Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies

Happy National Peanut Butter Day! I didn't know this day of celebration existed until this morning, but I'm all for celebrating and I love peanut butter! In honor of all peanut butter lovers, here is one of my favorite peanut butter cookie recipes: Enjoy!

Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies: (original recipe here)


1 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F.  for 10-12 minutes until they are lightly golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to rest on the counter for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. ...And if you're like me you'll risk the burns and immediately eat one or two!

My necklace is a hand-blown glass heart by artist, Robert Fox. I got it at a cute shop in Oregon called Incahoots.

This recipe is super easy. It contains only 4 simple ingredients (5 if you add chocolate) and is very quick to make. The cookies turn out melt-in-you-mouth delicious with an excellent flaky texture. Every time I make these they are gobbled up. My husband loves the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, so this time I added chocolate chips to some and dipped others in melted dark chocolate. I'm one of those odd people who doesn't like my chocolate and peanut butter to mix, so I made plenty cookies sans chocolate too.

P.s. If you've never played with a cookie press, you're missing out! They are a fun little gadget!  Mine makes me feel like a master baker even though I'm far from it.

Black Bean Double Chocolate Cookies

Black bean cookies? Yes, you read that right. It sounded weird to me at first, but one day I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. These cookies don't taste like black beans to me; they taste like chocolate (of course!) and they have a nice soft texture.

 I feel like my skills in the kitchen are not something to brag about. At all. Since going gluten free last Fall however, I've had to step up my game. It's been a fun adventure so far; I still have a long ways to go. That's why I LOVE recipes that are this easy! It's a huge bonus when the recipes turn out to be not only edible, but delicious! :)

Black Bean Double Chocolate Cookies:
You can find the original recipe here.

15.5 oz (about 2 cups) cooked black beans, drained and tapped dry
2 tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil)
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp soy milk (or any milk)
1/2 cup unrefined sugar
1/4 cup cacao powder
2 tbsp buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a food processor add all the ingredients except chocolate chips. Blend until smooth. The batter should have the consistency of a thick mousse. Stir in chocolate chips (don't use the food processor for this).

Spoon onto greased cookie sheets (or use parchment paper). Use a spoon or your finger to flatten the cookies into round traditional cookie shapes (they don't flatten out or change shape while cooking). Press in a few extra chocolate chips on top if desired (this makes their presentation more impressive).

Bake for about 15 minutes. (They should still be a little soft when you remove them from the oven). Dust with some cinnamon if desired, let cool and then enjoy!

*Note: It is recommended to store these cookies in the refrigerator. ...Or you can do what I did and eat them all at once. Nom Nom Nom! Haha! 

Buckwheat Muffins

Buckwheat flour is quite dark, so these bake up with a lovely color that makes them look like they should be chocolate flavored. They are a dense, but moist muffin that is delicious fresh out of the oven and still delicious the next day. Even my non-gluten free hubby loved them! Have fun mixing things in if you want. Some of our favorite additions were: Cranberries, dried bananas, chocolate chips, pecans and spices. 

The original recipe can be found here, but of course, I couldn't resist playing around a little with the recipe so here is my version:

1 cup of plain yogurt
3 cups of gluten free buckwheat flour
2 cups of sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water or milk
3 teaspoons of baking powder
Additions as desired: nuts, berries, etc.

Directions:
Combine the flour, the sugar and the baking powder and mix well. fold in the yogurt, egg, oil and water/milk. Mix in any additions you desire. Spoon mixture into greased muffin tins or loaf pans. bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Let them cool a bit and then devour!

Over Sharing

To all the facebookers out there, 

You probably have at least one, or maybe you are one: the over-sharer. I don't mean people who share the intimate details of their life that should be kept private, I mean those people on facebook who are constantly sharing witty sayings, cute photos, political rants... you've probably seen them. Some are completely harmless, but others spread hoaxes and misinformation. Some are just annoying.

One day I was inspired to make this grumpy cat meme which my friends then ironically shared all over facebook.

