Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yet another variation on basic chocolate chip cookies--when you start with such a delicious basic, it's hard to go wrong!

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 (12 oz.) bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Beat the butter with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat until homogeneous. Stir in vanilla and egg and mix well. Add flour, baking soda and salt and give the bowl a few good stirs. Add the oats and chocolate chips and mix until well distributed. Bake on wax-paper lined baking sheets until just set and browning on the edges, 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

"Healthy" Trifle

In this case "healthy" is probably a relative term, but as far as desserts go it could be much worse!

Cake mix of your choice
Can of Diet Coke (or Diet Sprite/7 up if using a yellow or white cake mix)
Box of sugar-free white chocolate pudding
2% milk
Fat-free Cool Whip
Raspberries
Strawberries

Mix the cake mix with the can of diet soda and pour into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake as directed on box and cool, then cut into cubes. Layer in a trifle dish with sugar-free white chocolate pudding made with 2% milk and mixed with 8 oz. fat-free Cool Whip, and fresh raspberries and strawberries. Couldn't be easier!

Green Gobble 'Ems

Ok, ignore the ridiculous name and make these immediately! They are so yummy! Colin said that he loved these but couldn't possibly request that I make "Green Gobble 'Ems", so in our house they've been renamed, simply "Spinach Toasts". Whatever you decide to call them, I promise they will be good. I made these as a Thanksgiving day appetizer and they were snapped up (too quickly for me to even get a picture)!

4 cups packed spinach leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 stick butter, softened
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Salt and pepper
1 loaf Italian bread, split lengthwise

Preheat oven to 425. Using a food processor, puree the spinach, cheese, butter and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Spread the bread with the spinach mixture and cut into 2-inch cubes. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, 8-10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Source: rachaelraymag.com

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are a yummy twist on the basic chocolate chip cookie. I mean, really, who doesn't like chocolate with peanut butter?!

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4-1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, cream together peanut butter, butter and both sugars until well blended. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla one at a time. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll tablespoons of dough into balls. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Source: delishfood.wordpress.com

Peanut Soy Chicken and Veggie Bowl

I absolutely love the chicken pad thai from Pei Wei and this is a pretty good imitationton of it. Yum!

2 chicken breast, pounded very thin
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
Pepper
1/2 box thin spaghetti
1 can water chestnuts, sliced (skipped these)
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1 6 oz. bag snap peas
1 bunch cilantro
Sesame seeds, sesame oil, grated ginger or any other garnish of your choice

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Preheat grill pan to medium-high heat. In a shallow dish, whisk 2 tablespoons peanut butter with 1/4 cup soy sauce (microwave PB for about 45 seconds to loosen, if necessary). Add pepper, whisk. Pound chicken thin between plastic wrap. Spray pan with non-stick spray. Dip chicken in peanut sauce, then place in pan. Cook for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta and chop veggies. In another bowl whisk together remaining PB, soy sauce and pepper. Flip chicken, cook another 4 minutes, or until done. If desired, during the last minute of cooking pasta, add snap peas to take off bite. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water. Pour into the bowl with sauce. Toss to coat. Add veggies and toss again. Remove chicken from pan, slice and add to pasta. Top with garnish and serve.

Source: ashleescooking.blogspot.com

Eggplant Parmesan

Colin has a slight obsession with eggplant parmesan, so I had been wanting to make it for a while, but for some reason was slightly intimidated. I was worried I couldn't make something that would measure up to Colin's restaurant favorites! I'm so glad I went ahead and attempted it anyway because this was SO good and Colin absolutely loved it!

1 large eggplant
Salt
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 eggs
4 tablespoons heavy cream
Tomato sauce
Parmesan cheese
Shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400. Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Salt both sides of the eggplant slices and let sit in a colander for 15-20 minutes to draw out bitterness and excess moisture. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, add eggs and cream and mix well. Pat of moisture from eggplant with paper towels. Dip in egg mixture, then breadcrumbs and place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining slices. Bake for 15 minutes. Place a layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Remove eggplant from baking sheet and place on top of sauce layer. Top each piece of eggplant with a spoonful of sauce, dust with parmesan and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for another 15 minutes until cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Source: dailydeliciousness.com

Monte Cristo-Style Croque Monsieur

This was a yummy way to make not-your-average sandwich!

