One-Bowl Meal

Lately I have been on a yogurt kick. I really like the nonfat plain Greek yogurt from Trader Joe's. 

Here's how I incorporated it into my breakfast this morning:

That's an apple and a banana, softened and warmed in the microwave. Then I added a palmful of dried dates (which I have also been loving lately. So sweet and chewy; more exciting than raisins), the Greek yogurt (not sure of the amount, maybe 1/2 cup?), 1/4 cup granola and a few oatmeal squares. This was really delicious and really filling. 

A while ago, I had a bunch of buttermilk I needed to use up, so I made a huge batch of pancakes. I froze all of them, and now they're just hangin' out in the freezer, waiting to be eaten. I made three for Cookie Monster this morning, and used some of my apple/banana mixture to make a compote. I cooked it down a little more and added brown sugar and a dab of butter so it got all goopy.

Drizzled at the end with a little maple syrup, Cookie Monster said it was a winner.

Leftovers for Lunch

For lunch yesterday, I had a plate full of leftovers. Leftovers are usually fine with me, and I more often than not reinvent them into something different. This time, though, their original preparation was the best, so that's how I ate them.

 

We have roasted Brussels sprouts, leftover pizza and a surprise.

 

 

That looks like a big pile of mashed potatoes, right? Wrong! It's actually cauliflower puree. I just steam the cauliflower until it's a little overcooked, then pulverize in my mini food processor with  chicken stock to thin it, a little butter and S&P. It's really good and if you close your eyes, you almost think it's mashed potatoes. 

 

The pizza was from a local place called Tutti Gusti, and it was broccoli, ricotta and tomato pizza. SO GOOD! As is requisite with leftover pizza, it was eaten cold. 

The Brussels sprouts I roasted in a hot oven (about 450) with a little olive oil, S&P until they were nice and caramelized and some of the outer leaves had turned crunchy.

After the photos, I added a dollop of cilantro jalapeno hummus and a few cracker pieces. 

Tasty lunch!

A Delightful Breakfast

This was a lovely breakfast I had yesterday. One of my favorite things of all time is peanut butter and jelly. It's practically the only thing I ate from approximately ages 3-12. I was a really picky eater as a kid; I don't know how my mom put up with me. If I had kids, they'd eat what I fixed them. The end. 

Thankfully, I grew out of the "trying new things is gross!" phase, and like almost everything now (except most meat, which is why, with new people, I just say I'm a vegetarian for simplicity's sake). I think the only vegetables I don't like are jicama and raw fennel.

Anyhoo, the point is, I still love PBJ, and a lot of times I have PBJ oatmeal. Yesterday I had whole wheat English muffins, so I did PBJ on each half.

But this ain't no regular jelly; it's my mother-in-law's homemade boysenberry jam. Oh my, is it good.

Alongside the English muffin, I had about a quarter each of an apple and banana, which I cooked in the microwave to break down the fruit and make it all warm, sugary and squishy. There was also a bit of plain yogurt and a crumbled bran muffin on the fruit (which was what I made for Cookie Monster's breakfast--I just swiped a little of it). Mmmmm!

All this, paired with the mandatory coffee (note the Ducks 1995  Rose Bowl mug. I have been a Ducks fan for a while), was a delightful and healthy breakfast. 

Highly Inappropriate Yet Delightfully Funny

This is just fabulous. Literally made me laugh out loud. I am such a sucker for a pun.

And Now for Something Completely Different...

Those of you who know me know this is so perfect.

Molasses Cookies

These are some of our favorite "winter" cookies. They have a strong molasses flavor, kinda like a gingersnap, but are soft and chewy. I say winter because these flavors are typically associated with Christmas and the holiday season, which is when I usually make them. But they'd be good any time of the year. They're really, really good.

Ok, here's the recipe.

1 cup light brown sugar

1 room temperature egg

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses (this makes a big difference. I made them without the blackstrap and they got very mooshy and spread very wide. So use the blackstrap)

2 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup room temperature butter

Sugar to roll the dough

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter with brown sugar on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add egg and molasses and blend. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend on low until everything is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl periodically.

Pour some sugar onto a small plate. Roll ~1 tablespoon dough into a ball, then roll in sugar and place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat until all cookies are formed.

Bake until cookies are firm around the edges, soft in the center and crackly on top, about 11 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then cool completely.

Devour.

I made these cookies for our neighbors and put them in pretty holiday bags. I know Cookie Monster and I enjoyed them; I hope the neighbors did too!