oatmeal cookies

We bribed the kids with bakery cookies during our grocery trip this past weekend, and Sawyer had an Oatmeal Raisin cookie that he devoured in what seemed to be in an instant. It's been awhile since I've turned out a batch of oatmeal cookies, and since I've been having this unusual cookie craving lately, I decided to make some, thinking at least it would be better for my "diet" than chocolate chip or some other completely indulgent fare.




We made them last evening with dinner so they were nice and warm after our meal. I actually didn't have any last night (figuring there'd be plenty of time for me to submit to temptation later in the week), but Ryan raved about them. I treated the kids and let them each have one with their yogurt for snack this morning, and after I took a nibble off of Sawyer's cookie, I immediately returned to the cookie jar for one of my own. I don't normally care much for Oatmeal Cookies, and I must say these are so good! So I just had to share this yummy recipe...

It's a slightly (keyword: slightly) healthier, more flavorful version of the traditional Quaker Oats cookie.

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 tbsp cinnamon (yes, a whole tablespoon!!)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp softened butter
• 1/2-2/3 cup raisins

I baked these at 350* for about 12 minutes and ended up with just short of 3 dozen cookies. They came out so perfectly slightly crispy on the outside and soft and melt in your mouth on the inside. Reminds me of a muffin top!

New Years Day Dinner

Each year we have a big New Years Day Dinner Celebration with as many friends as we can gather. Also each year we try to create a menu of lucky foods full of good wishes for our friends for the coming year. There are many traditional and symbolic foods to celebrate the fresh start of a new year!

Here’s to a very Happy New Year… or at the very least a happy belly!
Our Menu this year:

Shrimp Martinis
(original recipe here, we just hang plain shrimp around the rim of a martini glass filled with cocktail sauce)
seafood stands for good luck and shrimp specifically signify long life and a year filled with laughter

Vegetables with Arugula Broth
(recipe here)
green foods like arugula and spinach mark growth and wealth
Cooked greens, including cabbage, collards, kale, and chard, are consumed at New Year's in different countries for a simple reason — their green leaves look like folded money, and are thus symbolic of economic fortune. It's widely believed that the more greens one eats the larger one's fortune next year.

Grilled Pork Chops with Creamy Mashed Potatoes
(recipe here and I did these amazingly delicious make ahead potatoes found here)
pork is considered good luck and symbolizes progress or "moving forward" since the animal pushes forward, rooting itself in the ground before moving. Also, traditionally, a family that owned a pig would be eating "high on the hog" for the whole year; thanks to its rich fat content, it signifies wealth and prosperity.

Honey Sweet Peas
Cornbread
the saying in the south goes "peas for pennies, greens for dollars, cornbread for gold"

*Sweets in general symbolize a “sweet year” and plenty of good fortune
Here are the desserts and extra wishes we had on our table*

Champaign Shooters
Champaign (just to celebrate!) poured over Lime sorbet which symbolizes a prosperous new beginning

Gingersnaps
(recipe here)
ginger reprsents a sharp mind and intelligence and cookies mean sweetness of nature and a good disposition

Chocolate Eclair Cake
(recipe here)
pudding is symbolic of the sweetness of life

Orange, Peanut and Red Candy Plates
oranges represent gold and wealth, peanuts are for the hope and luck for the birth of children in the coming year, and red candies traditionally stand for good health and good luck.

Christmas Baking

I have two staples when it comes to Christmas Cookies...
Well, three if you count Sugar Cookies, which really everyone should. I hope everyone has good memories of baking and decorating sugar cookies when they were little. I've always loved sugar cookies... in theory. In reality, as an adult, I've never really enjoyed them. They're sticky and messy to make, and I've never found just the right cookie... most are either too crispy or too chewy. I have to say that PW herself has turned the whole sugar cookie experience around for me. If you don't know who I'm talking about, you should meet her here.
And then try her sugar cookies here. Awe. Some. Seriously one of the best cookies I've ever tasted. Hurry, make some before Christmas is over!!


Another really fun thing to do with sugar cookies... my kids had a blast making these for our neighbors last year: cut out graduated-sized star cookies, frost with green frosting and stack them to make a tree.
I made ours last year with the Pillsbury Funfetti Holiday Cake Mix, using the directions on the box for the cookies. Talk about simple cookies!! I had many people ask for that recipe saying they were the yummiest they'd ever tasted!! They couldn't believe it when I had to tell them it was from a cake mix!





Alright. On to my never-fail-to-put-me-in-the-Christmas-mood-must-haves...

