A focused freshman 15

I love my job and the work environment in general. I am so lucky to be where I am...at a company that appreciates food as much as I do. Ha. OK. In all seriousness, my company has excellent core values as well as an approach to the work-life balance that I admire and appreciate. But. Also. The company sure likes food. Some people even warned me of the AHA! 15 when I got hired. 

Every Monday we have Community Lunch. A sign-up sheet circulates the Friday before, and everyone signs up to bring an item based on the theme (oh how I love me a good themed function to boot!). Last week, we had a tapas/appetizer lunch. My coworkers really showcased their creativity, and I tried to drum up something in a hurry, following our fun-filled weekend in Sunriver. 

My mom and I scoured our mental recipe books as well as scoped out some cookbooks and websites. In the end, we both decided I should try a simple appetizer from a magazine ad for puff pastry. I think they're called spinach and cheese wheels or something, but I decided to use a peppery cheese blend and add bacon to really make 'em pop. What's better than bacon? Well...bacon + puff pastry. A perfect marriage. 

Super simple method. Just thaw the puff pastry, roll it out, brush with an egg wash, top with spinach (I used frozen chopped spinach--thawed and thoroughly squeezed free of excess water), sprinkle with your favorite cheese or cheeses, and then toss on some crumbled bacon. Roll it all up and cut into little wheels! Just brush on a little more egg wash for that glisteny look. I think I baked them for 15 minutes or so on 350 degrees.

The next day at work, we had a garage sale as well as a cookie baking contest. I was a little over ambitious and thought I could get two different kinds of cookies baked, including my absolute go-to for oohs and ahhs, Salties, as well as a new cookie Taylor's sister introduced me to. She came up for a bake night a couple weeks ago and brought this incredible Heath-white chocolate-coconut cookie recipe. I think she found it on Pinterest. I gave my portion to Taylor to share at work, and he said they were a hit. I've since decided to call them the "AHA!s" as I won second place in the cookie contest with these treats.

My winnings from the contest--mini bundts! Can't wait to put this to use! 

I don't have a photo of the cookies (sad!), but I'll be sure to snap one next time. What I love about this recipe is how you can just throw everything into the KitchenAid and crank on the power. Piece of cake. Here's the recipe, from a blog called That Skinny Chick Can Bake: 

1 ¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup quick-cooking oats
4 1.4 ounce Heath bars, cut into chunks

1/2 cup coconut, shredded
8 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 375º. Line baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.Add vanilla and egg. Beat well.

Add flour, baking soda and salt to creamed mixture. Mix well

Add oats, toffee pieces, coconut and white chips. Mix well.

Place heaping tablespoons of dough on baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

Allow cookies to cool a few minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

Try them for yourself! Thanks for the recipe, Whitney! XOXO