friday links

Happy Friday!

It's Pi day.  Did you make a pie?
Do you want to make a pie?
Let me entice you with a few of my favorites....

Raspberry-cheddar hand pies. The pie crust is very easy and adaptable to pie or hand pies or pop
tarts!

Or maybe a savory beef & cheddar hand pies?

A list of pies wouldn't be complete without a blueberry pie in there.
This one is blueberry-toasted coconut pie.

Salty caramel-apple pie

Someone was trying to help me eat my lunch.
He got really close.

Pretty cool to see them this close.

Here on cape cod, after we shovel out the snow, we shovel out the sand.

This flag has made it through the winter.
Last winter, the flag left early, and last winter was not as long and rough as this one, so I'm
curious how this flag has made it this long.


These harbors have been quiet; hard to think that a couple months from now all this
'ghost-town'-ness will be busy again.

I almost went in. When I took this shot, it was a freak-weather kind of day with 53 degrees out
and sunny. But the ocean temp is 34-36 degrees!

This is how I want my cupboards to look (photo from latest King Arthur Flour catalog)

Around the Web:

why you should book a massage
what does healthy really mean?
is Vit. C heat-sensitive?
18 healthy brown bag lunches
versatile homemade baking mix
should I ever take up knitting, this is what I will make: arctic wrap (gorgeous!)
mummified remains (6+ years) of a woman missing found in garage
smashed garbanzo bean breakfast quesadillas 
DIY craft: paper plate basket
crappy engagement photos (hilarious!)
cup-o-noodles man is shoveling snow (great pic)
best time to take creatine
yoga for back pain: interview with instructor
what's the difference: steel cut oats, rolled oats & quick oats
magnesium: the missing link to better health
how to learn better at any age
is your kitchen making you sick or fat?
new tick-borne disease found
raw chocolate-coated caramel YOLO balls
coconut muffins made with coconut oil
peach + marzipan hand pies
the dark psychology of being a good comedian
which foods are the most flammable?
(touching article) ' to the man who judged me on the westfield track'
what are prebiotics? How important are they compared to probiotics?
tips & hints for natural hair care
hidden dangers in personal care products
snacks, supplements & scents to help you sleep
14 terrible pies in celebration of pi day
who owns the moon?
salted caramel peanut pie
does sunshine help lower blood pressure?
25 hilarious tweets of people posting their problems
DIY lunchbox using a milk jug
7 little mistakes that steal your happiness
the sunlight you don't see but your cat does
on march 11, the world wide web turned 25
bay leaf pound cake
the quiet greatness of eudora welty
scrabble contest seeks new words
what does the term 'successful writer' mean to you?
creativity & madness: on writing through the drugs
7 secrets how creative people stay innovative
cronut creator has now made 'milk & cookie' cookie
'stuff being thrown at my head' by kaija straumanis


Have a wonderful weekend!

2-ingredient cookie

The 2-ingredient cookie.
Have you heard of it?
Have you tried it?
I did.
And my results?
It needs more ingredients.

Who doesn't love a fast and easy cookie recipe?
Even I loved the list of ingredients that read: ripe bananas and rolled oats*.
(*And hey, since I get asked this all the time: rolled oats are the same as old fashioned oats).
So smitten with the list in fact that I didn't listen to my gut when it said "this will suck...there is
no sugar in there...".
Yeah it wasn't good--at all. Tasted like mashed, wet cardboard.

So the first batch went to the round file, and the second batch got an uplift by adding in a little peanut butter, pecans and chocolate. Much better.
Literally you can add in anything--AND I suggest you do.
Chocolate helps--a lot. And my addition of peanut butter helped too.

Where did this recipe come from?
I think it started on Oprah or O Magazine a couple years ago?
I saw it for the first time here at Foodlets.com





2-ingredient cookies
print recipe

cookie base:
2 very ripe bananas
1 cup old-fashioned oats

add in's:
dried cranberries, walnuts, pecans, peanut butter, raisins, etc..
(about 1/4 cup of each)

cook notes:
if you are adding in peanut butter, add in an additional 1 TB of oats for every 1/4 cup
of peanut butter. The cookies do not spread at all while baking, they actually keep the exact same
shape they had in dough form, so you might want to push the cookies down into a uniform circle.
I added in a pinch of salt to the dough if I added chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mash the bananas well.  Add in the oats and stir.
Then add in your add in's, mix again.
I covered the bowl and place in fridge to firm up.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out balls onto parchment lined baking sheet, about an inch apart. Cookies don't spread at all, so you need to gently push the dough balls down a bit to get them round.   Bake for about 11-15 minutes. Hard to know when they are done, but look for set dough.

friday links

Happy Friday!

