LOVE ME SOME LEFTOVERS: Light Lunches

A good way to re-use some of the rich and heavy leftovers from all the holiday dinners without ending up feeling extra stuffed is just to take a smallish portion of the decadent food and throw it into a somewhat light lunch. Your little portion will satisfy any craving and provide maximum flavor and taste. Just add extra volume with fresh veggies and you’ve got the ultimate lunch.

A tiny handful of buttery green beans tossed in with a giant helping of fresh romaine, carrots, bell peppers, and cucumbers. All topped with a drizzle of blue cheese dressing.

Or for the mexican food lover (like Chris), mix about a third cup portion of pulled shredded pork with light slaw and hot sauce and roll it up in a palm-sized corn tortilla. Voila! This should make your tastebuds and your waistline pretty happy.

GET BAKED: Apple Pancakes

Chris’ mom made delicious apple pancakes on Christmas morning for the family. It tasted like a very light bread pudding that wasn’t too sweet. Warmed up and drizzled with some maple syrup, it was divine especially when served with a steaming cup of tea. Below is the recipe, courtesy of Chris’ wonderful mama!! Thanks, Connie!

Ingredients:

Couple tablespoons of butter (maybe three or four)

6 gala apples

½ cup of milk

2 T. sugar

1 t. vanilla

6 eggs

1 t. nutmeg

½ t. salt

½ t. cinnamon

1 cup flour

Brown sugar

1)Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2)Butter in a 9X12 pan

3):Peel  apples-Slice, quarter, and quarter again

4)Put  apples into 9X 12 pan with butter melted until bubbly.

5)Blend the following  in a blender:

• ½ cup of milk
• 2 T. sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 t. nutmeg
• ½ t. salt
• ½ t. cinnamon
• 1 cup of flour (add last)

6)Pour above blended mixture on top of apples

7)Spread brown sugar all over the mixture.

8)Bake 425 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or longer.

WEEKEND RECAP: Holidaze

The “weekend” for me consisted of everything from Wednesday (day before Christmas Eve) on to Sunday, so I’m just going to jump right in. Less talk, more pictures! Here we go…

Wednesday Night. Holiday party at our house potluck style. Our friends brought over culinary contributions that had all of us half passed out on the couch afterwards from major full-dom. OK maybe that was just me.

Tim and Sarah’s dip

Meghann and Kevin’s sausage balls (holy cow, I had like five of these!!) Meghann promised me the recipe but I can tell you it had breakfast sausage and Bisquick in there.

With ranch and ketchup of course!

Meghann’s out-of-this-world potato au gratin with mushrooms. Hands down, the best I have ever had. The secret, she says, is using multiple types of mushrooms from cremini to brown button to shiitake. Another recipe I want from her.

And her savory puddings, pre-bake.

And Meghann’s green beans!

Tommy and Nicole’s mac ‘n cheese, pre-bake, with goat cheese and caramelized onions on top. Tommy also whipped up an elegant platter of endive salad appetizers but I didn’t get a pic

Last but definitely not least, Chris’ slow-roast pulled pork, waiting to be thrown into a taco.

My plate. Round 1.

Oh, and what was my contribution? Surprise, surprise I did not cook. Instead, I picked up a box of Klondike bars from the market. Ha.

Thursday Night. Christmas Eve. It was me, my mom, Chris and his family and we decided to do Thai takeout instead of cooking. How’s that for holiday convenience?

Shrimp and veggie curry. Can’t remember exact name. Sorry.

Thai spring rolls

A beef and veggie dish

Thai papaya salad

Mango and sticky rice for dessert. Mmmm my favorite.

Friday. Christmas Day. Practically a 4-hour meal. East-meets-West style since my mama contributed her chinese black bean chicken dish and bok choy.

Chris’ mom made a light yet super tasty salad with pomegranate seeds, walnuts and cheese.

My mom’s Chinese black bean chicken with onions

And her healthy and hearty bok choy.

The prime rib. There were also green beans and mashed potatoes but I didn’t get pictures of those. Oh well.

Onto the desserts!! Chris’ younger brother, Elijah, made cannoli with a filling of ricotta cheese, sugar, and chocolate chips. Pre-made cannoli shells were found at Bristol Farms.

