Thick and Chewy Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp gr cinnamon
1/4 tsp (generous) salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup cinnamon chips
3/4 cup raisins

1. Heat oven to 350.

2. Cream together butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla (KitchenAid mixer speed 4, 1-2 minutes). In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; stir into butter mixture (KitchenAid mixer stir speed). Stir in oats, cinnamon chips and raisins by hand (batter will be stiff). Chill 20 minutes.

3. Drop by tablespoons, two inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheet. (Use large cookie scoop. 9 cookies per sheet.) Flatten slightly.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes (11 minutes in my oven) or until lightly golden at edges, but slightly undercooked-looking on top. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 46 cookies.

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White Chicken Chili

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
3 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained
2 cans (4.5 oz each) chopped green chiles, drained
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Dash ground red pepper (cayenne), if desired
1.5 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. In 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, garlic and chicken; cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients except cheese. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10-15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.

3. To serve, spoon chili into soup bowls. Top each serving with cheese.

Serves 8.

Notes: Freezes well.

(from Betty Crocker)

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Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
2.5 lb beef chuck roast, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lb large carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 medium yellow onion, cut into large pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bottle (750 ml) good-quality dry red wine (such as Pinot Noir)
2 cups beef broth
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1. In 7-quart Dutch oven or stockpot, heat oil over high heat. Pat beef dry with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Place beef in Dutch oven, working in batches if necessary as to not overcrowd Dutch oven, and cook 4-6 minutes, searing all sides of beef. Transfer to plate.

2. Add carrots and onion to Dutch oven, and cook 3-5 minutes or until onions and carrots are lightly browned and slightly tender, scraping brown bits up from bottom as they cook. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute longer, stirring frequently. Add wine, beef broth and thyme to Dutch oven, and stir until well combined.

3. Place broth mixture in 5- to 6-quart slow cooker; add beef and bacon to slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low heat setting about 8 hours or High heat setting 4 to 5 hours or until beef is very tender. Spoon into bowls to serve.

Serves 6.

Freezer Directions: Make as directed through step 2. Place beef in gallon-size plastic freezer bag. Squeeze out any excess air, and seal. Place broth mixture and bacon in gallon-size plastic freezer bag. Squeeze out any excess air, and seal. Place bags flat to freeze. When ready to cook, thaw bags overnight in refrigerator. Place in 5- to 6-quart slow cooker; cover and cook on Low heat setting about 8 hours or High heat setting 4 to 5 hours or until beef is very tender.

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Foil Pack Chicken and Artichoke Dinner

4 cups instant white rice, uncooked
2 cups warm water
4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1-1/2 lb.), 1/2 inch thick
1 can (13.75oz) artichoke hearts, drained, quartered
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 of a 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, cut into strips
1/2 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1/4 cup pesto

1. Heat oven to 400.

2. Mix rice and water; spoon onto centers of 4 large sheets heavy-duty foil. Top with chicken, artichokes, peppers, and tomatoes; drizzle with combined dressing and pesto.

3. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and both ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place in 15x10x1-inch pan.

4. Bake 30-35 minutes or until chicken is done (165 degrees on a meat thermometer). Remove packets from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut slits in foil to release steam before opening.

Serves 4.

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Remoulade Sauce (for crab cakes)

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp sweet relish
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili sauce
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Creole seasoning
Couple dashes of hot sauce
Squeeze of lemon

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until well combined.

2. The remoulade can be served immediately with crab cakes, and is even better if refrigerated for a couple of hours to allow flavors to marry. Keep refrigerated.

Makes approximately 2/3 cup sauce.

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Basic Waffles

2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter

1. Brush non-stick surface of waffle iron with a layer of vegetable oil. Heat waffle iron according to model instructions. (Waffle irons without a nonstick coating may need to be brushed with vegetable oil or sprayed with cooking spray before batter for each waffle is added.)

2. In large bowl, beat eggs with wire whisk until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth.

3. Pour 1/2 cup batter onto center of hot waffle iron. (Check manufacturer’s directions for recommended amount of batter, as this will vary from model to model.) Close lid of waffle iron.

4. Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops -- or as directed by the manual of your specific waffle iron. Carefully remove waffle with a heat resistant spatula. Serve immediately, topped with butter and syrup, or fresh berries. Repeat with remaining batter.

Servings: varies by waffle iron -- mine yields 8 with this recipe.

To freeze waffles:
Allow waffles to cool completely. Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Place the cooled waffles on the baking sheet making sure that they do not touch each other. If you are freezing more that one layer of waffles, you can simply use another sheet of parchment to separate the layers. Place the baking sheet into the freezer. Allow the pancakes or waffles to freeze for at least 6 hours. Once the pancakes or waffles are completely frozen, stack them in a zip top freezer bag or freezer-safe container.

To reheat frozen waffles:
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Line the desired number of waffles on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until they are heated through.

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Lemon Herb-Brined Chicken

1 chicken (3.5 lb), cut up
3 cups water, divided
peel from 1 lemon, cut up
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 oz Zesty Italian dressing
1 cup ice cubes

1. Remove and discard skin from all chicken pieces except wings. Add all chicken pieces to a resealable plastic bag; place in large bowl.

