Vegan Week - Day 3

 

Fruit plate: Cara Cara oranges, prunes, dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts drizzled with pomegranate molasses.

I made some progress with the morning adventure: trying to drink tolerable coffee. I combined the vanilla soy creamer with a splash of the insipid caramel almond creamer, and it was not bad. It wasn't my usual rich vanilla bourbon pound cake-flavored Coffee-Mate-infused coffee. But we had definite improvement today!

Being a vegan doesn't necessarily mean you're eating health food - remember, the Fritos and mint faux-reos are vegan. Just as vegetarians can still be eating mac 'n' cheese and fried ice cream, while omnivores might be carefully eating lean proteins and salads, it's all about the choices you make.

And I've been choosing to eat Fritos and faux-reos a) because I like them, and b) likely as a bit of compensation for all the foods I'm currently depriving myself of, like cheese. I miss cheese. I haven't eaten pasta yet, despite it being on my "to do" list, because the thought of not even sprinkling a bit of parmesan on top of it is just kinda heart-breaking.

Now, this is my own personal little experiment and I could change the terms of my mission: I could allow the Coffee-Mate, with its bit of cream, or the parmesan. My personal feeling is that cows are producing milk, chickens are laying eggs, and bees are making honey no matter what; there's no reason not to eat these products, though you'd certainly want to be conscientious about the animals' living conditions and happiness. However, this particular lab rat is very goal-oriented and disciplined when she has to be, so I'm stickin' with it. I set the plan in motion - vegan, pure and simple - and will see it through.

And that means no cheese. Whimper ... :(

So, anyway .... Instead of lots of carbs like oatmeal or rice or noodles or muffins - which seem to have dominated my meals these past two days - for breakfast I ate a simple fruit plate: Cara Cara oranges, which I love, topped with prunes, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, and a drizzle of my beloved pomegranate molasses. This is an integral ingredient in Middle Eastern and Persian dishes. It is sweet and tart and a fabulous condiment - go get some! Use it in salad dressings, sauces, as a glaze, or even just dribbled into club soda. Do it. You'll thank me!

Fennel slaw, assorted olives, baguette spread with Earth Balance butter substitute.

After today's photo shoot (three different menu options I couldn't eat!), my kitchen was its usual disaster of dishes and bowls and scraps and mess. By the time I got that cleaned up and threw a load of laundry in, I just made a simple lunch: the last of the olives, some more of the fennel slaw, and a chunk of good bread spread with Earth Balance butter substitute. (It has a kinda grey-ish aura to it, but tastes pretty good.) Nothing glamorous, but nice nonetheless.

Chocolate Banana Almond Milk Shake

For a snack mid-afternoon, as I typed with three stories due tomorrow (and needing a few more details before I can file two of them), I made a milkshake: banana, chocolate almond milk-based ice cream (which is so dark and chocolaty!), and vanilla almond milk. This, I have to say, was really, really good! Not a compromise at all ... :)

Chopped salad with toasted pita chips.

Still trying to finish Tuesday's feature story for the Food page, I just made a simple Israeli-style chopped salad for dinner. Chop lots of vegetables - in this case, carrots, cucumber, celery, broccoli, tomato, and red onion - in small pieces ... that's it. I thought about sprinkling it with lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil, but decided instead to use Garlic Expressions salad dressing, made in Perrysburg (which is just outside Toledo).

If I get my story filed tonight (please, please, please!), I'll reward myself with a dessert. I'll include that in tomorrow's post ....


Chocolate Banana Almond Milk Shake

1 banana
1 generous scoop chocolate-flavored So Delicious almond milk non-dairy frozen dessert
Generous splash of Silk caramel-flavored almond milk creamer
Vanilla-flavored almond milk

Place the banana and the ice cream into the blender. Pour in a splash of creamer, then pour in enough almond milk to reach half-way up the banana and ice cream. Blend, drink, enjoy.

