Chocolate Chick Cookie Bites

I have a sweet tooth.

Like, some people probably say that and think,”Awww, I have a sweet tooth too!” But your sweet tooth is like this:

My sweet tooth is more like this:

See the difference?

Suffice it to say, I’ve never been one of those people that can give up candy or sweets for the sake of “healthy eating”. Which is why the recipe I am about to share with you is a little bit shocking. My sister Bethany actually shared a recipe on her Facebook wall, originally from a blog called “Texanerin” (as in, a lovely and talented girl Erin from Texas). This recipe was for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites, which doesn’t sound all that difficult to like, right? Well, hold your horses, because these are no ordinary PB/Choc-Chip Cookie Dough bites. Oh no. They involve 6 ingredients, and the first (and primary) one was the real shocker for me. Can you spot it?

1 1/4 cups canned chickpeas (?!) – (almost a full regular sized can), well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter (the original recipe warns that unnatural PB doesn’t work, just f.y.i.!)
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor in order to have smooth un-bean-like dough. . . which is fine but I don’t have a food processor (shocking, I know). SO, I used my blender, although it was not exactly ideal. . . the dough is a little too sticky to blend very well, but I’ll have to try again. Just be sure to scrape the sides a lot, whatever you do, so that your “dough” stuff isn’t chick-pea-ish.

Before Blending — At this point in the process, I was highly, highly skeptical.

Next add the chocolate chips (I didn’t measure so much as eye-ball it and drop a handful or two in) and mix it together for a bit. The dough is very thick and a bit sticky, although I didn’t find it too bad. Plus, shockingly enough, it tasted good!

Then, roll the dough into little balls. The original recipe says to put these onto parchment paper and bake as cookies, but I just rolled them and stuck them into a mini-muffin tin, because it seemed like it would make them easier to manage.

Mini Chocolate Chicks? — It might be a good idea to use mini chocolate chips too, if you plant to make these a little as I did!

As recommended, I pressed them down a little bit, because they really don’t do very much shape changing in the 10-12 minutes they spend baking (10 for littler ones!). This recipe made about 24 mini-muffin-sized cookies!

Completed Cookies — These little guys are best eaten warm, but still tasty cold!

My verdict? These are good! Seriously. Remember how I’m a type 2 sweet-a-holic? (watch that second video clip again if you don’t know what I mean) . . . I think that officially makes me a connoisseur of sorts. I mean, yes, you can tell that these are not your typical chocolate chip cookie when you try them, but they are still really good as a dessert! AND, they are a nice little kick of protein and fiber in your diet, should those be lacking. PLUS, they have no processed oils or crazy sugars (depending on your chocolate chip brand, I suppose). In fact, how they wind up tasting good is kind of a mystery to me. First I wondered if there was something wrong with my taste buds, but I even had 6 blind taste-testers at work who approved wholeheartedly of the tasty-factor BEFORE I told them that it was chick-pea based, so I think it is officially legit! So, there you have it: Chocolate Chick Cookie bites, ladies and gentlemen. Give them a whirl and see how you feel!

Recipe Source: Texanerin

A Saucy Surprise

Yesterday, I had one of those Old Mother Hubbard-esque I-don’t-know-what-to-make-for-dinner moments.

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Now, I don’t know if you are like me, but I hate these moments, and it’s even worse when they sneak up on you while you’re really hungry. There are all sorts of cool lists out there to prepare you for such first-world-food-crises, but there I was, as unprepared as Cady meeting the plastics on the first day of school. So I decided to fall back on a timelessly accessible, if less-than-healthy, option. . . Pasta with Clam Sauce. Only, imagine my surprise, I was halfway through making my mother’s delectable clam sauce recipe when I realized that both my clams and clam-sauce (already in cans, mind you) were a YEAR past their expiration date. Sick.

Needless to say, I wound up improvising a tomato sauce out of the not-yet-clam-sauce, with dubious hopes and ever-noisier stomach growls and the result was STUPENDOUS!!! So, here is my, (possibly obvious) delicious pasta sauce recipe to share, in case you find yourself in a similar moment (being let down by your canned good supplies and in need of a trip to the grocery store)!

