Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Just A Few Reasons Why I Like To Fly Home...

To spend time with this lil lady (Ma)

To eat her dessert: Chocolate Banana Cake w/ Peanut Butter Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting) She pretty much created a cake that includes everything worth living for into one circular piece of heaven.

To wake up on the weekend to the sun streaming into the kitchen and breakfast on the table

Home cooked comfort food (Chicken Marsala Stew w/ Dumplings)

Seeing two of my best girlfriends

Sampling and picking up Cheese from Janice Beaton Fine Cheese for dinner
(Chamour, a soft cheese from France, Smoked Gouda, Vintage Gouda, Local Bison Sausage)

Seeing my bro help in the kitchen, a rarity I tell you, eating is what he does best! (Shaving parm on my sis-in-law to be's delicious Mushroom Risotto)


Spending time with the fam (around the dinner table of course!)


Perhaps this would explain where my obsession of food comes from...!?

Monday, May 3, 2010

Clarity

I've gotten more into yoga this past year and usually do power yoga because I feel like if I'm going to put on workout clothes I at least want to get a good sweat in! This past weekend I thought I would try a hatha yoga class thinking it would do all the things its supposed to do, achieve inner peace, mental clarity, emotional balance... NOPE. I sat there thinking about everything and anything BUT that! A friend of mine was telling me about her experience in an Ashram she attended in India. For the 7 days she said she thought about every single boy she ever dated, every single movie she ever saw, hummed in her head every single song she could think of...haha okay so these methods don't work for everybody! Whirl of the mixer, clicking sound of the cookie scoop and the smell of fresh baked cookies.We all have our things that give us mental clarity and inner peace, mine just happens to involve a mixer, chocolate chips, butter, flour, sugar and a 375 degree oven.

Clarity Cookies aka Loaded Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
Makes 24

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2tbsp butter, softened
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice sugar (can use white sugar)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup toffee bits
1/4 cup toasted coconut
1/4 cup rice crispies ( I used brown rice crispies)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Beat together butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla then applesauce
3. Mix together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed butter mixture
4. Add in oats, raisins, chocolate chips, toffee bits, toasted coconut and rice crispies
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden