Five Things

When I'm putting in long hours at work, I find that no matter how tired I am, it can be hard to fall asleep at night with all the work thoughts bombarding my brain.  Luckily, my faithful food has been pulling me through, and I fall asleep thinking of what fun thing I will cook next.  Thinking about food has to suffice for now, since I don't have as much time to cook it.  At least the fantasizing provides me some respite.

While putting in my long hours, I have managed to go through my two pound tub of blueberries from Costco in five days.  Two pounds of organic blueberries for about $8 is the best deal on blueberries imaginable.  Considering how healthy and tasty these suckers are, I might have to suffer through the crowds at Costco for some more this weekend.

I'm not sure why I waited so long, but I finally picked up a cookie dough scoop (aka a small ice cream scoop) the other weekend, and I am addicted.  It's amazing that I suffered through using regular spoons for years.  If you make cookies as often as I do, one of these handy scoops is a must-buy!

One of the great things about baking is that I often get to share my creations with friends.  This box made a birthday gift for Trevor, and a few more cookies found their way onto my secretary's desk.  I may be insufferable as a boss and a friend, but at least I provide cookies.  (I promise to post the recipe for these cookies soon (toffee crisps!).)

I used to devour Fiber One granola bars when I was in need of a quick fix, but my new "granola" bar of choice are these disgusting Sweet & Salty Nut bars.  I call them "disgusting" because they are candy bars under the guise of granola bars.  There are three different kinds of sugar in the first five ingredients, leading me to believe there is probably more sugar than peanuts in these things.  They taste great, though, and I find having a candy/granola bar in the mid-afternoon is a good protocol to handle the afternoon slump.

Would you like some oatmeal with that fruit?  One of the greatest things about early summer is the bounty of fruit in the market and on my counter's fruit bowl.  I have so much to get through, that I have no choice but to load up my oatmeal with more fruit than oats.  This bowl had a yellow peach, an apricot, and a handful of blueberries.  It's always nice to start the day with something delicious...and occasionally there are no cookies around, so I turn to oatmeal.