Peanut butter avocado cookies // bite-sized comfort

With everything that's been going on, I've been craving a bit of comfort.

Since I haven't managed to squeeze baking into my ordinary routine, I decided to take our current uncertainties as an opportunity to make some cookies. I find baking to be very soothing, so yesterday, I made time for self-care in the form of peanut butter avocado cookies. 

I embraced the process of gathering ingredients, pulling together dough and rotating batches in and out of the oven, and in return, the process delivered the balm I sought. 

The cookies themselves are rich with peanut butter and chocolate but lightly sweetened, so as not to weigh heavily in your tummy. If you're in need of comfort, I believe these cookies will serve you well.


Notes - I doubled the recipe and reduced the peanut butter to 1 cup peanut butter and 3 tablespoons honey. I know the avocado sounds odd, but I'm completely sold on it in these cookies. They've got me thinking I should try out more (or revisit) dessert recipes that feature avocado. 

Weekly wrap-up

...(or we, rather) said goodbye to a loved one. Everything else from the week seems insignificant by comparison.

Shelf rulers, reading programs and personal pan pizzas

{or childhood memories of libraries}

{see part 1 and part 2}

During grade school, my family went to the public library a little bit during the fall and winter, but I more often visited the school library when class was in session.. The school library was much smaller than the public library and adhered more strictly to the policy of using painted rulers to mark the place on the shelf from which you pulled your book. 

I liked how the school library books had cards in them where you wrote your name when you checked one out. You could see who else had checked out this book and how many times you, yourself, had taken it. Since, I am and was a big re-reader of books, some cards were crowded with my name. I remember dominating the cards for the books in the Orphan Train Adventures series. 

I stocked up at the library, positioning myself well for the school reading program. The program tracker board took up the entire wall of the main hallway, and I thrilled to see the piece with my name on it speed around, gathering stickers to commemorate each loop around the track. My list-making heart wriggled over keeping a reading log, and I won multiple pizzas, which seemed pretty special since personal pan pizzas, along with Happy Meals, were generally considered to pricey for regular, family outings. 

During the summer, I also participated in the public library summer reading program. I picked up all sorts of trickets (pencils, notepads, stickers, bouncy balls, etc.) along the way, but for some reason, we never once when to the end-of-the-summer party. I'm not exactly sure why. Regardless, my name always appeared in the local newspaper for completing the program. 

I felt a little sad leaving the summer reading program behind when I started transitioning from the children's room to the adult shelves, but fortunately, a much larger room, with so many more new-to-me books and authors eased the pain. I still have a fondness for one of the of the first books that I began to check out over and over again from the adult area, The Sphere by Michael Crighton. 

Question - What were some of the first books you read when you transitioned from children's books to adult books?

I'm a sucker for morning light.

{Asian pears washed and left to dry in my kitchen window}

Question - What sort of lighting captivates you? I really like the warm, morning light in my kitchen window (and have to refrain from photographing it every day). I actually also really like the gray, subdued light on foggy days.

Weekly wrap-up

...was thankful my husband finally came home from a business trip. I'm also thankful that he brought chocolates.
...had an almond butter week. I switch back and forth between peanut and almond butter.
...mostly only read the new issue of Runner's World.
...was very productive at work, but I felt wiped out by the end of the week.
...sang "Happy Birthday" to my dad on the phone. My family takes this very seriously.
...had a stellar Saturday..
...basked in warmer weather and the pleasure of seeing everything blooming.

How to have a perfect Saturday

First, get just enough sleep on Friday night so you can wake up at a reasonable hour on Saturday morning.

Get dressed and walk, with your husband, to the locals' favorite diner (and donut shop). On the way, witness an older man yell, "Shut up, you bum!" to a younger man who is honking as he drives through town. "Shut up, you bum!" then becomes the phrase du jour.

At the diner, devour a delightfully, fluffy Belgium waffle and bowl of strawberries. You can ensure that the meal will be even more special by making this your first breakfast out in a long time.

Next, go home, pick up the car and head to Trader Joe's, where there are only yummy things on every shelf. Pick up some favorites, like the herb salad mix and best honey for your tea. 

After you get everything put away at home, head to the gym to squeeze in a workout before lunch. Then, reward yourself with a big salad, some Trader Joe's treats (like pretzels with mustard and frozen yogurt) and showings of The Office.

To achieve the afterglow of productivity, proceed to tackle some work around the house, like sorting paperwork, dusting, sweeping and some meal prep.

Before you start to get hungry again, take a shower, doll yourself up and declare a date night. On the walk to a tried and true restaurant, peek into a new one and decide to try it. It should be a great success, full of hummus drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction, spicy shrimp tacos and gelato samples.

Back at home, decide that you are unashamed about putting on your pjs at 8:30 pm. Then, get cozy on the couch and happily peck away at a blog post on your laptop.


Question - What does your perfect Saturday look like?

My mom, all dressed up

{or childhood memories of libraries - see part 1}

Sometimes, my mom would wear a sari when we went to storytime at the library. She looked so beautiful in her brightly-colored saris, and I liked touching the slippery folds that draped around her. Truthfully, I still do.

At storytime, the librarian would read us Indian tales and show us photos of what the country looked like. The photos looked really different from what I knew about India, but in retrospect, all I really remembered at that age were my grandparents' houses. 

Then, my mom would join the librarian and tell us about growing up in India. I daydreamed a little since I already knew the stories. However, at the time, we were one of just a few Indian families living in our small, Midwestern town, and most of the other children had never seen a sari before or heard about eating rice and curries. This is sad, because beef and fish curries are so yummy. 

A good day might involve going home after storytime, and my mom feeding me lunch, preferably beef and fish curries, then reading a favorite book, like The Giant Jam Sandwich. 


Questions - What were some of your favorite childhood books? Why? 

My imagination is still pretty captivated by the ingenious townspeople of The Giant Jam Sandwich. i continue to reference it with some frequency and reading it always makes me crave that classic flavor combination, toast and jam.