Accidental Tomato Sauce for Pasta

Ingredients:

1 onion – medium sized
2-3 Tbsp olive (or canola) oil
2 cloves chopped garlic (I used the pre-diced, which was handily in my fridge!)
1/4 c. fresh parsley
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 quart of tomatoes (I used preserves from my Mom’s garden and it was to-die-for-delicious!)
1.5 Tbsp butter (about 1/5 of a stick – this will cut some of the natural acidity in preserved tomatoes and render the final sauce a lot more delicious!)
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese – for on top!

Directions:

Slice up your onion and sauté it in your olive oil, adding the garlic after a few minutes (shortly after the onion starts to get all transluscent).
Add in the dried oregano and basil (liberally), followed by the parsley and butter.
Cook this mixture for around 10 minutes, stirring semi-regularly so that it doesn’t burn.
Dump your quart of tomatoes into the herb-laden onion mixture and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until it is warm through.
Serve over your favorite type of pasta (I used shells!) with a smattering of grated parmesan cheese on top, and salt and pepper as you see fit!
Stop being hungry!

Some days I feel . . .

. . . certifiable.

funny gifs

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There are so many moments in my day to day life that make me feel just a little bit like I’m losing my mind…

Marriage proposals, Stalkers and Rabbit Heads…

I wrote this way back in Fall of 2006, while studying abroad in France.

I just took the most incredible bath ever. Seriously, it was the stuff of dreams (or nightmares –depending on how recently you’ve seen the film What Lies Beneath). This tub is the biggest tub I have ever seen. You could probably submerge a sumo wrestler without spilling water over the edges, or having to torque him into some funky shape, for that matter. So, there you go. That was my first bath in France. Why? Honestly? I needed the relaxation after today.

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I woke up at 6:30 am. I leisurely got ready for class at 8. I went to the Institut (about a 15 minute walk), and then I got there and realized that my class starts at 10 today! My 8 o’clock-er is tomorrow. BLAH. So I went home, only to come back at 10 and proceeded to live through a harrowing 8 hours of class. It’s like sitting still while people throw mental grenades at you. Actually, the first class is more like one psycho person with an Uzi. You guessed it, it’s the grammarian from Hell. But at least it’s a weekly reminder never to start smoking. It’s amazing that a well dressed, well educated person can be transformed from riches to rags with a smoker-voice and that god-awful smell.

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Next I had Monsieur B., who definitely just continued on from last week. I think he’s going for the world record of semi-drunken dictations. Plus, he goes off on mad tangents. So, today I learned almost nothing about French Institutions, and a lot about how Monsieur B. went parachuting with a hangover and got tangled in a tree. And then he had to drink beer out of some guys parachuting helmet or something. I tuned out the middle, so I got kind of lost. Hope he doesn’t test us on the tangents!

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Then my last class basically taught me that, in France, the reason why everybody takes SO much time to do stuff (like, eat, for example) is because there is a LIMIT of hours you can work. Ready for this? The official, legal number of hours you can work (as of a 1998 law) is 35 a week! No matter who you are (although I guess there’s some exceptions in restaurants). So, I had issues digesting this, and all the other people were like “oh yeah, we have limits too!”. I’m sorry, but except for the Chinese girl, we’re all from DEMOCRACIES … what about civil rights? For example, the right to pursue happiness by WORKING? (Because this seriously can limit your income and therefore your capacity to pursue material happiness.) So, forgive the political tangent, but I spent the last hour of that class trying to explain (in somewhat broken, jet-lagged, brain-dead French) why I was so surprised. Needless to say, all of these things led directly to my first French Bath experience. Which I must say was a positive one. Thumbs up.

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My other “first” of the day (besides the bath) was a marriage proposal. Okay, actually, it would be my first in a long time, not my first ever, but those ones when you’re between ages 5-12 never really count anyways. So, there I was, standing at the vending machine getting my chocolat chaud between classes and all the sudden five guys walk in. Oh yeah. And one goes, the French equivalent of “Heeeeeeey!” and then another one goes “Hey, I’m single and I’m looking for a wife!”? and I couldn’t help it, I laughed. I was like, “Oh really? Well, I’m single, but I’m not looking for a husband, so that’s too bad!”? Geez. Guys in France are crazy. Their mothers must give them macho pills instead of Flintstone vitamins or something. I guess it makes life interesting!

