oatmeal creme cookies

For the cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon honey
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

For the marshmallow frosting:

2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, honey and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

3. In a separate medium sized bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix just until incorporated. Stir in oats until evenly distributed. Transfer dough to a large mixing bowl (this is so you can use stand mixer bowl for the frosting) and chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

4. Remove dough from refrigerator and drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet (or even a bit smaller for smaller cookies). Bake for 8 to 10 minutes just until the edges start to brown. Cookies will seem moist in the middle but they will set up. Cool on baking sheet until set and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

5. To make the frosting, in a double boiler, add egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar and heat over simmering water. Whisking frequently, heat until egg whites become very frothy and sugar is dissolved (approximately 160 degrees). Carefully add egg mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed for several minutes until egg mixture will hold stiff peaks and is light in texture. Carefully fold in vanilla until incorporated.

6. Add frosting to a cooled cookie and then top with another cookie. Store in an airtight container.

Spinach, artichoke & chicken penne

*Salt
* 1 pound penne rigate or whole wheat or whole grain penne rigate
* 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 small pieces)
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 3-4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
* Black pepper
* 2 slightly rounded tablespoons flour
* 1/2 cup dry white wine (I didn't have any on hand..so i just used extra chicken stock)
* 1 cup chicken stock
* 1 cup cream or whole milk
* A few grates of nutmeg
* 1 box chopped frozen spinach (10 ounces), defrosted, wrung dry and separated
* 1 can artichoke hearts in water (14 ounces), drained well and chopped
* 1 cup grated Asiago or provolone cheese (I used asiago)
* Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente.

Meanwhile, poach the chicken: Place the chicken in small pan and add water to the top of the meat, but do not cover completely. Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and gently simmer to cook through, 10-12 minutes. Shred the meat into small pieces with forks or dice into small pieces. Set aside.

While the chicken cooks, heat the olive oil in large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Melt the butter into the olive oil, then add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle the flour over the cooked onion and garlic and stir for 1 minute, then whisk in the white wine. Add the stock and stir for 1 minute, then stir in the cream and season with nutmeg. Thicken the sauce for a couple of minutes over low heat, then stir in the spinach and artichokes and heat through. Melt the Asiago or provolone cheese into the sauce and turn off the heat.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce and chicken to combine, adjusting the salt and pepper to your taste. Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup egg beaters (or 1 egg)
1 cup skim milk*
2 tablespoons canola oil

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside.  Combine the egg, milk, and oil.  Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened-may be lumpy.  Makes approximately 10 smallish pancakes.

Substitute buttermilk and use 1 cup buttermilk, reduce to 1 teaspoon baking powder and add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

Navy Bean Chicken Chili

Navy Bean Chicken Chili
White Bean Chili
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
1 pound dried navy beans
5 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¾ cup diced onion
1 ½ cups chopped green chiles (fresh or canned)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 to 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
½ teaspoon white pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
½ bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
Rinse beans well, cover with cool water, and soak for 2 hours. Drain. Place beans in large pot with chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat. In a saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and chiles and saute for 5 minutes. Add chile mixture to pot with beans. Add chicken, cumin, oregano, pepper, white pepper, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Lower he.at to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 1 1/2 hours. Serve with cornbread, if desired.
Les’ version - I used 2 pounds of small white navy beans, I soaked them overnight, about 10 hours, Add water just to the top of the beans and simmer for about 8 hours in the crock pot, low setting; Add two cans of chicken broth; I sautéed one large white onion in about two tablespoons of butter, I used all of the oregano and maybe 1 teaspoon of cumin, and 11/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 1 / 2 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, because I used water to cook the beans I added bullion power to compensate for the water. I cubed the chicken breasts, and did not use the garlic or the chilies. I added the cilantro at the end and cooked on high for another 2 hours.

Junior Mint Brownies

I have dessert as my assignment for my dinner group this week and I couldn't think of a single thing I wanted to make. When I was at the store I bought a box of Junior Mints because they sounded really good and thought that there must be a recipe somewhere that included them...here is one of them I found! Sooooo good!

5 1/2 ounces *Junior Mints
1 1/2 cups butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.

In a large bowl, stir together melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, and whisk until well blended.

