Hey there! It's Monday morning!....and I feel like poo poo...
   It was a weekend filled with visiting people, staying up too late, and also dealing with an issue we had with Caleb (our oldest child), and trying to emotionally process that while carrying on with life 'as usual'. In a lot of ways, being busy was the best because whenever we stopped we started to really think, and thinking made us anxious. Everything will be fine, in case anyone is wondering, but we're just trying to get a hold of a situation and figure out what is best for everyone involved. 
   Anyway, on Friday night we stayed late at some friends who we don't get to hang out with nearly enough, then Saturday we had friends stop by first thing in the morning (...we were literally just rolling out of bed as they pulled in the driveway!), then I went to a friends for a girls night, and we had a great time chatting and looking through Glamour, Seventeen & Cosmopolitan magazines from the '70's and '80's (they were alarming, amusing, and educational!). Sunday night we went to a surprise birthday party, and had a great time. 
   Now, I'm pooped. I'm completely socialized out!!! 
   Today I have no rehearsal (phew...), but I do on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and I would on Friday too except the cast from my show is going to support another theatre nearby and see their show. If you live around here, The Pirates of Penzance is playing at The Regent Theatre in Picton this Thursday until Sunday!

   Anywho, angel food cakes! 
   My husbands birthday was waaaaaay back in February. His favourite cake (because his Mom always made for him growing up) is angel food cake (with that fantastic sticky, white icing). Now, making an entire angel food cake if we have a group of adults coming over to help us eat it seems exceptable. Making one for our family seems excessive. Especially because Caleb is gluten free, I (mostly) eat paleo, and Adam doesn't actually like sweets that much. The girls would eat an entire cake to themselves, but they really shouldn't... 
   So, I wondered if I could make half a cake recipe into mini cakes? A lot of what I read (on the www) said that I couldn't without a mini angel food cake pan (who the heck owns one of those?!?), but I thought, "meh, I'm going to try anyway!".
   I own some beautiful antique mini cake pans (they are really jelly moulds, I think) and thought they would make darling mini cakes. They did. 
   These cakes can also be made as mini cupcakes, or regular sized cupcakes (with adjusted baking times), but I think I will never go back to a fussy, full sized angel food cake. These were such a lovely size, stored easily, kept well, and made perfect little portions. 
   Now, the sticky, white icing is a dessert marvel! There are a few ways to make it, but my way is the best. ;)  No big deal.
   Most "7 minute icing" recipes need a double boiler, a candy thermometer, two separate steps of boiling the sugar and water, then whipping the egg whites, then slowly pouring on into the other, then whipping some more. Mine (a recipe from my Mum) uses NO candy thermometer, a metal bowl set over a simmering pot (a make-shift double boiler), and you just throw everything in all at once and stand there whipping it up. Ta-daaa!!! 

   Lovely, right? You have to (ok, you don't have to, but it's the best) to have some fresh, cut up strawberries to go with this. Yumm-o.
   
   Alright, Monday, here I come! 
   I've been working on a list of "spring-time clean up" things, though I'm a little stuck at the moment. I want to re-organize my pantry, but (hopefully) in June we'll be doing our kitchen re-do, and I want to rip this pantry out and build/create/acquire a more fitting to our house piece. I guess that's not going to happen for over a month, but I want to organize the pantry with baskets, jars, etc., but I don't know 100% yet what the new pantry will look like and if I will end up needing/wanting whatever I get now to organize the pantry...I suppose I could just use whatever I get now someplace else if they end up not being needed in the new pantry....I'm just rambling to myself, ignore me!  
   Have a great day one and all! 

Mini Angel Food Cakes
*This makes about 24 mini cupcakes, or 12 regular sized ones (or 16 small jelly moulds)

Ingredients:

• 4 large egg whites (roughly 1/2 cup)-room temperature
• 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup sifted flour
• Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Add egg whites to a bowl and let them sit at room temperature (can take up to one hour) if they aren't already room temperature
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Line a mini-cupcake pan with cupcake liners (or set mini liners inside a larger cupcake pan if you don't have a mini pan). For my jelly moulds I only super-duper lightly greased it. Angel food needs to be able to cling and rise up the sides of it's pan, so over greasing can keep it from rising. F.Y.I. 
4. Whisk together the powdered sugar and flour in a bowl
5. In another bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they are foamy
6. Add cream of tarter, then beat at medium-high speed until soft peaks form (about 5 minutes)
7. Add sugar while continuing to mix on medium speed, then add the vanilla extract
8. Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients over the egg whites and gently fold with a spatula until combined
9. Repeat with the rest of the dry ingredients until everything is combined. Make sure you do not over-stir the batter
10. Use a small Pampered Chef scoop, or a tablespoon to fill each (mini) liner with batter until 3/4 full
11. Bake for 20 minutes, or until tops are lightly brown (you'll need to bake a little longer for full sized cupcakes)
12. Let cool completely

