Flourless PB Cookies

I happened upon the Food Network show "5 Ingredient Fix" by accident and was intrigued by the idea of using only 5 ingredients for every dish of a meal. As long as you're not sacrificing flavor or nutrients, who doesn't like shortcuts?? Of course, the first recipe I wanted to try from the show had to be a sweet treat. Actually, I thought these cookies sounded slightly healthier than store-bought cookies.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

1 C. natural peanut butter (no added sugar - yea!)

1 C. sugar

1 lg. egg, lightly beaten

1 Tsp. vanilla extract

coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients except sea salt. Place rounded scoops on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten each scoop a little and make hatch marks on the top using a fork. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Bake for approx. 10 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.

*My adjustments: I used almond butter instead of peanut butter because of the added nutritional benefits of almonds. Note that almond butter is more expensive than regular PB. I also used 1/2 Tsp. almond extract and 1/2 Tsp. vanilla extract in place of the whole Tsp. of vanilla. I used Trader Joe's organic sugar because we had it in the pantry and it worked out fine, although it may have produced a "grainier" cookie than if I had used regular sugar. Some reviewers on the Food Network website had success with Splenda for a sugar-fee version but that would be grainy too. For decoration I placed 1 chocolate chip in the center of my cookies before baking. The recipe says it only makes 18 cookies but I believe I made mine with smaller scoops of dough -- I think I got 24-30 cookies (hard to tell since we've eat a lot of them).

**Review:  All 3 of us liked these cookies a lot! Nate is satisfied with just one after dinner and Lee & I will eat 1 or 2 with a cup of coffee. The flavor is intense because of the lack of flour and we liked that. The salt was a nice touch but didn't make or break the cookie so you could skip that part if you wanted. Overall, I think we've found a new PB cookie recipe.

We Interrupt Your Midlife for a Crisis

It's official. A few weeks ago, this happened:

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That photo above is not actually my cake. Remember, I was going to over indulge in this monstrosity deliciousness? It took 5 adults and 1 child to eat 2 pieces of that cake. We survived. Just barely. I have the tight pants to prove it.

Anyhoo, my birthday was lovely. There was music, family, gifts, food, and a little bit of alcohol (to numb the pain). So now I've moved on from this monumental achievement (ha!) and, no, I'm not having a midlife crisis. That title was just to get your attention.

I'll be back soon with a couple recipes, a craft or two, and more family stories to share....in the meantime, remember: Life is Beautiful.

Happy Birthday Song

We love you, Aunt KJ! Have a happy birthday!

Where a Kid Can be a Kid

Yesterday, Nate ran up to Lee and stated very clearly:

"Chuck E. Cheese is a proud supporter of PBS kids, Daddy."

That's what he hears every day when he watches Sesame Street. Just another example of the power of marketing, even from public television. And, no, Nate has no idea who or what Chuck E. Cheese is.

City Slicker at the Farm

Nate here. I love the farm. 

There's so much stuff to do!

I climbed to the very top of the hay pile.

I don't know who John Deere is but his "truck" is cool.

My friend Avery and I ran and ran. 

She runs a lot faster than me.

Daddy and I picked strawberries. 

I love strawberries.

Bye Bye.

Thursday Threes.

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1. Smoothing Souffle from Origins is rockin' my world right now. I am experiencing the worst case of dry skin ever in my life (hormonal changes as I reach you-know-what?!) and I've bought every available brand of cream to ease my itchy skin. This is the only stuff that works. A couple applications after a shower each morning and I feel back to normal. Here's the only downside: you smell like a giant stick of Wrigley's Spearmint Gum. Yes, it's mint-scented (that's one of the ingredients that makes you *tingly* too.) If you prefer your lotion to smell like a giant bouquet of flowers, this isn't the cream for you. I personally like the smell of mint. Plus, I'm so itchy, I'd use this even if it smelled like that rotting flesh plant (see here). Translation: I'm desperate.

2. What is going on with all of these tornadoes?? I pray that I never, ever experience a tornado firsthand. Earthquakes are bad enough, thank you.

Belle & Daniel :: A Fairytale Love from bliss* productions on Vimeo.

3. I know, I know. I need to give the wedding stuff a rest. I promise this will be the last wedding-related bit I share. But I couldn't help it. This video is sooo pretty. Recognize the song? Can you name the film it's from? Hint: it's animated.