Yield: 1 serving
Source: Mary Bilyeu

Oatmeal Date Walnut Bars, for when a craving strikes

Ye olde sweet tooth was calling last night. So I used some pantry staples and soon found myself with a lovely treat in less than an hour - gather ingredients, mix batter, bake, enjoy ... :)

Oatmeal Date Walnut Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
generous sprinkling of cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
generous pinch of kosher salt
1 cup flour
3/4 cup quick-cook oats
1/2 cup date bits
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8"-square baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together butter and brown sugar; stir in egg, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in flour and oats. Stir in dates and walnuts.

Press batter into prepared pan and bake 30 minutes or so, until bars are golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool, then cut and serve.

Makes 9-12 bars, depending upon how you cut them.

Last Chance to Vote!!!

Have you voted today in the Manischewitz "Happy Thanksgivukkah Recipe Contest?" I'd be so grateful if you voted for my Cranberry Orange Thanksgivukkah Rugelach!

There's a $1000 grand prize waiting for me, if all of you could please vote for me. The more the merrier for this party!

Just click here to vote, and then be sure to share with all your friends. Voting ends today!

Another Day, Another Vote!

Have you voted today in the Manischewitz "Happy Thanksgivukkah Recipe Contest?" I'd be so grateful if you voted for my Cranberry Orange Thanksgivukkah Rugelach!

There's a $1000 grand prize waiting for me, if all of you could please vote for me. The more the merrier for this party!

Just click here to vote, and then be sure to share with all your friends. Voting ends tomorrow!

Have You Voted Yet???

Have you voted today in the Manischewitz "Happy Thanksgivukkah Recipe Contest?" I'd be so grateful if you voted for my Cranberry Orange Thanksgivukkah Rugelach!

There's a $1000 grand prize waiting for me, if all of you could please vote for me. The more the merrier for this party!

Just click here to vote, and then be sure to share with all your friends. Voting continues each day (1 vote per person per day) until November 24.

Have You Voted for Me Today?

Have you voted today in the Manischewitz "Happy Thanksgivukkah Recipe Contest?" I'd be so grateful if you voted for my Cranberry Orange Thanksgivukkah Rugelach!

There's a $1000 grand prize waiting for me, if all of you could please vote for me. The more the merrier for this party!

Just click here to vote, and then be sure to share with all your friends. Voting continues each day (1 vote per person per day) until November 24.

Cranberry-Orange Thanksgivukkah Rugelach + A Voting Request

 

According to Wikipedia, rugelach [rug-uh-LUCK] are "a Jewish pastry of Ashkenazic (European) origin. Traditional rugelach are made in the form of a crescent by rolling a triangle of dough around a filling." Some are filled with chocolate, some with apricot, and they always seem to contain nuts. They're a bit like pastry, a bit like a cookie.

These are more cookie and less pastry, and I've varied the fruit filling because next Thursday is Thanksgivukkah - a mash-up of Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah - and Turkey Day flavors were warranted for the traditional Yiddishche treats.

Remember that Jewish "days" actually begin at sundown and then continue through the night and the day, ending at the next sundown. The first day of Hanukkah begins on the evening of Wednesday, November 27 and continues until sundown on Thursday, November 28. That means that it coincides with Thanksgiving!!! It's only happened once before, since Thanksgiving is a relatively new holiday; and it's not going to happen, by mathematicians' calculations, for another 70,000 years. Yup, 70,000! Thanksgivukkah is literally, truly, amazingly a once-in-a-lifetime holiday!!!

This calls for a celebration!

So for the next few posts, I'm taking traditional Jewish foods and putting a Thanksgiving-ish spin on them in honor of the holiday ... like with these rugelach filled with cranberries, which are also featured (very slightly tweaked) in the Manischewitz "Happy Thanksgivukkah Recipe Contest."

There's a $1000 grand prize waiting for me, if all of you could please vote for me and then share the link on Twitter or Facebook or email or even good ol'-fashioned word of mouth so your loved ones can help, too. 40% of the judging to determine finalists will be based upon votes, so the more the merrier for this party!

