New Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

I was food blog surfing awhile ago and copied a bunch of recipes I liked. Unfortunately I did not think to put where I got the recipes from so I can't give credit to the person who deserves it. But they do deserve credit because these cookies were fabulous!! My husband and I loved them! I had to bring them to a BBQ just so I wouldn't eat all of them!

1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups oats, rolled or quick

Preheat oven to 375F. Beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, beating well. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk together. Add to the butter mixture. Add oats; stir well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on pan 2 to 3 minutes. Remove cookies from pan and cool on wire racks. Spread 1 tablespoon cream filling over bottom side of half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, right side up.

Cream Filling
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat ingredients together until combined and light and fluffy.

I'm Back!

Sorry I have been away for awhile. I do have a good reason though....



Our little girl was born on May 24. I am feeling a little more adjusted now and ready to get back in to cooking!

Chicken and Cashew Stir-Fry

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 Tbsp. Soy sauce
2 Tbsp. Oil
1 small onion, sliced thin
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced (I left these out)
2 medium carrots, peeled & sliced
1 tsp. sugar
salted cashews
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 small cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 tsp. sugar
1 pkg. frozen pea pods, thawed
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

In a small bowl, marinate chicken and 2 Tbsp. soy sauce for 15 minutes. While chicken is marinating chop, slice & shred all the veggies! This recipe is much easier if you do this before you start cooking. Heat wok to medium-high, about 375 degrees. Add chicken & stir-fry until white & firm. Add onion & mushrooms. Continue stir-frying until vegetables are soft. Remove chicken & vegetables from wok and set aside. Add 2 Tbsp. oil and stir-fry carrots until bright in color and partly cooked. Sprinkle carrots with 1 tsp. sugar, then add zucchini. Stir-fry until almost tender. Add cabbage and 1 tsp. sugar. Stir-fry all vegetables until cabbage is tender-crisp. Add cashews, pea pods, and toss to combine. Add chicken & onion mixture to wok. Stir soy sauce and cornstarch together to dissolve. Pour into the wok & stir-fry until sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Serve over white rice.

Better Than Sex Trifle

I found this recipe on a food blog which I did not write down to give that person credit - sorry! I made this dessert for Mother's Day and it was fabulous and easy! I did not measure out the fudge, carmel, or sweetened condensed milk. I was pretty conservative with the sauces and it needed a little more, so next time I will either measure it out, or put more than I think I should.

1 German chocolate or other chocolate cake
3/4 cup fudge topping
3/4 cup carmel or butterscotch topping
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 bag of toffee pieces
1 tub of whipped topping

Bake cake as directed in a 13X9 pan. After the cake has cooled, cut into small pieces and divide into 3 parts. Layer the bottom with 1/3 of the cake pieces. Drizzle 1/4 C of the chocolate fudge, 1/4 C of the carmel, and 1/4 C of the sweetened condensed milk. Top with desired amount of toffee pieces and put a layer of cool whip. Repeat layers 2 more times. Top with cool whip and toffee pieces.

Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

To make this in a regular 9x13 pan:
Bake cake as directed on box. After the cake has cooled, poke holes in the cake about an inch apart with the back of a wooden spoon. Pour (one at a time) fudge, carmel, and condensed milk over the top of the cake and let each flavor soak in before adding the next. Put desired amount of toffee chips on the top. Frost the cake with the whipped topping and remaining toffee pieces to decorate the top.

Chicken Tetrazzini

1 package (7 ounces) spaghetti, broken in to 2 inch pieces
2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 med onion, chopped
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/8 tsp peper
Additional shredded cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the next nine ingredients and mix well. Spoon in to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle top with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until heated through.

(If you want a little larger casserole you can use 12 oz of spaghetti and 2 cans cream of mushroom soup.)

My Mom's Meatloaf

1 - 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3 slices soft bread
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Tear bread into a large bowl, add milk and egg and mix. Next add meat and seasonings. Mix thoroughly. Put meat mixture in bread pan or 8X8 pan. Bake 1 hour total. After 30 minutes, drain the fat and top with ketchup sauce and then put back in the oven to finish baking.

Ketchup sauce

3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
]1 tsp mustard
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Sour Cream Banana Bars

I LOVE these! This recipe is my mom's, and they are the greatest!! They freeze really well too, and I also love them right out of the freezer.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 large)
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour jelly roll pan (15 1/2 X 10 1/2). Mix sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs in a large bowl on low speed for 1 minute. Beat in bananas and vanilla on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat in flour, baking soda and salt on medium speed for 1 minute. Stir in nuts. Spread in pan. Bake until light brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool. Frost with browned butter frosting. Makes 48 bars.

Browned Butter Frosting

Heat 1/4 cup butter or margarine over medium heat until delicate brown; remove from heat. Mix in 2 cups powdered sugar. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla and 3 Tbsp milk until smooth and spreading consistency.