Dark Chocolate/Cinnamon Chip Biscotti

A lot of my friends and colleagues see me as a healthy eater and I am for the most part. But I have lots of weak moments too. Making these was a chance to cheat and not feel too guilty. Yes, there is sugar in these guys but they're small, so as long as I only have one a day, I don't feel too bad. 

What inspired them was my favorite scone from the Des Moines Farmer's Market that I periodically grab on Saturday mornings (my favorite weekend event in Des Moines). La Mie is a wonderful French bakery in Des Moines that brings a selection of their amazing baked goods to the Farmer's Market. They have a huge cinnamon chocolate chip scone that I have a weakness for. It's really too big but I seem to have no problem finishing it with my coffee.

The majority of the recipe is from this gal's blog over at Crumb, but I modified it slightly.  

James 3 begins with a challenge that is pretty personal to me. "Not many should become teachers...knowing that we will receive a stricter judgement." Then the chapter continues with warnings about the power of the tongue. James was probably addressing spiritual teachers but I kind of fit that role, being at a Christian school. I am held accountable for my speech, as we all are. I interact with a large age group each day and I set an example in everything I do. "Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way." Pretty sure I'll be working on this forever.

No, that one mug of coffee would not be enough for all the biscotti. Perfect for 2 though!

I didn't bake these on their sides very long so mine were not as crisp as most biscotti. I don't have dental coverage so I wanted to play it safe;)

Dark Chocolate/Cinnamon Chip Biscotti

Makes 16-18

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp salt

¼ cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup cinnamon chips

2 tbsp strong brewed coffee

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Egg wash (1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tbsp milk)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture is fine and crumbly.
3. Stir in chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, eggs, and coffee until the dough is just barely moistened. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, about 8-10 times.
4. Flour hands and divide the dough in half. Place each half on a cookie sheet and shape into a foot-long roll, then gently flattening each one into a 2"-3" wide slab. Brush the top and sides of each slab with egg wash.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the top of the slabs feels firm and dry. Remove from the oven, but do not turn off the heat. Set the slabs on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
6. Once the slabs are cool enough to handle, cut crosswise into into 1" thick slices. Place slices upright, ¼ inch apart, on cookie sheets.
7. Place the slices on the baking sheet, cut sides down, and return to the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over, and continue baking for another 10 minutes (the cookies should be just a bit soft in the center – don’t worry, they’ll harden up once they cool). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then store in airtight containers.

-Just a note. I only did step 7 for 5 minutes on each side so they wouldn't be crazy hard. Do what you like!

Breakfast Sausage Stuffed Pepper

So, I know it says breakfast but I'm guilty of having breakfast whenever I feel like it. Pretty sure I ate these around 1:30 today. It's summer, I have no structure. 

Stuffed peppers. Really fun and versatile. Toss some ingredients together and fill the pepper with them, throw it in the oven then enjoy! That's where I struggle. I've seen many many recipes for them on Pinterest. I tried one and it was tasty but hard to eat. As soon as I cut into it, everything falls out. Am I alone on this? 

I then saw a brilliant solution. Bake a stuffed half-pepper. It's a bowl rather than a mug. Makes a much better vehicle for the insides.

"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." 

Js. 2:26

Do I act in faith or just based on what I trust to work? I am a very practical person so I don't do many risky or daring things. I'm guilty of this in my faith at times. I don't take the risk in discussing Jesus with others often. I don't sign up for mission trips unless I see where the money is coming from. I'll be praying for faith like Abraham to do what's tough for me and easy for God.

These are pretty great. I love the runny yolk, fresh pepper, and savory pork! I'm in the wonderful state of Iowa (zero sarcasm, I love this place) and sadly, we've had issue with the bird flu on a lot of chicken farms. I didn't think much of it at first but then went grocery shopping. A dozen eggs is usually like 1.99. Today they were 2.89! 

Get well chickens!

Breakfast Sausage Stuffed Pepper

serving one hungry gal, could easily serve two people with a normal appetite

1 bell pepper

1/4 lbs ground breakfast sausage

shredded Mexican cheese

1/4 cup refried beans or black beans

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350° F. Slice bell pepper in half and remove seeds and membrane. Brown sausage in a skillet. Place a layer of beans in the pepper halves, then the sausage, and cheese. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or so. The time really depends on how soft you want the pepper to become. Then turn broiler on high and crack eggs on top of each pepper half. Bake under broiler for another 4-5 minutes. Adjust time according to how runny you like your eggs.  

Berry Sparkling Ice and Berry Lemonade

Summer is here! At least for me it is because school's out! I've been contemplating ideas for my summer blog all year long. I've written down potential ideas and browsed Pinterest almost everyday. This idea came because because of kind people from my school who kept giving us flavored sodas or sparkling waters in the teacher's lounge. I'm not sure why that was the beverage of choice but I grabbed one almost every time. 

I actually don't like San Pellegrino and other flavored sparkling waters very much. As much as I try to be healthy, I just don't like them without sugar or more flavor. So as I drank the ones offered at school, I was brainstorming how I could modify it in a semi-healthy way. I'll share my creations with you in a moment.

Last summer, I designated a paragraph to my Bible reading and learning. I'll do a similar thing this summer but I think I'll be more concise. As I read other blogs, I tend to prefer the ones that are to the point and don't have long sections of reading. So, I believe it only makes sense for me to do the same. I've begun reading in James lately. I was challenged today to double check how I'm treating and thinking about others in all situation. "My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ...Love your neighbor as yourself." Js. 2:1, 8

What do I think is lacking in sparkling waters? Flavor! and a hit of sweetness:) 

I love the bubbles; I think that's why I'm drawn to them.

Frozen berries are great to have on hand, I put them in yogurt and smoothies and now pureed into lemonade and sparkling water. My Ninja works pretty well for this but does leave a lot of seeds. I poured the mix through a metal strainer to get a nice smooth texture.

I love my porch! I have a great view and beautiful morning light! It's a perfect spot for sipping anything!

Berry Puree

makes about 2 cups of puree

2 cups of frozen mixed berries

1/2 cup water

Puree in blender until all berries have become liquid-like. Pour mix through strainer to filter out seeds. Store in a jar or small pitcher and refrigerate. 

Berry Sparkling Ice

Measured per glass

Sparkling Ice Kiwi Strawberry beverage (or any sparkling water)

3-4 Tbs of berry puree

ice as desired

Berry Lemonade

Yes, I'm a bit ashamed this lemonade is from a mix...

2 quarts Lemonade (from Lemonade base mix)

1 cup of berry puree

ice as desired