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To top the day off, I also ate rabbit for dinner. . . . for the first time. Never before had Peter Cottontail made it onto my menu. In fact, my sister once had a pet rabbit named Claudio. However, I am nothing close to a vegetarian and have long ago accepted where meat comes from. SO, I decided that I should give it a try. About halfway through my first bite, my host father started talking about raising rabbits to eat. Then I told him that sometimes coyotes kill rabbits behind my parents’ house and we can hear it shrieking. And then (WHILE I was eating my serving of rabbit) he started mimicking the scream of a dying rabbit. Right about this moment, just as I was quelling the urge to feel nauseous, Madame Berthoud used the serving spoons to lift the well-cooked rabbit’s HEAD out of the pot. That’s right: THE ENTIRE HEAD. She offered it to me before serving it to Pierre. Let’s just say it’s a damn good thing I’m a confirmed omnivore. Lesser carnivores would’ve sworn off meat forever after a dinner like I just had.

That was my day.

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In Case You Missed It…

This year’s Masquerade Prom was a visual feast and a resounding success. . . check out a few of my favorite theme/decor photos from the event:

All photo credit goes to our awesome photographers, Danny and Brandi Ebersole!

The Worst Habit of them All

If you’re looking for a new hobby and have considered:

A. Excessive & Regular Consumption of Alcohol

B. Smoking (anything habitually)

C. Gambling

D. Auditioning for a Role on a Reality TV Show Such as Sister Wives

E. Moving to New York or Hollywood to be an Actor

F. Being a Professional Internet Fangirl

G. Indulging in Shopaholic Tendencies

H. Doing Drugs

. . . well, look no further.

Because as completely unfulfilling and detrimental as all of those may sound, I think, over the course of the last two years, I have discovered one seriously overlooked bad-habit hobby that will cap them all. That’s right, I have found the most expensive and least rewarding hobby of them all; being perpetually (but not terminally) sick.

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Don’t scoff. You might think that one of the other habit/hobbies listed has greater potential to go catastrophically long, but I submit that perpetual poor health might just cap them all, due to its complete and utter lack of the immediate gratification factor. Each of the bad-idea hobbies listed above has an admittedly-horrendous typical outcome, but usually with some short term rewards (however un-beneficial they truly might be long term). Being sick is different. Let me explain. As someone who has been consistently sick for the past two years (truth), I feel that I have some experiential insight that may just shed light on my (involuntary) hobby.

Why Perpetual Sickness Tops them All:

1.) There are no short term benefits.

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When you’re sick, there is no money, no power, no fame, no warm fuzzies, no good feelings, and no social perks which result. You don’t get any kind of “high” or “buzz” when you’re sick, and there are no cute clothes to show for it. Socially, nobody wants to be around someone who is coughing, sneezing, vomiting, gasping, feverish or in any other way symptomatic. Maybe you’re thinking: Oh come on, that can’t be true, I get attention when I’m sick, and I get taken care of. FALSE. Not when you’re a single adult, you don’t. Maybe you’re thinking “But every once in a while, a sick day is nice!” NOPE. Not when you’re a teacher who loves her job, you don’t. You could even be thinking: “At least you get to sleep, watch TV and eat comfort foods when you’re sick.” Well, I don’t know how you define “sick”, but if you can do all three of those things hunky-dory, I think you’re doing it wrong.

2.) Friendships get Iffy

At first your good friends & loving family are worried about you. . . they send get well cards and come visit, or chat with you on the phone and tell you that they really hope you feel better soon. After the first five different viruses or infections, however, they start to lose interest. I mean, you can hardly blame them. You never attend their parties anymore, you don’t really go out, so there goes that connection. Ultimately, they feel ditched by you, or like you always blow them off. You look like a jerk and all but the best of friends wind up losing touch.

