Chocolate Dipped Macaroon Cookies

Growing up I my mom used to tell me her favorite cookie was Macaroons. As a little kid I could not wrap my head around this idea. I mean...come on "everyone's" favorite cookie HAD to be Oreos, just like me...Right? Well as I have gotten older these cookies are also one of my favorites. The sweet golden coconut toasted to perfection along with the soft center of the cookie. To celebrate my mom's birthday we had to have a few of her favorite cookies. I even took them to a new level by dipping the bottoms in dark chocolate. It really does take a favorite to a whole new level. 

The beginnings of a lovely marriage of coconut, chocolate, sugar and vanilla. Seriously what could be better?

Making little mounds of love. I tried to keep these on the smaller side. You know so you can justify eating more.

Toasted and golden ready for a chocolate dip.

Dipped in melted dark chocolate. I used a double boiler, but you could also melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave. Your preference.

Avocado, Arugula, and Grapefruit Salad

A whirlwind of activities have been going on in these here parts of Santa Cruz. New schools, new schedules, new hobbies, and new milestones. Due to all this "newness" there has also been lot of craziness and not a lot of down time. Cue the dialogue; "What do you want to do for dinner?" Matt, "I don't know, we don't have any food." Me, "Lets just have popcorn again and watch Season Four of Breaking Bad on Netflix." Matt, "Sounds like a nice night to me." So, as you can tell easy dinners or lunch ideas are all up in this house... and this salad is right on it! Simple, fresh and flavorful. Have it for a light dinner and you can totally shove a bowl of popcorn in your face, while watching Breaking Bad...Yo.

Let's get this simple salad started. Arugula, grapefruit and radishes add a bold amount of pepper, while the avocado mellows out the flavors to bring a sweet creamy bite.

Makes sure to section off the grapefruit to remove the bitter membrane.

Radishes sliced paper thin. You could use a mandolin or a sharp knife. Just be careful.

Peppery, with sweetness from the grapefruit and olive oil dressing along with the large chucks of avocado. You could make this ahead of time and then assemble and serve chilled. A new addition to our salad family. Now back for another bowl of popcorn.

Foodie Pen pals / Afternoon snack

To keep my on my blogging toes and to meet more people out there in the food world I decided to sign up for foodie pen pals.  A fun way to get some goodies and to get to make new friends. I was super excited to get my package from Robyn @ Robyn's view. Her blog is full of adorable crafts, DIY projects and lovely food. To my surprise, I was given a box full of all her talents. I have to say I can get used to this whole foodie pen pal thing. Thank you Robyn for all the goodies. You made me smile and for that, I send you a big hug!

Homemade vanilla extract and cranberries. Can't wait to use both in giant oatmeal cranberry cookies. Or some homemade granola bars for my son's school lunch.

Homemade note cards. I think Robyn must have known that I adore hand written notes. These are so cute and super creative.

Yes, homemade foot scrub and cream. Robyn has a post on how to make the peppermint foot cream on her blog. My feet were so happy this week.

I also got home made sweet and sour sauce and some fresh caught home canned tuna. Put the two together for an afternoon snack. I think I am going to use the sweet and sour sauce to add to some grilled veggies this week. Thank you again to Robyn and all the homemade, decorated jars of fun! My photos do not do all of her hard work any justice! Can't wait to see what I get next month!

Pecan Palines

Seriously sometimes you just gotta treat yo bad self.  You just gotta! You have to buy purple eye shadow, buy a new book, or you just gotta listen to Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch secretly in your car.  We are all pulled in so many directions; life, work, kids, traffic, even Facebook. It feels like you are drowing. So, sometimes I just need to stop and breathe. One afternoon during a big breath, I realized that making something rich, gooey and sweet was the treat I needed. These little mounds of sugar are simple, but are super indulgent.The recipe is very easy to follow. Just what you need when all you want to do is make something tastey and quick. So go out there in this busy world and do something for yourself, buy some new jeans, paint your nails green, listen to 90's rap, and eat as many of these that you can without hitting a total sugar high! 

Lets get this treat going! Sugar, butter, cream...need I say more. 

Pecans add a maple flavor and give a salty nutty texture. Yes, I was "snackin" while baking. Those are some greens and they are not as good as pralines. Give and take...lady...give and take!

