Chocolate, Hazelnut & Ginger Cookies

They're classic American cookies, the crispy kind, like those simple, welcoming chocolate chip cookies.  This is a version with my favorite flavors.  They remind me of my high school friend's mother.  American cookies in general.  She was Malaysian, and what a cook, with a repertoire that stretched from curried chicken to fried noodles and chocolate cakes.  And my generous friend, YC, always brought boxes of her mom's baked goods to share with us ravenous teenagers.  I recalled her brownies in particular: decadent, rich fudgy brownies with that crisp top.  When I asked YC for her mom's magical brownie recipe, she said it was from Betty Crocker - a ready mix - all this time her mother was just mixing some egg and water into a bowl along with the contents of a commercialized box - and I had never felt so cheated before.

Scallops with Herbed Peas & Citrus Crumbs

Oh as much as I love eating scallops I just hate preparing them.  They're stubborn little things when you try to pry them open -- fair enough, you're killing them, but it's a task I face with utter dread.  I always fear my knife snapping in half.  Or, since once I stabbed my palm really badly, I'm worried about cutting myself or stabbing myself or have the knife snap in half and the blade pierce through my body #paranoidmindset

The Benedict Bar

It's always a bit concerning when you make something and it doesn't quite look like the photo in the cookbook.  See, in the photo it looks to be a 1:1 ratio of that nutty topping and the shortbread.  Anyway, it may not be what the cookbook authors had intended it to be, but these bars are still pretty damn good - the more sweet buttery nut topping the better I say.