Cupcakes & Pasta

Yesterday was an extra special day. Not only was it my dad's birthday, but it was also the birthday of my grandma (mom's mom). I didn't get to celebrate with my dad this year, but I'll see him in a couple weeks. On Sunday though, we had brunch for my grandma's birthday, and it was great. My aunt Martha made green chile stew, beans, and fried eggs for those who wanted one. We also picked up some delicious Indian bread from a nearby reservation. My contribution was, as always, the dessert. 

My grandma like anything and everything sweet, so it was hard to settle on something. While I was contemplating what to make, I recalled a conversation that my grandma and I had recently about ginger snaps. She was telling me how much she loves the cookies and how her mom used to always keep a bag on hand. The other day on A Beautiful Mess, I saw this idea to add cookie butter to frosting, and I thought that seemed like the perfect match for this occasion. I made a batch of yellow cupcakes, and added a couple of scoops of cookie butter to a basic buttercream recipe. Perfect. Have you ever had cookie butter? It's sold at Trader Joe's, and has a slight gingersnappy flavor, without being overwhelming. I'm not a huge fan of gingersnaps, but I love this cookie butter. (Especially with some honey wheat pretzels.)

Yesterday was Meatless Monday, and I made an especially delicious dish for lunch. I wanted pasta, but in the interest of being healthy, I cut back on the carbs and piled on the veggies. I added goat cheese for a bit of creaminess, just because I had some on hand. You could add chicken or shrimp, if you felt so inclined. Here's the recipe.

(Serves one)

1/4 cup pasta

4-5 mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 cup spinach

goat cheese (I used about two tablespoons.)

spices (I used Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning, but you can use whatever you like.)

Boil pasta according to directions. Saute mushrooms in a bit of olive oil. Add tomatoes and spices and cook for two more minutes. Add spinach, pasta and goat cheese.  Enjoy!