Everything Old is New Again

Alright , so it's been a while. We decided it was time for a change and in January 2010, we left our cozy westside neighborhood in Los Angeles and headed North to Oakland. So far, I am LOVING the East Bay and the city of Oakland. The local farmers market, the amazing food and wine culture in the Bay Area and having seasons again has inspired me to cook, travel and blog again. Also, with this move, Tony decided that it's time we got a DV-R (which I can't believe we ever lived without) and I've been able to nerd out and record all of my favorite cooking shows during the day so I've been exposed to even more recipes than before. So with this new year, comes the revitalization of Vanilla Pleasures, the Oakland Edition.

So... on with the show. Since I now live in an area that has normal seasons and it is Winter, I have been craving comfort foods lately. Tony surprised me this Christmas with a beautiful Lemon Yellow Kitchen Aid Mixer so I've been baking up a storm. After work last week I watched a recorded episode of Giada at Home where she made Peanut Butter Cookies with Blackberry Jam. This recipe combines all of my favorite ingredients (peanut butter, chocolate and berry jam) and tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in cookie form. I made this recipe this past very cold Oscar Sunday and took them to a party and they were an instant hit. I highly recommend making these bad boys when you need to warm up your soul or you just need some comfort food.