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

Shaylie's Strawberry Cheesecake

 

This recipe comes from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/222588/strawberry-cheesecake/
Shaylie requested strawberry cheesecake for her birthday this year, so I did a web search and found this one.  It was just as gorgeous as the picture shows and a winner for sure!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed and drained
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon water (optional)

Directions

1. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a bowl. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
3. Place strawberries and cornstarch into a blender. Cover and puree until smooth. Pour strawberry sauce into a saucepan.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil and stir until sauce is thick and shiny, about 2 minutes. Set aside 1/3 cup strawberry sauce; cool. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce for serving.
5. Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually beat in condensed milk. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla extract, then beat in eggs on low speed until just combined. Pour half of cream cheese mixture over crust; drop half of reserved strawberry sauce by 1/2 teaspoonfuls on cream cheese layer. Carefully spoon remaining cream cheese mixture over sauce; drop remaining strawberry sauce by 1/2 teaspoonfuls on top. Cut through top layer only with a knife to swirl strawberry sauce.
6. Bake in preheated oven until center is almost set, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Serve reserved strawberry sauce with cheesecake. If the sauce it too thick, stir in water.

Salted Caramel Popcorn

Yes, this is as good as it sounds!  This recipe comes from Laura Harris who found it at http://cookiesandcups.com/salted-caramel-popcorn/#_a5y_p=1602723

 

Makes about 16 cups of caramel corn

Ingredients

• ½ cup unpopped popcorn kernels (about 16 cups popped corn)
• 1 cup salted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup light corn syrup
• 1½ - 2 tsp kosher or sea salt, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300°
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
3. Pop popcorn kernels using air popper into a large bowl.
4. In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and 1 tsp salt together over medium heat. Bring to boil. Boil for 4 minutes without stirring.
5. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and stir to coat evenly.
6. Pour popcorn into lined pan, sprinkle remaining salt on top (1/2 tsp - 1 tsp depending on your personal taste preference) and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
7. Allow popcorn to cool on a parchment lined counter.

Notes

You can add in 2 cups of nuts to the un-coated popcorn if desired! Coat with caramel as states!

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

These are spectacular!!  They were served at a teacher appreciation luncheon and I shamelessly hunted down the chef until the recipe was in my hands.  Now, I'll put it here so I can find it next time.  Thanks to Jennifer Roth!


1. Make Lemon Cupcakes as directed in the recipe below except - place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups, toss 1 cup of blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about 1/2 full, and sprinkle berries over batter in each cup. Bake and cool as directed in recipe.
2. In medium bowl, beat frosting ingredients with electric mixer on high speed about 4 minutes or until smooth and well blended, adding more milk 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed. I personally would double this recipe. I am much better at piping icing than frosting icing.


Lemon Cupcakes:
1 1/3 C all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C butter or margarine softened
1 1/4 C sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 C milk

1. Heat oven to 350. Place baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl occasionally. Beat 2 minutes longer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture, about 1/3 of mixture at a time. and milk, about 1/2 at a time, beating just until blended.
4. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; place on cooling racks until cool. Frost with desired frosting.

Frosting:
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp kosher (coarse) salt
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp. milk

Garnish:
1 cup fresh blueberries
Lemon peel twists, if desired
Fresh mint leaves, if desired

Stir Fry

For a basic stir fry:

1 lb meat of choice
1 Tb corn starch
1 Tb soy sauce
Cut veggies of choice ( onion, carrots, broccoli, a frozen bag of oriental, etc)
Spices of choice ( ginger, garlic, green onion, sesame seeds, pepper-red or black, etc)
Sauce ( teriyaki, sweet and sour, bottled, orange, etc)

Stir fry meat can always be added plain, but if you want a little extra flavor add 1 Tb corn starch and 1 Tb soy sauce can make a difference.

 Cut up 1 pound chicken, beef or pork into pieces as desired. Sprinkle corn starch and soy sauce over the top.  Stir well.  Heat a small amount of oil (1 Tb) in a frying pan or wok and you are set. Adjust corn starch and soy sauce amounts as necessary for quantity of meat.

Cook meat, remove from the pan. Add spices and brown quickly. Cook vegetables until almost ready. Return meat. Add sauce of choice. Serve over rice or sesame noodles.

Pork Loin Roast

Since one of the less expensive cuts of meat here is pork loin, I've found quite a few ways to use it 

Chalupa pork

Barbecue pork sandwiches

Carnitas

Posole

And traditional roast

I never really loved the roast recipe I used even though it was easy 

Then, I found this one!

Everyone commented on how much they liked it. 

Winner, winner, pork loin dinner!

2-3 pound pork loin

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

2 cups water

1 cup beef broth

3 Tb fresh minced garlic

3 Tb soy sauce

Black pepper to taste

Place pork in crock pot with the soup packet. Pour water, broth and soy sauce over the top. Turn the roast to coat all sides. Spread the garlic over the top leaving as much as possible on the roast. Sprinkle with pepper. Cover and cook on low for 7+ hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the roast to a platter. Stir 1 1/2 Tb of flour into a tiny amount of cold water until it is smooth. Pour this into the liquid in the crock pot and whisk. Replace the roast and cover. Gravy will thicken as it warms. You can skip this step and just serve the thinner sauce as an au jus if preferred.

Deirdra's Breadsticks

I had these for the first time at a ward RS Christmas party.  They are wonderful.  When I heard that they took only an hour to have on the table, I knew I had to have the recipe.  My family loves them!