Is it still winter?
I'm really tired of all this cold and snow.
Here on the cape it's still cold, 32 degrees today, and they say a warm up of 45 degrees is coming tomorrow.
Where is my warm up of 85 degrees?
You know after one of the coldest winters on record for new england, I've grown more
appreciative of "hazy, hot and humid".
No complaints on that term anymore.

Seriously.

 Ocean temp about 34-36 degrees.


Shrimp tacos from Chatham Fish & Lobster in Chatham.
The best around.

Someone isn't happy with winter.

Loving the trail mix bar at Whole Foods.
I make a new batch each week and this ensures no stops at bakeries for cupcakes!

The chicken noodle soup at Panera Bread is pretty good.
Needs more chicken though.

Story of my life.

Most D/L recipe of the week: coconut cream truffles. And....

The salted nutella bars still dominate as the most D/L for the past 4 months.

Around the web:

homemade nutter butters
DIY crayons (using your cupcake tin) fabulous!
roasted veg tacos w/ avocado cream & feta (already printed!)
feeling burned out?
DIY dryer sheet replacements!
what's new & beneficial about garlic?
world's oldest person celebrates 116th birthday! her secret?
cream puffs (made so easy by Julie)
need help falling asleep?
how to culture vegetables
40 worst book covers! (adults only!)
pretzel crusted mac & cheese
40 regrets you don't want to have in 40 years (very touching)
the best exercise there is, hands down
how to cream butter & sugar without a mixer
the importance of macronutrients 
how to put the brakes on anxiety attacks
out of body experiences: work of the mind or ?
most genetically modified crops
sticky whiskey toffee pudding
ice cream cleanse!
great guide for indoor plants
7 foods that will work wonders on your digestion
spinach cupcakes
cooking perfect bacon
foods that create happiness
vaccine holds promise for ovarian cancer
want to write? procrastinating? this should help
DIY magnetic pin holder (brilliant!)
sleeping your way slim
use your soda stream to make wine?
best sources of biotin
14 pressure cooker recipes: a better take on fast foods
praline noisette
tools to help you shift from feeling fearful to free
Oreo's new flavor: marshmallow crispy!
selfie of an F-16 pilot
screwed at sea survival quiz
homemade fish sticks
book review of the new book: The South Asian Health Solution
pork-ginger shrimp toasts!
California lawmaker to propose ban on orca's in captivity (Finally!)

Have a wonderful weekend!

peanut butter-oatmeal cookies (flourless, GF, 1-bowl easy)

I have to say, most gluten free, flourless peanut butter cookies are so much better tasting then those with flour. Something about that creamy, rich, dense texture that I just love.
If you choose a really good peanut butter (I love baking with the whole foods organic chunky), not an oily one you can create a really good satisfying peanut butter cookie.
With that said, I've wanted to create a semi breakfast version slash healthier peanut butter cookie that I would feel less guilty about.
So I added in a bit of rolled oats, took out some sugar and add topped it all off with some sea salt.
These cookies can be gluten free if your rolled oats are processed in a facility that is gluten free--yes there are gluten free oats out there--I found mine at Whole Foods.
Hands down, this is the best flourless cookie I've made.
They are so rich, so dense, and flavorful.  Not 100% healthy because of the sugar, but you can experiment around and use a sugar substitute if you wish.


The cookies are super delicate after baking.
Let them chill on the cookie sheet before removing.
They harden up a bit with a nice wonderful crisp outside.
So good!
Use a chunky peanut for a hint of texture.


