Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Giant. 

Soft. 

Cinnamon Chips.

  Raisins.

Oatmeal.

 What's not to love?

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2-1 teaspoon of cinnamon

2-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Cinnamon Chips-I found mine at Albertsons

3/4 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, cinnamon, and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats, cinnamon chips and raisins (batter will be stiff). Drop by heaping teaspoons unto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes on until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. About 4 dozen.

BAR VARIATION: Spread batter into lightly greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool; cut into bars. About 3 dozen bars.

Our Favorite Potato Soup

This truly is a favorite around here. Jeremiah asks me to make it regularly! I usually have the ingredients on hand and it's fairly inexpensive!

Ingredients:

Turkey bacon

1 T butter

half an onion

a clove of garlic

3 T AP flour

1 t salt

1 t dried basil flakes

1/2 t pepper

3 cups chicken broth

2 large baked potatoes, cooked and diced

1 cup half and half (whole milk works, too)

1/2 tsp hot sauce

sour cream and cheese to garnish

Directions:

Dice and then saute the turkey bacon (I use about half a package) and set aside. Melt butter in the pan and then cook the onions and garlic. Add the flour, salt, basil and pepper and stir to combine. Slowly add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Boil for a couple of minutes. Add potatoes, half and half and hot sauce. Allow to get hot, but not boil. Garnish and serve!

Original recipe here!!

Nutella Crescent Rolls

Nutella, oh how I love it. Sarah sent me this recipe and it was so yummy and so easy! I had to share!

Ingredients:

1 package crescent rolls

Nutella

sliced almonds

sugar

Directions:

(Each package of crescent rolls has a different temperature to be cooked at and recommended cooking time. Be sure to check your package! It will take a couple minutes less than recommended cooking time.)

Roll out each crescent roll and spread on the Nutella goodness. Sprinkle on the sliced almonds and roll it up. Sprinkle with sugar. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake.

Stand by for a delicious treat!

Minestrone Soup

This soup is comforting and delicious but also very quick and versatile when dealing with dietary restrictions! This is a recipe easily made Vegetarian, Gluten Free, or Extra Hearty to fill even the hungriest diners! Hope you enjoy our favorite Minestrone Soup!

INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pound buffalo/beef
1/2 yellow onion chopped
3-4 garlic cloves grated or chopped
1-2 carrots chopped
1-2 stalks celery chopped
6 cups chicken stock
1 can kidney beans
1 can cannelloni beans
1 large can tomato sauce
1 small can diced tomatoes (or I sometimes use chopped fresh tomatoes with the other fresh ingredients)
1 heaping tbsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp marjoram
1 cup of mini shells pasta (or whatever kind you like)

DIRECTIONS:
Using a large soup pot over medium-high heat brown the meat. Salt and pepper generously. Add the fresh ingredients and cook until tender. Add stock, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and beans. Bring these ingredients to a boil and then lower to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Add the spices along with any salt and pepper right at the end. If serving immediately add the pasta at the end of cooking time and serve when pasta is al dente. Top your bowl with a healthy amount of Parmesan Cheese!

For the pasta portion I tend to do the following:
Cook your pasta of choice separately in salted water until al dente. Add to the soup per bowl and then combine with cooled soup for storage. This keeps the pasta from getting overcooked and is also a way for me to keep this meal Gluten Free using Ancient Harvest GF Pasta and Kurt to get extra protein using his Barilla PLUS Pasta without having to make two separate dinners!

Caprese Salad

With summer's tomatoes at their peak, a simple {no cook!} recipe to help your family gobble them up!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Large Beefsteak or Heirloom tomato, or 2-3 of a smaller variety

1 package Fresh Mozzarella {Not mozzarella cheese!}

Handful of fresh basil

Salt and pepper 

Olive oil 

Balsamic Vinegar

DIRECTIONS: 

Slice mozzarella and tomatoes and alternate on plate. Depending on how much you enjoy the taste of basil, place basil between slices OR chiffonade basil and sprinkle on top. Salt and pepper according to taste. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over just before serving. Best eaten fresh and on the same day!

Whole Wheat Pigs in a Blanket

A while back, I came across a recipe for pigs in a blanket over at this lovely blog! And while the recipe credit came from another lovely blog, I was grateful for the dinner idea nonetheless!

I must say, while I've never been much of a pig-in-a-blanket kinda person, these have changed my mind completely. Truly a new favorite around here!

Whole Wheat Pigs in a Blanket

Original recipe here! 

 Note: One dough recipe makes enough for one pack {8 count}of hot dogs. Time Saver: Double the dough and refrigerate half for homemade cinnamon rolls or dinner rolls the next day!

In mixing bowl let set for a few minutes:
• 2 1/4  t. yeast
• 1 c. water

With whisk attachment (or by hand) add:
• 1/4-1/2 c. sugar
• 1 1/4 t. salt
• 1/3 c. canola oil
• 1 egg, well beaten

Beat 'til foamy.

Add one cup at a time:
• 2 c. unbleached flour

Switch to bread hook and add:
• 2 c. whole wheat flour (all white flour is fine, too)

Allow bread hook to knead until it reaches a smooth and elastic consistency. Add a touch more flour if too sticky. Allow to rise for 1.5 hours or 'til doubled in size.
Cut dough into (small) fist sized blobs.
Flatten your dough blob, place your DRY frank in the middle, slice a few slits and cris-cross those little dough arms for a nice braided effect. Click here for step by step tutorial!
Let them rise for about 20-30 minutes. If you have the time, brush on an egg wash (whip an egg and add a splash of water) and sprinkle with Kosher salt to make them shiny and pretty.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 5 minutes or 'til golden brown. (Or 350 convection for about 15 minutes.)

Delicious Green Beans

The garden is finally producing (well, not the tomatoes, what's up with that.. anyone else??). I'm embarrassed to admit that I had an "oh dear" moment this week when I realized I was going to have to harvest everything. It's a good problem to have :)

The green beans are going crazy. Part of the reason we planted so many was that Jeremiah loves them, but you can only eat the same thing the same way for so long. So, I'm trying out new ways of cooking them. I really loved these! They are basically P-Dub's recipe, but I changed it up a bit. Sorry, P-Dub, there is no lard in this kitchen.

Isn't it lovely?

I didn't share. Yes. I ate all of these. I'm a bit embarrassed. And to my credit it took me all afternoon. Does that make it any better?? No. Not really.

It was a bad decision on so many levels.

Here we go!

Ingredients:

3 slices turkey bacon, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 pound trimmed green beans

1/2 large tomato, chopped

1 cup hot water

2 t. chicken base

kosher salt, to taste (I used about 1t.)

How to:

Cook the turkey bacon until brown, and then add in the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft. Add in the green beans and tomatoes. Mix together the water and chicken base then pour into the pan. Sprinkle with salt. Cover, but leave vented, and let cook about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. I let the water evaporate so that everything would get brown and delicious.

Enjoy!