be made ahead and frozen. Cons: Rolling, cutting, baking, frosting, and sprinkling takes a long time. Also, should I veer from making the "same ol' thing?"

PINE NUT BISCOTTI
I haven't tried this recipe yet, but have made biscotti in the past, and was surprised at how easy they were to make. Pros: Pine nuts with a hint of lemon . . . need I say more? Biscotti also keep well. Cons: Double-baking can be quite time-consuming. Also calls for white flour.

PRINCESS TEA CAKES
Ohmigod do I love Russian Tea Cakes, but everyone makes them, right? Pros: Calls for whole-wheat pastry flour and canola oil (instead of butter.) Cons: Lotsa powdered sugar; lots of people make these, right? Also, the double-dipping in powdered sugar can be a bit time-consuming.

SWEET AND SALTY PEANUT CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES
These sound decadent and incredible, and play up that whole sweet-salty trend (using coarse sea salt in the batter,) that's been going on lately. Pros: Drop cookie, so I could make the batter ahead of time, drop out the dough and freeze it, so it would be all ready to go on baking marathon day. Plus, sweet-salty chocolately peanutty goodness . . . yum. Cons: White flour; also, is it too much like an ordinary chocolate-chip cookie?

Ok. Let me know what you think!

catchin' up (ketchup?)

I have actually been taking pictures of things I've cooked -- don't you love it when those pictures pile up?

Anyhow, here's what I've been eating lately.

Thai-Tofu Soup with Coconut and Lemongrass:

I realize I make this about once a month, but I'm willing to bet that's not nearly frequently enough for Dan.

Cranberry-Banana Smoothie:

Fresh cranberries have been plentiful at the co-op lately, and I've purchased several pints and stuck them in the freezer for moments such as these.

Mystery Soup:

After defrosting some leftover potato-garlic soup, I added half a leftover baked sweet potato, cubed, and an enormous handfull of fresh spinach. Topped this with shredded cheese and green onions, called it lunch. (Very tasty, and much better than I was expecting it to be!)

Chili in the Crock Pot:

I'm not even sure I can remember what went into this! Ingredients that I can remember: onions, garlic, green pepper, corn, potatoes, kale, tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, brown rice, vegetable broth, chili powder, and cumin.

Chili, hiding under many garnishes:

After topping a bowl full of chili with cheese, green onions, cilantro, avocado, and lime juice, I scooped it all up with some organic blue corn tortilla chips.

Sushi:

Can one enjoy sushi too often? I think not. :)

Shoot! I totally forgot to take pictures of the banana muffins I made for the cake walk at school tomorrow night. I have a few left . . . I'll post about them next time!

I'm headed out of town this weekend -- travel safe everybody, and Happy Tofurkey Day!

(P.S. We had a gift-giving idea-generating competition at the store during last night's staff meeting, and my teammate Stephen and I took third place, which meant we each won a $25 gift card! Wahoo!)