PB + Chocolate + Bacon

Yup.  Hidden ingredient.  I die.

I take no credit.  I give props.  And photos.  So you’ll die too.

Head on over to How Sweet It Is and share in my joy at Jessica’s brainchild of a cookie. 

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Candied Bacon

First you start with her Cinnamon Sugared Bacon.  WHAT?  Yup.

Make extra so you can eat it.  If you only make enough for the cookie recipe you’ll just have to make more, so save yourself the hassle.

When you finally have four cooled pieces you can melt the chocolate for step two.

Too much chocolate?  Ha!  No such thing.  Just keep dipping & drizzling.

Go out with a friend while the chocolate covered bacon cools and hardens.  If you stay home, it will never happen.  Nom.

For step three get out the oh-so-unnatural sugary peanut butter.

Let cool.  Dive in.  Soft, crumbly deliciousness.  Melt in your mouth peanut buttery, chocolately, savoury yumminess.  (No overwhelming bacon, just extra salty tastiness…a little je ne sais quoi.)

Save some for your friends.  These are the kind of cookies that will earn return favours and treats.  I die.  You die.  They die.

Then everyone comes back to life for more cookies.

You can do it.  I promise. 

Charged Up

Where have I been?

Around.  Nurturing my poor back.  Watching copious amounts of Dawson’s Creek.  Working.  Hanging with my Mom.  Sustaining myself on $1 McDonald’s iced coffees and far too many Super Charge Me Cookies.

I found a recipe I’d printed out and stored away in my recipe binder a few years ago so I dug it out, bought a bag of spelt flour, and whipped up a batch.  Better than sitting on the sofa with the dog, no?

Idiot baker alert: For the first time ever (that I’m aware of!) I mistakenly added baking soda instead of baking powder.  Doh. 

Not wanting to waste all of the other ingredients, nor wishing to start over, I just went ahead and added the baking powder and baked as directed.  Turned out just fine.  Yay!

(Not recommending you do this though!)

But definitely recommending you eat up a batch of these. 

Everyone can use a little super charge in their lives.

Pom Parfait

You know how to make a breakfast more festive?

Pump it up with pomegranate seeds!

Coconut Liberte yogurt with banana and pomegranate arils. Oh boy!

I’m here to tell you that Savvy Julie’s Perfect PB Kiss Cookies are quite awesome!  They were easy to make, they taste great, and they are super duper cute!

They are also DANGER. Of all the cookies and treats I’ve had floating around here lately these have caused the most damage. I ate about a half dozen throughout the day!

While shopping for cookie ingredients I figured I’d better put some veggies in my basket for lunch today.  I guess I knew I’d be all over the peanut butter sugariness!

Spanakopita a la Costco, veggie sticks, and my favourite store bought tzatziki…

After work I was sooo not feeling the dinner I planned.  I decided to snack on some tortilla chips and see how I felt after…

Eventually I decided just to go ahead and cook the salmon I had in the fridge…mostly because I was too lazy to go out for something else. :)

Salmon pinwheel stuffed with cream cheese and shrimp….it was OK…I overcooked it.  With baked zucchini…which was deeeelish.

In preparation for the busy weekend ahead I opted to do some chores around the house, prep a few things for tomorrow, and curled up on the couch with Love Actually and hot chocolate.

Oh, did I mention I acquired yet another Starbucks mug? *grins*  It’s an addiction I swear. But it’s seasonal and I only had one Xmas mug.  Who among us could resist that cute candy can handle?!!  And it has snowflakes inside!!!  You know I HAD to have it. :)

Gettin' Comfy

After spending most of yesterday in the sun and getting caught up on some errands I came home to realize I had another free evening of just lounging around.  Normally I might be a little sad about having no weekend night time plans but this is really the first weekend since I moved back that I've just chilled out and enjoyed the fact that I now have a functional living room.

My walls are still white (paint chips collected today), my end tables won't be in for at least two weeks, and I can't hang art until I figure out the paint situation....but I do at least have my TV set up.

Yes, that's pretty much the exact same stand I just left behind in Halifax.  I liked it so much that I went looking for the smaller version and ordered it up. 

After my late, huge Red Fish Blue Fish lunch I wasn't super duper hungry. I was doing the whole "open fridge, open cupboard, stare blankly" thing in the kitchen...and eventually settled on the box of Annie's Bunnies & Cheese I picked up a week or so ago.

Cuz if you are going to eat boxed mac & cheeeeese it should at least be shaped like bunnies.  :)

A kitchen tip from me to you:  If you place a wooden spoon across the top of a boiling pot of water, it won't boil over.  Tis true!

Not too shabby for boxed pasta.  It ain't the real deal but it beats KD.

(I may have slathered those bunnies up with ketchup....but it made for an AWFUL photograph!)

To go along with my bowl of comforting cheeeesy bunnies and girlie movie I decided I needed some chocolate chip cookies.  And not some "healthified" version, or fibered up oatmeal things, but a REAL chocolate chip cookie.

Google to the rescue.  A 10 second search led me straight to the Joy of Baking website.  Seemed like the right place to be for a good old fashioned recipe.  :)  I followed this recipe exactly...making just a half batch...and about 40 minutes later I had myself a plateful of Saturday night treats.

I baked up a dozen, and the other 8 dough balls made their way into the freezer for future baking (or frozen dough snacking!).

These are the chocolate chip cookies I was looking for.  Save this recipe.  Honest.

Enjoyed with a pretty spectacular sunset.    Have I mentioned I love my view?