White Sticky Frosting


*This icing should only be made when your cake is ready and cooled. It is very sticky, and develops a 'skin'  after its been made and is sitting out. That's fine, as long as it's on your cake/cupcakes already! :)  


Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
  
• 3/4 cup white sugar
  
• 1/3 cup corn syrup
  
• 2 tablespoons water
  

• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  

Method: 

1. Place a pot with a few inches of water onto the stove and bring to a simmer 
2. Meanwhile, in a metal bowl (that will fit onto the pot without touching the bottom of it/the simmering water), place all of the ingredients. Yes, all of them!
3. Place bowl over simmering pot, and, using a hand mixer, start to whip up the ingredients on med-high speed. 
4. Keep whipping until stiff peaks form and you've got an amazing, fluffy icing! 
5. It's magic! :)  The End.

   
   Way back in the day....as in, June of last year, I posted a non-paleo cinnamon sugar cookie (the snickerdoodle), and had been hankering for a paleo version. I love cinnamon in general (in my coffee, with honey when I'm feeling a cold coming on, on fruit, just to name a few ways I love it), but having it on a cookie seems to make the cookie more....healthy? Haha, what a fool I am. I could sprinkle cinnamon onto a huge bowl of ice cream and it would not redeem the ice-cream at all as a food worth eating! Anyway, FYI, there are two main types of cinnamon, Ceylon (the kind we generally use here in Canada), and Cassia-which happens to be the name of my husbands sister (who passed away). My daughter's name, Keziah, is the Hebrew for Cassia, or cinnamon. So, I love cinnamon for a lot of reasons! :)  

   Cinnamon is a serious super food though, for realz. This site, Cooking Detective, has a super thorough article called 29 Surprising Health Benefits of Cinnamon that is well worth the read! A quick Google search though will show you that cinnamon has a
​ba-zillion health benefits. So, if I'm going to eat a cookie anyway, adding cinnamon is a good way to amp up the quality of the treat. : )

   Anywho, I started thinking about paleo snickerdoodles again though because of wanting to make some paleo & egg free cookies for a fellow The Drowsy Chaperone cast member for a rehearsal treat. 

   So, make these, enjoy them, share them, hoard them, whatever!    

​Paleo Cinnamon Sugar Cookies (aka-snickerdoodles)
  Makes about 14 cookies using a small (1 Tbsp) scoop
   

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour/meal 
• Pinch o' salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda (I know an 8th doesn't exist, but just measure out a 1/4 tsp, then shake some out.....or just make a double batch and use 1/4 tsp!
• 2 Tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp melted coconut oil (use butter or ghee if you wish)
• 2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup, or one tbsp of both if you want (I like to do that)
• 2 Tsp Vanilla

To roll the cookies in:

• 1 1/2 tbsp maple or coconut sugar*
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Cinnamon

* You can also just roll them in cinnamon and skip the sugar


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
3. In a medium sized bowl, mix the almond flour, salt, and baking soda together
4. In another bowl, mix the melted coconut oil with the maple syrup or honey and vanilla 
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and blend 'er all up!
6. Now mix the rolling ingredients together in a small bowl
7. Use a small Pampered Chef scoop if you have one, and if not, just use a tablespoon to scoop the cookie dough out and roll into a ball
8. Now roll the dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and place onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart
9. Once all your cinnamon sugar coated cookie dough balls are on the baking sheet, take a glass with a flat bottom (a mason jar works too), and lightly grease with a pinch of coconut oil and press the cookies down to about 1 inch
10. Bake in pre-heated oven for about 8-10 minutes, depending on how you like your cookies-softer or crunchier. I acci-daisy left one batch in for 11 minutes and they were crunchy...but still super delicious (perfect for dipping in tea!), so if you forget to set your timer all shan't be lost  :)  
11. Let the cookies cool completely before attempting to take them off the baking sheet. Just mind your manners and let them sit for a while to fully cool and set

   The rest, they say, is history. I'm not sure why I said that...? 

    It's a fantastically rainy day here in the fine town of Tweed, it's crazy windy too! When I went to do the chores this morning the horses were running around like whackos because of how howl-y the wind was, and the chickens looked hilariously pathetic all wet from the rain. 