More dessert. Apple pie and homemade gingerbread and cookies. Ahhhh my stomach hurts just by looking at these again.

Hope y’all had an equally fabulous holiday. Ciao for now.

FOOD-EO FRIDAY: No-Knead Bread

One of my goals is to start making my own bread from scratch. There’s nothing like a slice of warm, crusty artisan bread, slathered with fresh butter that has been sprinkled lightly with a little bit of fleur de sel. The ingredients to making your own bread is simple: flour, water, yeast, and salt. It’s the time that will get you. Kind of like risotto. Super simple to make, it just requires patience. And one of my 2010 New Year resolutions is to have more patience in the kitchen. After all, what’s that saying? The longer you wait, the sweeter the return? Or something like that. Check out this video from Mark Bittman from The New York Times, who shares a recipe on how to make no-knead bread. All you’ll need are the necessary ingredients and a dutch oven to bake the bread in.

MEET: Ashley Merriman from Top Chef Las Vegas

If any of you caught the most recent season of Top Chef Las Vegas, I’m sure you will agree with me that Ashley Merriman got voted off WAY TOO EARLY! I remember yelling at the television when Padma winced and said, “Ashley… please pack your knives and go.” WTF! I personally thought Ashley was one of the most talented chefs in the group, and I was bitter to see her get kicked off the show. Anyway, enough with my sour attitude and on to something very cool. Ashley has agreed to do a little Q&A for P&B and I’m more than freaking out because I’m a huge fan of hers. Thanks, Ashley!!!!

Hi Ashley. Being a chef (especially one who appeared on Top Chef) seems like such a high-pressure job at times. Can you tell our readers a little bit about the pros and cons of being in the restaurant business? - The pros: every day is an opportunity to get better, be creative and cook great food. The cons: terrible hours, bad pay, and no real life outside of work to speak of.

What are some of your personal favorite restaurants to dine at (they could be anywhere) and what dishes do you typically order at those restaurants? - In NYC: Franny’s, Casa Mono, Lombardi’s. In Seattle: Cafe Juanita, Tamarind Tree, Tilth, Sitka and Spruce. Elsewhere: Le Pigeon (Portland), AOC (LA).

What’s a typical day’s worth of food for you (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) - I don’t really eat a typical breakfast or lunch – my preference is something hot and spicy like a bowl of Pho or two tacos with lots and lots of hot sauce. For dinner I usually have family meal at the restaurant but often will go out after and try and have a little snack of something light – having a salad and two meatballs at Terroir in NYC is once of my favorite things to do.

What are three kitchen essentials a home cook should never be without? - A very sharp knife, a saute pan and a good cutting board.

What’s your favorite recipe that can always impress guests at a dinner party? – I don’t really have “go to” recipes that I use at dinner parties. I think each guest is different and every occasion is different – so I try and cook what is right for the moment and the party. That being said, making your own pasta shows a lot of care and thought.

Outside the kitchen, do you pursue any hobbies? – One of my biggest pursuits is finding the best food in any given city.

If you could cook for anyone in the world (anyone famous, dead or alive) who would it be? And if you could have anyone cook for you, who would that be? - If I could cook for anyone it would probably be the Rolling Stones. And I’d have my chef, Alex Guarnaschellli cook for me.

The end.

LOVE ME SOME LEFTOVERS: Slaw Me Joe

It reads like ‘Salami Joe,’ but I (JC) am going for a play on the Sloppy Joe’s that were never really served in my household despite the hamburger helper spot that always seemed to be playing on the RCA.

After a fun weekend with friends and football, I woke Monday without a craving other than my morning coffee. By the time noon rolled around, I decided I couldn’t wait any longer to repurpose last night’s dishes into my first meal of the day.  If you could picture the US in the image below, my home of California is covered in Mel’s Pancetta Mac & Cheese, the Pacific NW buried in wild rice, and the combination of Luke’s slaw and yesterday’s stew span from Colorado through the fly over states all the way to the Atlantic. Paired excellently with even leftover Ginger Ale (so I keep a can in the fridge when I don’t finish it–don’t judge), last night started coming back to me with the cheese and slaw foundation.

Monday lunch leftovers

MNF Tacos

There you have it, my first post. In case you can’t tell, this was done by Chris, JC, whatever you want to call me. Check in for the next which will be coming quicker than this took, and check back for tomorrow’s ‘MEET.’