3.) It’s expensive

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In the past three days alone, I have spent over $100.00 on prescriptions and doctors visits. I’m thinking about starting to collect prescription bottles, so many of them are floating around my apartment after these almost-two years. Regardless, there have been many many hundreds of dollars spent on treatments and, at the end of the day, I’m still sick.

4.) You get Fat.

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Well, actually, your weight might just fluctuate at first, but if it lasts long enough, then you get fat. See, since all your activities become limited by your complete lack of energy, you wind up living an extremely sedentary lifestyle. Which, after a few months, and even more after a few years, causes you to begin to put on the pounds, no matter how little you eat.

5.) You feel (and look) like crap.

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This last point may seem a little redundant, but after your fiftieth round of antibiotics and dragging your butt through daily routines (because life doesn’t stop when you’re sick). . . you barely have the energy to put on real clothing, much less try to make something attractive out of your hair and face. So on top of the extra pounds (because there’s no energy to push yourself through a gentle walk, much less a workout!), you wind up looking very slapdash and even haggard. Not exactly something that draws others to you.

See what I meant?

Sure, many things could be worse, but I think as far as time-sinks go, I have inadvertently stumbled upon a lesser known and extremely effective bad habit. Am I wrong?

(For the record, I am being highly sarcastic in this post, and should not be taken too seriously. Any extreme offense given was unintended, and I blame it on the mixture of sudafed, mucinex, z-pack, flonaze, antihistamines, and 90 degree heat!)

Faeries ‘n Poetry Books

What pretty thoughts some old books hold!

Thoughts From Paris

A few years ago, I wrote this while travelling in Paris:

Paris, and what I am currently thinking about it. . .

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1.) I am writing my thoughts in a list, because I have lost all ability to think clearly and numbers give a facade of organization to my chaotic stammering sentences. This is a preface.

2.) I think I could be happy alone in Paris with a journal and my i-pod. And maybe unlimited money. That last one would make it much more comfortable, although it may not be necessary.

3.) My ankle strap sandal scraped my heel and the stap of my bag chaffed against my sunburn when I took the metro-stairs at hyperspeed thismorning, but when I stepped out into the morning, I got a deep breath of the layered Parisian air. . . and felt amazing. On my first visit, I didn’t like the air here. It felt too busy. Now, I think maybe the blend of cigarrettes, sweat, perfume, bakeries, dogs, machismo and mayhem has grown on me. It’s like a cross between a scent that would make your nose wrinkle and one that might make your eyes shut in pure relishing delight. And, amazingly, now, it smells good to me.

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4.) Some people travel and they leave home behind. Others carry it with them. While I find nothing wrong with keeping home close in your heart (in a sentimental, internal kind of way), it can be a weighty bag to tote around all day and makes navigating the narrow streets quite fatiguing.

5.) People are lovely everywhere I go.

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6.) I have probably said it before, but the blatant sexuality and gender confidence of French culture always surprises me. Men are handsome, in a casually affected kind of way. Women are beautiful, dripping style everywhere they go, like they’ve just emerged from some fountain of Class that Americans constantly look for, and they just can’t help themselves. While I think many people in the US are constantly looking at one type of person and finding them beautiful, people appreciate the natural beauty of the opposite sex, and there’s no age limit or body type that really limits beauty.

7.) On the same note, men do not respect personal space and any sort of eye contact can be construed as an invitation to breach all kinds of personal space boundaries.

8.) I love being American. Sometimes I like being an American tourist, but mostly I just find the whole attitude of Americans as tourists to be fairly ignorant and self-centered, even if well-intentioned.

9.) The best of a culture lives in its language.

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10.) I am indeed sunburnt, the soles of my feet are pretty sore and I have probably gained like 6 pounds from eating so much! I wouldn’t trade all of the exquisite days/experiences, but I think whoever said that traveling makes you appreciate going home more was right. I will be glad for the luxury of healthy food in the pantry, my big supply of aloe and my soft bed.

11.) So far, French people think I speak french well. Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

12.) Homeless people everywhere make me sad.

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13.) I know, I know. Why are we still talking about Abby’s random Parisian thoughts? Don’t worry, I’m wrapping it up.

