the power of 15 minutes...and pot stickers!

I'm on Winter Break today through Monday! {WHCS is calling it Semester Break - I don't know why because it's not at the semester - since it still feels very much like winter, I am calling it "Winter Break!"} Anyway, we will be keeping the home fires {and heaters!}burning, so I made a lengthy list of things to accomplish over the long weekend, with the two greatest goals being to get our income tax info sent to our accountant, and to prep and paint the guest loo. Both tasks are towering over me like the Leaning Tower of Pisa! Finally, after making flour-less & butter-less deep dark chocolate cookies {which were absolutely amazing!} and pittering with other various things all morning to avoid the inevitable, I cleaned up from our lunch of leftover lo mein and POT STICKERS. {more on these babies at the end of this post!} Then I morbidly repeated FlyLady's mantra - "2015 is your year to shine, 15 minutes at a time!" and sat down to do taxes for ONLY 15 minutes, but ended up excitedly working on them for an hour! After supper, I decided to start cutting in with Kilz for 15 minutes before sitting down with my maple tea, but lo and behold if that mere 15 minutes didn't also morph into an hour! Needless to say, I was happy with the progress made in both areas! If it doesn't prove to be too bothersome, I am going to keep a tally of how many "15 minutes" it takes me to complete both projects! Usually, things aren't nearly as big of a deal as I make them out to be in my mind! Unless they are a bigger deal, which happens frequently. So, who knows which category these will fall in! I am still bonded with the notion that a very pale, fresh mint with British accents will be posh for the pot room! LOVE this mint bedroom! It is Benjamin Moore's "At Sea." We haven't chosen the exact tint we want yet. Please comment with color ideas!

And BREAKING NEWS FLASH! You can buy these tantalizing pot stickers at Dollar Tree for only $1!!!! I'm hooked! I made some homemade ponzu sauce to dip them in. Asian food just does it for me these days. Really, just FOOD in general! I think it's the grey, winter weather that has been making me so hungry lately! :) My recent posts have all been quite foodific! Oh well, it's who I am! I might as well add the recipe for the chocolate cookies!

Flour-less Dark Chocolate Cookies-recipe adapted from the Divine baker

Makes about 24 cookies

Each cookie is approx. 72 calories

Ingredients:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces)
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
•  2 cups powdered sugar, divided (plus 1/2 cup for cookie coating)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 large  baking sheets with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Set aside and let cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow cream.

Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Then, on a low speed, add these dry ingredients into the marshmallow cream mixture.

Next, add remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips to lukewarm chocolate mixture (dough will become very stiff).

Add chocolate mixture to cream mixture and blend well.

Place remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart.

Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes.

Transfer to rack, cool.