Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Jove, I think I've found it! By "it" I mean the ultimate oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. I've tried a few different ones, but this one is by far the best. You can literally whip up this recipe in less than 10 minutes and have gooey yummy cookies fresh out of the oven in less than 25. Don't get me wrong, I love me some plain ol' chocolate chip cookies. But once in awhile.. it's nice to have a twist. Shake things up. Go crazy and wild.. I'm sure you get the picture.

This recipe comes to us from a pretty cool lady named Amy. Have never actually met her, and she probably doesn't even know I exist but I love following her blog. Plus, we have tons in common. We share the same last name, love to bake AND live in the same state. Wowza's! So go on over and visit her blog, peruse through her recipes and if you keep up with her.. she has some pretty cool giveaways. Anyway, she doesn't know I'm advertising her blog but I figure if I do it to someone else, maybe someone will do the same thing for me someday. Hope you all enjoy your ultimate-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies!!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c butter, softened
1 c brown sugar
½ c sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 ¼ c flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 c Quick Quick-Oats
1 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Slowly beat in eggs, then add vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt to creamed mixture, mix well. Then add oats, and chocolate chunks. Stir together and drop spoon sized balls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes, edges should be slightly browned, and centers slightly gooey.

Trifle

We had a few friends over on Monday night for dessert and games. We had SUCH a good time! The best part, as always, was the dessert. I'm not boasting here.. but this trifle was good. It also looks beautiful! There are many variations to trifle. I've had chocolate trifle (never made though, and not sure I ever will. It was too much chocolate for me), and I also have a recipe for pumpkin-gingerbread trifle that I can't WAIT to try out in the fall. Trifle can be made so many ways to fit whatever your theme or cravings are. I've seen a red, white and blue theme with blueberries and strawberries. You could do a berry themed trifle. And it's also fun to mix up the pudding flavors to get different colors or tastes. I've always wanted to try something with white chocolate pudding. Yum!

By far my favorite trifle though is strawberry-banana. It's light, it looks beautiful on the table and will always be an instant hit! If you don't have a trifle bowl, it can also be made in a punch bowl. Make sure that it's clear though, that way everyone can admire the beautiful layers and will think you put more work into it than you actually did!

Trifle

1 store bought angel food cake, torn up into little pieces
1 large package vanilla pudding made according to directions
One package fresh strawberries
3-4 bananas
1 large container Cool Whip

Take half of angel food cake and place in bottom of trifle bowl. Spread half of pudding on top of that, covering completely. Layer half of fruit on top of pudding. Spread half of Cool Whip on top of fruit. Repeat with remaining half ingredients with Cool Whip ending on very top layer.

Tips and Tricks:

• Like I said, trifle is malleable to whatever your occasion might be. Experiment, have fun!
• For the strawberries, I sprinkled a little sugar and mashed them a bit to get the juices going. Makes them a little sweeter I think.
• Keep refridgerated until ready to serve. The whole process of cutting fruit and putting it together takes less than 30 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

Okay. Okay. I procrastinated BIG time on this post. So not only are they not decorated pretty, these cookies picture here are a few days old. Yikes! Please forgive my food blogging faux paux. I guess I'm just trying to say, don't let the picture fool ya'. These cookies really are good! The best part is that they don't require cooling. This recipe is perfect for all those impatient bakers out there that want their treat right now. Or am I the only one that feels like that? This recipe is courtesy of my M-I-L. She's been making these for years, but I was introduced to them over Christmas when she made them for Santa. I ate everything that Santa didn't. I've heard people rave about a store bought brand, I think it's called Lofthouse (or maybe Granny B's? Not sure), and these are BETTER. So fluffy, so soft, so good. And of course, so versatile! Can be used for any holiday or event.

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Sugar Cookies

2 sticks of butter
1-1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
4 c. flour

Melt butter. Add sugar and stir. Let cool slightly. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Roll out in desire shape. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes (adjust time for chewy vs. crunchy cookies).

Snickerdoodle Blondies

OH. MY. GOSH. This dessert is DIVINE. I've seen this particlar treat showcased on several food blogs lately, and I just knew I had to try it. I was not disappointed! It was so easy to make, and the best part is that it uses ingredients already stocked in your baking cupboards. I actually made this last week and it still tastes good, days later. You have got to try it! I promise you'll love it. Recipe courtesty of My Baking Addiction.

