One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Or so the story goes. The story of this recipe actually begins in a trash bin. You can read the inspiration for these yummy after-school cookies at The Meaning of Pie. After making several batches of these quick and easy treats, I am grateful the old Southern Living recipe was rescued from the recycling bin and lives on!

Like the game of Telephone, recipes get handed down, passed around and changed up along the way so that eventually the end result looks (and tastes) much different than the beginning. Sounds like this simple recipe has endured the test of time and I am happy to share the version I settled on.  I tried different peanut butters and played around with the sugar(s), added a little vanilla and think it’s a keeper.  I took a batch to school last week and the cookies disappeared so quick the only evidence of their being was a few chocolate covered finger tips. In a more civilized manner our sweet staff at church gave the cookies ‘thumbs up’ as Littlest and I passed them around the office this morning. And, church people tell it like it is y’all.

Without further ado, here is our favorite after school cookie-du-jour. The good news is they are gluten and dairy free. The even better news is they are so tasty no one will know or care.

Sadly, however they are not calorie-free. I’m still working on that one.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup peanut butter (I use fresh ground honey roasted peanut butter from Whole Foods)**

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup + chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life allergy-free)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir together all ingredients except the chocolate chips. Mix well. Add the chocolate chips. Drop dough by the tablespoon onto baking sheets lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Watch the cookies carefully. They are best slightly undercooked!

** I tried several peanut butters in various test batches. The bottom line is if you like your peanut butter, you’ll love these cookies. Use your favorite!

Sometimes life gives you lemons. And sometimes a surprise comes with your lemons. A month or so ago I picked up a bag of lemons, probably at Costco or HEB. Tucked in the Sunkist sack was a robinet pour citron. Fancy, huh?

This tiny yellow faucet easily twists into the stem end of a lemon and with a squeeze you have fresh juice.

Can you stand the excitement?

Here’s the twist. I like to drink hot lemon water. Quirky, I know, but it works for me. Pre robinet pour citron, I would slice a lemon in half, attempt to flick out the seeds, squeeze the lemon into my favorite mug, and generally ignore the citrusy juice running elbow-bound down my arm. Clearly life has changed for the better since the robinet pour citron.

Why am I so passionate about lemon water? Because of it’s many health benefits, of course. Lemon juice is rich in several essential nutrients like potassium, calcium, and magnesium. And, it’s loaded with Vitamin C and antioxidants which provide a definite boost to your immune system. Lemon water is known for its gentle cleansing properties and aids in flushing unwanted toxins from your system. It boots your metabolism and helps regulate other digestive functions like heartburn, nausea and indigestion.

So, keep your eyes peeled for your very own robinet pour citron. In the meantime, slice a lemon and enjoy it in a warm cup of water for your health.

A Votre Sante!

Trust me…

Rosemary Kind Bars

1 1/3 cups dates, chopped

1/3 cup raw almonds

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1 sprig rosemary (I used a little more!)

generous dash of celtic sea salt (1/4 + tsp)

Process all ingredients in food processor. Don’t worry if you still have large pieces of almonds or dates, the mixture is hard to completely process. With wet hands roll into bars. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Makes 6 bars.

Forget back-to-school snacks for the Littles these healthy, raw bars are all kinds of yum for the mama! I’ll let you know what the Littles think if I decide to share, but for now Rosemary Kind Bars are my grab & go, carpool snack of choice. And just in time since school starts tomorrow! Oh my…

This my friends is the breakfast of  birthday champions. As soon as the light of day breaks through the windows, the Littles will enjoy a nutritious, hearty helping of birthday cake. All before 8 am. Cake for the Littles, coffee for the mama.

Nine years ago on my 33rd birthday, our second Little and first daughter made her way into the world. I can see you doing the math in your head, you know. I’m 42 today. My beloved Little is 9. So today we celebrate! Beginning with Birthday Cake for breakfast. Because, why not?

Here’s the birthday girl just moments ago opening her presents. She found the princess crown (from her 1st birthday) and somehow woke up with it already perfectly in place on her sweet birthday head. Clearly her mother’s daughter.

Bed head and dragon breath, the birthday girls pose for their first pic of the day. Y’all it’s still in the 7′s in these parts…very early.

Yesterday, the grand assembling of the cake occurred. Dubbing the occasion in this manner makes it seem more important because the truth is…

Our cake came straight out of the box. Both of them. I just didn’t have my wits to try all the new flours and sweeteners necessary to make a perfect gluten-free cake. So can I get an AMEN for Pamela’s gluten-free cake mixes? And icings too!

The birthday princess requested a double layer cake of vanilla and chocolate. She also requested a strawberry layer, but Pamela’s Baking Goods glory does not extend that far. Here is the cake at the ‘big fat oreo’ stage.

I love this photo and it will always remind me of Littlest who is ‘up the counter’ in her princess big girl panties. We are 10 days into successful potty training and this it the ultimate birthday gift in my book. I do wonder what I will think in years to come about the purple finger nail polish on my birthday girl? I hadn’t noticed her manicure until I took this photo. Nice.

About this time during the grand assembling of the cake, just as the finishing touches were settling into place, Littlest threatened to destroy the masterpiece by secretly pulling the cookies off the cake and leaving finger trails through the icing. The birthday princess extended grace and patience as she swiftly moved her younger sibling from the scene of the crime. I was proud. Then the birthday girl declared ‘I want a gluten-free, dairy-free, SISTER-FREE cake’.  And proceeded to bop her sister on the head. Again, my pride swells.

Gratefully, this  younger sister stopped short of removing cookies and left sprinkles in place. But, she gave it a long contemplative thought…

Neighbors joined us from a far (long blocks, really!) and distracted the Littles from completely eating the cake on the eve of the celebration. All was quiet during the night.

This is the live-real-time-blogging scene from my writing perch. Littlest is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to cake. She wise beyond her three years.

And I am powerless to keep this birthday Little waiting any longer. Excuse me, while we celebrate 9 and 42 with birthday cake. For breakfast!

It’s peak peach time here in central Texas. Husband & I were in the Hill Country last weekend and picked up a flat of freestone peaches in Fredericksburg. I tweeked a recipe I found from Cooking Light and came up with a delicious, summer salad. It’s a great way to enjoy the bounty of peaches before they’re all gone.

For the dressing I used a sweet wine (’08 Muscat Canelli) we picked up at Santa Maria Cellars in Fredericksburg. Any sweet wine you have will do. Husband & I don’t typically drink sweet wines, but I always keep a bottle on hand for recipes or friends who enjoy the sweeter side of things.  Pick up an inexpensive bottle at the store (ask the wine guys for help!) and let me know what recipes you find.

Hill Country Wine Dressing

1 cup sweet white wine (riesling or muscat are great)

1 Tbs walnut oil

1 Tbs white wine vinegar

dash of sea salt

In a saucepan heat wine over medium-high heat until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. I set a timer for 10 minutes. If you walk away and forget wine boiling on the stove, you’ll return to a sticky, burnt pan. Don’t ask me how I know this…

Remove wine from heat and let cool. Pour into a mason jar or glass container, add vinegar, oil and salt. Gently shake to combine.

Dressing will keep in refrigerator for up to a week.

Peachy Salad

4 cups of butter lettuce, or mixed greens

2 – 3 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

handful of toasted walnuts, or sliced almonds

generous sprinkling of crumbled goat cheese

Toss the salad with the Wine Dressing and enjoy the sweet flavors of summer.

My friend Brooke invited me to guest post today on her blog A Life in Need of Change. Visit me at Brooke’s for an easy and delicious enchilada recipe. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired to double the recipe and share.

Join us!

I’ve posted this recipe for homemade granola before, but it’s just so good I had to share it again! We’ve updated our original recipe since going gluten-free and are very grateful for Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Old-Fashioned Oats.  With our without gluten, this granola is simply delicious.

Maple Vanilla Granola

5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup honey

1 Tbs vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl mix the oats, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon.

In another small bowl, mix the oil, maple syrup, honey and vanilla.  Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and mix with your hands until well combined.  This is messy!