Just click here to vote, and then be sure to share with all your friends. Voting continues each day (1 vote per person per day) until November 24. There has been some mishigas with the site and with difficulties in voting; so if you have trouble, don't start schvitzing - I appreciate the thought! THANK YOU to everyone for your help - it's a mitzvah (good deed)!


Cranberry-Orange Rugelach

Filling:
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons orange marmalade

In a medium saucepan, toast the walnuts over medium-low heat just until fragrant; place into a small mixing bowl.

Add the cranberries, sugar, and water to the now-empty saucepan; bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium. Cook until mixture is very thick, stirring constantly and pressing down onto the cranberries to mash them. You should have 1 cup of filling; stir filling mixture and marmalade into the walnuts and set aside.

Dough:
1 cup butter-flavor shortening, at room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 325F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine shortening and cream cheese; stir in egg and salt. Stir in sugar, then stir in flour - dough will be crumbly. Empty the dough onto the countertop and knead until it comes together. Divide dough into 4 portions.

Roll one portion at a time into a 12" circle on a lightly floured countertop. Spread with 1/4 of the cranberry mixture, spreading to within 1" of the outer edge.

Cut the dough into quarters, then cut each quarter into 4 equal portions to make 16 portions. One at a time, starting with the outer edge, roll a portion of dough towards the center to form a spiral. Place onto the prepared cookie sheet and repeat until the entire circle of dough has been rolled.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cookies are golden and feel set when pressed. Let cool on a rack. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

To finish the cookies, place a scant 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar into a large freezer baggie. Add two dozen cookies, shake to coat them in sugar, then remove them to a serving tray and repeat with remaining cookies.

Makes 64 cookies.

Cappuccino Biscotti

Ridiculously easy to make, and also ridiculously good, these biscotti are deceptively "plain Jane"s.

You could dress them up a bit by dipping them in chocolate. But you know what? It's unnecessary. They're exceptionally good "as is" - a wispy hint of cinnamon shining through the coffee flavor, a bit of crunch from the walnuts contrasting with the slight chewiness of the centers. Chocolate never hurts, but sometimes it's just superfluous ... really!

Here are some other Christmas cookie recipes, if - like me - you're in the midst of a baking spree:

Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Cookie Butter Cookies

Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Butterscotch Pretzel Brownies

Toasted Coconut Haystacks

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Blueberry Walnut Rugelach

Ginger Shortbread

Holiday M&M Cookies


Cappuccino Biscotti
(adapted from a recipe from Better Homes & Gardens)

• 1-1/3 cups + 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons brewed coffee
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together the egg, oil, and coffee; pour over the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the walnuts.

Divide the dough in half; shape each half into a log 2" around and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Slightly flatten the logs, then bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the logs cool for 30 minutes. Remove logs to a cutting board, and cut into 1/2" slices. Place the slices, cut-side up, onto the baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the slices over, and bake for 10-15 minutes until toasted and slightly crisp.

Remove biscotti to a rack and cool completely.

Makes 24 biscotti.

Fried Potatoes with Red Pepper and Blue Cheese

I woke up early one Saturday morning ... well, I always wake up early, that's not newsworthy! I'm a "late to bed, early to rise" kinda girl, a notoriously poor sleeper.

So first I made a cup of coffee, because that is always the #1 priority of the day. And then I set about figuring out what to eat for breakfast.

I'm not usually a fan of sweet things to start my day ... pancakes or cinnamon rolls sometimes call to me, but not often. I'm someone who also doesn't believe in traditional breakfast foods, such as oatmeal or toast. Give me leftovers of spaghetti and meatballs! I'll happily eat re-warmed Chinese food! It's hard to know what I'll be craving at 6:30 in the morning.

And so, recently I was tired (oh, so tired!) of eggs. I didn't want Cheerios. I'd already polished off any leftovers from the week.

