All of us travelers have ways of making random spaces filled with Pier 1 decorations feel like home. Sara bakes. Cookies. Muffins. Lemon Bars. Anything at all hours. I never know when amazing smells will tempt me from the kitchen. Her baked goods are so incredible that it’s not worth even trying to put up a fight. Luckily, she’s also my running buddy. She makes these amazing Banana Crunch muffins from Ina Garten. And her recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had is all in her head. Hopefully I’ll get her to write it down before we part ways. It’s possible I’ll no longer be able to feel at home anywhere without her cookies.
Receiving any mail at all is one of the sweetest surprises, even when it isn’t a surprise. My friend Becky once introduced me to the art of sending homemade goodies in the mail, and it has kind of been a life changer. There is absolutely nothing better than receiving a home-baked (or no baked) cookie from someone who is thinking about you from far away, even if they end up in crumbs. Luckily these “no bake cookies” from Wichita held up really well. Chocolate, oats, peanut butter…sweet sweet surprises. Sara says, send more. Here’s a recipe.
Anna reminded me of a “healthy cookie” recipe from 101 cookbooks I’ve been meaning to try. The cookie is basically coconut, almond meal, chocolate chips, all held together with mashed bananas. Fantastic. I eyed the $10 almond meal at Whole Foods because I doubted the stamina of my blender (no food processor on the road). But as I was buying the chocolate chips and coconut in exact measurements from the bulk section (no leftovers to lug around!), I went with raw almonds. Luckily, they pulsed easily into dusty almond meal in the blender. I also had pumpkin pie spice on hand instead of simple cinnamon, which worked nicely. And I will definitely try chopped bits of 70% dark chocolate next time.
