Virginia's Monster Cookies

 (oh my goodness!  If you love oatmeal, you will love these!  Plus the peanut butter wow!  These came from my sister, Virginia.  I waited to make them not sure why, but glad I finally did! And no,  there isn't any flour in these which surprised me and the dough is sticky.)

2 c. sugar

2 c. brown sugar

2 sticks butter (1 c. )

6 eggs

3 c. peanut butter ( my sister uses the chunky)

2 Tbsp. vanilla

4 tsp. baking soda

9 c. Oats ( can use 1/2 quick oats and 1/2 old fashioned)

1 bag chocolate chips ( 2 c.)

1 1/2 - 2 c. M and M's

1 tsp. salt

* can add some coconut

**she says it makes 12 doz.  I would say more like 8 doz.

* Mix butter and sugars together until creamy, add vanilla and eggs, then add peanut butter and rest of ingredients.

* use cookie scoop  and put 15 cookies on tray

* preheat oven to 350 F. 

* bake 11 - 12 minutes.

* Enjoy!

Chocolate Caramels (by butterwithasideofbread)

 

I have been searching for a good Chocolate caramel recipe and this one fits the bill for now.  I think I would like it a little bit more chocolatey but it's pretty good!  

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. light corn syrup

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate (broken into small pieces

1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream - divided

Line an 8x8 pan with foil and grease the foil with butter

In a large saucepan, bring sugar, corn syrup and chocolate to a boil over medium heat and stir until smooth

Add 1/2 c. cream and stir constantly until candy thermometer reads 234 F. degrees.  Add another 1/2 c. cream and return mixture to 234 degrees, stirring constantly.  Add the remaining 1/2 c. cream and cook until the temperature reaches 240 F. , Test candy (if you live in a high altitude, you may want to begin testing when the mixture reaches 234F) If the mixture dissolves in the water, you need to keep cooking until the temperature goes up 2 more degrees, then test again.  If mixture hardens when a small dollop is placed in ice cold water, then remove from heat and pour into prepared pan.

Immediately pour the mixture into pan and let stand until firm - about 5 hours or overnight

using the foil, lift the candy out of the pan.  Remove foil and cut into 1" squares.  Then wrap the candy in caramel wrap paper or wax paper. 

** you may find the temperature can be different for different altitudes, just keep testing to make sure its the right consistency.  If cooked too long, it will become too hard.  The higher the elevation, the lower the temperature will be when the candy is done.  

Winter Salad (from allrecipes)

 

This is the recipe our brother in law brings every Thanksgiving.  It is one of my favorites and uses winter fruits and the dressing makes it one of my favorite salads to eat

For the dressing:

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. diced onion (can use minced)

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2/3 c. oil

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds - Mix with blender or hand blender

For the Salad:

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces

4 oz. shredded swiss cheese

1 c. cashews

1/4 c. dried cranberries (Craisins)

1 apple, peeled cored and diced

1 pear, peeled cored and sliced 

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce

( I got this recipe from a magazine that came in my newspaper on Sundays - turned out to be a keeper!)

Marinara Sauce:

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes

2 (14 1/2 oz) cans tomato sauce

2 beef bouillon cubes

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. coarse salt 

freshly ground pepper

Pasta:

1 (12 oz) box jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. fresh spinach

1/4 c. water

1 1/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

3 c. ricotta cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/4 c. minced fresh parsley.

** To prepare marinara sauce, heat olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, bouillon cuts, basil, oregano, parsley and sugar.  Stir well.  simmer over low heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add salt and pepper..  Makes about 6 cups.

**Preheat oven to 350F .  Toss cooked pasta with olive oil and set aside

**Combine spinach with water in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Simmer, covered, until spinach is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.  Drain well and squeeze spinach to remove excess moisture.  Finely chop spinach.

**Combine mozzarella, ricotta, eggs, garlic, spinach, 1/2 c. Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Stir to blend.  Generously stuff pasta shells with cheese mixture.  Place shells in 2 (13x9) baking dishes and cover with marinara sauce.  Sprinkle evenly with remaining Parmesan cheese and parsley.

** Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is hot and bubbly.  Let cool 5 to 10minutes before serving.  Serves 10.  

 

Cowley Lunchroom Sloppy Joes

 

(I was finally able to get this recipe! I craved this when I was pregnant and it seemed that I could never duplicate it.   It's from my school years in Cowley.  We had the best lunches and how blessed we were!  Everything was from scratch and simple recipes.  I'm so grateful that one of the lunch ladie's daughters was able to share this with my sister so I can re-create my memories)

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 c. chopped bell pepper

2 tsp. chopped onion

1 tsp. garlic powder 

**saute onion and bell pepper until translucent , then add ground beef and cook until the beef is done.

** Add

3/4 c. ketchup

2 tsp. mustard

(Can add 1/4 c. salsa) 

** Heat all ingredients together until warm .

aebleskivers by Houseofnasheats

(These are Danish pancake balls, you will need an aebleskiver pan to make these- although I lived in Denmark a couple of times, I never did have these, but I love all things Danish, so I asked for an aebleskiver pan for Christmas a couple of years ago, and now I found a wonderful recipe, my family gobbles these up especially with sliced strawberries, syrup and whipped cream- these are a tradition for Christmas, I hope to make them more often!)

 2 egg whites and yolks, separated

2 c. flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 c. Buttermilk

**In medium bowl; beat egg whites with an electric mixer until still peaks form.

** in separate large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and sugar.  Stir well, then add:  the egg yolks, melted butter and buttermilk and mix until just combined.

** Gently fold in egg whites - Batter will be fairly thick

** Heat aebleskiver pan over medium heat until hot.  Brush each cup with a little bit of melted butter, then fill with about 2 Tbsp. of batter, until almost full.  

**As soon as they begin to bubble around the edges, use wooden skewer, chopstick or fork to flip over 1/2 way, letting batter slide around to fill in the bottom of the cup.

** Continue cooking, turning the aebleskiver again to let the batter fill in the remainder of the sphere and continue to turn until golden brown al the way around and cooked through

** dust with powder sugar

** Serve with Jam, honey, cinnamon, or syrup, nutella, cookie butter, or whatever you like!

**Can use cardamon to give them a little more flavor

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

( This recipe came from a Pillsbury book long ago, I only made it once and put the recipe away.  I just picked zucchini from my garden and thought I might try this recipe again to see if it was as good as I remembered.  It did not disappoint!  The glaze with the yummy cinnamon goes so perfectly on this,  wowsa! I would make a little extra next time as I'm kind of a frosting kind of girl!  This loaf is so moist and so delicious, and so worth every calorie!  I'll let you know next week when I have gotten on the scale :) 

( I doubled this recipe to make 4 small loaf pans and one regular size loaf ) 

Bread: 

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. shredded zucchini

8 oz. can crushed pineapple in it's own juice, undrained, reserving 1 Tbsp. juice

2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

** Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour bottom only of a 9x5 inch loaf pan.  In large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Stir in zucchini, pineapple and eggs.  Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off.  Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and allspice to zucchini mixture; blend well.  Fold in nuts.  Spread evenly in prepared pan.  Bake 350F for 60 to 70 min ( high altitude 375F for 55 to 65 min - although I didn't adjust the temperature for high altitude, I just watched the time to make sure it was done) or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes ; remove from pan.

**Glaze:

1/2 c. powdered sugar

reserved 1 Tbsp. pineapple juice

1 tsp. corn syrup

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

**In small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients until smooth; spoon over warm loaf.  Cool completely on wire rack.  Wrap and store in refrigerator.  Makes 1 loaf.