rainy chococoatmeal pepita cookies

this is what i made yesterday. it happened as a result of being stuck inside with the baby, while outside rained all day long.... my husband went to a rock concert after work so i had a good chance of devouring half of the cookies before he got back :) thank god it's not raining today (i might need a jog or some other fitness activity)....
nevertheless, the cookies were amazing, and as my dear hubby said when he tried them late last night "seriously, the best cookies i have ever tasted!"
here are the ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup grated unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 cup or less chocolate chips (i used about 1/3 actually, because i don't like when the cookies are overwhelmed by the chocolate-y taste)
1 1/4 cups regular rolled oats (i prefer the texture of these, as opposed to quick cooking oats)
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

the making: preheat oven to 375°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper

put butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat with mixer until fluffy. add the egg, vanilla and salt and beat again just until combined. stir in coconut and pepitas. in another bowl, combine oats, flour and baking powder, mix well then add to butter mixture, stirring until thoroughly combined.

drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them about 1-2 inches apart. bake about 10-11 minutes for softer/chewy cookies. then set aside on a cooling rack.wait!for them to cool before eating (if you can).serve with a nice latte.. store in an airtight container.

spanakopita/ banitsa with spinach

this might be either a greek or a bulgarian recipe, but regardless of the nationality- it's a tasty and hard to mess up dish..it's also something rather quick you can make if you have unexpected visitors. i'm not claiming it's healthy by any means though....
here's what products you'll need:


- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 stick butter
- bunch green onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb package frozen spinach (use organic, spinach is one of the "Dirty Dozen" )
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup crumbled sheep's feta cheese (Bulgarian vs Greek, I make it with Bulgarian)
- pinch of nutmeg
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup yogurt
- 12 sheets phyllo dough
- more olive oil for sauteeing the spinach and oiling the baking dish

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9x9in baking pan (or use 4qt pyrex baking dish, also works)
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute green onions and garlic, until soft. Mix in the thawed spinach and parsley, and continue to saute about 5 minutes. Season with nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix together eggs, yogurt and feta. Stir in spinach mixture.
Melt the butter. Mix it in with the 2tbs of olive oil. Lay a sheet of phyllo dough in the baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil mixture. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with oil mixture, and repeat process. After 6 sheets pour in and spread the spinach/cheese/yogurt mixture. Then layer remaining 6 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil mixture. PRIOR to baking cut the spanakopita into squares- this will allow for the filling to spread and cook evenly.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into the pre-cut squares and serve warm. Yum!