I wish, I wish I had had my camera with me this morning. If ever there was a picture perfect moment, one that sums up my sons’ lives right now, it is as they walk out the door to go to school every morning. And this morning was particularly funny. All or our arms were completely full to the brim; a passerby would thing we needed a moving truck just to make it through the day.

My fifth grade son had in his arms: a lunch bag, a small plastic bag with his name written on it, full of his costume for the school musical—it needs approval from the drama teacher—and his saxophone, with its respective music, for band this morning. He also had his backpack, a second backpack for soccer (because of course, he is going straight from musical practice to play practice and needs to change on the way), 4 large empty cardboard boxes (ironically, Dry Soda) for some recycling art event they have at school today, and a soccer ball at his feet. A picture is seemingly worth a thousand words.

My sixth grades son (this day was easily our record for hands-full, by the way) had his viola (practice at noon recess) and music, his lunch, his backpack, and two large plastic toolboxes that hold all the parts and pieces for a Robotics (think legos plus software/programming).

Huh. And I thought I needed extra arms.

Me? A few books (to study for culinary school), my computer with its power cord trailing along behind me like a long, black, bouncing, mechanical tail, and one large cardboard box—which I return as I pickup this week’s CSA box. Add to that my purse, and my workout backpack. And the smallest and largest item: my ‘to-do list’ which I might as well bungee cord around my waist, or better, carry it on top of my head like some sort of twisted, defiant, yet confidently forward statement.

Days like these are perfect for packing healthy snacks, to fill your pocket with food for later. When my kids are on the go, or when I am jostling from point A to B—and need a quick energy or nutrition boost—it is a relief to know your pocket is stocked. And what else screams healthy, energy-packed, omega 3 infused snack than a lemon-iced, zucchini-and-walnut filled cookie?

These will help you rally through your busy day (also good for on-the-go breakfast, and perfect for kiddos’ lunch):

Zucchini Cookies
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 T lemon zest
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnut

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 T lemon juice

Cream butter and sugar; beat in egg and zest, sift dry ingredients and stir into batter. Mix in zucchini and walnuts. Drop on cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes; cool then glaze (make glaze: combine sugar and juice). Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Note: (taking Intro to Baking made me think differently about these cookies). I made sure to BEAT the eggs and sugar, as in really cream them well, on high for 3-4 minutes. I actually sifted the dry ingredients, and when adding dry ingredients, walnuts then zucchini, I stirred just to blend.

These are really awesome cookies. If you try them with a wheat or different flour, let me know, as I am curious how they turn out. Cheers!

Easter? Halloween? Christmas? Fourth of July?

Bring it.

Whatever holiday it is, these cookies can waltz right in and be fashionable, readily available, unassumingly appropriate.

All you need to do is buy that bag of holiday colored m ‘n’ ms. Hey, they are cookies. I didn’t say they were good for you. Though I suppose you could sneak in some wheat germ, use wheat flour, add in some flax meal, substitute canola oil for some of the butter, use some applesauce… but I will leave that up to you. Sometimes my version of healthy is less about the ingredients, and more about moderation (I didn’t say always, just sometimes). Consequently, these cookies aren’t made often: they simply show up, in colorful uniform, to stand in as a holiday treat.

I pop these casually dressed cookies into school lunches to usher in some holiday cheer. They don’t require a lot of planning or foresight on my part—I just walk through Target, notice the m ‘n’ m’s and scoop up a bag. And then smile, knowing my kids will hover around the mixing bowl, begging for a taste of the dough. Yes, the dough is unavoidably good. Especially with the big chunks of pecans.

M ‘n’ M Cookies
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups m n ms
3/4 cup roughly chopped pecans

Oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars. Add egg, vanilla and mix. Add flour, salt and soda and stir to blend. Mix in M ‘n’ Ms and pecans. Place in spoonfuls on tray and bake 10-13 minutes. Happy Holidays!

How would that be for a New Year resolution? (I know what you are thinking, too late for New Year Resolutions. But I like to be a bit unconventional, and sometimes waiting until February to apply resolutions isn’t a bad idea: besides, the gym is far less crowded in Feb than it is in Jan).

I have heard of those who eat dessert first. Those who deliberately skip to their favorite foods, prioritizing them according to their preferences—instead of conventions. Why? Why not? Life is short; eat dessert first.

I confess that won’t be a part of my resolutions, in part because I prefer my sweets at the end of a meal. But in the case of my kitchen this week, skipping right to dessert worked out just fine.

I made default dinners this week, two of them (Turkey Meatballs w/Marinara and Sausage Pasta) . I also tried a few new recipes… ones you will never hear about. They were ‘fine’ and by ‘fine’ I don’t mean ooh-la-la, I mean eh, adequate. And never to be repeated.

As you may know, I have a special list of default dinners. A list of favorite recipes made time and again in a pinch or for good reason. They are tested and approved, enjoyed and coveted by my family. Worthy of guests, worthwhile on weeknights, default dinners is our family list of best recipes. And I remain undiluted in my mission to find, maintain, expand and fine-tune this list.

This week was typical: make some proven familiar recipes to offset my search for new [default] recipes. This week, the two default dinners proved themselves delicious again, but the new recipes didn’t make the cut. One recipe was a quick rendition of pork paprikash, another was skillet broccoli, then there was the new salad dressing and that parsnip puree. All fine, but not worthy of our list of favorites. What WAS delightful this week was dessert.

