Kramer cookie weekend- coconut macaroons

I must say- I have super talented friends!  Very recently I've received 3 different batches of cookies from 3 amazing ladies.  I want to showcase them in their own posts, because... well, they deserve it!

First up- Miriam Paska- Queen of the macaroon!

I worked with Miriam over the year, and  always marveled at all the crafty and yummy things she comes up with!  She recently approached me with a batch of macaroons that she wanted me to photograph. Eeeeeeee!  I was so excited because a) I LOVE photographing food, and b) because I got to eat them afterward!  For this photo shoot I was actually home in PA, so I got the help of mom and Caitlin to make these pictures perfect! I love the look of the curtains in my parent's living room, and the plates my mom had were adorable.  Also- we chowed down on these goodies after I was finished shooting, and they. were. amazing!  Let me know if you're interesting in purchasing some of Miriam's amazing cookies, and I'll put you in touch with her!

What do you think?!

FriendlyFood...

I spent this past Sunday cooking lots of treats, but today I'll tell you about the awesome granola bars I made.  This recipe was super easy... and delicious! A full version of the recipe can be seen here.  Can't wait for these to be my 3:00 snack this week!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar (I only used a tablespoon or so)
1/2 cup additions (I used Crasins and sliced almonds)

Additions can be any combination of: raisins, dates, cranberries, sunflower seeds, chopped nuts, etc.

Directions:  Combine all ingredients.  Pat down into a 8x8 pan that has been greased ( I used canola oil).  Bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes (my batch was finished at 20 minutes).  Let the pan cool down for 10 minutes, then cut into 9 servings.  Enjoy!

pumpkin oat muffins

well, it's officially fall, and nothing says fall to me like pumpkin!  i've been looking around for a pumpkin recipe that isn't 1,000 calories like the muffins at dunkin donuts.  This recipe on SparkRecipe is delicious, moist, and actually good for you! 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

1 cup oats 

1/2 cup Splenda brown sugar 

1/2 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 pumpkin pie spice 

1 cup pumpkin (I added a few more tablespoons, because I was REALLY into pumpkin that day)
3/4 cup fat free milk 

1 egg slightly beaten
1/3 cup canola oil

 

here they are... the two stars of the show

 this is basically all you need for some awesome muffins!

 get those dry ingredients together... i dumped in the nuts too, but the recipe says to add them later...

 make sure you get real pumpkin, and not the fake stuff... it's SO bad for you, and this tasted SO yummy!

 add wet to dry...

 fill up some muffin tins, and if you have a friend like Ashley Thiry, use her princess cupcake liners and be happy!

 they come out of the oven and it's hard to wait for them to cool- they smell so good!  here's mine chilling on a windowsill...

stack them all up, and enjoy!

You know what's awesome?

Pizza. Since I was a child, pizza has been one of those foods that I've always been in the mood for, and I've always loved. Being 26, this still rings true!

You know what's better than pizza? Homemade pizza! That's exactly what happened the other night. The good old iPhone was in tow to document the occasion.

Whole wheat dough (from walmart, don't worry, it was delish!) Keep it from sticking to your countertop with some cornmeal. The great thing about using an unbaked dough is you can make the crust as thin or thick as you like (thin!)

Mmmm... Mozzarella cheese, sliced nice and thin.

Note: I forgot to photograph a very important part of this process here- the sauce! Matt made an awesome sauce that I spread so quickly onto the crust that I forgot to take a picture of it! Trust me though, it was amazing!

Italian? Yeah, we're going to need some wine!

And here she is, a wonderful pie. (after a disaster pie that stuck to the pan and was really hard to get off of the pan but was still delicious!) Make sure to use oiled foil people, it definitely makes a difference.

Sorry local pizza joint, I think I'll be making my own pizza from now on!

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