Peanut Butter Cookies

Yeah yeah, another recipe from 101cookbooks. They're just so good!

Peruvian Style Roast Chicken

I made this chicken a while back, and the recipe just reappeared in my inbox from Whole Foods so I thought I'd share. It's chicken, sliced lemons, peppers and onions roasted with cumin. Easy and delicious!

Recipes!

This old-fashioned oatmeal cake with coconut/pecan topping has become a quick favorite.

Baked beans with bacon, sage and tomato sauce. I only used four slices of bacon, enough to get the flavor with less fatty fat. 

Meatloaf is not the most photogenic, but this turkey recipe from the kitchn is super yummy. I ran out of barbecue sauce and made it up a bit and this still came out great. 

Lastly, all three of my holiday cookie recipes have come from Heidi this year, she just has such lovely ideas. Below are her sparkling ginger chip (aka "crack cookies"), and limoncello macaroons. Um yes, yum. 

Making me insanely happyyy

Chicken Parm

I free-styled some chicken parm on Sunday night, and it really came out great so I wanted to share. Part of it's success was the sauce, I always use this recipe as a starting point, and this week I sauted the onions first in some butter, garlic, fennel seeds, chili pepper flakes, oregano and red wine. Then added the San Marzanos, cooked down for about an hour, and pureed to a thick sauce consistency. I'm telling you, this is the easiest way to make sauce/please don't ever buy a jar again.

For the chicken, I used Tyler as a starting point because his Italian always inspires, and subbed in panko for bread crumbs. I also added lemon zest, fresh thyme, oregano, salt/pepp to the panko. Easy to make, and delicious to eat.

Cookies!

The holidays have officially started - our tree is up, home is decorated, amaryllis is in full bloom, and I kicked off the 2011 holiday cookie extravaganza with these (actually a very similar recipe from Heidi's book that adds peanuts and popcorn). I know holiday cookies are not supposed to be healthy, and I will progress to more unhealthy recipes in the coming weeks. But I needed to start slow people, I cannot handle a month of unhealthy cookies in my house. Anywho, these are good, but the dough is pretty loose, and we found that they fall apart easily. Not great for traveling, but still great for eating.

Some Things

Upstate after the holiday, Gramercy Tavern's gingerbread (with Guinness), Mark Bittman pickles, and the start of holiday decorating. I love this time of year.

Thanksgiving Pies

Came out great despite my obsesssing. I made a bourbon sweet potato, with graham cracker pecan ginger crust (laying out ingredients to emphasize yumminess), and star anise infused maple pecan rum pie (yes another Melissa Clark recipe). Now the countdown begins to my December plan of 1 cookie recipe per weekend, can't wait!

Totally trying this

How to Be a Girl: Cat Eyes By Magic! from The Hairpin on Vimeo.

Pie Crust Basics

I really like this video from Melissa Clark, she makes pie crust straightforward and manageable. Do not hesitate to make your own tomorrow, it will come together I promise!

Maple Buttermilk Pie

Made this as a dry run for Thursday's pie extravaganza, and it was great. Even better when chilled in the fridge over night. Kind of like a lemony, maple custard.

Lucy Chadwick and the Selby

Simple and lovely

Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread

I was so excited to make this, it's also from Melissa Clark's new book but Heidi added a lemon twist that was totally intriguing so I used her recipe (and photography) instead. I definitely recommend this one! No butter, made with yogurt, and still super moist. The one thing I would add is walnuts, which I debated and then regretted not tossing them in. Make it and love it!

Ham bone soup, pickles, and an injury

I made this soup from Melissa Clark's new book (after hunting down a ham bone Saturday morning), and let me tell you that it is easy and delicious.

Early Sunday, we went to the New Amsterdam Market Pickle Festival (where Fulton Fish used to be), to sample some pickles - again, an easy and delicious activity. I bought some dense, chewy nordic breads, more than one kimchi dog, and got inspired to get a little crazier with flavors during pickle making.

Lastly, I had an accident. A really un fun accident. While attempting to make these pumpkin coriander falafels. I was using a hand blender to smooth the chickpeas, and when they mucked up the blender end, without thinking I used my thumb to scoop it clean..then pushed the button by accident. Um, ouch. Nine stitches and a fracture later, here I am in the emergency room doped up and novocained out. Please remember to use your brain when you use the hand blender!! And a chopstick for un-mucking.

Sesame Coconut Bars

I really got into cookie bases and crumbles towards the end of the summer, trying to find a healthy recipe with not too much butter. These "healthy" bars from Mark Bittman still use a whole stick, and in my opinion were a bit rich. However. The other member of my household would not let me bring these to work because he proceeded to eat the entire thing over the course of the following week. Soo, apparently they are good. Also, mine did not look like this..

Via

Color, Nebulas

Via

Hilarious

Date cake and a visit home

I had a really nice visit home this weekend, seeing my family and spending time in various wooded areas. Their town is still reeling from the freak snow storm last week, and just got power back as I was leaving. Inspired many grateful moments - for my family, talks by the fire, yummy food and wine, sleeping dogs, and beautiful electricity. Then I came home and made this date cake. It's similar to the bean brownies - flowerless, healthy, and delicious. These are my favorite types of desserts, and my favorites types of weekends.

Via

Cheesy music but crazy birds

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Lynda Barry

Outside comic circles I think Lynda Barry is relatively unknown, which is a pretty big tragedy. As a side note, I am no longer in "comic circles" and only was slightly for a brief period where I learned about this whole world of indie comics that are beautiful and smart and funny. And so, Lynda Barry, is hilarious. I gave this book to my mom, and another to my sister, and for years I had a little photocopied strip from the book pinned to my bulletin board. She dated Ira Glass like a hundred years ago and makes fun of him in this book for being a basic egomaniac. So if you're looking for a beautiful, smart and funny read, pick this little guy up.

New Album Coming!

Super psyched! And check out those moves!

Riikka Sormunen

Really into these, click through for more interesting and slightly grotesque works

Via

Mindy Kaling love

I just bought her new book and can't wait to read it, she's so hilarious.

And look at this pic of her as a child, "People think I'm exaggerating when I say that I was a happy child who you could not tell was male or female", amazing.

J Crew Nailing it (per usual)

Loving these color combos! And those pants are gasp worthy.

Black Bean Brownies

Soo, I've been experimenting a little more in the kitchen lately. What's interesting to me about cooking is the creativity involved in making something both healthy and delicious for yourself and those around you. It's easy to throw a stick of butter and a cup of sugar into some flour and make it taste delicious. But when you get creative with textures and flavors, you can use healthy ingredients to both satisfy and nourish. Thus, these brownies! They use avocado, black beans, dates and pecans, etc and while they're not sturdy enough to bring to work, they didn't last long enough to sprinkle cocoa on the top. Mmm.

September Photo Making

My pal the raven outside of Edgar Allen Poe's place. After this photo he whispered "nevermore" in my ear.