So here we are, 2 weeks before the *official* move to Texas -- my cupboards are almost bare, my freezer is empty save for 1 bag of frozen broccoli cheddar soup and 1 bag of frozen fruit, and I'm slowly whittling away at the bottles of sauces in my refrigerator.

I've been thinking a lot recently on "greenness" and living a sustainable lifestyle. I struggle with this for a few reasons...one is, I would like to eat healthier more whole foods but at the same time purchase of organic foods is (1) more expensive and (2) not necessarily better for the environment*. Trying to balance selfishness and nutrition with self-lessness and high-minded environmental goals puts my mind in sort of a tail-spin, so I generally try not to think about it too much.

I also try to reduce the amount of waste I generate in my cooking -- using food before it has a chance to rot in the fridge, and now that I'm moving, consuming as many of the perishables as I can to avoid throwing them away (condiments and sauces are the hardest...even if they don't need to be refrigerated, the movers won't take liquid goods).

Sometimes I wonder why I bother with all the cutting, washing, sauteing and baking when I could make a one-pot meal of macaroni and cheese with steamed broccoli in less than 10 minutes. The mac/cheese/broc meal only costs $3 for 2 servings and time is money too, isn't it?

*Organic foods require additional irrigation and use of fuel for maintenance of the crops and quicker shipping from the farm to the grocery store. Also, by eliminating fertilizers and pesticides, there is more waste involved with organic foods as pests and disease do destroy some of the crops -- so for the same amount of land and fuel, less goods are produced than conventionally-grown foods.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies



I made these cookies for a friend who is stationed in Afghanistan as an early Christmas present, and he said he couldn't eat them fast enough. I will admit...I made 3 dozen, and I only sent him 2 of the 3 because Ben and I scarfed a few down before I get it all boxed up.

My adaptation is from this recipe on the Ghirardelli website. Instead of walnuts, I used some crushed almonds (I forgot to buy walnuts) and I doubled the size of the cookies - 2 tablespoons per cookie instead of 1. I think if I did it again, I would cut back on the salt just a tad and try 1/4 tsp instead of 1/2 -- the cookies were delicious, but I could taste the salt in them.

• 12 ounce(s) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup(s) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup(s) packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup(s) sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla
• 1 cup(s) unsifted flour
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) nutmeg
• 3 cup(s) oats, uncooked
• 1 /2 cup(s) almonds, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy and lightened in color (about 4 minutes). Add vanilla and egg, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Stir flour with baking soda, salt, and spices; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Stir in oats. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by 2 rounded tablespoons of dough per cookie onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 11 to 12 minutes for a chewy cookie, 14 to 16 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 1 minute on a cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling racks. Store in tightly covered container. Makes about 3 dozen 3-inch cookies.

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

So I went to Trader Joe's and on a whim, bought a little jar of pumpkin butter. Not knowing what to do with said jar of pumpkin butter, I began scouring the internet for recipes...until I came across this one. I made it for a weekend visit to Matt & Beth's house in Fergus Falls, and it was absolutely TO DIE FOR!! I licked the entire bowl, both beaters, and the spatula absolutely clean since I couldn't take a bite of the gorgeous cheesecake itself.

It could be fairly easily adjusted to make a strawberry or apple butter cheesecake by substituting the pumpkin butter for some other jam-like concoction (key lime marmalade, anyone?)

My recipe is adapted from one I found at allrecipes.com. I'm bummed that I forgot to take a photo of this delicious dessert.


Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake
- handful of chopped candied pecans
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup pumpkin butter
- 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat cream cheese at high speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar; beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Gently fold in pumpkin butter and chopped pecans. Pour mixture into crust.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 - 50 minutes. Let cool for 30 min to an hour.

Pumpkin Whipped Cream (I didn't really measure here, I just kinda poured and mixed to taste)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2-3 tbsp pumpkin butter
- 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

Whip the heavy cream until thickened, but still liquid. Add the remaining ingredients. Whip until firm peaks form -- careful not to overwhip so the cream separates into butter and buttermilk!