The Wordsmith's Forge

I made these tonight. While I liked the Brownie Batter Granola Butter smoothie, my partner Doug wasn't fond of the texture. So I put most of the rest into a batch of cookies, which we both love.


"Granola Butter Cookies"

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup Brownie Batter Granola Butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Everyone needs contact comfort sometimes. Not everyone has ample opportunities for this in facetime. So here is a chance for a cuddle party in cyberspace. Virtual cuddling can help people feel better.

We have a cuddle room that comes with fort cushions, fort frames, sheets for draping, and a weighted blanket. A nest full of colorful egg pillows sits in one corner. There is a basket of grooming brushes, hairbrushes, and styling combs. A bin holds textured pillows. There is a big basket of craft supplies along with art markers, coloring pages, and blank paper. The kitchen has a popcorn machine. Labels are available to mark dietary needs, recipe ingredients, and level of spiciness. Here is the bathroom, open to everyone. There is a lawn tent and an outdoor hot tub. Bathers should post a sign for nude or clothed activity. Come snuggle up!

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Today we made a smoothie with:

1/2 cup Cocojune passionfruit coconut nondairy yogurt
1/2 cup Brown Cow vanilla yogurt (dairy)
1 banana
1/2 cup Wawona Daybreak Blend frozen fruit (peaches, mango, strawberries, pineapple)
a few extra chunks of frozen passionfruit
1/2 cup ice

The result is pale peach and on the thin side.  It is tangier than our usual blends, but the coconut makes for a creamy, nutty, tropical undertone to the whole thing.  The passionfruit has a bright high note.  If you like tropical flavors and want a nondairy smoothie, I recommend Cocojune.  We should've bought two of them though -- each only has about half a cup of yogurt, so we had to fill in with what we already had.  It's quite tasty.  :D

Today we used some of the leftover ingredients from yesterday to make a different dish.

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My partner Doug found a small block of halloumi, so I looked up possible recipes for it. Rubbery when cold, this cheese is typically pan-fried or grilled then served hot and gooey.

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Today we made a smoothie with:

1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup ice

The result is fairly bright pink and slightly thick, with a prominent strawberry flavor.  I'm quite pleased.  :D

Out of curiosity, I looked up more recipes for scamorza. Apparently it can also be smoked. We love smoked cheeses. I kinda want to go back to the cheese shop and pester them to get some of the smoked kind too.

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Today we made a smoothie with:

1 bottle of Fever Tree ginger beer (it's small)
Brown Cow vanilla yogurt to make 2 cups (a little less than 1 cup)
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen Great Value Tropical Fruit Blend (pineapple, mango, papaya, and coconut)
1/2 cup ice

The result is ivory, just slightly thick, and still a bit fizzy.  This is the first time we've tried a carbonated liquid base and it works quite well.  The flavor is mostly ginger with a creamy tropical aspect and a woodsy undertone.  It reminds me of the apple-pear-ginger we've had in the past that was made with all fresh ingredients. 

Today's theme is Food.

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I am making the Candy Cane Cookies.  :D  They taste like Christmas.  First tray is out of the oven and just barely cool enough to eat, with the second tray in the oven.

Look around at the aftermath of Christmas.  Are there candy canes scattered around?  Bash them and smash them!  Use the peppermint sugar for baking. \o/