dependency issues

remember how i was obsessed with puppy chow? well, i've since moved on.

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, guys. after one too many trips to the local potbelly's, so i decided to figure this thing out myself instead of being the sad, sad cookie lady (that i actually am, but who needs to know? secrets, people).

like any good blog junkie, i googled it. after some narrowing down, i settled on two recipes.

these and these.

the first recipe delivered the delicious, slightly hearty cookies that i was looking for. i recommend under cooking by about one and one half minutes to get the melty potbelly texture.

i tried the second recipe because husband figure really likes coconut. they were pretty wonderful, too, but a touch on the lighter, fluffier side. i'm sure if you fiddle a bit with the recipe and add extra oatmeal for heft these would be sublime.

so there's my review on that.

p.s. always, always splurge and use ghirardelli chocolate chips/ chunks. it's totally worth the extra dollar or two. you won't believe the difference.

recipes and image via mel's kitchen cafe

being hip

i don't know if this is a thing or not, but it should be.

american spoon. have you heard of it?

 

this company makes the most scrumptious preserves, butters and spoon fruits i've ever had (spoon fruits. i know! try them. you'll thank me.). everything is super natural and as healthy as these things can be. they've, also, ventured into 'savories' like salsas and relishes. i haven't had them yet, but if i was putting money on it, i'd bet they were worth it.

i just found out about this cafe! i'm dying to check it out. american spoon is from michigan, too! oh, how they tug at my delicious heart strings.

true story: i ate an entire jar of the sour cherry spoon fruit in approximately one and one half days, when i was pregnant- not the small jar. shame!

truer story: i would do it again today. yum.

image via american spoon

p. s. check out the recipe section of the website. inspiration central.

puppy chow

i'm a sleeper. a big, long sleeper. my naps take a minimum of two hours. i fall asleep no later than 11pm on a regular night. i do not get up until after 8am if i can help it. i sleep. a lot.

last night when 12am rang around and i was still wide awake, i was puzzled. by 1am i was just plain baffled- bamboozled even!

 on sunday, i opened my recipe file. i wanted something sweet and nostalgic. i thumbed over a few cakes, but they just seemed unnecessary. french maccaroons would have been torture to make, but puppy chow sounded perfect. chocolatey, buttery, and deliciously perfect.

so i made some, and last night i ate a lot of it. more than should be legally aloud, and around 2am i realized what i had done.

i was agonizing over what i would do if someone attempted to break into my apartment (you know, the usual thought process of a 1am emily) and cursing my self-induced sugar coma. hopeless and hours from sleep, i distracted myself by modifying my old recipe.

here's it:
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract
7 cups of chex cereal (i used the wheat, yum.)
2 cups  of powdered sugar

1. combine the butter, peanut butter and chocolate in a quart-size microwave safe bowl and microwave for one minute or until melted. add the vanilla and stir well.
2. pour the chocolate mixture over the chex cereal, stirring until the cereal is coated evenly on all sides.
3. pour the cereal mixture into a 2-gallon resealable bag and add the powdered sugar. gently shake until well coated.
4. spread the mixture out on wax paper to cool.
5. store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

YUM.

photo via gimme some oven.