dancing

If you ever perused youTube you probably have seen this guy dancing. I have not seen his latest version until yesterday, though. It made me laugh and smile and totally made my day. You really should watch it if you haven't already. Click here to see it. My favorite are the people in Quebec dancing in the rain. [Thanks to Candace Faultline for bringing this to my attention!]

maple walnut spice cookies

My SIL Christie is one of the most inspiring cooks I know. Mark and I can't think of a single thing she has made that we didn't love. That being said, almost everything she makes (maybe everything) is healthy, lowfat, etc. I get to feed some pre-race half-marathoners this weekend and her maple walnut spice cookies came to mind for a light dessert (although they are seriously addictive so that could negate the lightness). They freeze really well (store between layers of parchment paper).

Cookies:
11/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/8 t. ground cloves
3/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 T. maple syrup
1 egg
1. Preheat 350. Combine flour through cloves in a medium bowl, whisk together well.
2. Beat brown sugar and butter with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy (4 mins.)
3. Add syrup and egg. Beat until well blended. Beating at low speed, gradually add flour mixture until just combined.
4. Spoon batter evenly into 30 mounds, 2 in. apart on baking sheets.
5. Bake14 mins. or until lightly browned. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. maple syrup
1 T. fat-free milk
2 t. butter, softened
1/2 c. finely chopped, toasted walnuts
1. Combine sugar through butter with a whisk until smooth. Spread frosting evenly over cookies.
2. Working quickly, sprinkle cookies with nuts.

pansies

This weekend...lots and lots of much-needed yardwork. Out with the frost-bitten vinca, in with the pansies.

predictably irrational

Mark got this book for Christmas, and after one look at inside the front cover I was sneakily reading it whenever he put it down (much to his annoyance...I kept losing his place). It is fascinating. Rather than explain it myself, here is a little synopsis from the book's website:

Do you know why we sometimes find ourselves excitedly buying things we don’t really need?
Do you know why we still have a headache after taking a five-cent aspirin, but why that same headache vanishes when the aspirin costs 50 cents?
Do you know why people who have been asked to recall the Ten Commandments tend to be more honest (at least immediately afterward) than those who haven’t? Or why honor codes actually do reduce dishonesty in the workplace?
By the end of this book, you’ll know the answers to these and many other questions that have implications for the way you look at the world. As a bonus you will also learn how much fun social science can be, and how to see more clearly the causes for our everyday behaviors, including the many cases in which we are predictably irrational.

vegetable lasagna

This vegetable lasagna recipe has been a staple in our house since we've been married. It is a little time consuming to make but is so good that it is completely worth the effort, especially on a lazy day like yesterday when I had a lot of time to chop vegetables (and Meg took a really long nap!). Recipes that are this good make me almost believe I could be a vegetarian...almost. [note: omit the red pepper flakes if you don't like spicy, use the "no boil" lasagna noodles to lessen work, and be generous with the cheese on top!]

picnic

We got to have Mark home with us today so we packed a picnic and headed out to the Tallahassee Museum for a chilly but beautiful outdoors lunch and walk in the woods. Mark was a good sport and came with us even though he had just finished a 10-mile run and got a ticket (I won't tell you what it was for)!

cherry dress

Meg in her new dress!