   Anyway, have a great day wherever you are, whatever the weather! 
​

   Truffles are one of the easiest things to make, for realz.
   A 'regular' truffle consists (basically) of cream, chopped/shaved chocolate, and vanilla extract. This paleo version is just as simple, but I opted out of cream and used coconut oil instead. I have also made truffles with coconut cream (from this site), and they were good, but I wanted to make some on a different occasion and had no coconut milk. So, I just threw some things together and made these....which, after I had made, photographed and eaten them...it came to me...I've made these before, sort of...in October 2013 I wrote a "healthy chocolate treats" post and the chocolate I made then was the same. I tried to re-invent the wheel, and came out at the other end with, have you guest? A wheel. I'm loosing my edge here people, this is serious. Sheesh. Anyway, these are tasty, easy, and apparently my "go to" for a chocolate fix....whether or not I even realize it.....

Paleo Dark Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil 
• 3/4 cup cacao powder 
• 4 tbsp coconut sugar or maple sugar, ground soft (I put mine into my coffee grinder to make into a fine sugar)
• Pinch o' Salt
• Extra cocoa to roll the truffles in

Method:

1. Warm the coconut oil until it's melt-y, but not completely melt-ed. Make sense?  Basically it just needs to be soft and mixable 
2. In a small bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, coconut or maple sugar and salt. Feel free to add/experiment with different flavours (like adding a dash of cayenne, or some instant coffee). 
3. Mix the melt-y coconut oil into the whisked dry ingredients, and mix together until well blended. The mixture will be like frosting...and can be hard to not want to eat at this stage...fair square warning! :)  
4. Put the mixture in the fridge until it is set. If your mixture was very soft going into the fridge, you’ll want to keep it in to cool a little longer. All you need is for the truffle mixture to cool and harden to the point where you can scoop and roll it into balls. Leave it in too long? It'll get super hard. Leave it in for not long enough and you won't be able to scoop and roll it 
5. Place the extra cocoa into a shallow bowl, or onto a plate 
6. Once the mixture has reached that magically perfect consistency, take the mixture out of the fridge and using a small scoop (like the smallest Pampered Chef one, if you have it), or using a teaspoon, scoop out and roll into a ball. This rolling process will make your hands pretty chocolatey, but really, is that so bad?  You can also dust your hands with cocoa to help keep the melted chocolate on your hands to a minimum.
7. Drop each truffle into the cocoa powder, and roll around to coat, then set onto a baking sheet covered in wax paper
8. Once you're finished all your scooping, rolling, and dusting, set the cookie sheet back in the fridge for a time to allow the truffles to re-cool, then transfer them into an airtight container
9. Store the truffles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. My favourite way to eat them is to take them out of the fridge for about 5 minutes to soften it oh so slightly, then eat with my coffee. :) 

   So easy, right? They are a real treat!
   I have always had a serious sweet tooth, but I have especially always loved chocolate, and so I like to have little chocolate treats available that are a healthier than the sugar and hydrogenated oil filled store bought versions. You can buy some good store bought versions, but the prices are usually whacko! I have more time than I do money, so I'll stick to making my own. 
   Anyway, I didn't plan on posting this today, but here I am, doing it anyway. I'm a rebel without a cause!!! Ok, I'm not, I just want to share a chocolate treat because, well, why the heck not? :) 
   Have a great Tuesday!
   

   

    St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland dates back to the 17th century, as a religious feast day that commemorates the death of St. Patrick in the fifth century. St. Patrick is credited with having brought Christianity to Ireland, and so became a figure of national devotion and eventually, the nation’s patron saint. The day’s importance was confirmed in 1631 when it was recognized by the Vatican(1)
   Celebrations worldwide generally involve public parades and festivals, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks (4 leaf clovers). Some Christians also attend church services, and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day (which may explain the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption).
   In the Republic of Ireland, Saint Patricks Day is a public holiday, as it also is in Newfoundland and Labrador (here in Canada), and also in the British Overseas Territories, Montserrat (in the Caribbean).
   It is also my Mom's birthday. Happy birthday Mom!!!  xoxo  Her name is Pat, isn't that clever. :) 
   Anyway, I wanted to share a few Irish recipes with yee today, none of my own, but all recipes that I have tried.  
   Good luck! Get it? Luck? Irish? Never mind...    