Spread the granola on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool completely and crumble granola into big chunks and small bits.  Store in an airtight container.

Don’t just take my word for it – make this granola for yourselves and let me know what you think! But, with thumbs up from all four Littles and Husband, the title of  Best Granola is secure at The Schell Cafe.

Guess what’s in the bowl?

More importantly, guess what was in the bowl?

Before Husband and I devoured them, a steamy pile of Penn Cove mussels graced our sea side supper tonight. What you see up there, my friends, is just a bowl of shells.

Speaking of Schells, la famille spent the day chasing whales in Puget Sound. The scenery through the San Juan Islands was truly breathtaking and even Littlest spied spectacular wildlife. We saw minke whales, harbor seals, porpoises, and a majestic Bald Eagle soaring close to its nesting eaglet.

Back on land, and nearing supper time we were hankering for more surf. We stopped by Penn Cove and picked up 2 lbs of fresh mussels. Located in Coupeville, WA, Penn Cove is a gorgeous body of water made famous for its abundance of outstanding mussels. They did not disappoint!

Mussels require little effort for tasty results. There are infinite ways to dress up the shellfish, but I like them in a simple wine and garlic sauce. Most likely because the first bowl of mussels I ever tasted was presented in a delicious wine sauce with ample bread for mopping. I was fifteen years old and traveling to France for the first time. I had no idea what mussels, or moules, were at the time, but I’ve been a fan since that very first bite.

I’ve made mussels twice since we’ve been on Whidbey Island and both times I varied up the sauce depending on the ingredients I had on hand. For example, the first night I had a full bottle of Washington white wine so I used two cups to steam the mussels. For some reason, the second time I only had a scant quarter cup of wine!??! So, I took the cooks liberty of drinking the wine and used water with a generous amount of Old Bay Seasoning to steam the mussels. Both evenings produced a delicious bowl of steamy mussels.

I’ve tweeted with my pals @WholeFoodsATX to see if they source Penn Cove mussels. My fingers are crossed and I’ll keep you posted. You must try these sweet and simple mussels. Here’s a recipe I loosely followed from a post several years ago.

Penn Cove Mussels

2 lbs mussels, de-bearded and rinsed

2-3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced (I use about 6 cloves, but we really like garlic!)

2-3 TBS shallots, minced (I didn’t measure, but feel certain I used more!)

2 TBS Old Bay Seasoning (optional)

2 cups white wine, or water

2 TBS butter

fresh herbs, I like parsley, chives or tarragon

Salt & pepper

Rinse the mussels in cold water. De-beard if necessary. Discard mussels that are opened. Sometimes fresh mussels will slightly open, if you have one of these gently tap and the mussel should close. If not, toss.

Heat the olive oil in a big pot with a fitted lid. Add the garlic and shallots and saute until soft. Add Old Bay Seasoning, if using, and wine (or water). Stir to combine and bring to a boil.

Add mussels to boiling liquid, cover and steam for about 6 minutes. Mussels will open when fully cooked.

Remove pot from heat, stir in butter, herbs and seasonings. Pour into a big bowl and serve with wine and crusty bread!

Raise your hand if the fish counter intimidates you? At least once a week I find myself standing in front of the massive fish selection at Whole Foods challenged. Farmed? Wild? King? Alaskan? Atlantic? Pacific? Coho? And that’s just the salmon. Daunted by the unfamiliar, I ask the monger for the freshest catch for the best price and continue on my way.

The Schell Cafe is on-location this week in the Pacific Northwest. Early yesterday morning I strolled Pike Place Market in awe of the bounty. At one of the fish stalls I decided to put an end to my lack of salmon know-how and asked the monger for a quick course in salmon.

There are two types of salmon, Atlantic and Pacific. Atlantic salmon is usually farmed. Salmon from the Pacific is most often wild, but can also be farmed. What does farmed mean? Exactly what it sounds like, fish are bred and raised in cages or large net pens to meet the growing demand for seafood. Fish farms produce almost 20 percent of worldwide seafood. Most fish farms are located in Asia, primarily China and the majority of salmon farms are in Norway and Chile. Thirty percent of all seafood in the United States comes from fish farms. The debate over farmed fish is heated with primary concerns for environmental impact at the forefront. The more I learn, the more I appreciate the nutritional and environmental benefits of wild salmon.

