Here is a riff on old-school Rice Crispies Squares: Rice Crispies Squares with nutty browned butter and … wait for it … Nutella! Oh so posh, right? Originally I had intended to dip them in chocolate as well, but it’s been so hot that that would have just melted in your hand. I’ll have to try that variation when it it cooler out!
GORP, as one theory goes, is “good old raisins and peanuts”. Well, this GORP ain’t no regular stuff then because this trail mix is chock full of tropical fruit and nuts. I’m a big fan of trail mix and almost always make it myself. I do a lot of road trips in the summer, and it’s better than having to stop for junk food. The dried mango is particularly yummy. All the fruit and nuts are from Trader Joes, because they have the best!
Pasta salad for a lot of people means mayonnaise. For me, that doesn’t always work well. I like going on picnics and I don’t want to have to worry about keeping my pasta salad cold (not to mention that it tastes better when it isn’t too cold). So this one has a Vinaigrette instead, which matches well with the artichoke hearts too.
I’m all about the unique flavor combinations and this cookie falls right in that category. Orange and Walnut? Sure. Orange and Chocolate? A classic. Throw in some sea salt? Hmmm. Now we’re getting a little stranger. Add them all together? Brilliant. Worked out really well and I am pleased with the experiment. Don’t worry, they aren’t all that salty, but the salt does bring out the other flavors. Yum.
I’m often asked if I can “adjust my recipes” for people to make them “gluten free”. Well, unfortunately not. It’s not quite so easy, and because I am not a celiac, I don’t really have a reason to eat GF. I actually have very strong opinions of eating gluten free, but will save those for another day. At any rate, there *are* recipes that are naturally gluten free. This is one of them. Made of cashew butter, eggs, brown sugar, baking soda and chocolate chips, there is no wheat-based flour to be found. They are yummy, but a little on the crumbly side. Nevertheless, a good snack.