Chocolate Crinkles
INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. I like to use a number 50 size scoop. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

These are so yummy... like soft little brownies with just the tiniest bit of crunch on the outside with the delightful "snowy" sugar sweetness around them.
Tips: The dough is sticky. Be sure you refrigerate or freeze long enough to firm it up. I use a little scooper to drop the balls of dough right into the bowl of powdered sugar.












Then in the sugar, you can roll it easily and not ever have to deal with the stickiness.










Also, be sure and use parchment or a silpat as the powdered sugar will stick and burn to the bare pan.










Ta-da!!








Peppermint Bark
INGREDIENTS
white baking chocolate or almond bark
crushed candy canes or starlight mints

Simply melt the chocolate in a double boiler, then stir in crushed peppermint.










Spread the chocolate and peppermint thinly on a cookie sheet lined with foil.










Refrigerate for an hour and then remove from cookie sheet and break or cut into pieces. Store in airtight container at room temp.

You can also swirl white and dark/milk chocolate, or layer them by refrigerating just to set first layer and then adding a second layer.

Lemon Cookies

Since you asked for the recipe, here's the scoop.
I can hardly take credit for making these cookies. It was a case of using the cookie recipe off of the cake mix box. Have you ever had the cake mix cookies? They are honestly some of the yummiest cookies I've ever had. I made the holiday ones this past year and they were a huge hit.
So all you have to do is go buy a box (or two!) of Pillsbury's Moist Supreme Lemon Cake Mix and follow the cookie recipe on the side of the box. You just add oil and egg. I think it's just a matter of adding less egg than for the actual cake and omitting the water. (You can make them Kasey... you don't even need any butter!! LOL!) Then I made the glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice and drizzled that over the top. They really are so good. I'm buying more cake mix with my next grocery trip this week!

I've Been Boycotting Meal Preperation

If you were wondering where the menu was for this past week, let me save you the searching and tell you that it didn't exist. As a lazy, single parent this week I've been a completely fly by the seat of my pants kind of cook, and to be honest, most of it has consisted of chicken nuggets, sandwiches, waffles and McDonald's.

Don't worry, Ryan's on his way home this evening and I actually had a great meal planned... but now his flight's delayed so I'm scrapping that one and saving it for tomorrow. So here's the meal plan for the (short) remainder of the week:

Thursday: we'll probably grab something quick and/or out before, during or after our airport run. We'll see what time he actually gets in.
Friday: Grilled Chicken with Tomato and Asparagus Pie
Saturday: out of town visiting the Laughlins
Sunday: Grilled Steaks (probably hamburgers for the kids)

I did bake cookies today though... Sawyer's favorite:

Banana Raisin Cookies

Combine 1 and 1/4 cup oatmeal,
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder and
1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
Add 2-3 mashed ripe bananas,
1/2 cup apple juice,
1 tsp vanilla and
1/2 cup raisins.
(Batter will be stiff)
Drop by teaspoon on a non-stick cookie sheet and flatten slightly.
Bake at 375* for 15 minutes.
Store in airtight container.

I also need to make some banana bread today to use up the rest of the bananas around here. Do the home-baked healthy goodies make up for feeding my kids processed foods all week? :)

We Had a Regular Bakery Going on Round Here

I was on a baking binge the other day and just thought I'd share what Savannah and I whipped up. All of our favorites...

The Best Banana Bread
3 very ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3-1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour

-Combine all ingredients together; EXCEPT you need to mix together the milk and baking soda separately before adding to the other ingredients.
-Pour batter into GREASED loaf pan
-Bake 1 hour at 325* check center done with toothpick

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's Baking Cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/4 cups butter softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2/3 cups (10oz pkg) Reese's Peanut Butter Chips

-Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
-Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy.
-Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
-Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well.
-Stir in peanut butter chips.
-Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 minutesat 350*. Do not overbake. Cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.
-Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack and cool completely.
Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

** I also make these substituting Andes Creme De Menthe Baking Chips for the peanut-butter chips sometimes. Awesome!!

Breakfast Cookies
1 cup shortening or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups Special K cereal
1 cup oatmeal
Raisins

-Beat together shortening, sugars, eggs and vanilla till light and creamy.
-Mix together flour, baking soda and salt in separate bowl.
-Gradually blend flour mix into creamed mixture.
-Stir in cereal, oatmeal and raisins.
-Bake 8-10 minutes at 375*
-Let stand 2 min before removing from cookie sheet.