one of my great joys in life is food. as a self-professing foodie, i particularly indulge in sweets...rich, complicated flavors swirling together in one delicious concoction of dessert bliss.

i often wonder if i should have taken a different path, one that i liked when i was very young: the path to being a chef and restaurant owner. but, had i NOT taken the path i have, i doubt that i would have the appreciation i do for food. being the homemaker, responsible for shopping and preparing healthy, creative meals for my family, i take great pride in experimenting, mixing, tasting and plating everything i make. it truly is an outlet.

as a part of my love for food, i try to bring chloe in the kitchen with me every time i cook, allowing her to mix, taste and experiment on her own. she doesn't always love the main dish preparation, but she LOVES baking. who doesn't? licking gooey batter off of a spatula? YUM! normally we cook on fridays, but we are heading to the SD county fair this week, so we baked this morning. i didn't have the ingredients for oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies, but i did have stuff to make a delicious vegan, almost raw frosting: avocado, coconut oil, agave nectar and cocoa powder. so, the cookies are full fat, full of animal bi-products, and fully delicious. i have come to enjoy the rich flavors of the plant-based frosting much more than those using butter as a base, so here ya go!



the other thing about food: i love to take pictures of it. two of my loves, food and photography, whirled into one! so, for visual interest, we picked some fresh lavender from our yard as a garnish.

thanks to chloe, my sous chef, for her discriminating palate.