 The point of Irish stew was to be simple and cost effective. I get the feeling that Irish Stew is not meant to be anything specific except to be easy and cheap to prepare, so don't make a fuss over it! Meat (usually lamb), onions, carrots and potatoes cooked in water are the main (and only really required) ingredients. But adding different flavours and veggies is not un-heard of. And I generally use a broth or stock to really give flavour to the stew.
   Here's a favourite recipe of mine for a fantastic stew. I sub in gluten free flour (A Bob's Red Mill blend) for the flour, and this New Grist Gluten Free Beer for the Guiness, and I have also used stewing beef instead of lamb shoulder a few times (I have used lamb shoulder when I could find it, and it was affordable).
   Click the green link to find the recipe and make this beautiful Guiness Lamb Stew from Jen Segal at Once Upon a Chef.  

  This next recipe is similar to stew, it's just as simple, but uses sausage and bacon in it. Gosh it's good, we have it around here often. It's called an Irish Coddle, which just means you gently simmer everything together. I think the early Irish were pretty busy since most of their recipes let them cover a pot and walk away for some time, and also tasted great (sometimes even better) the day after being made. 
   This Dublin Coddle of sausage, bacon, onion and potato is simple, and extremely tasty. The recipe says to use the best sausage you can find, but honestly, I've only ever used Schneider's Oktoberfest Sausages and it's tasted great. I'm sure those aren't the best I could find, but we like them.
   This recipe can be found at food.com

  Though corned beef and cabbage are not well loved by everyone in my family, I certainly enjoy it! Corned beef is not made with corn, as most people believe. It is a beef brisket that has had time to soak in a salt brine (the large, coarse salt grains being referred to as 'corn'). We eat it here in Canada mostly as "Montreal Smoked Meat", which is basically corned beef that has been smoked after sitting in the brine.
   Anywho, that factoid being known, this simple dish is gluten free, & paleo without even trying! How modern! :)   
   It's a super simple dish of corned beef, cabbage, carrots and onions with the addition of some savoury herbs. My only change I've made to the recipe I'm linking to is that I use a homemade stock in place of the water. 
   Find the recipe from Epicurious here. 

  I'll end this Ode to Saint Patricks Day post with a dessert that is as simple as all those main courses. This whisky pie uses traditional Irish ingredients, and is a dessert cross between a sunken souffle and a quiche. It's delightful though, and gluten free.
   I first made this pie a few years ago after Googling "using leftover potatoes" and was amused to find a dessert among the results. I haven't made it in a while, but I remember how good it was. It was good enough that I printed out the recipe and tucked it into my recipe book. I have looked at it from time to time thinking, "I must remember this when I've got leftover potatoes", but the truth is, I'm lazy about potatoes! I rarely make mashed potatoes because they require more effort than I am generally interested in investing into my food! Especially since my kids don't like them! 
   Anyway, really, the amount of potatoes you need for this pie isn't that overwhelming and could be quickly boiled, just for a special occasion like St. Patrick's Day. :)  Find the recipe at Hungry Rabbit, right here.    

   I hope you enjoyed this Irish fare roundup, and get to make something festive for dinner tonight! 
   Random memory time....when I was young, on St. Patrick's Day my mom got her friend (who was from Ireland) to come over and teach us an Irish Ceili (pronounced kay-lee). I remember it being a lot of fun, and we may have also made fun of my Mom's friend who would count the dance, "one, two, tree and one, two, tree". She was patient with us though (I know I wouldn't have been if I were her!). :) 
   Anyway, have a good day, whatever Irish or non-Irish thing you decide to do! 

   Hey there! 
   I'm still here, but I've just been super busy! 
   Sorry to post another sweet treat...but I needed to share it! It's like the classic super easy peanut butter cookie, only made a little more substantial with oats (so you don't feel so bad about eating it), and then chocolate chips added (....so you feel bad again). Just kidding, don't feel bad about eating cookies, it totally ruins them! ;)  
   I made these recently to bring (of course) to rehearsal, and they got gobbled up. Gobb-bulled. 
   So, here are the cookies with the longest name ever, or otherwise known as the f.p.b.o.c.c.c! :)  At least that rhymes! 

Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
*This dough does require some chilling time*


Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup large flake oats
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp Nutmeg or allspice (optional)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 6 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

**If you double this recipe you'll need to use 3 eggs. Otherwise the dough is too dry and won't hold together** 

Method: 

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice (if using) and baking soda together. Set aside
2. In a medium bowl, beat the egg by hand or with a hand mixer. Now mix in the peanut butter and brown sugar until well combined and creamy
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until everything is combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.
   

*Chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes*

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. 
2. Line a baking sheet with  parchment paper
3. Scoop the dough, about 2 Tablespoons each (I use my 2 tbsp scoop from The Pampered Chef), onto prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Take a fork and gently press down into the cookies to flatten slightly, and give them that classic peanut butter cookie look.
4. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked, but that's perfect! However, if you'd prefer a crunchier cookie, bake for up to 12 minutes
5. Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely 

These cookies freeze really well, by the way. I like to make a batch just to stick in the freezer to have handy for the kids when they get home from school, or as a quick add-in to a snack I'm packing for a day away from home.

   I love a cookie that has a soft, chewy centre, but a beautiful golden crisp outside. Yummmmm! 
   These are easy to whip up too, you just have to be ok with the cooling time. I really rather dislike making cookies that require cooling time (when I want cookies, I want them sooner than later!), but these loose their body if made right away. The oats, peanut butter and eggs need time to really bind properly. 
   Anyway, I hope everyone had a good week!
   We're on the hunt for a new van (originally by choice, but now by force...it's a long story, but just know our van is wobbling like a clown car!).
   So, I'm signing off! Have a great weekend, and try to get in a random act of kindness today (this was R.A.K week!). 

xo 

   Last week I shared a seriously delicious gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough dip recipe....and I warned you that my treat day brain worked some magic to add to how de-lish the recipe was...oh yes, I sandwiched it between two gluten free (and flour free) brownie cookies. Yum-o X 1000!  :)  
   I decided to bake the brownie cookies a pinch longer than I normally would to make sure they would be sturdy enough to be involved in a cookie dough sandwich. They were perfect! The original post for those beauties is here.  
   In a way, these seem like they would take a lot of work, but the cookie recipe is simple, and the cookie dough dip recipe is simple too. I made both the cookies and the dough dip the day before I needed them, then assembled the next day. I actually made a double batch of both the cookies and the cookie dough dip, and made about 35 sandwich cookies.   

Flour-Free Brownie Cookies
Makes approx. 35 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1/2 Tsp corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup cocoa powder (use the best you can find, it will give you a more rich chocolate experience! If you prefer less chocolatey, use any cocoa)
  
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  
• 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
  

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment, & set aside. 
2. Cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. 
3. In a small bowl mix together the baking soda, cornstarch, salt,and cocoa 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until combined (it can take a few minutes to work it all together). 
5. Stir in the chocolate chips (and nuts if you're using 'em).
6. Using a one-tablespoon scoop (like the small Pampered Chef scoop), or a regular tablespoon, scoop cookies out into baking sheet, 3 inches apart.
7. Bake in pre-heated oven for 9-10 minutes. You don't want to burn them (obviously!), but they can't be too soft or else they'll not co-operate as a sandwich!
8. Let cool 5 minutes or more before removing from the cookie sheet and leaving to fully cool on a wire rack

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

• 1 Cup butter
• 2/3 Cup brown sugar
• Pinch o' salt
• 1 Tsp vanilla
• 1/2 Cup marshmallow fluff

• 1 Cup icing sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips
  

Method: 

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar and salt over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the brown sugar dissolves
2. Remove from the heat, whisk in the vanilla extract, and set aside to cool to room temperature (the time the cooling takes varies on the temperature of your house, but don't stick it in the fridge or else the butter will harden and it's just all backwards work)
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the fluff and powdered sugar together. You can also just mix these together with a wooden spoon or spatula. Spatula....what a funny word...
4. Slowly beat or mix in the cooled butter mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about 1 minute, or just stir with all your might! :)  
5. Stir in the chocolate chips
6. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and try not to eat all of it right away.....
7. You can cover the dip and refrigerate it, but take it out of the fridge 15 to 30 minutes before serving to let it soften back up
8. People serve this with graham crackers or little cookies, but I much prefer to eat it plain, or with something crunchy and salty like pretzels or plain chips....yes, chips!

Time Saving

   What I did to make these and make the most of my time was to start the cookie dough dip because the melted butter mixture needed to cool.
   While it was cooling I made the brownie cookies, and by the time I was done baking, the dough dip butter mixture was cooled, and I could finish making that. Taa-daa!  

Time to Assemble!

  I don't think you need instructions for this part, but just in case you do... 
   I created a little assembly line of sorts to make the sandwiches. I lined some cookie up with the tops facing up, and some with the bottoms facing up. Then I used my small (1 Tbsp) scoop to dish out the dough dip onto each cookie with it's bottom facing up, and then took it's cookie partner (the cookie with the top facing up), and squished them together. 
  That's it!

