Susie Homemaker.

I don't think I am necessarily nesting but I have had an increased desire to cook and bake and chop over the last few days.  Since there isn't much else for me to do till she gets here, I am just going with it.  Yesterday I made this granola and those delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and our apartment smelled divine... until I made those purple lovelies photographed above.  That, my friends, is roasted cabbage with Gorgonzola.  Pungent, to say the least, but delicious, nonetheless.  If you're a fan of smelly cheese, then you'll love this.  Here's the recipe.

Roasted Cabbage with Gorgonzola:

• Preheat oven to 400F
• Wash and cut a red cabbage into 1/2 inch-thick slices
• Brush both sides of cabbage with olive oil
• Roast in oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until edges turn crispy and golden brown
• Remove from oven and top with crumbled Gorgonzola (and eat a bite or two of cheese while doing this)
• Roast for another 5 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly
• Top with a bit of salt and cracked black pepper.  Enjoy.  Share if you must.

I chowed down on those delectable cabbage slices.  My husband wasn't as much of a fan, though.  I think it was because he left for a run right before I made them and then got a smelly punch-in-the-face when he walked back in, post-run, and smelled these guys, fresh out of the oven.  Hey, no big deal.  Just more for me.

And then today, I made this.  Almond coconut butter (recipe found here).  Yum.  And I had an epiphany.  I will never buy store-bought peanut or nut butter again.  It is SO EASY to make your own.  And probably cheaper, too (I pay $6.50 for a puny 16 oz jar from Whole Foods!).  Here you go.

Almond Coconut Butter:

• 2 cups roasted, unsalted almonds
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt

Add the above ingredients to a food processor.  Blend for 10 minutes.  That's it.  No joke.  It'll go from chunky to mushy to smooth and delicious in those 10 minutes.  Don't add any water or oil.  Just let it blend and watch the magic happen (squeegee down the sides once or twice).  And it tastes so good!  Store in the fridge to keep it from separating.  I'll let you know how long it keeps but I'm assuming up to 2 weeks.  No more store-bought peanut butter for us!

What have you made lately that shocked you at how easy it was to make?  Maybe I am just way slow but I didn't realize just how easy it is to make nut butters from scratch.  Amazing!