See the bottom and tops did crisp up a bit.
I promise you these will be your favorite peanut butter cookie AND it's all one bowl easy.

flourless pb-oatmeal cookies

print recipe

2 cups chunky peanut butter (not an oily peanut butter choose a creamy one)

¾ cup dark brown sugar, NOT packed, but loose

2 eggs + 1 egg yolk

1 ts pure vanilla extract

1 TB molasses

1 ts baking soda

1 ts sea salt

¾ cup rolled oats (not instant)

a little extra sea salt for the tops of the cookies

cook notes:
I swear by the organic chunky whole foods brand peanut butter. It's just the right amount of
creaminess and thickness for making all kinds of cookies & muffins.
Please make sure to chill the dough or the cookies will spread a bit.  If you can't chill the dough, then
leave cookie dough balls in ball form--don't press/flatten.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the peanut butter, the dark brown sugar, the eggs and egg yolk well.  

Then add in the vanilla extract, molasses and mix again.

Sprinkle on the baking soda, salt and rolled oats.

Mix well. 

Cover bowl and place in fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. 

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out dough onto parchment lined baking sheets about an inch apart . You can try using your hands to roll dough balls, but dough is very sticky.

Gently press down on the dough balls, do not flatten, just a small push down.

Sprinkle the tops of a tiny bit of sea salt.

The cookies won’t spread much during baking, but they do rise up a bit. 

Bake cookies for 13-16 minutes.

It’s hard to know when the cookies are done,  they stay soft and puffy while baking (firm up after cooling )

I looked for almost-crisp, light golden brown edges.

After you remove from oven, let them sit on the cookie sheet for  at least 15-20 minutes or longer if you can.

If you try and take them off the sheet right out of the oven they will break apart; very delicate after baking.

They don’t keep too fresh that long, maybe 3 days at best?

Makes about 21-25 cookies

friday links

happy friday kids!

In an effort to clean out my cupboards, I'm trying to use up old cake mixes, bread mixes, etc...
Found an old Trader Joe's banana bread that on the first try I wasn't so happy with,
but on the second try I added a few things in to 'kick it up', and it came out much better.
Added in these 'add in's you see in the photo:
couple dashes of eggnog, ripe banana, handful or two of white chocolate chips,
and some spicy pecans.
(yes I have eggnog in the fridge still, I love a little with my morning espresso).


Fell in LOVE with this muffin mix.
It's really good. I found it at Whole Foods Market, like ages ago.
Had no idea it was this good.
Great for last minute morning muffins, and far less chemicals than other boxed versions.


My Friday night treat.  I know how to party right!
LOVE Lake Champlain 5 Star Chocolate: the hazelnut is so good!

The Ginger People have created crystallized ginger chips for baking (and eating)!

It's still snowing and cold here on cape cod. Will winter ever end? (sandy neck, sandwich, ma)


around the web:

guess what? Turn the clocks ahead March 9! Thank goodness, spring is coming!
DIY coffee syrup
free lyme disease testing is FINALLY coming to the Cape
make sure your iphones are up to date; major security flaw
8 chapters of ramen (american chef who took a chance in Japan)
how to clean your dishwasher
what causes migraines & how to treat them
a view of long island's decommissioned nuclear power plant
how 6 highly successful bloggers get stuff done
ramen taco (two please!)
stress: the new cause of alzheimers 
natural dry skin remedies
the best (and easy) chocolate cake recipe
hip or back pain? start with your feet!
California couple strikes $10 million in gold coins (good luck with the taxes!)
mini cinnamon roll pops
aren't these wooden Dutch tubs gorgeous?
haunted house snaps pictures of scariest moments on visitors faces
cape cod native trish hegarty is on this season's Survivor!  GO Trish!
new sitting risk: possibility of disability after 60
how much my novel costs me
new Ben & Jerry's flavors coming soon!
why dark chocolate is good for your heart
the hormonal reset (it's true, I am living proof that heavy lifting helps balance your hormones)
what is torting a cake?
makeup secrets you haven't heard before
doughnut ice cream
rising liver risks deterred by omega 3's
the secret ingredient for the best chicken tostada's?
jeff gordon in 'test drive 2'
10 superfoods for everything from allergies to muscle pain
playing tetris can reduce urges to smoke, eat & drink? (hmmm)
homemade flavored coffee--naturally! (no chemicals!)
urban remedy: organic, cold-pressed juices for cleanses & health (DYING to try these!)
fancy cookie cutters (elaborate fonts, literary figures, 3D boxes, pregnant woman, etc..)
super cute bobby pins
4-ingredient nutella brownies

Have a wonderful weekend!