   Yummy, right? You have no idea!!! 
   They disappeared at the rehearsal I brought them to, and one person said, "I thought gluten free food was supposed to taste gross?" She thought wrong, real wrong. 
   I can prove that gluten free doesn't have to be gross, but also that it doesn't have to be even a little bit healthy! Haha...I'm just poking fun at those whose brains say: gluten free=healthy! 
   For real, these are a treat, and eat them in moderation, blah, blah, blah...
   I have rehearsal again tonight, and I'm going to whip up a batch of something to bring. I'm not sure what I'm going to bring yet, actually? Anywhooo...
   On Wednesday night the hubby and I and some friends went to see ZZTop in Peterborough, and that was actually fun (I wasn't too sure it would be). They still have their little choreographed moments, they brought out their fizzy guitars, there was a really drunk guy in the audience wearing a cowboy hat trying to dance with anything that walked by him...yikes....he finally got escorted out! It was really loud, so I felt kinda old, but we were right near the front and it was a good show! Those are the coolest 65 year old guys ever...well, except for my Dad, he's pretty cool. Although he's older than 65...never mind, I digress.
   Have a good weekend internet dwellers, and don't forget it's daylight savings this weekend, so you need to spring your clocks ahead one hour! Most people hate this loss of an hour, but for my husband who is working a 12 hour night shift, it turns it into an 11 hour night shift, which might not seem like a lot, but it is to him! :)

Bonne journée! 

   Lets be honest, the yummiest thing ever is unbaked cookie dough! A friend said that most cookies actually taste better in their raw dough form than in their baked form, and I had to agree! 
   Another friend mentioned that she had made a cookie dough dip for a party, and I was intrigued! The eggs are omitted from the recipe so that it is safer to eat, and I wanted to give it a shot! Why am I using so many exclamation marks!?! Haha....oh boy...
   I made a batch of the cookie dough dip from a recipe I found online, and it was not so good. Well, it was good-ish. Butter, sugar, flour, chocolate chips, what's not to like? Well, mainly, the gritty sugar! Think about it, creaming butter and sugar, for any amount of time, will never get the sugar to dissolve fully. 
   So then I found another recipe that had cream whisked in with the sugar, then you added butter and mixd it all up, but that still didn't do the trick.
   So, I decided to melt the butter and sugars together to get rid of the grit...but then I accidentally made fudge. Don't worry, I just ate it out of the pan with a spoon.
   Usually I would give up on something that was being so stubborn, but gosh darn it, I love chocolate chip cookie dough and I was determined to get it right! 
   The next problem was that you need to add regular flour to the dough, and I wanted to make it gluten free so that my Caleb could partake, but just swapping out regular flour for gluten free doesn't always go well. 
   Such dilemmas! I'm very dramatic when it comes to dessert related issues. :)  
   Well, let me tell you, I figured out such a tasty chocolate chip cookie dough dip that is not only smooth and not gritty at all, but it is gluten free-and flour free! What? I know, I know....I am amazing....I can hear the applause...  :)  

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

• 1 Cup butter
• 2/3 Cup brown sugar
• Pinch o' salt
• 1 Tsp vanilla
• 1/2 Cup marshmallow fluff

• 1 Cup icing sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips
  

Method: 

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar and salt over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the brown sugar dissolves
2. Remove from the heat, whisk in the vanilla extract, and set aside to cool to room temperature (the time the cooling takes varies on the temperature of your house, but don't stick it in the fridge or else the butter will harden and it's just all backwards work)
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the fluff and powdered sugar together. You can also just mix these together with a wooden spoon or spatula. Spatula....what a funny word...
4. Slowly beat or mix in the cooled butter mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about 1 minute, or just stir with all your might! :)  
5. Stir in the chocolate chips
6. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and try not to eat all of it right away.....
7. You can cover the dip and refrigerate it, but take it out of the fridge 15 to 30 minutes before serving to let it soften back up
8. People serve this with graham crackers or little cookies, but I much prefer to eat it plain, or with something crunchy and salty like pretzels or plain chips....yes, chips!

I can't seem to get rid of this one down here.....just ignore it....