GET BAKED: Chocolate Chip Cookies…Not From Scratch

I know (wince!) I didn’t bake something from scratch because I was too tired and lazy. I’m not ashamed to say I went shopping at Whole Foods this weekend with the intention of picking up a box of cookie mix. I never ever do this but a holiday party on Friday night had me feeling much too exhausted (i.e., hungover) to pull out all the baking items from the pantry. Apparently, this 27-year-old just can’t party like she used to. And now…back to the cookies.

I had never heard of Dr. Oetker but decided to give the chocolate chip cookies a shot. Not bad for a 4pm afternoon pick-me-up.

I promise next week to bake from scratch.

WEEKEND RECAP: Friends + Food

We have a friend in town, Luke, who is actually the mastermind behind the name “Pastries & Bacon” – he came up with it when Chris and I professed our love for the sweet and savory side of food. So in honor of his presence, which is always such a pleasure, we had some friends over and just cooked up a medley of things including pancetta mac n cheese, ahi tuna grilled on the bbq, wild rice cooked in our Zojirushi (sweet investment if you’re willing to shell the money for one), beef roast (again!) in the crock pot, and Luke’s blue cheese cole slaw. Our friends brought over sauteed carrots and a giant bowl of delicious creamy mashed potatoes which tasted so light and fluffy despite the butter and parmesan content.

Here’s Luke standing proudly next to his blue cheese cole slaw

…and here is the dish itself

Kevin and Meghann’s lovely carrots and mashed potatoes

Football was on the menu, of course!

But the best part about the weekend was getting my xmas present early from Chris. Actually, it was more like I spotted it by my desk and just ripped the box open. I know, shame on me but I guess I like to spoil things! It’s all good, though, because I was aware what he had gotten me and needless to say, I AM SO THRILLED!!!

Yep, an awesome CANON Powershot SX10IS. I am reading up on how to work all the settings because you can bet I will be playing with this forever. I haven’t had a camera for about two months now and it’s been painful.

Check you later, guys.

FOOD-EO Friday: Jill Santopietro and pizza!

As most of you know, I am a HUGE fan of Jill Santopietro, a chef and recipe tester for The New York Times. She had an amazing little series of food webisodes called TINY KITCHEN which was then named KITCHEN 4B, but sadly the series has been discontinued Thank god for YouTube! Here, Jill shows how easy it is to make a delicious gorgonzola, fig, blue cheese and bacon (whew!) pizza at home in her little New York City kitchen. Check it out. 

MEET: Gina Pell, Content Chief of Splendora Style & Culture Radar

I am super psyched that Gina Pell, the Content Chief of Splendora Style & Culture Radar (splendora.com) agreed to do a little interview for Pastries & Bacon! Thanks, Gina! Oh, and readers, go check out splendora.com – there’s something for everyone

Hi Gina! Thanks so much for being a part of Pastries & Bacon. Can you tell our readers a little bit about what you do? - I am the Content Chief of Splendora Style & Culture Radar, a free weekly email newsletter and daily blog with fashion and lifestyle intel. I oversee Splendora’s editorial department to ensure that they are finding chic, unique, fascinating things for our readers to buy and know about. My main job is to be Splendora’s style ambassador and to encourage more fabulous women to subscribe to our newsletter.

What’s a typical day’s worth of food for you? - Breakfast is usually a cup of coffee and oatmeal with dried cranberries if I have time. Occasionally I will eat a turkey and cheddar sandwich for breakfast if I am working out. Lunch is all over the map. Today I had roast chicken and frites with a glass of champagne. Yesterday I had a half a tuna sandwich with a bag of Pop Chips at my desk. I’m not a big snacker but if I’m hungry midday I’ll have a handful of cashews or worse, a salty junk food snack. I need variety so I rarely ever eat the same meal twice. I really try to make dinners healthy since I have two toddlers and eat what they eat–some kind of a vegetable or salad, fish or chicken, pasta, sushi.