But then I found half a baked potato ... and I had a red pepper ... and there was a bag of walnuts ... and a brand new container of Gorgonzola was staring back at me as I peered into the refrigerator.

And thus, an exceptionally fine meal of fried potatoes with lots of other goodies tossed in for protein, flavor and color was born!

Fried Potatoes with Red Pepper and Blue Cheese

1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large baked potato, cut into 1/2" dice
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola

Melt butter and oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the potato, onion and red pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and walnuts; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 more minutes until the potatoes are golden and the vegetables are softening. Place the potatoes into a serving dish and top with the Gorgonzola.

Serves 1, but could easily be multiplied.

Blueberry-Walnut Rugelach

When you're behind on your Christmas baking, you want the most bang for your proverbial buck; so rather than making a batch of cookies in an 8"x8" pan that will give you 16 or maybe 24 cookies, you go for the gusto -- a batch that will make 64 cookies!

These are ridiculously easy to make, even though they look complicated. Make a dough that doesn't even require refrigeration, roll it into a circle (no measuring of 1/8" depth or any of that nonsense), no cutting, no re-rolling scraps, no scraping dough and flour off your countertop when you're done. Really, you can impress people with very little effort if you make these!

It's up to you whether you coat them with confectioners' sugar once they've cooled; Tom likes them plain, but I can eat them either way ....

Blueberry-Walnut Rugelach

1 cup butter, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup blueberry jam
1-1/3 cups chopped walnuts
confectioners' sugar for coating (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and cream cheese; stir in egg. Mix in sugar, flour and salt -- dough will not come together entirely. Empty the dough and remaining scraps onto the countertop and knead until the dough comes together. Divide dough into 4 portions. Roll one portion at a time into a 12" circle.


Spread 1/4 cup jam over the circle, then sprinkle with 1/4 of the walnuts. Cut the dough into quarters, then cut each quarter into quarters to make 16 pieces.



One at a time, starting with the outer edge, roll a portion of dough towards the center to form a spiral. Place on the cookie sheet, and repeat until the entire circle of dough has been rolled.


Bake for 25 minutes until the cookies are golden and are set when pressed. Remove to a rack to cool completely, and repeat until all of the dough has been used.

Optional: When the cookies are completely cool, place some confectioners' sugar into a large baggie. Toss in a handful of cookies at a time and shake to coat them in the sugar. Remove to a tray and repeat until all of the cookies have been sugared.

Makes 64 cookies.

Perfect Pumpkin Bread

Now that Fall has clearly arrived and Hallowe'en is imminent, I was in the mood for pumpkin bread. I had some leftover caramel sauce from Tom's birthday cake, so I thought: "When I make the pumpkin bread, I should make a caramel glaze for it." I found some time this past weekend to do some baking. And there you have it -- Sunday morning serendipity.

Except that I was out of my favorite white whole wheat flour, which doesn't particularly affect the taste of baked goods but does improve the nutrition quotient. But that was not going to deter me -- I was already going to be using butter, sugar and caramel sauce; there was little redeeming health value already, so why worry???

You'll notice, too, that I used Coffee-mate in the glaze. I could buy a gallon of milk every single day of my life, and I still wouldn't have any milk available when I want it. 19-year-old males go through it at a pretty good pace. It is incredibly frustrating, especially when you want a bowl of cereal, to find no milk in the house; but I have learned to adapt when I'm baking, 'cause that's the kinda girl I am.

So here is a lovely, moist, quick bread for a weekend, for a party, to go with coffee, whatever you can think of. Easy to make -- have I ever given such simple instructions before??? -- and delicious to eat. Enjoy!!!

Pumpkin Bread with Caramel Glaze

Bread:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup pumpkin
2 eggs
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped fine
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 cups unbleached white flour
3/4 cup sugar

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons caramel sauce for ice cream
1 tablespoon vanilla caramel Coffee-mate

Make the bread: Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8"x4" glass loaf pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the wet ingredients; add the dry ingredients, and mix well. Pour batter into the loaf pan.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and let cool until lukewarm on a cooling rack.

Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Spoon over the bread, spreading the glaze over the top of the loaf and letting some of the glaze drip down the sides. Let cool completely, then slice and serve.

Sunday Scones

Well, it was Sunday morning and -- before a stomach bug took me down on what may have been one of Michigan's last warm, sunny days 'til April or so -- I was in the mood to bake. This desire to bake on a lazy Sunday morning occurs so often that I should almost make it a weekly posting ... but then I'd feel constrained and obligated, which kinda takes the fun out of it.

I had been thinking of making scones (I was raised to pronounce it [SKAHns], by the way, rather than [SCOEns]) for a couple of weeks now. I bought currants specifically for that purpose. I just needed both time and inclination to converge.

And that's what Sunday mornings are for. So while I waited for my coffee to brew, I mixed together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and candied ginger, the yogurt (Brown Cow Cream-Top Maple, if you've got it ... man, is that stuff amazing!!!), and everything else. It might take a whopping 5 minutes to stir everything together into a batter. Pat the mixture onto a pan, bake it, and that's it -- a lovely accompaniment to cider, to tea, to the morning caffeine fix, to a glass of milk, to cocoa ... truly, these scones could go with anything at any time of day.

Ginger-Walnut Scones

1-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/3 cup currants
1/4 cup candied ginger pieces, minced
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup maple-flavored yogurt
1 egg
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon apple cider
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour, white flour, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, walnuts, currants and candied ginger. Stir in the butter and yogurt until mixture is crumbly.

Combine egg and 1/4 cup cider; pour over dry mixture and combine.

Place dough onto the baking sheet. With damp hands, form an 8" circle. Use a wet knife to score the dough into 8 wedges.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden, then let cool completely.

Combine confectioners' sugar with 1 tablespoon cider; drizzle over the circle, then cut into 8 individual scones.

Let Them Eat Birthday Cake

Tom's birthday was on Friday, and we both had the day off to celebrate. Somehow, he managed to arrange for a gorgeous sunny day in the mid-60s, despite it being Fall in Michigan when the expected weather is cold and dreary. Oh, would that we could have such an arrangement for my birthday in December ... ha! Sometimes I even get snow for mine; and Jeremy's 18th birthday, two Januarys ago, brought a blizzard. But Tom's birthday was absolutely perfect, weather-wise.

He has admittedly been alone (i.e.: sans girlfriend) for many of his adult birthdays. So when I offered to bake him a cake he was rather pleased by the notion of someone fussing over him like that. I always bake cakes for my loved ones; Jeremy usually chooses cheesecake. So I would actually have been offended if Tom had said he'd rather have something from a bakery, or avoid the sugar coma altogether.

But he contemplated his options and decided that he wanted a chocolate cake, 2 layers. Perhaps some coffee-flavored whipped cream, rather than traditional frosting. Drizzles of caramel and chocolate, and -- of course! -- walnuts, which complete any baked good in his opinion. As long as there was no rolling fondant or forming gum paste flowers -- neither of which I've ever worked with -- I could make this happen.

Of course, senile twit that I can sometimes be, I had the walnuts out on the counter as I prepared the cake and then completely forgot to add them to the batter ... sigh. So they ended up sprinkled over the frosting instead. But other than that, I think the cake turned out the way Tom had hoped it would; he seemed utterly tickled that he could actually place an order for a specific cake and have it appear for him. May all of his other birthday wishes come true ... :)

Chocolate Layer Cake with Coffee-Flavored Whipped Cream Frosting

(cake recipe slightly adapted from the Sour Cream Chocolate Cake recipe in The Pleasures of Afternoon Tea by Angela Hynes)

Chocolate Cake:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup plain yogurt
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot coffee

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two 8" round cake pans.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine baking soda and yogurt; mix into batter. Add flour, baking powder and salt; mix into batter.

Combine cocoa powder and coffee, stirring until smooth. Add to batter and careful mix in.