My friend made me coconut macaroons for Christmas. I usually take it easy on both baking and eating sweets, but these cookies I ate standing up. I think by the third one I finally got myself a cup of coffee. Fortunately, I ate them in December so no New Year resolutions applied…

… And since my resolutions really don’t begin until February, I made them, and ate many of them, again. Maybe you should too— especially if your New Year resolutions wisely include eating dessert first:

Coconut Macaroons*
14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or two teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

*my friend and I both enjoy Barefoot Contessa, so when I asked her for the recipe, she just gave my a page number. We both agreed: these cookies are a bit persnickety. I highly recommend spraying the cookie sheet to avoid sticking; my friend waits for dry, cool weather…

For a short while I had two blogs, this and another called Brown Bag Blues.

I [unofficially] decommissioned that site so I could focus more on this one. But all is not lost, I plan to occasionally bring you boredom-beating brilliance to cure your brown bag blues. A few of my favorite recipes will find a new home, here.

Brown Bag Blues will be a category on this site, dedicated to providing good ideas for better lunches. Mostly, it will provide recipes that are perfect for tucking into lunches. For my own children, my brown bag agenda is to provide variety, balance, novelty~regularly tasting unfamiliar foods, and maintain/develop their curiosity toward food.

I pulled this recipe out of some random magazine a million years ago, then changed it a bit. I was excited to find a granola bar disguised as a cookie; it is still a treat but with more of a nutritional punch.

In fact, I have been known to put granola (sub varying cereals in place of cornflakes, even add a little coconut) and a variety of nuts (sunflower, walnuts, pepitas) and dried fruit right into these cookies. I will tell you the basic recipe, then you can improvise from there (note: if substituting, just stick with similar proportions):

Lunch box Cookies
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour (I use wheat)
1 cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups cornflakes cereal
2/3 cup roughly chopped pecans

Oven to 350. Beat sugars and butter; beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour, oats, soda, powder, salt just to blend. Add cereal and nuts. (If you are a dough eater, this dough rocks). Shape into ‘golf balls’ and bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes 2 dozen, though I never count.

It is Christmas time. And my [extended] family, probably not unlike others, struggle year upon year about whether to give big gifts or little gifts, pile grab bag gifts or make homemade gifts. Are the gifts getting too expensive? Is the family getting so big that we still buy gifts for everyone? How about an exchange? Couple gifts? Family gifts? No gifts? What does your family do?

And yet, it is nice to give gifts, to show someone you care. Whether gifts are bought or made, expensive or not, at least once a year it is nice to say: here is a gift for you, from me.

Often, I make gifts from my kitchen: jars of blueberry chutney, a bag of peppermint bark wrapped with tinsel and a home-made card, a sangria kit or limoncella that has rested and readied itself for 80-some-odd-days.

Some years, I spend more money and less time. Other years, I spend more time [making gifts] and less money. In fact, I like to mix it up: some years I have time, energy and good ideas. Others, I see something in a store that grabs my attention—that seems so fitting and perfect—I can’t help myself. And there are years when I have little energy, even less time and my mind has been consumed otherwise. During these times, I buy gifts instead of making them; it fits with that chapter of my life—and still tells those around me that I care.

This year, one of my brothers encouraged us to all spend under $15, and make gifts for each couple. It was a good suggestion, and I was amused and touched that each member of my own family-of-four embraced the challenge. My youngest son is a talented artist, and sketched pictures—or symbols rather—that reminded him of each family member. My 12 year old son, who received a rock polisher for his birthday, spent weeks upon weeks engaged in the process of cleaning, switching, grinding and processing—then chose one rock for each person. He might share with each person why the rock, with all its intricate details—reminded him of them.

While touring a farmer’s market this summer (picture me grinning ridiculously, as farmer’s markets are my candy store. disclaimer: because they are my candy store, I tend to be overly distracted by the baskets of apricots, the mounds of squash, the unique peppers and enormous tomatoes: I will most likely walk right into you), my husband and I saw some ingenious bird houses—made from recycled wood and license plates. And the idea stayed with us. So for Christmas, we he made some. Well, I scavenged for the old, paint-pealing dresser that cost near nothing, and found old latches at second hand stores, but he actually did all the take-apart, sand, saw, measure, nail, screw, design, be-patient-with-the-kids-while-making-birdhouses routine.

And then there is this [pictured top] wreath. I am like many mothers, often awestruck by my child’s brain or thinking or way of engaging the world. And this wreath was one of those moments.

My 11 year old was home, sick, for 4-5 days. And homework kept coming home; one assignment was to make an ornament made from recycled material (p.s. I adore this project). So, after announcing the assignment, he goes upstairs for 20 minutes—presumably perusing his ’special box’ of trinkets, treasures and keepsakes. Awhile later, I am wrapping presents in the dining room (okay, I have taken over the dining room, my husband remarking that the room is beginning to resemble Santa’s workshop). He comes in and sees the tissue paper: and asks for a whole green and part of a red sheet. I hand over the requested materials.

Soon I find him with a slinky, on the carpet with pieces of tissue here and there. To myself I am thinking: what is he making? what can he possibly make with a slinky? how can that become an ornament? you have to be kidding me. And then… I hope he is happy with what he makes… I hope he doesn’t get frustrated… should I offer to help? offer suggestions? no, he looks intent, I will leave him be unless he asks… and not long after: this wreath was formed. Mom: do you have a hook for me?

Lest this writeup be sans food, my gifts this season were of the sugar and sweet variety. I didn’t make birdhouses: I made cookies. And then some: snowball cookies, wreath cookies, thumb print cookies, peppermint bark, some toffee and [see photo of] peanut butter cookies dipped in chocolate. (Any classic peanut butter cookie will do; once cool, dip in chocolate, drizzle with white chocolate, let harden).