New Life - and healthy chocolate cookies

I have always seen myself as having a black thumb - we automatically purchased almost everything for our garden this year certain that I would be unable to start anything successfully from seed. Yet...

this morning I baffled all three of my men by being utterly awed by this...

I sat, and stared, and sat and stared...

I have made our proud announcement to all who walk by... our sunflowers came through! What magic! The mammoth with its seed so large and its leaves pushing, pushing, to break free. The evening sun with its ruby toned stalk proudly pressing upward. What a miracle. Never before.

Well everyday most places, but never before here. And our strawberries are THRIVING!

And all the tiny seedlings in the background? Pretty sure they are the poppies and wildflowers we also were sure hadn't made it.

Enthralled I rushed over to our community garden and peeked... sure enough! There too my sunflowers had finally come through! I had given up completely! And what's more, my radishes that I planted on Saturday are already through and thick! And somehow the zinnias that I accidentally planted weeks ago where the radishes were meant to be and that I had presumed dead, popped through too. We'll see how they co-habitate!

PS I have been delighting in making cookies from Veganomicon and adapted this one enough that I thought I could share it without it being stealing. ENJOY!

PB and J Chocolate Cookies

1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1 c honey
1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup canola oil
1 t vanilla
1 t almond extract
1/2 c plus a little unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 himalayan rock salt (just what i had!)
1/3 c natural peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350

Mix wet ingredients and dry separately then add dry to wet in three batches.
By last batch it will be workable like play dough and you can add your pb in however you desire (or save it to make sandwiches with the warm cookies! yummmm)

Roll dough into walnut sized balls and smush then pop on the sheet (they dont spread) in the oven for 10 min, cool for 10 more, and ENJOY!!

(I had kids running over on the playground to beg for these, so make lots.)

PPS Thanks for all of the prayers and advice for Rowan. His rash seems much better today. His first request upon waking was to head to the park. He even pulled on his shoes over his jammies!