Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love this recipe! And the wheat flour and wheat germ make me feel that it is at least a little more healthy without giving up taste.

3 c. flour (I use 1 1/2 cup wheat flour and 1 1/2 cup white flour)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. soda
2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
3 1/2 c. oats
1/2 c. wheat germ (Optional. Add an extra 1/2 cup of oats if you don't use this.)
1 package chocolate chips

Make dry mixture of flour, salt and soda in a bowl and set aside. Beat shortening, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla together well. Add 4 eggs; beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Add oats and wheat germ. Stir in 1 package chocolate chips. Drop batter onto cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool on sheets for 2 minutes before placing on wire rack.

Makes 7 dozen. That is a little too much for my family at one time. So I roll the extra cookie dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet. I put the whole cookie sheet in the freezer for about 2 hours, until frozen through. Then I place the cookie dough balls into a gallon size Ziplock bag and store them in the freezer. When ready to use, put as many balls as desired onto greased cookie sheet, let thaw 30 minutes and cook as directed above (Let's be honest. Most the time I pop them in the oven frozen and they taste great.). A quick and easy treat...perfect to use for pazookies.

Orange Julius

A Sunday evening tradition in our home is Orange Julius.  We don't have it every week, but we often have this or Peach Malt - both blender drinks.  I'll post the simple Peach Malt recipe another time.  Orange Julius is my favorite- winter or summer.

Orange Julius

Ingredients:
1/2 to 3/4 can of 12 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/3 to 1/2 cup of white sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Blend it all together.
Fill the blender nearly full with ice.  Crush and blend together. Taste and add more orange juice concentrate if needed.  Happy Sunday evening!

Easy Rice Pudding with Leftover Rice

I love rice pudding.  I had some leftover rice.  It seemed like my mother used to make rice pudding out of leftover rice,  so I went to allrecipes.com to see if I could find a recipe that started with leftover rice.  I found one.   It's probably not as good as when it's done the "real" way, but it was yummy and fast and satisfied my craving.  I really like it for breakfast, too.

2 cups cooked white rice
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.)
1/3- 1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
(Nuts, Raisins, other dried fruits as desired)

In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Bring to a soft boil.  Reduce the heat to low/ simmer. Cover and cook for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until it's thick and creamy.  Add nuts, raisins, or other dried fruit as you serve it, as desired.

Quick Peanut Butter Bars

Need a quick snack? These delicious peanut butter bars are the "healthy" version of no-bake cookies. They use no refined/processed sugar, yet they taste amazingly indulgent. They came together in only about 5 minutes prep time. The hardest part is allowing them to cool for about 30 minutes after whipping them up. They were a big hit with my whole family - adults and kids alike.  

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter
•  3/4 cup honey - I used agave and honey to fill up to 3/4 cup
• 2 cups uncooked rolled oats 
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or any dried fruit of your choice - I used 1/4 cup raisins and 1/4 cup Craisins
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds or other seeds or nuts of your choice - I used 1/4 cup whole almonds and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

• Warm peanut butter and honey in frying pan until ingredients are mixed and runny.
• Stir in the oats, dried fruit, and nuts/seeds until everything is nicely blended together.  
• Pour mixture into 9x9 pan. Use a spatula to press it evenly into the pan.
• Let the mixture cool for 30 minutes to an hour, then cut into 15 bars of equal size.
• The bars do not need to be refrigerated.  Just wrap them in aluminum foil. Grab one whenever you need a quick snack!

I got this recipe from a fun book called "Artful Snacks" that I found at our local library.  It was exciting to see my picky three year old get excited about snacks and how fun and healthy they can be. It also has fun health tips and facts that we found interesting.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with young kids.  

Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is very easy to make and very nutritious.  Serve with a crusty bread,  garlic bread, or grilled cheese sandwiches.  It's delicious with croutons in it, too.

Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup
36 ounces peeled, seeded butternut squash, cubed (the size Costco sells)
4 teaspoons olive oil
Salt
1 onion, chopped
3 cups chicken stock
3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon red curry paste
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 can coconut milk
chopped cilantro for garnish
Sirachi sauce, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.  Line a cookie sheet with a silpat or foil.  Spread the squash cubes on the sheet and drizzle with about 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil.  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Roast in the hot oven until the squash is soft and just starting to turn brown.  Heat some oil in a large soup pot.  Add the chopped onion and cook until soft.  Add the stock, roasted squash, and curry paste.  Bring all to a boil.  Cover and turn to simmer.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the lime juice and coconut milk.  With an immersible blender (or you can do it in batches in your regular blender), blend all together.  Add Sirachi( go easy; a bit at a time.  This stuff is hot!) and salt to taste.  Garnish in bowls with cilantro and croutons, if desired. Though not pictured, the croutons really make it good.  You can also serve with lime wedges.

Beef Enchiladas

 This recipe would be a great one to use with leftover roast beef or canned meat. We have canned venison that I am trying to learn how to use. I tried this recipe with it and it was DELICIOUS! My husband’s comment: “This tastes like restaurant food.” Because I already had the meat cooked I skipped the first 6 ingredients and step one, though I did sprinkle some cumin and chili powder on my meat to help with flavor. The whole recipe came together quickly and was a big hit with the whole family:

3 lbs beef chuck roast

¼ cup water

1 ½ cup beef broth

3 T red wine vinegar

2 T chili powder

1 T ground cumin

I large onion chopped

2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers

1 T all-purpose flour

2 cups sour cream

3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

1 cup oil for frying

20 (6 inch) corn tortillas (I just used flour tortillas instead, so there was no frying required and it tasted great.)

Directions:
1 . Place roast in a large saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid. Pour in water, cover, and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Increase heat to medium/high, and brown the roast on all sides. Once the water has boiled away, pour in the beef broth, vinegar, chili powder and 1 tablespoon of cumin. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the beef falls apart when you try to pick it up. Shred the beef, using 2 forks or your fingers. Place shredded beef back into the saucepan with all the juices, and let cool to room temperature.

 2. In a large skillet, saute the onion until just soft, not browned. Mix in flour and green chilies. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook the flour taste out. Stir in sour cream and 2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese. Cook on low for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the cheese is all melted and mixed. Set aside and let cool.

3.  In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil. Using tongs dip the tortillas, one at a time, into the oil for 30 seconds each side. Drain on paper towels.

 4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spread 4 tablespoons of sour cream mixture down the center of the tortilla. Top with about the same amount of beef. Roll up and place seam side down in one or two 8x11 inch baking dish. Repeat for each tortilla. Continue until you are out of the filling. Sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese.

5. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

What's For Dinner?- March

March's menus are planned.

Barbecups

Nectar of the Gods/ Ham Sammies

Ritzy Chicken/ Mashed Potatoes/ Glazed Carrots

Honey Mustard Curry Chicken

Cafe Rio Pork Salad with Tomatillo Dressing
Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Pizza

Easter Dinner: Ham, Funeral Potatoes, Asparagus, Strawberry Pie

Recipes to Try:

Salisbury Steaks/ Mashed Potatoes/ Peas and Carrots
Baked Ziti
Mario Batali's Ragu Bolognese
Pepperoni Pizza Burgers
Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki

Treats:
Cinnamon Rolls
Strawberry Pie
Applebee's Maple Blondies