Ingredients:

 1 tbsp yeast

1 1/2 cups water

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

3 1/2 - 4 cups flour (use your judgment)

3/4 - 1 stick butter (6 - 8 tbsp)

Dissolve yeast in water, then add sugar, salt and flour and knead for 3 minutes in the mixer.  Let rest for 10-15 minutes.  Melt butter and pour into sheet pan.  Roll dough out on a well-floured surface into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut in to about 12 strips crosswise, then cut in half lengthwise.  I use a pizza cutter to cut the dough.  Take each strip, dip one side of dough in melted butter in sheet pan then flip it over and dip other side.  I twist mine as well after I dip them.  Arrange them in pan.  The dough will fill up the pan so leave space in between.  Sprinkle the breadsticks with garlic salt or whatever other seasoning you would like.  Let rise until fluffy and fat (about 35-40 minutes in a nice warm place, mine is usually a partially warmed oven).  Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until just barely golden brown.  Let cool a couple minutes, then remove them from a pan onto a cooling rack or a platter with a dishtowel (they will get soggy if you leave them in the pan or just put them on a plate without a towel.)  Serve asap.  Enjoy!

Blackened Tilapia

I'm always looking for a creative fish recipe.

The basic breaded with lemon, or garlic Parmesan, though yummy, gets old.

I found this on the last package I bought and tried it out.

It is quite spicy, so if you like things a little milder, reduce the cayenne and chili powder.

The left overs made great fish tacos the next day!

1 lb tilapia fillets (about 4-5 depending on size)

1 T chili powder

1 t cayenne

2 tsp black pepper

1 T paprika

1 T onion powder

1/2 T garlic powder

1 t oregano

1 t ground thyme

1 t brown sugar

cooking oil

Combine dry spices together to create a rub.  Completely coat the fillets and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes before cooking.  Heat oil in a large skillet and add fillets.  Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Serve while hot.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

I tried this for the first time this month and loved it!

Sadly, the Johnson children did not.

It involved the dreaded ingredient, squash, and they claimed it was more like warm baby food.

Ahhh, the life of a mother.

I still plan to make it again, maybe just for me.

This recipe is to serve 4.

1 butternut squash  (I cheated on this and bought the prepared package in the store.)

1/2 T olive oil

4 T butter

1-2 Granny Smith apples, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 t curry powder

16 oz chicken stock

1/2 c heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

If using a whole squash, slice in half and remove seeds.  Place on lined baking sheet and rub with olive oil.  Place cut side up and roast at 350 until tender and slightly browned.  (If you bought the precut package, microwave or bake until tender.)

Melt butter in large pot.  Add apples, celery, carrots, onion and curry powder. Saute until soft.  Add squash and chicken stock to the pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.  With a potato masher or blender, blend until smooth.  Return to low heat and add cream - just to heat through.  Do not boil.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

*It is quite thick, so more stock or cream could be added to reach the desired consistency.

Texas Caviar

This is a favorite appetizer from my sister-in-law, Michell.

It makes enough for a party, so if it's for your family only, adjust accordingly.

It is great served with tortilla chips.

1 16 oz zesty Italian dressing

1-2 cans sweet corn, drained

1-2 cans black eyed peas, drained

3 large tomatoes, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 bunch green onions, sliced

1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and stir.  Allow to chill before serving so flavors can marry.

Coconut Yams

This recipe is from my sister, Melissa.

If you need a yams dish, try this one out.

6 fresh yams

1 c white sugar

1/2 c milk

1/3 c butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

Topping

1 c coconut

1 c chopped pecans

1 c brown sugar

1/3 c flour

1/3 c melted butter

Boil whole yams in water until slightly tender, but still firm in the center.  Cool and peel skin.  Cut into 1 inch slices and layer in 9x13 pan.  Combine white sugar, milk, butter, eggs, vanilla and salt and pour over yams.  Combine all topping ingredients and mix together with a fork.  Spread over the top of the yams.  Bake uncovered at 375 for 35 minutes.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Yes, there are ways to make this faster with a box or can of pie filling.

For me, it's worth it to make it from scratch!.

Makes 1 pie.

1 baked 9" pie shell

Filling

1 1/2 c sugar

1 1/2 c water

1/2 t salt

1/2 c cornstarch

1/3 c water

4 egg yolks (beaten)

1/2 c lemon juice

3 T butter

1 t lemon zest (optional)

Meringue

4 egg whites

1/4 t salt

1/2 c sugar

Combine 1 1/2 c sugar, 1 1/2 c water and 1/2 t salt in a saucepan.  Heat to boiling.  Mix cornstarch and 1/3 c water to make a smooth paste.  Add to boiling mixture gradually.  Stirring constantly, cook until thick and clear.  Remove from heat.  Combine egg yolks and lemon juice.  Stir into thickened mixture.  Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles again.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and lemon zest.  Cover and cool to lukewarm.

For meringue:  Add salt to egg whites, beat on high until frothy.  Gradually add 1/2 c sugar, beating until glossy peaks are formed. 

Stir 2 rounded T of meringue into lukewarm filling.  Pour filling into cool pie crust.  Pile remaining meringue on top and spread lightly over the filling and to the edges of crust to seal.  Bake in a 325 oven about 15 mins or un til lightly browned on the meringue.  Cool at least one hour before cutting.

Pumpkin Pie

This is straight from the Libby's Pumpkin can.

It's still the one I like best and I make it every year for the holidays.

It makes 2 pies.

2 unbaked pie shells

1 ½ c sugar                  

1 t salt                  

2 t cinnamon              

1 t ground ginger

½ t ground cloves

4 eggs

1 29 oz can pumpkin

2 12 oz cans evaporated milk

In small bowl mix dry ingredients.  In large bowl, beat eggs, then add pumpkin & sugar/spice mixture.  Blend well.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk.  Pour into shells.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then turn down to 350 for 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool for two hours before serving.

* 3 ½ t pumpkin pie spice may be substituted for cinnamon, ginger & cloves.  Will alter taste slightly.