Tour de France (almost)

On my bike ride to the grocery store last night, an older man on a bike behind me, sped up and appeared as though he was racing me. He caught up to me at the red light, and edged just ever so slightly in front, turning to look at the crosswalk sign and back at me, back at the sign and back at me. I smiled and said,'hi' not knowing how else to respond at this point, but he said nothing. I started thinking about how funny it would be if he was really trying to race me. The light turned green, he peeled off the curb, and for the next mile looked over his shoulder every few seconds to monitor my placement. I was laughing out loud by this point (do not worry... not loud enough for him to hear). He really was racing. This was serious business to him. No little lady with a basket on her bike was gonna beat him. Now, as an important side note, he was not wearing a helmet.
(there is no smart reason to not wear a helmet) My helmet wearing opinion was reinforced  a few years ago when a car slung me across the hood. My helmet made a lovely star on the car's windshield, and I think perhaps my head without a helmet would not have looked so pretty after cracking through a windshield. conclude Soapbox.
His path finally diverged from mine, and my grip loosened a bit.
Before last night, a helmet and a basket completed a bike ride, but now I think an unrequested race adds a comical if not thrilling touch.

Another thrilling but less comical part of my day was experimenting with a chocolate peppermint cookie.

The flavor bursts with the freshness of candy canes like an  an unexpected snow flake and finishes with rich deep chocolate goodness..

With so much to do next week, go ahead and whip up this recipe over the weekend. They freeze well pre-baked. So make a bunch, freeze them, and pop them in the oven for fresh hot cookies to make your guests feel loved.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies makes 20, 2 inch cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract (flavor)
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips
3 candy canes or  1/4 cup starlight mints smashed into little pieces

1. heat oven to 350. cream butter with sugars
2. add eggs, salt, and extracts
3. mix in flour, cocoa, and baking powder
4. stir in chips and peppermints
5. drop golf ball size amounts onto lined sheet and bake 10 minutes, or freeze golf ball portions in a ziploc for later baking
6. enjoy