2. Bring 2 cups water, lemon peel, salt, garlic, and herbs to boil in saucepan. Remove from heat; pour into separate large bowl. Add remaining water, dressing, and ice; stir until ice is melted.

3. Pour over chicken; seal bag. Refrigerate overnight. Remove chicken from dressing mixture; discard dressing mixture. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat greased grill to medium-high heat.

4. Grill chicken 2 minutes on each side. Reduce grill to medium heat. Grill chicken 8-18 minutes or until done (165 degrees), turning occasionally and removing chicken pieces from grill as they are done. (Smaller pieces will cook more quickly.)

Serves 4-6.

Notes:

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Grilled Taco-Spiced Chicken

2 tbsp taco seasoning
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
2 tbsp chili sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin

1. Heat gas or charcoal grill. In shallow bowl, mix taco seasoning mix and oregano. Brush chicken with oil; sprinkle with taco seasoning mixture.

2. Place chicken on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).

3. Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, mix barbecue sauce, chili sauce and cumin. Cover; microwave on High 30 to 60 seconds or until hot. Serve sauce over chicken.

Serves 4.

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Tuna Pasta Salad

8 oz uncooked pasta shape of your choice
5 oz. can of solid white albacore tuna, in water, drained
2-3 celery stalks, diced
2-3 boiled eggs, refrigerated, peeled & then diced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 lemon
salt & pepper

1. Cook pasta according to the instructions on the box. Drain and rinse; allow to cool and then refrigerate.

2. Combine tuna, celery, and cold diced eggs together in a large mixing bowl and add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add pasta and mix well.

4. Add mayonnaise and mix well.

5. Add more salt and pepper to taste and squeeze as much lemon juice as you want into the pasta, to taste. Refrigerate and serve cold.

Serves 4-6.

Notes: May try adding some finely diced onion next time.

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Honey and Cinnamon Cold "Remedy"

1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix together and add to a hot beverage, drizzle over grapefruit, mix into yogurt or cereal, or use as dip for fruit.

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Honey and Lemon "Tea"

1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup or more of hot water

Put honey and lemon juice into a tea cup or mug. Add hot water and stir. Add more lemon juice, honey, or hot water to taste.

(from Simply Recipes)

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John's Mac and Cheese

2 cups of elbows, uncooked
3 tbsp of real butter, unsalted
1.5 cups of shredded Cheddar (shredding a block of cheddar may yield better results than using pre-shredded which is coated to prevent clumping in the package)
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 bar of cream cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dry mustard
2 eggs, beaten

1. Cook elbows according to package directions in well salted water. (Cook them fully; al dente noodles aren't what you're looking for with mac and cheese!) Drain and set aside; do NOT rinse.

2. Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, melt the butter over LOW heat. Once it is fully melted, add in half and half, salt, pepper, and dry mustard. When milk mixture is steaming (but NOT boiling!), scoop out 1/4 cup and SLOWLY drizzle it into the beaten eggs, whisking continuously, to temper the eggs; add to milk mixture along with the cream cheese -- do NOT increase the heat from low. Stir constantly until cream cheese is fully melted. Begin adding cheddar in portions, sitirring constantly, until each portion is fully melted before adding in the next. Do NOT increase the heat from low or allow to boil or the cheese mixture will curdle and become grainy.

3. Combine elbows and cheese in a large bowl, stirring until completely combined, adding additional salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4-6 servings.

The 'John' in the recipe is my mother's husband and the recipe is his!

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Roasted Radishes

1 lb radishes, washed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley

1. Preheat over to 450. Trim the top and stem ends off the radishes, then slice them in half.

2. Toss the radishes in the olive oil, and some salt and pepper.

3. Arrange them cut-side-down on a heavy, dark sheet pan (or in a cast iron skillet) and roast for about 10-12 minutes, until the white parts are just starting to brown, and the radishes can be pierced by a fork but are still firm.

4. Sprinkle on the parsley and garlic, and more salt if desired, and serve hot.

Serves 4.

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Ring of Meat

2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/2 cup well drained roasted red bell peppers (from a jar)
8 slices provolone cheese, halved
1/2 lb deli sliced salami
1/2 lb deli sliced ham
1/4 lb deli sliced capocollo or prosciutto
1/2 cup well drained banana pepper rings (from a jar)

1. Heat oven to 375.

2. Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 8 rectangles. On ungreased 12-inch pizza pan, arrange rectangles in ring so short sides of rectangles form a circle in center. (Dough will overlap; half of each rectangle will hang over edge of pan. Dough ring should resemble a sun.)

3. Spread roasted red bell peppers towards center of ring on bottom halves of rectangles. Top with half of the cheese. Layer meat slices over cheese. Arrange pepper rings over top. Cover with remaining half of cheese.

4. Bring each dough rectangle hanging over side of pan up over stacked filling, tucking dough under bottom layer of dough to secure it. Repeat around sandwich until entire filling is enclosed (some filling might show a little but that is okay.) Sprinkle with black pepper.

5. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until dough is golden brown and thoroughly baked. Remove from oven; cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into serving slices.

Notes: We found we needed to flip the whole thing over and allow the bottom to bake a bit as the top, because the bottom stayed rather doughy.

(adapted from Pillsbury)

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