Enjoy! :)

Green Hummus

I love making hummus! It is such an easy, tasty, and healthy snack. I love to eat it with veggies, tortilla chips, or as a spread in wraps. This version is packed with healthy nutrients from spinach. Plus, it's also a very lovely green color. Some people mistake it for guacamole at first glance, although it doesn't taste like it at all.
I have to be honest, I am not a big fan of spinach. I know it's healthy, so I force myself to eat a spinach salad now and then, but I'm not a fan of the flavor and I can still taste it in a salad, even if smothered in salad dressing. This hummus, however tastes nothing like spinach! It's awesome! The lemon oil is really the key, I think. It has such a delicious  fresh lemon flavor! This is my new favorite way to eat spinach! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Herbed Green Hummus (Original recipe can be found here)
1 can (or approximately 2 cups cooked) garbanzo beans
2 handfuls of organic baby spinch
1 TB sesame oil
1TB tahini paste
1 TB olive oil
4 drops thyme essential oil
4 drops  lemon essential oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
water to achieve desired consistency

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve chilled with your choice of crackers chips, veggies, etc. I find that the flavors deepen after it's had some time to set, so make it ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours and it will taste even better!

Lavender Oatmeal Facial Scrub

Everyone knows that oatmeal is a heart-healthy food, but did you know it's good for your skin too? Colloidal oatmeal, or fine, powdered oats moisturizes, helps relieve itching, and soothes irritated skin. When my poor husband got a severe case of poison oak, the doctor had him soak in oatmeal baths to help relieve the painful rash. Oatmeal also has excellent exfoliation properties. It gently helps scrape away dead and dry skin cells from your body. Dead skin cells increase the appearance of fine lines, so exfoliating regularly will help your skin stay healthier and help you look younger.

This easy to make facial scrub also utilizes the many benefits of lavender. Lavender is well known for it's relaxing properties, but it also has many other desirable characteristics. It has long been used for a multitude of reasons. It's calming aroma is a perfect way to unwind at the end of a long day.

Lavender Oatmeal Scrub:
1/2 Cup Oatmeal 
Using a food processor, pulse until a fine-ground texture is achieved.
Stir in 7-10 drops of therapeutic-grade lavender essential oil
Package this in a pretty jar for an inexpensive and thoughtful gift, or enjoy using it yourself!

To use, take about a tablespoon full of the mix and place it in the palm of your hand. Add enough water to create a paste. Apply the paste to your skin in a gentle circular motion, paying particular attention to your T-zone (The area around your nose and your forehead). Use even pressure and avoid over-scrubbing. Allow the scrub to dry on your skin for a few minutes, then rinse well.

This scrub is also effective when used to exfoliate and soften the skin on the elbows, knees, and the bottoms of your feet. Enjoy!

Linked up Here: 

Flaunt it Friday, 

Do Something Crafty, 

Frugal Friday,  

Happy Hour Friday

Sunday Show Off,  

Super Sunday Party,  

Not "Baaad" Sundays,  

Silver Pennies, 

Suburbs Mama Link Party  

Home Acre Hop at Black Fox Homestead 
Homesteaders Hop at Simply Living Simply 
Simply Natural Saturdays at The Pistachio Project

Thank You Black Fox Homestead!

Thank You Homegrown On The Hill!

Thank You Clearwater Farm Journal!

Snowy Window Display

I once worked at a cute little shop and one Christmas got to display some decorative panels made with fishing line and white pom poms. They were so cute and ever since, I've been wanting to recreate the idea.

This is the first Christmas living in my new home which has a large front window. I knew as soon as I saw this window that it wold be perfect! It was pretty simple to make, but it did take a little bit of time. Putting on a Christmas movie to watch while you string the pom poms is a great way to make things go more quickly. I found the pom poms on sale at Michaels and I used two different sizes. I also picked up a few inexpensive snowflake ornaments to mix in. I finished the look with fluffy fake snow on top of some decorative white lights along the windowsill I hope this inspires you to create something great for yourself!

(Do you see all those trails across the snow in my yard? Those are from a rooster pheasant who makes his rounds across my front porch and right through my yard, every afternoon lately! He's so beautiful! I keep trying to capture him in a photo, but he's very camera shy.)

I love how this turned out! I've had many compliments on it including one from a complete stranger who stopped by one afternoon to tell me how great it looked. It's really hard to capture in a photo, but I tried. Also, please excuse the very dirty windows. I ran out of time during the warm weather and there's no way I'm going outside to wash windows now! Brrr!

Linked up at Super Sunday Party (Christmas in July) at Who Needs a Cape?