Valentine’s Day brownies in bed…

I’m not necessarily the most romantic person on earth, but I thought it was appropriate to bake brownies for N this morning as a surprise Valentine’s Day gift.  Turns out that surprise brownies in bed (with a tall glass of milk) at 8am is a hit in this house.  Now it’s not 10 am yet, and we’ve already eaten this many.

Easy dessert for a New Year!

Happy New Year you guys!  I’ve been enjoying taking some time off from the blog these past few weeks and just having fun with friends and family.   There has been a flurry of parties, food, long drives, laughter and music.  I’m thrilled that 2008 is over.  It looks like 2009 is going to be a good year.

And with that, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to entertain more often.  So we’ve started off by inviting N’s parents over for dinner tonight.  He’s making all the food (as usual), but I offered to make dessert.  The other week I was in NYC and went to Magnolia Bakery, and noticed their assortment of delicious cakes.   Well one of them is a simple icebox cake.  And it reminded me that “hey, I know how to make that!”  It’s delicious and a snap!  Just make homemade whipped cream (heavy cream, sugar & vanilla extract)…and spread it in between layers of Nabisco chocolate wafers.  Easy.  Done!  I decorated mine with strawberries and made a little special strawberry compote on the side.  I can’t wait to eat it tonight!

Simple & delicious oatmeal cookie recipe

I don’t normally post about food because those of you that know me know that I don’t cook much.  That is N’s part of the relationship.  I decorate, clean and organize.  And of course, eat and enjoy food.  Even though I don’t cook, I occasionally DO bake.

This recipe doesn’t come out like traditional oatmeal cookies.  Instead, they’re almost like a fruit bread.  (Think banana nut…without the bananas or nuts.)  Hard to imagine that, right?  Hahah.

Anyways, I think this recipe is really good as-is, but also could be quite good as a base to begin “improving” upon it.  Here you go:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats

Directions:

1. In bowl beat butter till creamy. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir until combined. Mix in applesauce and egg. Add flour, a little at a time. Stir in oats.
2. Drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Enjoy!