THE BEST OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

No, seriously the best

INGREDIENTS:

1 large egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats (not instant or quick cook)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 heaping cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the egg, butter, sugars,  and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the oats, flour,  baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the chocolate chips, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 11 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly. Tip - Strategically place a few chocolate chips on top of each mound of dough by taking chips from the underside and adding them on top.
5. Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
6. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 11 minutes (for super soft cookies, longer for more well-done cookies), or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don't overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don't use a rack.
7. Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/11/the-best-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies.html/print
Adjustments per Kari

Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas with Green Chili & Sour Cream Sauce

This one is so easy and super yummy!

10 soft taco shells

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 pan. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  Stir in sour cream and chilies.  Do not bring to boil, you don’t want curdled sour cream. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese, and if you like green onions and black olives. Bake 22 min covered, remove foil and then high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

http://mylitter.com/recipes/chicken-cheese-enchiladas-recipe/

Ranch Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup crumbled bacon
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sweet peas, cooked
• 16 oz pasta shells, cooked
• 2/3 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons dry Ranch mix, or more, to taste

• Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine mayo and milk and add 2 tablespoons of dry Ranch mix. Mix well and taste to see if you need to add more dry Ranch mix to the dressing. 
2. Gradually add the salad dressing to a large bowl with the salad ingredients.

Recipe: http://juliasalbum.com/2016/01/broccoli-bacon-ranch-pasta-salad/
Some adjustments made per Kari

Grilled BBQ Chicken

BBQ Grilled Chicken
*The secret is marinating the chicken in Italian salad dressing for at least 2 hours preferably overnight.

4-6 chicken breasts
1 bottle Italian salad dressing
1 bottle Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce

Marinate chicken in ziplock bag for at least 2 hours. Grill on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Flip and spread bbq sauce on. Grill another 4-5 minutes. Flip and spread bbq sauce on. Grill another 2-3 minutes and flip again so that bbq sauce gets a little carmalized.

You're done.

Eat. Enjoy.

Oriental Salad

Oriental Salad

2 (3 ounce) packages chicken-flavor ramen noodles


2 (8 1/2 ounce) packages broccoli coleslaw mix


1 cup toasted slivered almonds


1 cup sunflower seed


1/2 bunch green onion, chopped


1/2 cup sugar


3/4 cup oil


1/3 cup white vinegar


Directions:

1. Before opening noodles, crush into 1 inch pieces. Open packages and set aside flavor packets.

2. Place noodles in bottom of large serving bowl. Top noodles with broccoli slaw, then sprinkle with almonds and sunflower kernels, and green onions.

3. In a separate bowl combine sugar, oil, vinegar, and flavor packets from noodles. Pour over slaw, cover and chill up to 24 hours.

4. Toss before serving.

Teriyaki Marinade

Teriyaki Marinade

2 T. vinegar

1 1/2 t. ginger

1/4 . garlic powder

2 T. brown sugar

1/2 c. soy sauce

3/4 c. oil    2-3 lbs meat

Combine all but beef.  Pour marinade over beef.  Marinate covered in fridge for at last 4 hours, but I do it overnight.  Turn several times so it all gets covered.  good with beef, pork or chicken.

Hobo Dinner in the Slow Cooker

HOBO DINNER IN THE SLOW COOKER- 

INGREDIENTS

Meatloaf Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 1 pkg. onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs or 1 slice bread ripped to pieces
• 
  

For the potatoes

• 5 russet potatoes, sliced
• ½ cup sliced white onion
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. onion powder
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 3 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 can cream of mushroom spoon over potatoes
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheese (add at the end)

Slow Cooker Size: 6-quart Oval or larger

This was so easy and very yummy! I used moms

*Taken from themagicalslowcooker.com

Creamy and Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Creamy and Cheesy Chicken and Rice- This was super yummy!

4 Tbs butter
2 Tbs fresh minced garlic
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast
4 cups steamed brown rice
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Top with 1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
1 Tbs fresh chopped thyme (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.Melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in flour, chopped thyme, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously. Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in cheese until melted. Stir in rice and chicken and then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with additional cheddar cheese, if desired, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through. Serve.

*Taken from amindfullmom.com

Easy Stuffed Shells

Stuffed Shells

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Ingredients

• 1 box of jumbo pasta shells
• 1 jar Ragu sauce (23.8 oz)
• 1 egg
• 1 container Cottage Cheese (15 oz)
• 2-1/2 cups shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese (divided)
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan Cheese (divided)
• 2 tbsp of dried parsley

Instructions

1.  Cook pasta shells according to package directions and drain. Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of two 13x9x2 inch glass baking dishes.

2.  In a large bowl, beat egg. Stir in cottage cheese , cheddar cheese, 1-3/4 cups mozzarella, ½ cup parmesan and the parsley.

3.  Assemble: Spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce in each of the baking dishes. Fill cooked shells with ricotta mixture. Arrange filled shells in baking dishes. Pour remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella, parmesan and a dash or two of parsley over the top.