4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Salt and pepper
Ground nutmeg, to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
8 slices white bread
12 deli-think slices baked ham
4 slices Swiss cheese
2 large eggs
4 cups arugula
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a saucepan, melt 2 T butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, then 1 cup milk. Bring to a gentle boil; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook for 2 minutes to thicken. Off the heat, stir in the mustard. Spread the bread with the sauce, then layer 4 slices with the ham, cheese and remaining bread. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining 1/2 cup milk. In a non-stick skillet, melt 1 T butter over medium heat. Soak 2 sandwiches in the egg mixture. Add the sandwiches to the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden, about 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining butter and sandwiches. In a bowl, toss the arugula, lemon juice and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve with the sandwiches.

Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

Caprese Salad Bites

I LOVE caprese salad! There's just something about the combination that is so delicious and I'm always a fan of fresh mozzarella. These are so easy and the perfect little bite-sized version of a caprese salad.

Grape tomatoes, halved
Basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Toothpicks

Put a tomato half on a toothpick, followed by a piece of basil and piece of mozzarella. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Arrange on a serving dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste.

Cream Cheese Squares

These are super easy and yummy. My stepdad, who is quite the dessert connoisseur, had seconds and thirds of this!

2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
2 packages cream cheese, softened (I used light)
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter or margarine melted
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I added these, so they're definitely optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Press one can of the crescent rolls into the bottom of the prepared pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Spread over the crescent layer. Unroll the second can of crescent rolls and lay them on top of the cream cheese layer. Do not press down. Pour the melted butter over the entire pan. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over top. Sprinkle pecans over top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is crisp and golden.

Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram special Christmas dessert section

Pizza Rolls--Yum!

These are so easy, delicious, and can be modified in a million different ways--the perfect party food! I hate that I don't have a picture of these, but I'm sure you'll get the idea anyway.

1 can refrigerated pizza crust (of course you can use homemade pizza dough, but that definitely makes these more work!)
1/4 lb. Genoa salami, thinly sliced
1/4 lb. pepperoni
1/4 lb. provolone, sliced
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Roll dough on the baking sheet into a rectangle approximately 10 x 4 inches. Layer salami, pepperoni and provolone. Sprinkle with mozzarella to within 1/2 inch from edge. Roll jelly-roll style. Seal the edge with a fork. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Slice into 1-inch pieces to serve.

I made an even easier version of these on our recent ski trip, when I wasn't working with all the ingredients or in ideal conditions and they were just as tasty! I rolled the dough into a rectangle, sprinkled mozzarella and pepperoni onto one half of the dough. Then I folded the other half over the top, sealed it with a fork, dotted the top with butter and baked until golden. I cut it into slices and served with marinara to dip it in. Yum!

Italian Club Finger Sandwiches

When we finally had our first party for the "big reveal" of our new kitchen, I tried to keep the menu pretty simple and have several items that didn't have to be served hot and/or I could prep ahead of time. Just like my cooking skills, I was worried that my hostessing skills had gotten a little rusty! These tasty little sandwiches worked out perfectly.

6 thin slices white bread, such as Pepperidge Farm Thin White Sandwich Bread
1 cup soft, spreadable herb cheese, such as Alouette
8 slices prosciutto (I subbed in salami)
12 fresh arugula or basil leaves
2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
Salt
2 radishes
Toothpicks

Trim the crusts from the bread (optional). Spread 4 slices with the soft herbed cheese. Top each cheese-covered slice with 2 slices of prosciutto, 3 arugula leaves, and top with a few tomato slices seasoned with a pinch of salt. Stack 2 of the completed layers one atop the other, making 2 stacks, each 2 layers high. Top each stack with a third bread slice to make 2 triple-decker sandwiches. Thinly slice and salt the radishes. Spear a couple radish slices onto each toothpick (I skipped this step and I didn't miss them!) as you place 4 toothpicks in each sandwich. Cut each sandwich into 4 equal parts. The yield will be 8 triple-decker, square mini "club" sandwiches.

Source: Rachael Ray: 2, 4, 6, 8 Great Meals for Couples or Crowds