Tarragon and Chives

  Besides the striking blonde color of these popular bar cookies, what makes a blondie a blondie?  Is it the lack of chocolate or is it the addition of brown sugar and the butter?  Or the maple or the bourbon?  Definitely not the maple or the bourbon, but don't leave those out.  Blondies have a dense texture, like a fudge brownie, neither gooey or cakey, we are not talking gooey bars here.  My vote is on the just right combination of brown sugar and the butter in the batter, they're just not blondies without a firm whisking to thicken these necessary ingredients. Also the nuts, I prefer chopped pecans sprinkled on top.  I've always been a fan of blondies, they are just so wholesome, almost a kind of health food.  I followed the NYT recipe fairly closely, with a few changes, so here is the recipe. Maple Brown Sugar Bourbon Blondies Ingredients and Recipe  Makes 16 bar cookies 1 stick or 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 2 table

One day it's Christmas 🎄 cookies for lunch and the next day it's a fruity nutty salad, must be January.  My house, after Christmas, feels decluttered and cleaner but colder without my holiday decorations.  I know that's what the fireplace is for but you have to admit that a roaring fire in a living room filled with Christmas decorations makes everything feel cozier.  January is a month to catch up with good friends, organize, diet and eat salads, the tastier the better.  A tasty salad 🥗  for lunch helps to take the sting away from an empty cookie jar. Our dear friends from Portland sent us a box of delicious pears 🍐  I peeled a few, didn't really need to do that, and then sliced them for my salad.  The slices of pears are hidden under the greens that I piled up on top.  A sprinkle of hazelnuts, blue cheese and dried cranberries over the mounded pears and greens are just waiting to be mixed together in each bite. I drizzled a very good extra virgin olive oil and balsa