   So, this dip is veeeeeery sweet. Fair square warning. So, if you wanna, and if you have some on hand, or you don't mind paying for this, you can use cream cheese instead of the marshmallow fluff. 
   You will need to really cream it properly with the icing sugar though, so a hand mixer would be needed. I've tried it both ways (cream cheese was on really cheap, and that's the only way I'll buy it!), and I liked it a lot. It is a little more rich, and there is a bit of that cheese-y taste you expect from cream cheese; it was more like a no-bake chocolate chip cheese cake dip, I guess. 
   Anywho, whatever way you make it....it's goooood. And not gritty! Hazaaa! Oh, I'm excited about this dip!
   Next week I'll share what my twisted treat-day mind did with the dip to send it over the edge of deliciousness! 
   Have a great weekend!

xoxo

   In January I shared a Dutch macaroon that was simple, light, airy, and tasty.
   I went ahead and paleo-fied it into this version for a valentines day treat! It's still simple to make, but if you're not paleo, look over here for the regular recipe, but instead of just scooping the cookies onto a baking sheet, pipe them out into hearts like these cookies! 

Paleo Heart Macaroons 

Ingredients: 

• 2 egg whites
  
• 3/4 cup of pure maple sugar
  
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded coconut
  
• Pinch of salt
  
• 2 Tbsp almond flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 300 Degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside
2. Using a hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then slowly add in the sugar while continuing to beat
3. Keep beating until the sugar has dissolved. To test if it's dissolved you can pinch some egg white between your fingers and rub them together. It can still feel a bit grainy from the sugar, but not too much
4. In a separate bowl, mix the coconut, salt and almond flour together, then carefully fold this mixture into the beaten egg whites
5. To make into hearts, fill a piping bag with the cookies 'dough' (it's not really 'dough-y", but I think you know what I mean!) with NO tip attached. You can also use a large ziploc bag, and snip a corner out of it to make your own piping bag.
6. Now, pipe your heart cookies onto your prepared cookie sheets  
7. Bake for 13-15 minutes. The cookies will be all-over lightly golden when they are done. They may also seem a little underdone in the centre, but they will set up as they cool.

   So, the recipe itself is pretty darned simple, then you just do the tiniest bit of extra work and, voila! Valentine ready! :)  
   I'm not a big valentine hype kind of person. Ya know, demanding dinner out, a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates, etc. Although, I love a box of chocolates anytime, so I would always gladly accept one of those! 
   I do like to try to make valentines day fun for my kids though,  so I make things into hearts to thrill their little hearts. :) Along with these I also dyed some Rice Krispie treats pink, and spread into a large cookie sheet and then cut out into heart shapes. They loved those. 
   Adam and I ate out for lunch today, which is my kind of valentine date. The kids were in school so we didn't need to hire a sitter, it was 2 in the afternoon so the restaurant wasn't busy, and neither of us had breakfast or lunch, and so our late-afternoon "lunch" was filling and took care of our tummies for dinner! All three meals made up in one! Score! I just said score about a meal....
   Now I'm running out the door to a rehearsal! I didn't post all week for some reason....I lost track of the week in a serious way!!! Oh well, can't fix it now!
   I hope everyone has a great weekend, whatever you do, however you valentine! 

xo 

   When you love marshmallows the way I love marshmallows, you find ways to add them to any/everything! 

Mallowed Peanut Butter Macaroons

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Sugar
• 1/4Cup Butter
• 1/3Cup Cocoa
• 1/2Cup Milk
• 1/2Cup Peanut Butter
• 1/2tsp Salt
• 1tsp Vanilla
• 2 1/2-3/4 Cups Quick Oats
• 1 1/2 Cups Mini marshmallows

Method:

1.  In a medium sized pot on medium heat put sugar, butter, cocoa and milk. Stir as it warms and melts, and be sure to get the cocoa lumps worked out of it.
   
2. While this is warming, lay some wax paper out onto the counter to have ready for when you need to scoop these out.
3. Once warmed and combined, let it boil for at least a minute, and up to 1 1/2 minutes.  You want the sugar to dissolve, but if you boil it too long your cookies will loose their glossed look and will be dry. Thumbs down.
4.  Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter, salt and vanilla.
5. Add oatmeal in increments until the consistency looks good. What's good? I know, it's so relative! Basically, you want it to not be too thick or you'll dry the cookies out.  Stir until coated.
6. Now, add about half your mallows, and stir until just combined (not melted and combined, just worked in), then add the remaining marshmallows and stir.
7. Now quickly (before the mallows fully melt, and the mixture dries) scoop or drop by heaping tablespoons-ful onto wax paper. The temperature of your house will determine how long it takes them to set.

