I have a weakness for roses and white picket fences, especially when the canes are so weighed down with blossoms they spill over onto the sidewalk. The combination is so classic and simply pretty it is almost cliche. However, it never fails to stop me in my tracks. This morning I had to snap a few pictures. Phoebe was confused as to why we were stopping again. She had places to be and other dogs to impress at the park.

I am fairly certain this rose is a variety called “Cherry Parfait”. It always struggled when I grew it on the east coast. When I bought it I loved the description of the “light apple scent.” Rose catalogs are an exercise in the highest forms of hyperbole.

Bananas and cinnamon pretty much always sound appealing to me even when I can’t bear the thought of eating most other things. That makes this my smoothie version of comfort food. The tablespoon of coconut flour gives this a creamy texture. Sometimes, I even add a tablespoon of peanut butter. I top it generously (or obscenely) with cinnamon and/or nutmeg as pictured, but this is purely optional.

Banana Spice Smoothie

Ingredients
1 ripe banana (if the banana isn’t ripe enough you can add a drop of honey)
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup ice

This is part two of my search for cookies that are chewy and have the most peanut butter flavor. I have baked Peanut Butter Cookies before with a recipe that is more on the crisp side. You can check them out here. J wanted a chewier version, and this recipe had solid reviews. He is still hoping for more peanut butter flavor. If I added any more peanut butter to this recipe, these cookies would fall apart. They are already fairly delicate until they cool. I could add some chopped roasted peanuts, but I think I may need to add a contrasting flavor to highlight the peanut flavor. I may try drizzling these with chocolate for a peanut butter cup effect or sandwiching them with jam. Any other ideas out there for dressing up simple peanut butter cookies?

Soft and Chewy Peanut Cookies
Recipe from Food.com 

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

and a lot of chocolate…

made a lot of cookies.

I have baked these Chocolate Chip Cookies hundreds of time, but I am sure I will bake them thousands more. Having too many of them never seems to be a problem.

Smoothies are pretty much an everyday ritual for me. I make them in every combination, including some slightly strange variations. Using frozen berries means that you can make this anytime of year. Chia seeds are all the rage for containing omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Because they are made of some kind of magic, they form a gel when added to liquid. This makes them great for thickening smoothies. Chia seeds have a neutral flavor, and you wont notice them when they are blended. I actually like the texture they add by sprinkling a few on top. Adding spinach makes this a nutritional overachiever, but don’t worry you will just taste the berries with a hint of banana.

Chia Berry Smoothie

1 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk
1 cup frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
1/2 ripe banana
1/2 cup fresh spinach
2 tsp chia seeds
2 tbsp water

If you are looking for an awesome green version, try my Tropical Kale Smoothie.

When I was growing up, these glasses sat on a top shelf on display in my grandmother’s kitchen. I coveted them. They were never used, but she would occasionally let me open the glass door and take a peek. I loved the fact that they were each a different color. It just made them seem so special. They stood in contrast with my grandparents very formal home, which may have been why they were relegated to kitchen display.

I was a teenager when the contents of my grandparents’ house was divided up prior to being sold. There were very few things I wanted, but this set of glasses was at the top of the list. They sat in a box for years until I had my own house, and then they were placed on the top shelf of my own glass front cabinet. I took them out on for the rare special occasion, but I didn’t really use them. During our recent move, I tried to pare down to the essentials. These have now become our everyday water glasses because…why not?

The blue one is secretly my favorite.

Right now I am going through one of those phases where I am feeling a bit overwhelmed, but letting myself get run down just isn’t an option. I need to remind myself that I still have time for taking short morning walks and making berry and kale smoothies, even when I don’t think I do. Also, it has been ridiculously beautiful here lately.

Oh no, this is turning into one of those blogs again…. you know the kind that still have Christmas photos up in March. It is like leaving the lights up so I have to at least post a photo of the gorgeous trees outside our apartment. I have (bigger) plans for an herb garden this year on the patio, a bunch of new recipes and some randoms to share soon.

With traveling back to east coast, I did far less holiday baking than ever before this year. I haven’t quite figured out the whole living on a different coast and making gifts thing.  My big project this year was canning strawberry jam (recipe to follow). I still managed to do a bit of baking in my in-law’s kitchen after we arrived.

I don’t think I could get away with not making Chocolate Crackle Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies. If it is Christmas, I have to bring something chocolate. They have become an expected holiday basket component. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I love our weekly trips to the farmer’s market. It still feels a little magical to have fresh local stuff when it is nearly December. I love to just walk around and see what’s new each week. I am mildly obsessed with the mushroom stand. Who knew tree oyster mushrooms were so good? I bought them the first time because they looked cool. We picked up persimmons this week because just about everyone was selling them. The last time I had one it was really bland. These were, of course, much better. They are sugary sweet, and I think they would stand up well to baking. In muffins maybe?