White Chocolate Macadamia Biscotti

I’m finally getting around to posting some recipes. I have just been so exhausted and lethargic the past week or two, all I felt like doing was sleep. But this week I’m trying to get caught up in posting. I wish I had an assistant to help me take and edit the photos, as well as type out the recipes and posts.

I love to have some kind of treat with my morning cappuccino. Biscotti is a favorite, so are cookies, date bars, etc. I had some macadamias, and decided to make a biscotti version of the best cookie ever. It took me a few attempts to get the right ratio of dry to wet ingredients, but all the disasters were still delicious, even if they were too crumbly.

These went fast, I had them with my morning coffee and again in the afternoon with some chai tea. Next time I’m going to make two loaves, as even Mr.Surly was a fan.

Blueberry Walnut Pancakes

It’s Friday, which means (for us), tomorrow is pancakes day. These pancakes are a staple for us; I make them almost every Saturday, unless we have fried egg and cheese sandwiches.

Use this recipe as a base recipe. I change up the fruit on occasion, sometimes adding cranberries, sometimes banana, or any other fruit I have on hand. These pancakes are great because they are thick and fluffy. I love the texture of the rolled oats. The spices as well can be changed up based on what you’re feeling. Sometimes, I only add cinnamon because I’m feeling too lazy to grate nutmeg.

Totally Touchable Tresses

I love beauty products (of all kinds), always have ever since I was a little girl. Back then, I used to sit at my grandma’s vanity and play with her makeup. I loved it and could not wait for the day when I’d be old enough to have makeup of my own.

Same thing applies for hair products. I have very baby fine, thin hair. It’s hard for me to find hair products to use that don’t weigh my hair down and make it look greasy. I’m constantly trying new things. Since I color my hair and take a lot of medications, my hair is dry at the ends and prone to breakage. I was searching for a hair product to restore my hair back to its original silky, shiny, smoothness.

I bought this hair treatment from Kerastase:


It’s a hair masque for fine hair. But the smell of it is too purfumey and strong for me. It works great, but I don’t like the way my hair smells afterwards. I use it once every few months. I'm happy with it, but then I found this damage remedy product from Aveda (pictured at top of post)

I've tried products from Aveda before. I’ve used their pure abundance shampoo/conditioner for fine hair. It has clay in it that is supposed to help your scalp from looking greasy. My hair is so thin and fine I have to wash it every day, otherwise it’s greasy. With them, I was able to wash my hair every other day. I liked them, but I not blown away so I only buy them occasionally, not regularly.

Recently, I saw this dry remedy leave in conditioner/detangler. Intrigued, I purchased it, and I’m so glad I did. I noticed a difference after one application. My hair was noticeably softer. And now, with regular use, the shine is finally back in my hair and my flyaway’s have been tamed. The best part is that it doesn’t weigh my hair down (I apply it to the ends, not the roots of my hair).

I love this stuff so much I just couldn’t keep it to myself, I had to share it with others.

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Note: not a paid advertisement; just my opinion and experience with the above products

Cilantro-Jalapeno Hummus

This hummus is Mr.Surly’s favorite. I was waiting until my cilantro grew big enough to make this dip for him. Mr.Surly likes things hot and spicy, so I use serrano peppers instead of jalapeno peppers. Whenever I make this, it’s lucky to last 2 days. We don’t like Tahini, so I substitute almond butter or cashew butter. I’ve made it using both and I don’t really notice much taste difference. I've also used a lime instead of lemon, it makes it equally delicious. This time I used a lemon because I was all out of limes.

This is ridiculously easy to make; you just put everything in the food processor and puree. It only takes about 10 minutes to make, if even that. Gotta love easy, delicious dishes when the temps are in the upper 90’s/low 100’s.

I didn’t eat any of this because of the beans and almond butter; I’m still trying to limit my oxalate levels. But Mr.Surly had no problem polishing this off.

Black Bean Lasagna

This lasagna is something I just threw together the other day when I didn’t feel like making much for dinner. I’ve seen lasagna rolls on various blogs and, one day, wanted to take a stab at making my own. I don’t like ground beef and I knew if there was no protein in this dish there was a chance Mr. Surly would find this dinner neither filling nor satiating. In order to curb and avoid possible post-dinner kitchen foraging, I added black beans for protein.

Now, black beans are on my “avoid” list for the low oxalate diet, but I haven’t been following the diet too strictly recently. My GI doctor ordered more tests, and wants me to eat as I normally would to get accurate results. I have been eating all the chocolately treats I can in the meantime. This accounts for my recent scrumptious Chocolate Stout Cupcakes post.

This meal was easy to prepare, while my noodles boiled I mixed up the filling, and seasoned the tomato sauce. The rolls aren’t too hard to assemble. If you roll too tightly the filling pops out but that’s not a big deal; you just pinch it back in.

Both Mr.Surly and I enjoyed this, though he did comment it could use more spices. I thought it tasted great, but with my GI issues I have acquired a very bland palate, much safer for my GI tract that way.


thanks for the new dish MIL :)