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Snickerdoodle Blondies

2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. grated or ground nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and/or line a 9x13 inch pan. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and set aside.
2. In large bowl, beat together butter brown sugar for 3-5 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and beat until smooth.
3. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan (mixture will be somewhat cookiebatter-ish, so it’s best so spread it out with a greased spatula or your hands). Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter
4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool before cutting. Makes 20-24 bars.

Shrimp Quesadilla's

This recipe has a great combination of flavors that I kick myself for not thinking of it before! I made this for our sunday dinner, and it was quite delicious. Since I had a little extra time, I went above and beyond and made homemade tortilla's. WOW. They were soo good! They were thick and soft, and it added just the extra touch of love to the meal. I served it with spanish rice, found in any Mexican food aisle in the grocery store. This would also make a great appetizer, if you're looking for something to serve other than chips and salsa.

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Shrimp Quesadilla’s
(Courtesy of Betty Crocker’s Fix-it-Fast Family Favorites)

8 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese with jalapeno peppers (I used regular cheese)
1 large tomato, chopped
½ cup real bacon pieces (I used ½ lb. real bacon, chopped)
1 package frozen cooked salad shrimp, rinsed and thawed

1. Heat 10-in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place 1 tortilla in skillet. Sprinkle with ¼ cup of the cheese and ¼ each of the tomato, bacon, and shrimp. Sprinkle with additional ¼ cup of the cheese. Top with another tortilla.
2. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until bottom is golden brown; turn. Cook 1 to 2 minutes longer or until bottom is golden brown.
3. Repeat three more times with remaining ingredients. Cut each quesadilla into wedges


Texas Flour Tortillas
(Courtesy of Homesick Texan)

Two cups of all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vegetable oil
¾ cups of warm milk

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed
Knead dough for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough ahs rested, break of eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes.
It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out into proper thickness or shape.
After dough has rested, one at a time place dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a 4-in circle, and them roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter.
Don’t overwork the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.

Sour Cream Turkey "Steak" Patties

Mr. P gave this recipe two thumbs up!! It was so good, he even went for seconds. This is another Lion House recipe, and I'm starting to believe they know what they are talking about! When I first read the recipe, I thought that they would become turkey burgers, not steaks. I'm sure that if that's your desire, just divide them into smaller portions. The ONLY thing I would do differently is next time I will add an egg. The meat turned out really crumbly and difficult to handle (what's my deal with crumbly meat?), and the egg would help to solidify the steak patties. Otherwise, it has really great flavor and tastes super good. Enjoy!

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Sour Cream Turkey Patties
(Courtesy of Lion House Recipes)

1 lb. ground turkey
1 c. soft bread crumbs, divided
3 tbsp. light sour cream
1/3 c. skim milk
¼ tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. butter or margarine

Combine turkey, ½ c. bread crumbs, sour cream, milk, pepper, and nutmeg. Divide mixture into fourths and mold each portion into a flat patty. Spread remaining ½ cup bread crumbs on a plate; carefully dip patties in crumbs, covering on both sides. Place a cooking rack in a shallow baking dish; set patties on rack and let stand uncovered in refrigerator for 20 minutes. Spray a large frying pan with nonstick cooking spray. Melt butter or margarine in pan over medium heat. Add patties and brown 5 minutes on each side. Makes 4 servings.

Lion House Meat Loaf

This is my first experience making meat loaf. I never really liked it as a kid. The whole idea of baked meat just grossed me out. I recently found out that Mr. P loves meat loaf. Who knew? In my quest to become the best wife I can, I started my search for a meat loaf recipe. I found one in a Lion House cook book that we received as a wedding gift. I knew that if it came from Lion House, I had to try it. The sauce called for tomato soup instead of ketchup, and that made all the difference for me. The "loaf" part of the recipe didn't turn out so well, I'm not sure where I went wrong with that. It turned out to be a big crumbly mess, but in the end.. it turned out all right. I highly recommend this recipe. Delish!

Lion House Meat Loaf (Courtesy of Lion House Recipes)

½ c. chopped onions
1 can (10-1/2 oz) tomato soup
¼ c. water
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 dash pepper
2 lbs. extra-lean ground beef
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Make sauce: Spray a frying pan with nonstick cooking spray and preheat briefly on the stove. Add onions and saute until tender. Stir in tomaot soup, water, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper; simmer a few minutes to blend flavors.

Make meat loaf: Mix ground beef, salt, eggs, and half the sauce until well blended. Mold into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours. Remove from oven and allow to stand for about 10 min. Serve with remaining sauce. Makes 10 servings.