Divide batter between the prepared cake pans, making a slight depression in the center so that when they rise the cakes will be flat.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Carefully remove the cakes from the pans, and leave them on a rack to cool completely.

Whipped Cream:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1-1/2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Place the cream cheese into a large mixing bowl and whip it using an electric mixer.

Add the coffee and half of the whipping cream; beat on "high" until peaks are starting to form.

Add the confectioners' sugar and beat, then add the rest of the whipping cream and beat until the mixture is the consistency of soft frosting.

Place one of the cake layers onto a serving tray; tuck pieces of foil underneath the cake so that the frosting doesn't mess up the tray as you're spreading it. Spread a 1/2" layer of frosting over the top of the cake layer, then place the second layer on top. Spread a generous 1/2" layer of frosting along the sides of the cake, and then cover the top. Save any excess frosting -- it's great stirred into coffee or cocoa, or just eaten with a spoon!


Garnish:
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
caramel ice cream sauce
Hershey's chocolate sauce

Sprinkle the walnuts over the top of the cake. Dip a fork into the jar of caramel sauce, then drizzle some of the sauce diagonally over the walnuts.

Use the same fork technique to drizzle some of the chocolate sauce in the opposite direction over the cake. Gently pull the foil pieces out from under the cake.


Cut and serve the cake ... and enjoy! Refrigerate leftovers, so the whipped cream doesn't spoil.

Train Trip Treats

I love peanut butter and jelly! No matter how old I am, these two entities will always, always have a special place in my heart ... and in Tom's, too. No wonder we're such a cute couple, with our devotion to each other and to our peanut butter and jelly! It was the perfect choice for a totable lunch to eat as we rode the train to Chicago. These sandwiches aren't terribly pretty, but that's not what matters.

First, there is the tantalizing aroma of the peanut butter, luring you in. It's smooth, creamy, delectable. Frankly, who even needs the bread??? Just dip in an apple or a spoon -- even just a finger will do! -- and you've got a perfect vehicle to simply lick pure peanut butter without anything intruding upon the experience.

But then, of course, there is the jelly -- it isn't a necessity, as peanut butter is quite seductive all on its own; and yet, spread liberally it certainly enhances the experience, doesn't it? Jelly can help to ease a bit of the dryness.

I had made some jam myself a few weeks ago, with concord grapes; Tom and I found them at the store one day, and he told me that in one of the many places he lived while growing up (his family moved from rented house to rented house quite frequently), there had been grapes growing in the yard. Coupled with our beloved Koeze's peanut butter, made right here in Michigan, and spread on some good whole wheat bread ... the sandwiches were simple, yet wonderfully satisfying.

Of course, being a good eater, sandwiches were not sufficient for a 5-hour trip before the Thai dinner Tom had his heart set on sharing with me at one of his favorite restaurants -- Big Bowl. So we also brought along chips (de rigueur for Tom) -- some exceptionally crunchy ones flavored with rosemary. Almonds for a quick snack ... exceptional Honeycrisp apples which are just coming into their glory ... juicy oranges ... and Tom's cup of coffee (addict that he is!) to get through the afternoon. Nothing grand, just good ol'-fashioned wholesome treats. But don't worry -- we didn't eat everything in sight! Some of this was saved for the trip home, too.

I even found some time to make chocolate chip cookies to enjoy along the way. Just like with the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, there's nothing fancy here -- just delicious cookies made more nutritious with whole wheat flour. If you're going to ride through the countryside to get to the big city, it's hard to beat a traditional favorite cookie!

Stay tuned through the week for posts about all the other goodies we enjoyed -- from Thai to breakfast sandwiches to indescribably amazing coffee to free chocolate samples to cinnamon pound cake ... sigh ... :)


Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/4 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a cookie sheet.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown and butter; mix well. Add vanilla and cinnamon, then stir in eggs. Add flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Scoop dough by generous teaspoons, and place onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until done around the edges and golden, but not browned. Remove to a rack and cool completely.