Mostly allergy friendly no-bake cookies

I am lactose intolerant and hate peanuts...so when I want no bake cookies, I make these!

1 ripe well-mashed banana

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any other milk)

1/2 cup almond butter (or any other nut butter)

pinch of salt

tsp of vanilla extract or spiced rum

3 cups of oats (instant or old-fashioned...old-fashioned makes it chewier) 

Add banana, sugar, cocoa, milk, salt, and almond butter to pan. Boil all ingredients (except oats and vanilla) in medium saucepan and let bubble for about three minutes, stirring frequently, so it can thicken. 

Remove from heat and add oats and vanilla. Let mixture stand for one minute, then spoon onto wax paper. Cool and enjoy!

(tastes like a chocolatey banana cookie - almond flavor is very subtle) 

Alfredo Sauce

Homemade alfredo sauce:

Mince fresh garlic. Melt a pad of butter in a saucepan (roughly 2 tablespoons). Add garlic to melting butter to soften the garlic. Add fresh basil, black pepper, powdered garlic, a dash of rosemary, and a little bit of red pepper flakes. Once garlic is softened add parmesan and/or romano cheeses and allow to get melty and stringy. Add whipping cream. Whisk together on med-low heat until cheese and cream combine, which should take several minutes. Once uniform consistency is reached, it's ready to serve!

Saturday night dinner with friends

So, tonight is the last night my boyfriend is visiting from Washington...so we invited a couple of mutual friends over for dinner! The menu I am making consists of brisket, honey glazed carrots, and garlic and rosemary red potatoes.

I'm using this brisket recipe, following it almost exactly:
http://bakedbree.com/passover-brisket
My modifications: I used thai sweet garlic chili sauce instead of the heinz she used. I probably used a third as much as the recipe calls for, since this is a much spicier alternative. I also sprinkled on a little garlic powder in addition to the fresh because...there is always room for more galic. After two hours of cooking, I take it out of the oven and slice it and put it back in, so the slices of brisket can absorb the sauce.

I'm testing out this carrot recipe:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1650,130177-244195,00.html
I'm modifying it by using olive oil instead of butter because I'm cooking for someone with a dairy allergy.