Cookies, brownies, cookies and Canadians!

Prepare yoselves for plenty of pics and plenty of sweets! and by sweet I mean cookies and brownies. MORE SPECIFICALLY, I mean choc chip peanut butter cookies, pistachio and white chocolate cookies and chocolate almond brownies! (click the links for recipes)

What do you do when you're expecting a certain Muffin's father to arrive from Canada and his flight is delayed a day? WHY YOU BAKE OF COURSE. . . and bake I did.

I'm usually more prone to baking cakes and such, so I was pretty excited when I realised I could actually whip up an entire batch of cookies in about 6 minutes! They're so simple - too simple my hips may say! These two cookie recipes I used were really great, even if I did adapt them a little.
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For the choc chip peanut butter cookies, I halved the recipe as I didn't really feel like having 72 cookies on hand! I also added the peanut butter to it as the recipe was just plain choc chip cookies. Obviously adding the peanut butter added extra fat to the cookie dough and a result was a VERY well-spread-out cookie! Still super delicious with a nice slight crunch.

For the pistachio and white chocolate cookies I only added 1 cup of white chocolate chips and 1 cup of pistachios as opposed to the 1 1/4 called for in the recipes. These babies are super sweet and very very much like the consistency of Subway cookies! I personally think they would be way better with macadamias - but muffin disagrees ;)

The brownies are my go-to recipe from the Kids Cookbook from my childhood. The only difference was this time I added in 3/4 cup chopped almonds for a nice crunch!

choc chip peanut butter cookies

pre-baked choc-chip peanut  butter cookies.. notice the small size?

the size after baking!! holy hell.

piled high!

nom nom nom.

pistachio and white chocolate cookies

is this not the best table you've ever seen?!

what a beautiful plate!

 chocolate almond brownies

the brownies out of the tin - looking like velvet!

sliced to perfection.

sticky inside view of fudgey-wudgy almond brownies!

and last but not least, a delightful photo of me stuffing my face with an oversized cookie I baked. That's right - that's my face! I know you were just dyyyyyyyyying to see it. WELL THERE I AM.

 and what a pleasant face it is..

glorious food for the beginning of Summer!

what I have been eating lately, by vegiebuglet herself...

delicious pizza of za'atar. 

oh em gee kind of amazing. The kind of simple food that you throw together when you're starving and only realise how amazing it truly was when.. half an hour later... you could eat another. and THEN, in the morning you make one for breakfast. 
GET IT? GOT IT? GOOD.


simply mix za'atar with oil and spread on tortilla-style base, grill and top with fresh salad of tomato, cucumber, onion and mint. (the dinner one I fried some vegies for - but fresh vegies the next day was way better) Delicious AND cost efficient ;)

dinner plate of ultimate health. Fo sure.

Dill and caraway cabbage, vegie snossage, steamed beans to perfection, salad of beet, tomato, cucumber and home grown lettuce. Plus plus! top of an avocado, with the hole filled with salad dressing.

In primary school my best friend used to bring 1/2 an avocado to school, pour salad dressing into the hole and eat it with a spoon.... i used to mock her for it. Whose the winner now!? (we both are... with avocados in hand)

Filo veggie parcel with garden spinach and ricotta (said in an Italian accent ala Muffin).

I wasn't too keen on this recipe (which I made up through the art of winging it..) but Muffin said it was a keeper. Kinda like when Goldmember says it..   ew :D

and THEN a plate of roast delights, as by now you must know I am obsessed with roasted potato or pumpkin or any kind of root vegetable that becomes crisp, hot and able to be dipped in gravy! 

Chunky chips, roast pumpkin, roast garlic (i eat these cloves whole and Muffin looks away in disgust!) vegie snossage, steamed peas and deliciously simple-and-without-preservatives-or-icky-chemicals-home-made-mushroom-gravy! A good meal to take a long nap from.

And last but not least a break from my carb-free livin.. what I like to call my garden pasta! Fresh tomatoes, thyme, zucchini and spring onion from the garden.


The flavour of fresh ingredients really is unbeatable.

Garden Pasta.
This pasta is amazing because of the fresh ingredients - use whatever is fresh and in season and it will shine as much for you as it did for me!

any type of pasta for 2.
2 tomatoes, diced
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
1 Tablespoon glug good olive oil
green part of 1 spring onion, roughly chopped
salt
pepper


1/4 capsicum, roughly diced
1/2 zucchini, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced
white part of 1 spring onion, sliced
1 handful green beans, chopped
1 handful roasted cashews
1 teaspoon chilli jam (or chilli sauce)
good amount of seasoning - salt and pepper.

1/4 avocado to serve.
parmesan to serve

In the bowl which you will serve the pasta, put tomato, thyme, olive oil, green onion and season. Leave for the flavours to combine and some liquid to be drawn out. Delicious simple natural sauce.

Put pasta on to boil.

In a saucepan fry capsicum, zucchini, garlic, white part onion and beans until softened. Season well and at the last minute add in chilli jam and cashews. (my dad made a sweet jam and a spicy jam and ended up combining them = delicious)

Pour the fried vegetables into the big bowl with the tomato mix, then toss in the hot, drained pasta and mix to combine well.

Top with chunks of avocado, sprinkles of parmesan cheese and a heavy grind of fresh pepper. I love the way velvety avocado becomes warm and falls apart in your mouth after being tossed through pasta. 


YUM.

peace out brussel sprouts!