14.) When you come here, eat the Macarons. Drink a cafe au lait.They’re worth it. And don’t smoke just because you’re here. That’s dumb. What happens in France doesn’t just stay in France, and if you smoke, it will very possibly be staying in your lungs.

15.) I hope I fit into my bridesmaid dress when I get back, yeeesh.

16.) I love the musée Rodin. Rodin’s sculpture is like the epitome of raw meeting smooth. It’s perfection smoothed out of a hunk of rough nothing. I like Degas’s paintings for the same reason I like Rodin’s paintings, and tapioca pudding for that matter. The textures are incredible.

17.) Everyone who is thinking of travelling to France. Honestly, Paris is gorgeous. Go. Do it. But once you have, go to the real France. Because Paris is only 85% real France. Maybe even less. You can appreciate all of its wonderful cultural wealth and experience all of its depth and breadth. You can speak French in Paris and eat French food in Paris. But it will only take you so far. And then you’re just in a beautiful, historical, hotbed of culture, which is incredible, but not quite real.

18.) That is all. I am going to take my french playlists for a walk now.

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Beer + Marshmallows?

The word “beer” always makes me think of the scene from Mickey Blue Eyes when Hugh Grant’s proper English character is trying to pretend to be a mobster and really can’t fake an italian accent! Now, unlike Hugh, accents I can do, but I’m not much of a beer person. Despite that, I’m just as game as the next person when it comes to trying new ingredients . . . SO, when some friends and I decided to have a food-off, iron chef style, with the only required ingredient being beer, I knew it was time to get creative.

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Step 1: Thinking outside the box!

When I first started scouring the internet (ahem: Pinterest) for a recipe that would function as my beer muse, I found a lot of beer-battered meats and chocolate stout cakes. . . both of which sounded delightful, but both of which I knew would already be making an appearance at the bake-off (courtesy of my deliciously talented friends). It wasn’t until I stumbled upon the concept of homemade beer-flavored marshmallows that I knew what I was going to try. Originally from a gourmet sweet shop called Truffle Truffle, I found and followed an awesome copycat recipe from Kitchn.com. I was a little nervous making my first ever marshmallows. . . but they were actually pretty simple!

Step 2: Letting them Sit (Set)

summery goodnes

After pouring the sticky goo into a pan, complete with just under 1 cup of delicous summer lager from Cisco Brewers in Nantucket, I was ready to keep going. . . but this is the part where you have to be patient and wait. Its a good idea to crush up the pretzels at this point. I left them bigger than my source did. . . pretzel powder is just a little too wimpy for me.

Step 3: Slice and Dice

Finally, when enough time has passed, you get to slice these fluffy little miracles into the size/shape you wish. I went for smallish cubes. . . It was kind of tricky because of stickiness, and so next time I might let them sit longer or go for a better knife or something!

Step 4: Chocl-i-fy!

Melt chocolate and dip those marshy-mellowy little lumps in them. Sprinkle them with pretzel bits and let cool/harden.

Step 5: Eat and Enjoy!!

The result was fantastic! They’re perfect little mouthfulls of sweetness with a hint of savory/salty in the finish. I would recommend them for upscale football-watching parties (if those exist!) and fancy dessert-like snacks!

Other beer-inclusive recipes on my to do list:

Prom: Life’s a Ball!

The theme for our Prom this year is Masquerade!

So, as is the now-annual tradition, I have the privilege of planning/coordinating the aesthetic details, in all their (hopefully creative) glory! After last year’s fishy-centerpieces and Enchantment under the Sea theme, I was pretty excited at the potential for timeless elegance as a decorative choice this year! The ladies of the student council set the colors as black, white, and red, with accents of gold and silver. With those in mind, we tackled the details, and This year, we have quite the rundown as far as decor is concerned!

