Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have tried several oatmeal chocolate chip recipes over the years.  I have never really LOVED one that I've tried.  Until this one!!!  I found it at ourbestbites.com and I'm including the recipe below in case the link is ever broken, not because I don't want to give them all the credit.  The only changes I made were in the chocolate chips and the size.  I used a 10 oz bag of mini m&m's baking chips and then 1 1/2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips. I also made mine slightly smaller.  It made about 2 1/2 dozen and I baked them for 9-10 minutes.  This is an absolute win and I will make them over and over again!!

Here is the recipe copied from Our Best Bites. (Please use their link if it is still available.) None of the recipe below is my original work.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife (very high altitudes may want to try adding 2 additional tablespoons of flour)
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon table salt)
• 3 cups (or 18 ounces) chocolate chips (I use 1 bag of the Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips and then make up the difference with semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325. If desired, line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
2. Beat the softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except the chocolate chips). Add to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix until combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix until just combined.
4. Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, drop the dough by the scoopful onto the prepared baking sheets. You should be able to get about 6 cookies per sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until they begin to turn light brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely (or don’t…no shame…) Makes 18 giant cookies.

Sesame Noodles

This is a twist from the Pioneer Woman sesame noodles recipe.  I changed a few things to make it more to my liking - eliminating some of the oils and adding more pasta.

16 oz angel hair pasta
1/4 c soy sauce
2 T sugar
4 cloves finely minced garlic
2 T rice vinegar
1 1/2 T sesame oil
2 T canola oil

Mix all ingredients except pasta together in a bowl and whisk well.  Set aside.  Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and then return to the warm pot.  Whisk liquids again quickly and then pour over the top.  Stir to moisten all the pasta. Eat all of it!!

This can be eaten plain or used as a base for your stir fry.  Add meat or vegetables to your liking.

Easy Red Enchiladas

8 flour tortillas
refried beans
grated cheese of choice
1 can enchilada sauce (to your spicy preference)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t garlic powder

Heat oven to 350.  Spray 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.  Mix enchilada sauce, tomato sauce and spices together.  Put just enough in the bottom of the pan to coat it.  Put refried beans and a bit of cheese into each tortilla and roll them up.  Place in the pan seam side down.  Pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce begins to bubble.

Obviously, different fillings can be used.  Left over taco meat, shredded chicken, black beans, a variety of vegetables, salsa, etc

Garlic Butter Tilapia

4 tilapia filets
2 T butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
paprika, salt, pepper, parsley
bread crumbs (optional)

Turn oven to 350
Melt butter in microwave or saucepan, then pour into shallow dish.  Add finely minced garlic and spices to butter.  Dip tilapia into the butter and place on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs if desired.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily.

My kids' favorite side dish with this is couscous.  You can make your own or get the inexpensive box from the grocery store.

French Hot Chocolate

Here is another Christmas tradition for our family and a sometimes special treat for snow days.  Yes, it's cocoa, but kind of fun and elegant!

French Hot Chocolate

(does this font look French?)

½ jar of hot fudge ice cream topping

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1/8 cup of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Warm milk

Warm hot fudge in microwave until pourable.  Put whipping cream into a bowl and whip until it begins to thicken. Add powdered sugar and vanilla.  At the soft peak stage (cream will begin to stand up a little and bend over when lifted with the beaters) slowly pour in fudge and continue whipping until firm.  To serve, put a large scoop of cream mixture into a mug and add warm milk.  Stir and enjoy.

Cinnamon Rolls

These are a Christmas morning and first day of school tradition! I don't even remember how long ago it started, but it's one of the few traditions the kids actually remember, haha!

Amy’s Cinnamon Rolls (makes 30-32)

1 ½ c scalded milk

1 c mashed potatoes (can be instant or leftover)

½ c butter or margarine

¾ c white sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp yeast

1 c warm water

1 tsp white sugar

7 ½ c flour (divided)

2 beaten eggs

Scald milk in small saucepan and set aside to cool slightly.  Make potatoes or warm leftovers.  In a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve yeast in warm water and 1 tsp sugar and set aside to rise  Put warm potatoes, butter, ¾ c sugar and salt in mixing bowl or electric mixer. Pour warm milk over other ingredients in mixing bowl and mix well.  Add 2 cups of flour to the mixing bowl and combine. Add 2 eggs and yeast mixture.  Add 4 ½ c more flour, until batter becomes stiff.  If you are using a hand mixer, turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead in remaining 1 cup of flour for 8-10 minutes.  If you are using a kitchenaid or other counter mixer, add the extra cup of flour slowly and mix on low for 8 minutes.  The dough should still be a bit sticky, but not a sloppy mess.  Add up to another ½ cup of flour if necessary. Do not make it stiff like bread dough or the rolls will come out dry. Dump into a greased bowl and turn once to grease surface of the dough.  Cover and let rise until double, 1-1 ½ hours.

Punch down dough, then turn out on a floured surface.  Divide dough in half and put one half back into the bowl.  Press dough out into a rectangle with your fingertips,  about 16x14 inches. Spread with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon (and raisins or nuts as desired).  Roll up on the long side.  Cut roll into 15-16 pieces and place in a greased pan about an inch apart. Cover again and let rise another hour.  Repeat these steps with the other half of dough.

Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350, or until golden brown.  Frost when still warm.

Frosting: Melt and brown  6 tbsp butter in a saucepan.  Remove from heat and add 3 c powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 2-3 tbsp milk or orange juice to reach desired consistency. Spread on warm rolls.

Sand Dollar Sugar Cookies

For teacher appreciation week we gave all the staff a message in a bottle with these attached.  Yummy and easy.  The recipe comes from http://www.mamamiss.com/2012/07/31/eats-sand-dollar-cinnamon-sugar-cookies/

(All the notes in the recipe come from her.)

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (15 sec in the microwave & another 5 sec will get you there, if you don’t want to wait for butter to soften on its own – HA – it is like watching paint dry – it’s simply fascinating ;)

2 cups powdered sugar (mmm mmm mmm…can taste the sugary goodness already!)

2 eggs whole

2 eggs separated (yolks in one bowl/whites in another – c’mon it’s fun!)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 pinches of kosher salt

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

cinnamon sugar (this gets sprinkled on top)

sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar; Mix until very creamy. (I may or may not have taken a lick after this step – HA! ;)
3. Add the 2 whole eggs and 2 yolks only (reserve the whites for later from the egg separation above); Beat until well combined.
4. Add vanilla and salt; Blend well.
5. Add flour and baking powder; Stir until the dough is very soft.
6. Form a ball with the dough; Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours (I left mine in the fridge overnight).
7. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Roll out the dough to 1/4" thick on a floured surface and cut out 2 5/8” circles.(A mason jar lid is the perfect size.)
9. Brush the circles with the reserved egg whites.
10. Sprinkle each circle lightly with cinnamon sugar and press 5 almond slices into the center of each circle to make a sand dollar (like the pic above).
11. Bake at 350° F for 3 minutes.
12. After 3 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and press the almonds in again, making slight indentations in the circle.
13. Add more cinnamon at this point too, if need be, to adjust the overall coloring of the final cookie.
14. Place the baking sheet back in the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown, another 10 minutes (this time will vary depending on how thick you cut the circles, so just keep an eye on them around the 7 minute mark).
15. Remove from oven; Let rest on baking sheet for 3 minutes.
16. Transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.
17. Dig in!!!
18. Store in an airtight container to keep up to 5 days (Yeah right, these won’t last 5 minutes!)

Notes

Makes 4 dozen

Adapted from Delicious Inspiration