Monster Cookie Recipe I love this recipe. It combines the three amigos: oats, chocolate, and peanut butter. Monster Cookies! I have no idea why they are called Monster Cookies, so feel free to slap a more festive title on them before delivering a plate to your neighbors. This recipe doesn't contain any flour so the ingredients mix together quickly to create a thick, chewy cookie. If you are on a gluten-free diet, use GF oats and you are good to go! The trademark of Monster Cookies are M & M's. I use them around holidays for a fun, colorful treat, but the rest of the year I just use (and actually prefer) chocolate chips. Seriously, I Keep Reading
Mini Burger Cookies (great recipe for kids!)
Mini Burger Cookies Some of you walk into a craft store and feel a surge of inspiration. You can transform beads or yarn or fabric into these crazy, incredible creations. Me? Not so much. On the rare occasion that I set foot in a craft store, gripping a 40% off coupon in my sweaty hand, I just feel overwhelmed. I usually buy a glue stick and get out of there as fast as I can. So, sadly my children will grow up with a mom who is unable to turn pipe cleaners into zoo animals. Paint and glitter? Forget it. But playing with food? Sign me up. I love having my daughter sitting on the countertop while I make bread or standing on a chair next to me Keep Reading
N’oatmeal Cookies (a gluten-free, dairy-free recipe)
N'Oatmeal Cookies - Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are not my idea of a good time, but these cookies are different. You'll just have to trust me on this one. Don't let their healthy appearance fool you. They are crazy addictive, and somehow you feel almost virtuous eating them. Sweetened with maple syrup and loaded with good stuff, N'oatmeal Cookies are the Paleo answer to the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie dilemma. They are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, with sweet & salty pops of flavor. Instead of oats, the recipe calls for a combination of almond and flax meal. Packed with coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, Keep Reading
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (recipe)
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies This cookie recipe is near and dear to my heart because it comes from my grandma's recipe box. I'm always amazed at the strong connection between taste and smell and memory. It seriously fascinates me; I had six tabs open in my browser at once reading about it. These vivid memories are connected to emotions more than information. They recall a feeling, time, or a location. So cool. The smell of a box of crayons takes me back to the first day of school. The taste of my mom's meatloaf reminds me of breaks home from college. One bite of these cookies and I am at my aunt's house on Christmas Eve, surrounded by warmth and Keep Reading
Homemade Gingerbread Cookies
Homemade Gingerbread Cookies Christmas is just days away, and I have been cranking out all kinds of holiday treats from my kitchen (in January I will be cranking out miles in the gym to pay for it). This year, I strategically waited until my Mother-in-law arrived in town because she washes dishes like nobody's business. This is a big deal because I don't have a dishwasher in my kitchen (and I love my MIL, of course). I will happily keep the house stocked with baked goods as long as I don't have to do the dishes afterward. It's a nice trade-off, if you ask me. This is one of my favorite roll & cut Christmas cookie recipes. When I say roll Keep Reading
The Best Gingersnap Cookies (recipe)
Gingersnap Cookies My mother-in-law has been visiting for the past two weeks from a very rainy, cold Alaska. She enjoyed each and every crisp morning and warm afternoon, the smells and sights of the slowly changing leaves. It made me stop and soak up these dry days and sunny skies even more, to slow down and appreciate the gift of fall. I know the rain is coming. I know I am going to be Googling "dry destinations" in January. I know boots are about to become the footwear of choice. But good grief, we are spoiled in September and October in the Pacific NW. Fall is my happy place, and I am going to tuck this one away in my mind for a quick retreat Keep Reading
Chocolate Acorn Cookies (a fun edible craft for kids!)
How to make Acorn Cookies "Go anywhere today?" My husband asked me about ten minutes after walking through the door from work. "Um... does the mailbox count?" was my lame reply. I was actually proud of myself for making it that far. Since Saturday, I have been fighting the current Crud going around. Unfortunately, sick days aren't really covered in the Mom Contract. I keep looking for a clause, but nope. Nothing. I think the general rule is that Moms just aren't supposed to get sick in the first place. Alas, here I am. Leaving the house under protest. Blowing my nose constantly. Sleeping whenever possible. Feeding and clothing my children only Keep Reading