Sugar heated on the stove top. Once it has simmered and is bubbly the butter and pecans are added. Cook. Remove from the heat and then once cool, spoon onto parchment into lovely pralines. Let them cool completely before you treat your bad ass self. 

Weeknight Dinners

I do tend to fall on the butter and sugar sword a lot, but honestly, true be told... I don't have a huge sweet tooth. (Shhh) I prefer a salty pretzel with warm mustard to cheesecake any day of the week. That being said I do love myself a good slice of toasted banana bread or big o'l ice cream cone. Usually my husband and I try to eat well and weeknight dinners can be tough. Lately we have been trying to eat less meat and more flavorful veggie dishes. These two fresh, fast and easy dinners are courtesy of my husband and his talents of turning something simple into a delight...kinda like the new Fiona Apple album that I can't get out of my earballs. 

Fixings for a lovely Gazpacho sans the bread. Lots of fresh tomato, peppers and cucumbers give this chilled soup texture. 

We toasted some padron peppers and added  sliced avocado to make it a bit more of a meal. Added a little bit of sriracha as no meal is complete without. 

When the weather is hot the last thing we want to do is be in the kitchen. This mango shrimp lettuce wrap is easy to prep and can be a portable lunch if you use larger lettuce leaves and roll them kind of like a spring roll. The real kicker is the date, citrus, and red pepper dipping sauce. 

This magic sauce is sweet and spicy and we used it all week as a salad dressing. Who knew that blended dried dates could make such a light and flavorful dressing. Matt, you can keep cooking any day of the week.  Just so we listen to Fiona Apple at dinner. Enjoy!

Chocolate Ginger Flatbread Crackers

I was in the mood this past weekend for something creative, easy, tasty and quick to make. When you are in a pinch to bring a dessert to a potluck or just want to have something sweet when an unexpected guest is in town. This is a go to idea. Flatbread crackers covered in chocolate with any form of nut and fruit combo you like. I got this idea from Sprouted Kitchen. At first I was a bit nervous about pairing the sweet and spicy ginger with the toasted sesame seeds and chocolate...but Man Oh Man, these bad boys are delish. I also ended up making a cranberry almond combination to use up some leftover almond slices. I am now seriously thinking about doing some sort of salt and pepper chocolate combination. I think that eating too many of these makes the brain a bit bonkers. 

Let's get chopping. Dried sweetened ginger chopped up to whatever size you like. Warning, I ate way too many of these little spicy, sweet nuggets and got a stomach ache. 

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. We don't have a microwave so stove top is the way for me. Spread the melted chocolate over the crackers and then sprinkle with toppings.

Let the chocolate set and then store in an airtight container. The combination of salt, sweet, spicy and nutty all in one bite. Let you imagination go wild!

Gluten Free Nectarine Almond Gallete

Summer desserts, summer fruits, "Summertime"...cue the Fresh Prince music.  I love summer and all its summer glory, the smell of sunscreen, BBQ and eatin' outside. I enjoy the fact that our little coastal town comes alive with vacationers riding beach cruisers through our neighborhood, having a cookout or listening to a band from a block party down the street. However, as much as I love this time of year I am actually excited for the fall. Something about the first chill in the air and the idea of wearing boots  and scarves makes me smile. Still, summer fruits are in abundance and what better way to celebrate the season with a dessert full of ripe nectarines paired with almonds with the added bonus of it being gluten free. Eat your heart out summer. This one is for you! 

Lets bust out a crust. I used Cup 4 Cup Flour. This is a wonderful product if you don't want to make your own gluten free flour. You can basically use this flour exactly how you would in any recipe that calls for all purpose flour. The flour is amazing to work with and make a very crisp light crust. I am totally sold!

Once the dough comes together it needs to be chilled for at least 30 minutes. This can be done ahead so that you can get out of your kitchen and get your nails done, sit by the pool and admire them. Just a thought.

Bright nectarines meet up with almond meal and sugar. There is something about pairing nectarines with almonds. It is a match.

Makes sure you have enough crust for the edges to fold over. I should have given myself a bit more room, but when folded over it still ended up just fine. The best part about a gallete is it's rustic forgiveness. 

Sliced almonds give texture and an extra toasty nutty flavor. Serve warm or room temp. You could also top with some vanilla ice cream or yogurt, but really a strong cup of coffee and a warm summer breeze is all you need. Enjoy, gluten free or not.