Detail #1: Making the Night Glitter

A few years ago (my how time is flying!) one of my favorite people of all time was planning her wedding. Being the ridiculously creative lady that she is, Kat (my roommate at the time) tackled scads of artistic details with DIY vigor. Of the dozens of creative things she did, one small detail from her wedding came to mind as we began to plan our Prom decor. . . Kat made her own colorful paper accordion wheels that added a splash of brightness to the chairs used in the ceremony. Inspired by Kat’s concept, I did a little research of my own and found these:

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Despite being in Norwegian, I managed to figure out the way these bad boys are put together . . . mostly thanks to one of my students helping me over one of the folds! There are also tutorials on Youtube. . . my favorite has great visual models, but is also in a foreign language (German this time). C heck it out if are making these and you get stuck! So, you start with simple paper (I used printer paper, after making sure it was a square 8.5″ by 8.5″)

I would walk you through the rest of it, but the tutorials from earlier really are better. When you have 8 of the finished pieces, you slide them together until there are 8 connected pieces!

After we finished making 70 different stars, we decided to use gold and silver spray paint to make these little beauties really shine.

Once we were done, the finished product is quite lovely!

With a little hole-punching and some fancy ribbon, these were ready for action!

They wound up looking pretty magical when we tied them to the back of the chairs – alternating gold and silver!!

Detail #2: Centerpieces

With a dozen cheap cylindrical dollar store vases on my hands (a combination of those from dances past and a few present-day purchased to match), I thought we might be relegated to less-than-perfection as far as centerpieces go. . . until I remembered a random spool of red ribbon I had picked up after Christmas in some sale bin.

Not perfect, but an improvement nonetheless. Fill these up with roses and baby’s breath and you are good to go! Well, baby’s breath and another little starry detail . . . I made up some gold and silver mini-stars in the same style as the big stars (only with about 2 inch square paper to start with). When they were done I hot-glued them to some slim little dowels to make the bouquet accents.

The final effect was quite lovely, if I do say so myself!

Detail #3: Tabletop Touches

We finished off the tabletops with some scattered little “diamonds” and a couple of twirled white pipe-cleaners!

Detail #4: Bathroom Baskets

We always try to keep some necessities available in the bathroom, for those just-in-case moments when students wish they had planned ahead! I happened to have a couple of baskets around, and so I decided to jazz ’em up for the masquerade theme.

Good things to put in here include: tide sticks, wet wipes, band-aids, lotion, hand sanitizer, bobbie pins, safety pins, fresh shoe-laces (for mens dress shoes), deodorant, mints/gum, hair ties, lint rollers, hairspray, nail clippers, dental floss, and sometimes even duct tape! We even put socks (animal print, because disguises are du jour in a masquerade) in the girls restroom for when they ditch their heels on the dance floor.

Detail #5: Mad-libs and Favors!

Four original mad-libs (thanks to my friend Andrew’s mad-lib writing expertise), edged with an intricate paper cutter (thanks Martha Stewart) got tucked into the napkin folds, and then our favors included a mask for everyone, as well as a little bag of red, black, and white m&ms.
Everything coordinated quite perfectly.

As cute as the favors themselves were, I think what one of our students wrote for the tag was one of my favorite aspects of the evening – what a take-home message!

Cakey Hankerson: Great Adventures

A Saucy Surprise

Accidental Tomato Sauce for Pasta

Ingredients:

Directions:

Some days I feel . . .

. . . certifiable.

Marriage proposals, Stalkers and Rabbit Heads…

That was my day.

In Case You Missed It…

The Worst Habit of them All

If you’re looking for a new hobby and have considered:

. . . well, look no further.

Why Perpetual Sickness Tops them All:

See what I meant?

Faeries ‘n Poetry Books

What pretty thoughts some old books hold!

Beer + Marshmallows?

Step 1: Thinking outside the box!

Step 2: Letting them Sit (Set)

Step 3: Slice and Dice

Step 4: Chocl-i-fy!

Step 5: Eat and Enjoy!!

Other beer-inclusive recipes on my to do list:

Prom: Life’s a Ball!

The theme for our Prom this year is Masquerade!

Detail #1: Making the Night Glitter

Detail #2: Centerpieces

The final effect was quite lovely, if I do say so myself!

Detail #3: Tabletop Touches

Detail #4: Bathroom Baskets

Detail #5: Mad-libs and Favors!

What a fabulous night!!!