These cookies were inspired by my craving for ice cream sandwiches. I’ve been on an ice cream binge lately and the thought of dark chocolate and caramel wrapped around a scoop of vanilla ice cream seemed very appealing. I started with a basic chocolate cookie dough, chopped up a bar of dark baking chocolate then added some caramel bits to the mix with just a sprinkling of sea salt over the top. For those who love this combination, it’s like eating a decadent candy bar filled with gooey caramel. The ice cream sandwiches turned out better than I had imagined, I could indulge in these all summer long!
It was almost 3 years ago that I began sharing my love of food and recipes. My vision of the perfect blog was to take beautiful photos of food and paint a picture, so to speak, as to how a recipe comes together with step by step instructions. I have always been drawn to cookbooks with beautiful photos and wanted to create something that would let you imagine the aroma and taste of the dish. I quickly found that I didn’t have very many plates and dishes in which to lay out my recipes. I look back at the early posts and see the same plates used over and over for the first few month’s. My sister Kat solved my problem and enlightened me to a whole new world. I call her the “Queen of Thrifting”. She has a vintage eye and knows what to look for at yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores. It’s like a treasure hunt when we go thrifting. Over the past 3 years I have acquired quite a collection of items that I found at Goodwill and other thrift stores. I don’t spend very much, if it’s too expensive at one place, there’s another shop right around the corner that might have something better or cheaper. It’s like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. Some days you hit the jack pot and other days not so much. The fun comes when you find something rare or something new or something that you like to collect. I’m also sharing a couple of my favorite things, things that were handed down to me or tugged at my heartstrings like my very own cookbook. Josh designed it and gave it to me for Christmas. It brought me to tears when I unwrapped it and saw how much work and love went into making it. It’s something I will treasure forever!
Awhile back I went through some boxes in the basement and came across my old Westerner cup. Growing up in Tucumcari, the Westerner Drive Inn was the place to be on any given night for Rattler Burgers or Westerner Tacos. Oh, how I miss those tacos . . . The Westerner is no longer in business, just a shell of a building left standing, but every time I think about it I get nostalgic. There are a few places in New Mexico that I find myself reminiscing about. Blakes Lotaburger has been a New Mexico tradition since the 50’s for those Lotaburgers with green chile, and just recently Kat and I went to the Frontier Restaurant down on Central in Albuquerque which has been around forever. It’s located near the UNM, a few blocks from where Joe and I had a little apartment when he was going to college. All those years we lived so close and I never ate there even though it was famous for it’s New Mexican cuisine. I thought I had all the time in the world to experience The Frontier among other things but time and circumstances changed. The Frontier is known for their jumbo cinnamon rolls, green chile cheeseburgers and Frontier burritos as well as other breakfast, lunch and dinner specialties. We each had a Frontier Burrito with fries on the side generously sprinkled with melted cheese and green chile. It was an awesome experience all around, especially the atmosphere, Southwest art deco and food. So if you are ever in the neighborhood, pick up a Lotaburger or stop by the Frontier for a giant burrito.
If your family is like mine it goes through a lot of granola bars. Granola bars are great to pack sack lunches, quell the late afternoon hunger pains and to take along a favorite hiking trail. In the last few years our vacations have taken us on hiking and backpacking adventures where the need for lightweight food staples are a must. Granola bars that contain fruit, nuts and peanut butter are almost always sought after for the energy they provide. By making granola bars at home you can create flavors from fruits, nuts and grains that reflect your own personal tastes. I went to Sprouts where you can find a bounty of bins and barrels full of different types of grains, dried fruits and nuts to choose. I plan on trying some different combinations this summer but in the meantime, here’s a simple “no bake” granola bar that brings out a little bit of salty and sweetness with some peanut butter to bind them together.
An Inspired Cook 