blueberry muffin cookies

i have a problem. actually two.
my first problem? i found this recipe and i just had to make it. i didn't even think. i just got my bake face on and went right at it. you see, sometimes i have little to no self control in situations that involve blueberries.
the second problem i have is that i often try to health-itize things that shouldn't be healthy. ie adding way too much wheat flour to cakes, cutting butter like it's going out of style, reducing sugar etc etc etc. in the original recipe for these cookies, i just wanted to add some greek yogurt, but my calculations went a bit awry, and i ended up totally changing the consistency of the batter from the original recipe. at first i was a little panicky, but i baked em anyway and you know what? they were delicious. and somewhat healthy.
and i had to take them to work so i wouldn't eat the whole batch.

needless to say, they were gone before lunch break was over.
that, my friends, is how you measure a good recipe.

blueberry muffin cookies
adapted from how sweet it is
makes almost 2 dozen cookies depending on size

1/4 c butter (i used whipped... and highly recommend it)
1/2 c greek yogurt
3/4 c brown sugar
 1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c flour (next time i will add a little wheat)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c fresh blueberries

1. preheat oven to 375. in a medium bowl, cream together butter and yogurt until smooth and combined. incorporate brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. cream this together until your arm is sore. (we don't have a mixer in these parts...)
2. in a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients sans the blueberries. add dry ingredients to wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing until incorporated. add in blueberries
3. grease your cookie sheet and drop tablespoon sized balls of dough onto sheet- they don't spread our much so just crowd them on there!
4. bake until firm and golden, probably about 12 minutes, but who really knows. our oven is a little bit testy.
5. let cool, then share with all the ends of the earth.

the secret is in the greek yogurt.
xo.

garden risotto

boys and girls, this is a meal for the books.
this recipe is one you should print out and put all the necessary ingredients on your shopping list right away.
in fact, you should probably make it right now, eat half of it, and save the rest for breakfast tomorrow.
lately i have been obsessed with broccoli, so finding this recipe while perusing the pioneer woman's archives hit me like a ton of bricks. it's simple and delicious- the kind that makes you close your eyes and let out a big long "mmmmmmmmmmmm" when it hits your tongue. or is that just me?

vegetable risotto
adapted from the pioneer woman
serves 2

1 c arborio rice
3 c water
1 1/2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 c chopped baby carrots
2 c chopped broccoli- fresh is best
1 c chopped yellow squash
1/2 c chopped onion
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

to make:
1. boil your water and bouillon cubes. in a separate pot, combine 1/2 T olive oil with rice and stir til coated, cooking for 1-2 minutes
2.with stove on medium heat, add 3/4 cup of broth to rice. once the rice has sucked up all the broth, add 1 more 3/4 cup, following this process over the next 30-40 minutes, or until all the broth is incorporated into the rice. taste often, reducing heat and adding more broth as needed.
3. while your rice is simmering, grab a large frying pan (i used a wok) and saute the onion with another 1/2 T olive oil until translucent. add the rest of your vegetables and cook for 3-4 minutes, mixing as needed. add a little broth to help the process along, then when time is up remove from heat and put in serving bowl.
4. when rice is done, cut the heat and add parmesan cheese and mix until incorporated. add rice to vegetables, then give them all a stir. salt and pepper to taste.

honestly, if this isn't the best thing you've eaten for the month of june, well, don't even worry. it will be.

xo

egg avocado spinach pita

i am not a girl who buys loaves of bread.

i'm not really a sandwich person, nor enjoy toast that much, therefore i hardly ever walk out of the grocery store with any bread in tow. if it's great harvest bread, well that's another story, but talking about my love of great harvest would probably be a little too much for just one post.

anyway, with that little fact out of the way, i must say that bread in any other form than the sliced version holds a near and dear place in my heart. hence the reason these pitas made it into my cart monday at the grocery store. i mean, at 90 calories a pita can you really pass that up? nope. i didn't even try.

pitas are great because they are so versatile. they can be stuffed full, filled with hot or cold ingredients, toasted and served with hummus, the list goes on and on! i've come to one conclusion about them, and that is that anything tastes good in a pita.

egg avocado spinach pita
serves 1
needed:
1 pita pocket
1/2 cup spinach
half an avocado, mashed and salt n peppered
hard boiled egg, diced
pico de gallo
1 tbsp feta cheese

this is really easy, just mix all the ingredients and stuff that pita chock full. eat. savor. enjoy.
make another.

xo