peanut butter cookies.

On Sunday evening I was sitting in my apartment, craving something sweet. With peanut butter in it. Then I remembered that Joanna had posted this recipe a few weeks ago. As I looked through the ingredient list, I realized I had all of them. That's why these cookies should be called Dangerous Cookies instead of Peanut Butter Cookies because you can make them whenever you want if you have all the ingredients, and I'm assuming you probably do.

I did exhibit some self control by cutting the recipe in half*, although I mainly did it so I wouldn't completely deplete our peanut butter supply. Then I realized I actually did not have all the ingredients and I was missing brown sugar, so I used Demerara sugar instead, which lots of Internet people said would be fine. I trust Internet people about things like this.

I have never really been a big fan of milk, even when I was little, but these cookies called for a very small glass of milk to dip them in, obviously. What I'm trying to say is this: make these cookies.

Also, Jeffrey doesn't like peanut butter, so I get all of these cookies. This was not planned in advance, but fate does us all a favor sometimes.

*When I realized that I would need to use half an egg, things got a bit precarious. But! I did not give up. Instead, I cracked the egg, whisked it all together and put half of that in the mixture. It worked.

banana bread (with coconut oil).

If you're like me, then you like bananas, but have a hard time eating one just all by itself. And I think that's why I love banana bread so much — it's like eating a banana with a bunch of other really delicious flavors mixed in. If you're not like me, and you just really like bananas, you'll probably enjoy this bread, too! Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil*
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a loaf pan or a 9-inch square baking pan.

2.In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate, large bowl, whisk together the honey and oil, then add the bananas. Add the water and vanilla and stir to combine.

3. Add the flour mixture, and stir together until just combined.

4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

* I found this bread to be a bit dry, and I'm not exactly sure why. I'm inclined to add a smidgen more oil the next time to see if that does the trick.

summer smoothie

I love breakfast foods. They are my absolute favorite, but I don't want them everyday. Plus, I don't like milk, so cereal is totally out of the question. So, smoothies are my go-to breakfast option. I make one everyday. It's fun to try out different combination and, every once in awhile, I stumble across one that really works. This is my favorite smoothie right now, and Jeffrey likes it, too.

Summer Smoothie
Serves 2

8 ice cubes
1 banana
About 1/2 cup 100% pineapple juice*
About 1/2 cup orange juice*
6-8 fresh strawberries
6-8 frozen mango chunks

Blend and enjoy!

* I never measure the amount of juice I put in, so this is a rough estimate. You might even start out with a smaller amount and work up to a bigger one, depending on the thickness you prefer! When I make this for myself, I just use pineapple juice, but Jeffrey likes it with orange, so we mix them together. :)

P.S. My camera's broken (sad), image found here.