Do you cook much? If so, what are some of your favorite recipes and cookbooks you always turn to? Or if you’re always eating out, where do you dine and what do you order? - I started to cook seriously four years ago before my son was born. During the summer I cook every night otherwise my husband cooks. He’s famous for his pastas. My favorite cookbook is Ellie Krieger’s “The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life”. Ellie is a nutritionist and has a show on the Food Network. She makes quick, tasty, recipes that are low in fat. I also love cookbooks by Jamie Oliver, Ina Garten, Nigella Lawson. My favorite fancy recipe (a dish to impress) is Nigella’s Beef Filet with Red Wine & Anchovies. The fillet costs a fortune at $75 but the meat is so tender and comes out perfect every time. For dessert the easiest and most impressive recipe is Brian Boitano’s Pear & Almond Crostatta. It takes no time at all and the result looks like something behind the counter at a french bakery. Here’s a link to the recipes:

Pear & Almond Crostatta and Beef Fillet

The only place I order take out from is Bluefin Sushi. I order Hamachi Kama (Yellowtail Collar), Shiro Maguro sashimi, Veggie Tempura rolls for my husband and chicken teriyaki for the kids. https://webpos.wlinformation.com/blueFinSushi/ProductList.aspx?category=MTU%3d

What do your weekends consist of? - As I mentioned I am not a creature of habit so my weekends are different adventures every time. Last weekend we went to a Victorian Holiday Fair and I also spent the day face painting for kids from homeless shelters. The weekend before that my children were sick so we stayed in, made popcorn, and took turns giving puppet shows. I also like to go places–neighboring towns, local joints or tourist attractions we’ve never been to… I always get inspiration when I go exploring. In fact, Splendora got its start ten years ago because I put my Rolodex online, which included all the shops, places, experiences I discovered during these jaunts.

Describe your fashion style and a typical outfit you are seen in. - I’m like a bride. I always wear something old, something new, something borrowed (there’s a lot of women who work at Splendora) but something green (either sustainable or the color green). I have an inordinate amount of Christian Louboutins since my best friend Sarah and my sister Lily worked for Christian years ago in his Paris boutique. Sarah always buys me shoes from the Paris press sales so I usually get 20-30 pairs a year. Some days I wear sweats and a tee to the office but today I am wearing a blue Oxford shirt with monogrammed cuffs, a plaid foulard with vintage tie pin, a long button-less cashmere cardigan in Oatmeal, a navy drop waist skirt, a vintage leather belt with custom gold monogram belt buckle (http://www.custom-belt-buckles.com/monogram.php) and grey Loeffler Randal Cutout Booties (http://www.custom-belt-buckles.com/monogram.php)

What are three things on your current wish list? – This might sound really corny but I feel like I a very fortunate person and I really don’t wish for anything material–especially after working with homeless kids for ten years. I have a wonderful husband, my family is healthy, my kids are my joy, and I work with my best friends at Splendora. If I really had three wishes I would save them for my dear in-laws, who are both in their 80s, so that they can live an even longer and happier life.

OK if you could throw your dream fantasy dinner party (think in your wildest imagination), who would you invite, where would you have it, what would you wear, and what kind of food would you serve? – I would invite all my best girlfriends and the following women who would fit right in: Christiane Amanpour, Cat Deely, Sheryl Crow, Meryl Streep, Lady Gaga, Jhumpa Lahiri, Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Lynch (from Glee), Samantha Ronson, Ellen and Portia, Gwen Stefani and Gwyneth Paltrow. I would have my party in the summer in billowy white tents, outfitted Moroccan style, somewhere near a beach, warm, and private. There wouldn’t be a sit down dinner but a constant flow of tasty morsels, exotic fruit, French champagne, and California wine. I would probably have a theme like safari or Jules Verne. There would be dancing, group participation games, and we’d all wear period costumes. At the end of the evening there would be hair braiding, storytelling, a talent show, foot massages by handsome masseurs, and gourmet s’mores by a bonfire.

Thanks so much again, Gina! Stay tuned next week for more MEET!

LOVE ME SOME LEFTOVERS: Beef Roast

Sunday night we made a huge batch (two pounds worth) of beef roast in the slow cooker, knowing that we’d pick at it all week long and use it as a star ingredient in some of the weeknight meals. Monday night, Chris made a trio of beef tacos with cabbage and cholula chili lime sauce – very simple but nonetheless yummy, especially when paired with a glass of chilled Bodington beer.