In addition to my crash course at the market, I bought a local cookbook Pure Flavor written by the owner of Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. Read how author Kurt Beecher Dammeier explains salmon.

There are five kinds (species) of Pacific salmon:

Chinook, also called king salmon, the largest and fattiest fish, has firm, red fish

Chum, also called keta or dog salmon, is a lower-fat fish with firm, pale flesh and a very mild flavor.

Coho, or silver salmon, is a small fish with medium-red, less fatty flesh

Pink, or humpback, is the leanest salmon.  It has soft, pink flesh.

Sockeye, also called red or blueback, has deep red meat, a firm texture, and the second highest fat content. It has the highest levels of omega-3s of all the types of salmon.

After exploring the city, we left Seattle behind and are currently tucked away in a small corner of Puget Sound. Husband brought along his fishing paraphernalia in hopes of scoring the biggest catch this week. He was sorely disappointed to find that the salmon season doesn’t officially open until the 16th. So, I’m headed to the local fish stand to see what wild, freshly caught salmon I can find.

In the meantime the Littles just brought in a feisty Dungeness crab they found on the beach. It’s almost time for lunch and if I can get my wits about me, perhaps I’ll boil my first live crab.

Stay tuned as our adventures continue…

Beer can chicken is hands down (and bottoms up!) our favorite way to grill a bird. Like most of America, we’ll fire up the coals on the 4th of July and I thought I’d share our Dos Equis Chicken recipe.

Beer can chicken has been around for ages and is more of a method than a recipe. Simply put, you pop a top on your favorite beer, take a few good swigs to empty the can a bit, nestle a whole chicken (giblets removed) on the beer can and grill ’til done.

Not to get all highbrow on you, but I purchased a vertical chicken roaster from Williams-Sonoma. Actually I purchased two, because everyone knows two beer can chickens are better than one.

Here’s the roaster(s) I purchased.

My roasters are so well loved they wouldn’t recognize this photo! Like a beer can, the roaster holds liquid and keeps the chicken in a vertical position allowing for a tender perfect roast every time.

Beer Can Chicken

1 whole chicken (4-5 lbs), giblets removed

1/2 cup olive oil + more for vegetables

Seasoning or rub of choice – I like hot Spanish paprika

4-5 cloves garlic, slightly crushed but intact

coarse sea salt

pepper

Mixed vegetables – this time I used mixed bell peppers, green onions, red onions, and garlic. But corn, squash and jalapenos are favorites too.

Beer – Dos Equis, of course *

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Mix Spanish paprika, or your chosen seasoning/rub, into olive oil.

Place the roaster on a baking sheet (for transporting and collecting spills only).  Pour beer into the center container of the roaster. Add the garlic cloves. Gently nestle the chicken, legs pointing down, onto the roaster. Brush the seasoning & oil mixture generously over the chicken. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt & pepper.

Set the roaster on the grill away from direct heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is roasting chop the veggies and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil to coat the vegetables and toss with salt & pepper.

After 30 minutes, add the vegetables to the base of the roaster. Continue cooking, brushing the chicken with the seasoning and olive oil mixture every 15 minutes for a total of 1 1/2 hours. Cooking times will vary depending on your grill, so check with a meat thermometer. Chicken will be done when the thermometer registers 170 degrees fahrenheit.

Transfer to a carving board or serving platter. Cover the chicken loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

* For my gluten-free friends, I realize Dos Equis is NOT a good choice of beverages no matter how thirsty you are. My friend Jess @ATXglutenfree was kind to inform me of gluten-free beer options, specifically Green’s which I spied with my little eye at Whole Foods. Truthfully, you don’t have to use beer at all. Wine, chicken stock, even water would work. Just don’t go callin’ it Beer Can Chicken if it ain’t.

Happy 4th!