Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 t. vanilla
3/4 t. corn syrup
1 1/4 t. baking soda
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. flour
2 c. oats
1 bag chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter with sugars. Mix in eggs, vanilla, corn syrup, baking soda and peanut butter. Add flour, oats and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 14 minutes.

Makes 3 dozen

Granola

"I got this recipe from the Disney Channel"


INGREDIENTS:

4 cups oats
salt to taste
7 ounces shredded coconut (I used sweetened)
4 oz. honey
cinnamon to taste
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups nuts of choice (I used sliced almonds)
8 oz. dried fruit of choice (I used cranberries)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients except for dried fruit in large bowl. Press onto large rectangular cookie sheet.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. (original recipe said 30 minutes, but mine was overdone). Let cool then mix in dried fruit.

Thanks to my readers.....

I've reached 20,000 hits today!

It's very exciting! It makes me want to post recipes more often, but since I am 20 weeks pregnant, I haven't been in the mood to put more effort into meals than I usually do.

Thanks to everyone who has stopped by, and thank you to all of my followers!

Hot Dog Sauce

"I don't remember where I got this recipe, but it's wonderful, and I have made it many times. I usually divide it into thirds and freeze what I don't use."



INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground beef (I use sirloin)
1 sm. onion
3 cloves garlic
1 c. water
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. BBQ sauce
2 T. yellow mustard
1 T. worchestershire sauce
1 T. chili powder
2 t. cumin
2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Saute meat with onions over medium heat in large frying pan until browned (drain if necessary). Use food processor to ground meat and onion and return to pan. Mix in remaining ingredients and continue to cook until bubbling. Serve warm over hot dogs.

Makes 12-16 servings (1 serving = 2 hotdogs)

Marinated Pork Chops with Apple Compote

"I found this on allrecipes.com. I made a few changes including using ground instead of fresh ginger, sauteing chops instead of grilling, and reducing the butter by half. This was delicious!"

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless pork chops
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic
1 t. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup olive oil


4 T. butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 apple, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix balsamic vinegar, garlic, and thyme and oil in a small bowl. Pour the marinade into a resealable plastic bag. Add the pork chops, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Saute pork with remaining marinade from bag in a large frying pan until browned and cooked through (about 15-20 min)
3. While the pork is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until it begins to simmer. Add the apples, cherries, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook and stir until the apple is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve the sliced pork topped with the apple compote.

Beef Stroganoff

"I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, took suggestions from a review, and then added my own changes....very tasty!"

INGREDIENTS:

approx 2 lbs flat iron steak, cut into bite sized pieces
salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to taste
1 T. olive oil
1/3 c. white wine
1 T. browning sauce (I used the bottled Gravy Master, found near the dry gravy packets)

1 stick butter
medium onion chopped
2 - 6 oz cans mushrooms
1 T. minced garlic
10 oz. beef stock (reserve 2 oz to stir into cornstarch and flour)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. yellow mustard
2 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. corn starch
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste

1 pound flat noodles cooked according to directions on package (I used Amish noodles)

DIRECTIONS:

1st Method for cooking meat:
In large skillet brown meat in olive oil on medium heat with spices until cooked through. Add wine and browning sauce and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Remove meat leaving liquid in pan.

2nd Method for cooking meat: (method I used)
Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In 13x9 dish stir together meat with olive oil, wine and browning sauce, add spices. Bake for 1 hr., remove from oven, and pour just remaining liquid in large skillet, setting meat aside.

Sauce Directions:

Melt butter along with liquid from meat over medium heat. Add onions, mushrooms and minced garlic and saute until onions are soft and clear. Stir in 8 oz. beef stock, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. In measuring cup, dissolve flour and cornstarch in 2 oz. beef stock. Slowly stir mixture into skillet. Add cream cheese and sour cream and stir in until melted and mixed thoroughly. Stir in wine and season with salt and pepper. Add meat and mix. Stir meat and sauce into prepared noodles or serve over noodles.

Serves 8

Carrot Cake

"I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. I had never made home made carrot cake before and this was delicious. The original called for 1 cup pecans in the cake and 1 cup in the frosting, but I would recommend using 1/2 as much which is how I typed it below. I had so much I used it as a garnish on top. You can do that, or not even put any inside the frosting at all."


INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans

FROSTING:

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

Mac 'n' Cheese

"Definitely the best one I've tried yet...especially with my tweaking"

INGREDIENTS:

1 16 oz. package elbow mac (cooked according to directions)

Sauce:

9 T. butter
2 c. half and half
2 T. Franks Red Hot sauce
1/4 c. ranch dressing
4 c. asst cheeses (I used sharp cheddar, Munster and Monterrey Jack)
8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter over med-low heat in medium pot then add ingredients in order listed. Stir frequently until all cheeses are melted. Put noodles and sauce into 9x13 baking dish and stir together. Bake covered for 40 minutes.

Easy OREO Truffles

"I found this recipe on allrecipes.com"

INGREDIENTS:

1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Refrigerate mixture for two hours. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter. Freeze balls for 1/2 hr.
2. Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
3. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

Buttery Soft Pretzels

"I found this on allrecipes.com. They remind me of Auntie Ann's pretzels."

INGREDIENTS:

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 415 degrees F. In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until browned.

Serve with melted butter, or your choice of dipping sauce.
Yield: 12 pretzels