Tonight, all I wanted was a salad so I tore up pieces of the beef roast and threw it atop a bed of finely chopped romaine, sliced carrots, and drizzled chipotle dressing from Whole Foods all over it. The hearty flavor and texture of the roast (which is WAY better when it’s been sitting in the liquid for a few days) was an exceptional balance to the lightness and crispiness of the fresh lettuce and carrots. Excuse the picture quality  - I’ve been playing around with LOMO effects in photoshop, so I’m obsessed with applying it to everything right now.

Get Baked: Eggless Sugar Cookies

I was in the mood to bake last night but completely out of eggs and way too lazy to go to the store to get some. So I found an easy recipe for eggless sugar cookies. I made my own version by adding vanilla extract and a sprinkling of cinnamon atop each cookie. Here is my rendition of the eggless sugar cookie:

- 8oz butter

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1.5 cup of flour

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- Cream the butter and sugar (I added in about 1 tsp of vanilla extract during this step)

- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt and then mix it in with the butter/sugar combo

- Roll batches of dough into small balls and place on a non-greased cookie sheet (I used an OXO ice cream scoop to measure out perfect portions and stuck them on a silpat, which I highly recommend)

- Press each dough ball lightly with a fork, which has been dipped in sugar (I changed this step and just sprinkled a little bit of sugar and cinnamon atop each ball without pressing it down)

Here are the cookie balls pre-bake (350 degrees for about 9 minutes)

And here they are fresh out of the oven. The cookies came out super thin and super crisp with a shortbread taste and texture. Fine by me!

Get baked with me again next week! Adios.

Weekend Dinner Recap

Now that I’m eating meat again, I find myself longing for the hearty flavors of a wonderful pot roast just about every weekend, especially now that the temperature is chilly outside. Sunday morning started off with the usual dog walk to Bristol Farms, where I loaded up on a large cup of Peet’s Coffee (my absolute favorite) and any other miscellaneous groceries, like two pounds of boneless chuck roast that I planned to slow cook in the crock pot. The recipe for the roast is easy as pie: dice up a large onion, throw it into the crock pot, add the boneless chuck roast, two cups of beef broth, some minced garlic, and any seasoning you desire (in this case, it was salt, pepper, paprika, coriander, and cumin.) Then you let it sit for about, oh, eight hours to which you’ll find the most tender, juicy, mouth-watering roast waiting to be devoured.

Our plan was to make beef tacos dinner but after watching Jill Santopietro’s video on fish tacos the other night, we decided to go big and add fish tacos to the menu, too. We used cod and dusted it lightly in flour so we could pan fry it for a crispy texture. Jill Santopietro advises to fry the fish in both oil and butter. Sounds a little excessive, doesn’t it? Yes, but it is oh so good.

I opted for feasting on the roast and fish over a bed of leftover rice and beans from an awesome Brazilian restaurant close to my house called Bossa Nova. Chris went the taco route and heated up corn tortillas (always a must for tacos – no flour tortilla nonsense here), chopped up some cabbage, and made a plate for himself.

Here’s my plate: a nice helping of the roast, a portion of the lightly fried cod, and some yummy rice and beans (which, to be perfectly honest, I barely touched because I was so full after eating the roast.)

And here is Chris’ plate: fish and beef tacos plus a scoop of the rice and beans

Pastries & Bacon 1.2

Yo! We’re taking Pastries & Bacon to another level…it’s about five steps upwards Check out our new schedule – it’s a fun little project we’re dabbling in, so please bear with us because we want to make this as fun for you as it is for us! Enjoy!

Team Michael Voltaggio

I apologize in advance if you didn’t catch the finale of Top Chef: Season Las Vegas last night and are reading this right now because the ending has just been spoiled. But how ecstatic am I that my kitchen hero and all around badass mofo, Michael Voltaggio, took home gold? It was between him, his brother (who, I’m sure you agree, doesn’t open his mouth wider than two inches when he talks) and Kevin (who is just so lovable it was hard to watch him lose). Michael V showed amazing skill, culinary creativity, kitchen intensity, and true passion for food from Day One so I wasn’t surprised at all that he was the Top Chef winner. And for some odd reason, I found his cocky attitude and at times downright rudeness in the kitchen somewhat amusing.

Lucky for me, I live in Los Angeles, which means I’ll for sure be visiting Michael Voltaggio at his restaurant, The Dining Room inside the Langham Pasadena. SCORE!!