4.  Back covered with foil until bubbly, approximately 45 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until the cheese is melted, approximately 5 minutes. Let stands for 5 minutes or so before serving.

*Taken from livelaughrowe.com

Easy Chicken 'n Dumplings

I love this so much!

Ingredients

• 1 Rotisserie Chicken
• 32 oz. Chicken Broth
• 1 10 oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 can layer biscuits
• 1 cup flour
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Shred the meat off the rotisserie chicken.
2. In a large pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil.
3. Add the cream of chicken soup and the chicken pieces. Mix well.
4. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Take the biscuits and split them lengthwise, so you have two thinner biscuit rounds for each biscuit.
6. Dip them in a plate of flour and cut them into quarters.
7. Place them onto the top of the soup. Gently poke the dumplings down, randomly, while cooking for about 10 minutes. Be careful of stirring because it can break the dumplings apart.
8. Once the dumplings are cooked, you're done!

Notes

Optional: add carrots, peas, a bay leaf, or whatever you like in your soup!

*Taken from orsoshesays.com

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe- So easy and super yummy!

 

PRINT

Ingredients

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2½ cups frozen, mixed vegetables
• 3 cups cubed potatoes
• 3½ cups cream of chicken soup (homemade recipe below OR use 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup plus 1 cup of water)
• Optional: ½ cup instant mashed potato flakes OR 2 tbsp cornstarch + 3 tbps cold water

Instructions

Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup:

1. Start by cutting about two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts into cubes and place them in your crock pot.
2. Top with about 2½ cups of frozen, mixed vegetables.
3. Add 3 cups of cubed potatoes.
4. Top it all with about 3½ cups of cream of chicken soup.
5. Mix it all together and cook on low for about 6 hours.
6. Although the soup will thicken a bit as it cools, you can thicken it more if you want using ½ cup of instant mashed potato flakes or using cornstarch. To use cornstarch, mix together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of cold water. Stir the mixture into the chicken pot pie soup. Put the lid back on and allow the soup to thicken for about 10 minutes. This method will only work if your soup is simmering or boiling slowly. If your crockpot isn't that hot, stir in instant mashed potato flakes, put the lid back on and allow the soup to thicken for a couple of minutes.

**We love to crumble Ritz crackers on top!**

Taken from The Gunny Sack

Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 4-5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (1 cup)
• 3 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 oz)
• 9 oz bacon, cooked and diced or crumbled
• 4 green onions, diced

Directions

• To a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker, add potatoes, onion, chicken broth, evaporated milk and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with lid and cook on HIGH heat for 4 hours or LOW heat for 8 hours (poke potatoes with a fork to check make sure they're soft). 
• Ladle out 2 cups liquid from soup mixture in crock pot into a liquid measuring cup, set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour 2 cups liquid in measuring cup into butter mixture (it will thicken quickly). Pour butter mixture into slow cooker and stir to blend. If desired, mash potatoes with a potato masher to break down into smaller pieces or use an emulsion blender to puree. Cover and cook on HIGH heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Turn heat off (or to warm), stir in sour cream. Serve warm topped with cheddar, bacon and green onions (you can just mix in those three remaining ingredients into slow cooker or top individual servings).

*Taken from cooking classy.com

Crock Pot Chicken Dinner

Crock Pot Chicken Dinner
taken from eatathomecooks.com

I love this for Sunday dinner or a nice weekday meal with little effort but lots of taste.

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs. chicken (boneless or with bones)
• 2 cups potatoes, chopped
• 4-5 carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 cups (or 1 can) of chicken broth
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Place the chicken on the bottom of the crockpot.
2. Put the veggies on top of the chicken.
3. Stir the broth and soup together with the salt and pepper. Pour over the veggies and chicken. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
4. You can thicken the broth to make gravy. Remove the chicken and veggies from the pot. Turn the heat to high.
5. In a container with a tight fitting lid, add several Tbs. of flour. Add some water and shake to make a thick paste. You want it to pour, but still be thick.
6. Slowly whisk the flour mixture into the broth.

{cafe rio sweet pork}

1 cup salsa
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Dr. Pepper (You can use Coke too)
3 pounds pork tenderloins, pork loin or other pork roast
---Stir together salsa, brown sugar, and soda. Pour over pork in a crockpot. 
Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred meat for serving. 

Lemon Meltaway Cookies

I'm a sucker for anything lemon. And these are easy and FANTASTIC!

Cookie Ingredients
1 cup butter
½ cup powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp lemon juice
½ cup cornstarch
1 2/3 cup flour


Icing Ingredients
Powdered Sugar
Lemon Juice
Yellow food coloring, if desired

 
Cream butter/margarine and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and combine.

Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Cookies are done when top starts to crack. Edges may be slightly browned.

Let cool completely.

To make icing, simply put some powdered sugar in a bowl, add some lemon juice and food coloring, mix until not lumpy. You can't mess this up, you can add more lemon juice to get the sugar not lumpy and if it ends up too runny, you can always add more powdered sugar.

Put on cookies with the back of a spoon and working gently, because these cookies are really tender, spread out.