Sift in cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add flour, baking powder and salt and blend well.

Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Arrange Junior Mints in a single layer over batter. Carefully spread the remaining batter on top, covering the Junior Mints. Use a knife or spatula to smooth the top of the batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.

* use mini York Peppermint Patties instead of Junior Mints. Part of the white mint will remain unmelted, so your brownies will have a nice white stripe in the centre when you slice them into squares.

Gingered Fruit Salad

This was from my dinner party last month that I forgot to post--so you get 2 recipes in 2 days..how lucky! In my opinion you could use any fruit you like or have on hand... Mine had apple, peach, nectarine, banana, mandarin oranges, grapes, and strawberries. I used strawberry-mango yogurt in my dressing.

Ingredients:
2 cups cubed cantaloupe
1 medium orange, peeled and sectioned
1 medium apple, cored and coarsely chopped
1 medium peach, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 8 oz carton fruit-flavored or vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
lettuce leaves (optional)

In large bowl combine the cantaloupe, orange, apple, peach, blueberries, and strawberries. For dressing, stir together yogurt, mayonnaise, brown sugar, and ginger. If desired, line 4 salad plates with lettuce leaves. Divide the fruit among plates, Top each serving with dressing.

Hot Bean Dip

I made this to take to my dinner party last night...it was really good! I halved the recipe and put it in an 8x8 baking dish. I also used reduced fat cream cheese, reduced fat sour cream, and mozarella cheese in place of the pepper jack because I didn't have any, and it still tasted fantastic!

Ingredients
1 8oz package cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 16 oz cans refried beans
1/2 package taco seasoning mix
5 drops hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 8oz package cheddar cheese
1 8oz package monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In medium bowl, blend cream cheese, sour cream, beans, taco seasoning, pepper sauce, parsley, green onions, and half the cheddar and monterey jack cheeses. Pour mixture into 9x13 baking dish and put remaining cheeses over top.  Bake 20-30  minutes or until cheese is slightly browned. Serve with tortilla chips.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

MMMM! It's October and you HAVE to celebrate the season with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies! This recipe is easy and yummy and I found the secret to making BIG cookies. If you want to bake big cookies, only put 6 cookies on the sheet to bake (and for regular size cookies, you should only put 9). I don't know why, but it works.

Amy's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
1 Mix sugar, pumpkin, oil and egg.
2 Add vanilla.
3 Mix dry ingredients and then add to pumpkin mixture. I usually cheat and just add directly to pumpkin mixture.
4 Add chocolate chips and mix.
5 Spoon onto pans, cook at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Makes 30 cookies.

Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 cookies 25g Recipe makes 30 cookies) Calories 119 Calories from Fat 50 (42%) Amount Per Serving %DV Total Fat 5.6g 8% Saturated Fat 1.6g 8% Monounsaturated Fat 2.2g Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5g Trans Fat 0.0g Cholesterol 7mg 2% Sodium 108mg 4% Potassium 45mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 17.0g 5% Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2% Sugars 9.8g Protein 1.3g 2% how is this calculated?

Caramel Apple Bars

I just found this recipe and haven't made them yet, but they sounded really good and I didn't want to lose the recipe! So if you make them before I do, let me know if they are good or not!

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled tart apples (3 medium)
3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 bag (14 ounces) caramels



1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix brown sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Stir in 1 3/4 cups flour, the oats, salt and baking soda. Reserve 2 cups oat mixture; press remaining oat mixture in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches.
2. Toss apples and 3 tablespoons flour; spread over mixture in pan. Heat caramels over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted; pour evenly over apples. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture; press lightly.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. For 36 bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows while warm. Store covered in refrigerator.

Caprese Salad

I made this for my dinner group last week. I even used the "authentic" olive oil my mom brought me home from her trip to Israel.

4-6 roma tomatoes, sliced or 1-2 pints grape tomatoes
1 8 oz container mozzarella balls Ciliegine(cherry sized) are the ones I used
sea salt
cracked black pepper
fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar (optional)

Arrange tomatoes and mozzarella on a platter, drizzle olive oil (1-2 tablespoons) and balsamic vinegar over top. Salt and pepper to taste. Chop basil and sprinkle over top, arrange a few whole basil leaves for garnish. Serve immediately.