Meet: Alex Kotsias

I’m getting tired talking about me, me, me so I’d like you to meet Alex Kotsias, the beautiful publicist for shoe designer, Rupert Sanderson who I love, love, love. I thought it would be so fun to interview someone else (because, quite frankly, who wants to read what I’ve been eating day in and day out ha!) Not only does Alex have one of the most glamorous jobs in the fashion biz, she also resides in London (and she was so gracious to grant me this interview so thanks Alex!)

1. What are your favorite eateries in London? - China Tang (Chinese), Delfino’s (Italian), Asakusa (Japanese).

2. Do you cook much at home? If so, what are some of your favorite recipes that you like to bust out every now and then? - Me? Cook? Those 2 words hardly ever come together. I have to admit that I don’t much like cooking! That’s not to say I’m bad at it though… My favourite recipe to cook is probably a pork and red wine stir fry, although I only make it about once a year.

3. Describe a typical day of Alex’s eats. - Not very impressive I’m afraid. I usually eat natural yogurt and Dorset Cereals muesli for breakfast. If I go out for a press breakfast I always have poached eggs and toast because that is my ultimate favourite dish to eat in the morning – I wish I always had the time for a cooked breakfast! For lunch I usually have a sandwich and fruit – nothing majorly exciting. If I’m running late in the morning and I don’t make my own lunch, I usually buy sushi. I try and eat out for dinner as much as possible… when I’m at home though, I usually eat a salad with chicken or fish. I generally stay off carbs in the evenings. I have a terrible sweet tooth: I snack on chocolate during the day and I eat ice cream every evening for dessert without fail. At the moment I’m obsessed with Carte D’Or Chocolate Inspiration. Actually, as I write this, I am munching on some mini Turkish Delights that a lovely journalist from Turkish Harper’s Bazaar just bought for Rupert. Unlucky for him, they landed on my desk.

4. What’s your daily work uniform? – working in fashion means that I can pretty much get away with wearing anything to the office. I don’t have a set daily uniform as such. At the moment it varies from leather pencil dresses to high waist silver cigarette pants and fur trimmed tops, with a few vintage dresses thrown in as well. One thing you can always be sure of, is that I never fail to have a pair of killer Rupert Sanderson heels on my feet!

5. What’s the most treasured item in your closet that you’ll never part with? – That’s a tough question and I’m sure if you ask me the same question next week I’d give you a different answer. At the moment it’s this pink satin all-in-one jumpsuit that I bought at Beacon’s Closet last time I was in New York. Think Crystal Carrington x 100 and that pretty much sums up the outfit perfectly!

6. What’s the best part about doing PR? And the worst? – The best part is definitely all the events I attend and meeting really inspirational people every day. The worst? Probably the very long hours.

7. If you could eat only ONE cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? – I’m torn with this question – it’s a tough one! It’s either Chinese or Japanese – please can I just say Asian cuisine?!

My Love of Asparagus

Words cannot express how much I love asparagus. My favorite way to eat them is to roast them for about 20 minutes with plenty of celtic sea salt and pepper. That’s it. They come out perfectly seasoned and soft on the inside yet crisp on the outside. I could seriously eat a pound of roasted asparagus for dinner any night. PS: see that nonstick silpat beneath the asparagus stalks? It’s a must have for lazy people like me who hate having to scrub a cookie sheet clean. Awesome.

The Curious Case of the Extra Thin Cookie

One of my most requested desserts to bake are my white chocolate chip salted cookies. I made them last holiday season and they were a HUGE hit. I mean, HUGE. Epic almost. In fact, I got so many requests for them again this year that I felt a little obliged to make some for a mini shindig we hosted at the house last weekend. But something went awry. They came out looking like they lost about twenty pounds while sitting in the oven. Super thin and super crispy, they were. I was quite disappointed and (like all the guys on Top Chef would do) refused to serve them to our guests just because I didn’t feel they were perfecto. Lucky for me, Chris loves super thin crust pizza, so these were happily gobbled up by him this past week. “It’s like super thin crust pizza, only better!” He said with a huge grin. “Coz they’re sweet!”

True dat.

Here are the cookies prior to losing twenty pounds in the oven.

Post Jenny Craig: super thin!