   These are a seriously gooey, chocolatey and delicious variation on my regular old macaroons (or whatever you call these!). Not that my regular cookies are not good, they are great (in my humble opinion) :)  But really, adding marshmallows just kicks 'er up 10 notches!
   They keep well too. I can make a batch and keep them in an airtight container for a week so my kids can enjoy them after school...and if there are any left I have a few too on my treat day! It's hard looking at these all week and not gobbling them all up! 
   Anyway, I hope everyone had a good week!
   Mine was good; even with some hiccups. Mainly having Keziah home sick for a few days made things different, but by no means difficult! Each of my kids on their own are really so sweet....now, put them together and it can be a different story! 
   This week I also taught a dance number for the Belleville Theatre Guild's spring show, The Drowsy Chaperone....it was a tap dance! Do I dance? Yes. Do I choreograph? Yes. Can I tap dance......well, not exactly. I own tap shoes from some other life I was in, but I am not a "tap dancer"! In fact, when my husband saw the tap shoes sitting out he said, "what are those ugly shoes for?". We've been married nearly 11 years and he has NEVER seen them, so that should give you a hint at the last time I was tappa tappa tappin'! Also, pregnancy has been known to make foot size increase...and mine sure did! I sent a picture of my battered feet with many bandages to a friend, but I'll spare you all those ugly details! The shoes that fit just right many moons (and pre-babies) ago, now just, just fit. Ouch.
   All that to say though, I feel really accomplished for choreographing an entire dance in a style that I have only ever been moderately trained in! I felt stressed day and night about it; I would honestly wake up in the middle of the night and hear the song in my head, and I would be mentally tapping out rhythms! Every sounds I heard (including typing on a keyboard!) sounded like tap variations to me! Right now my fingers are tap dancing!!! Hahaha!!
   "They" say you can do anything you set your mind to. And usually that statement makes me irritated! If I set my mind to becoming a dinosaur, no matter how much I want it, I shall never be a dinosaur! Whomp whomp.
   However, within reason, I say "hear hear!" to that vague statement. I was asked to choreograph this piece, and I set my mind (and feet and body) to do it! I worked at it every day, slowly and painstakingly, adding a new sound or step as I went, and suddenly ("suddenly" as in 3 weeks later!), I had it done and I was teaching it! :)  
   This amusing anecdote is meant as an encouragement to you today! If you see a task ahead looking ominously large and un-manageable, just start at it....pick away at it. Do what you can with what you have (knowledge, resources, etc.), and see what you can do when you set your mind to something!
   And if you want to learn to tap dance, but not pay for it or have others witness the event, just go to YouTube! Seriously, there are a tonne of tap teachers on YouTube and you can take it at your own pace! Just in case you wanted to know. :)
   Happy weekend! 

xoxo
   
   

   Peanut butter, chocolate, and salty pretzels? Are there any questions? 
   I clearly think this is a yummy idea, and I have people who ate these cookies who will vouch for the yumminess of this idea! 
   I am often making treats for my son who can't have gluten, and I've made him peanut butter cookies before, but I wanted to jazz them up! And everyone knows that peanut butters' best friends are chocolate and pretzels. Everybody knows it. 
   So, I took a super simple recipe and just added a few yummy things and made it a super-duper yummy, and still so simple recipe! And if you are not a gluten-free person you can just use regular old pretzels! I think that point is obvious, but I just wanted to say it, just in case. 

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter, Pretzel & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup peanut butter (the "fake" peanut butter works best, not the kinds that are only peanuts), chunky or creamy
• 1 Egg
  
• 1 Cup sugar (sometimes I like to use half white, and half brown, it's up to you!)
• 1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1/2 Cup crushed gluten free pretzels (you can also use regular pretzels too if you're not a gluten free person but are drooling at this recipe!) :)

* I literally "crushed" my pretzels by scooping 1/2 cup out of the bag, then dumping that half cup into my hand (in 2 parts) and squeezing! Then they were crushed! 

• A little extra sugar in a bowl for the tops

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
2. Mix the peanut butter with the egg until well combined
3. Add the sugar(s) and mix until it is all well incorporated
4. Add the chocolate chips and crushed pretzels and stir it up!
5. Roll or scoop 1 tablespoon-ful of dough and place onto a baking sheet
6. Press a fork into the bowl of sugar, and press down into each cookie to flatten it and give it a nice design that is generally expected with peanut butter cookies....I'm not sure why though...?
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, just until they are a tiny bit golden around the bottom edge and set     
   
8. Let cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet and devouring!

   Yummy, right? And so simple too! Hazaaa! They are the best!...unless you're allergic to peanuts...then I could see these being the worst...but lets not talk about that.
   I hope everyone has a great weekend doing what you're doing! 
   My brain is drawing a blank on cute and quippy closings, so I'm just gonna go! 

xo

Amy-Lyn