Starbucks recently came out with their Dark Cherry Mocha drink which I got a few weeks back and it was scrumptious! The mixture of cherry, chocolate, and coffee go very well together and is my new found favorite combination (not so new to the world, but to me it is!). I found a blog that had made Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies and I just had to make it in honor of Starbucks new drink.
I was a little disappointed with the cookies results because they were more cake-like cookies which I’m not a fan of. However, the 2nd day the cookies tasted a lot better. Also, I might add in some coffee to the cookies next time to better mimic the drink.
Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from here)
1/4 cup butter, at room temp + 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup cocoa powder
1 cup dark chocolate chips (I did 1/2 c semi, 1/2 c bittersweet)
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, whip together the sugars, butter, and applesauce till light. Beat in the egg. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Mix into the wet ingredients until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and cherries. Refrigerate for 30 min if dough it soft. Place a tablespoons of cookie dough on a baking sheet spaced out. Bake for about 10-14 min. Cool on cooling rack.
I hate the traditional pasta + pasta sauce combination. It’s over done, plain, and not much nutrition in it. When I can find a new way to prepare pasta that’s easy and good, I’m thoroughly excited. The following recipe contains your carbs, dairy, protein, and veggies. Can’t get better than that. I’m not sure where it gets its name from but I’ve no complaints. I feel like it would be a kid-approved dish but that’s to be further tested. 
Pecos Pasta (from here)
2 cups uncooked elbow pasta
1 tbs butter
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 (15 oz) cans chili with beans
20 oz frozen corn, thawed
1 cup shredded cheese (I used sliced cheddar cheese since I had it on hand)
salt and pepper
In a large pot, boil water. Season with salt and cook elbow pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a skillet, melt butter and saute your onion and bell pepper till soft. Add the cans of chili, corn, salt and pepper and cook for 5 min. Mix in the pasta and cheese. Cover and cook for 5 more min until combined. Served while hot.
[...] Pecos Pasta [...]