famous oatmeal cookies

I got this recipe from my MIL. We LOVE these cookies...they are definitely 'famous' at our house!! These cookies are SO good. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

I'm sorry these pictures are SO bad. I actually get a headache if I look at them too long. I thought about making another batch to get a better picture, but decided I just can't eat another entire batch so soon. Yep, I don't have much will-power when it comes to oatmeal cookies....or any other cookies for that matter. So take a quick glance at the pictures and then go make some of these for yourself...or the entire family.....hmmm...maybe I will go make another batch.

famous oatmeal cookies

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 cups oats (I used quick-cooking oats)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. soda
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet choc. chips (optional)
• nuts (optional)

Directions: Cream shortening and sugars. Add egg, vanilla, and water. Mix flour, salt, and soda together. Add to creamed mixture. Add oats. Make into cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Another recipe from The Pioneer Woman. These are SO yummy!!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 24 oz, white button mushrooms (I used 32 oz. and still had some leftover filling)
• 1/3 pounds hot pork sausage (I used some habenero hot sausage)
• 1/2 whole medium onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 8 ounces, cream cheese
• 1 whole egg yolk
• 3/4 Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (I used beef broth)

Directions: Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool. Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Pour in wine(beef broth) to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate. Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool. In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese. Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up. Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving.

Pumpkin and cream cheese bread

I've mentioned before that I LOVE all things pumpkin, except pumpkin pie. This Bread is SO yummy. It is a combination of a Layered Pumpkin Loaf at Kraftfoods.com and Emmy's Pumpkin Bread recipe from kingarthurflour.com. I used the cream cheese mixture from the kraft foods recipe and the bread from King Arthurs. I did add 2 t. of cinnamon to the King Arthur recipe as suggested by the girls at Little Birdie Secrets.

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. package or cream cheese
• 1 egg white
• 2 T sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening or 1 cup vegetable oil (I used shortening)
• 2 2/3 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups (or 1 15 oz can) pumpkin
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 2 t baking soda
• 1 1/2 t salt
• 1 t nutmeg
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 t vanilla
  

Directions: Cream together cream cheese, egg white and 2 T sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening or oil and the sugar. Beat in the eggs, pumpkin and water. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla, stirring to blend.

Spoon batter into the bottom portion of a greased bread pan, add a layer of cream cheese filling(this is hard to smooth evenly, I just dropped a couple of spoonfuls per pan), add more batter on top of the cream cheese. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for ~1 hour or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

This will make 2 9x5-inch loaves or I made 7 little mini-loaves and 10 muffins. Make sure you only fill your bread pan to ~2/3 full. The first time I made this I used some little Christmas tree molds and they overflowed!! It only took about 50 minutes for the mini loaves.

Sweet Cereal Mix - yummy stuff!!

My sister sent me these pictures and this recipe. I can't wait to try this stuff!! She couldn't remember where she got the recipe or what it is called. This is what she said in her email...."I really don't know what this stuff is called but it is delicious. I just call it Yummy." Sounds good to me:) If any of you have made this before and know the 'official' name, please leave me a comment and let me know.

Sweet Cereal Mix

Ingredients:

• 1box Golden Graham cereal
• 1 box Rice Chex cereal
• 2 c. slivered almonds and/or pecans (chopped and toasted)
• 2 c. coconut
• 2 c. corn syrup
• 2 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 cubes butter

Directions: Place cereals, toasted nuts and coconut in a large bowl and toss to mix. In a saucepan, bring corn syrup, sugar and butter to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Pour over cereal mix and stir until everything is well coated. Pour mixture out onto a buttered cookie sheet to cool and set.

Rolo Cookies

If you are looking for a yummy cookie to share with friends and family this holiday season, try this one! These cookies are YUMMY! Just be sure to let them cool a bit before you bite into one. I had a friend in college that grabbed on right out of the oven and was burnt by the hot caramel inside.

Rolo Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup butter or margarine (I use butter)
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. vanilla
• 1 t baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 13 oz. bag of Rolos
• sugar (for rolling the pre-baked cookies in)

Directions: Blend sugar, brown sugar and butter together in a bowl. Add eggs and vanilla to sugar mixture and blend well. Sift together in a small bowl, flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and blend well. Take a spoonful of cookie dough and wrap around rolo. Roll into ball so that the rolo is completely covered with dough and roll in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes. I rolled half of mine in regular sugar and half in Turbinado(sugar in the raw) sugar(leftover from the honey crystal almonds)....I really like the turbinado sugar. It makes them so pretty and gives them a little crunch on the outside.

Canned Stew

Remember awhile ago, I told you about this great deal on a pressure cooker from Amazon? Well, it is still only $239.00. I ordered mine and received free shipping and received it within only a couple of days. I have used it once and I LOVE it.



I canned 14 quarts of canned stew. I got the recipe here. It is SO yummy! We have already eaten 4 quarts. I open 2 quarts and add 1 pint of chicken that I canned awhile ago. I also add about 1/2-1 pint of water. It is SO nice to have a quick, simple and delicious meal on hand when I am in a hurry. The two quarts of stew will feed my family of 2 adults and 4 kids for dinner with enough for lunch(for my husband) the next day. You can add cooked chicken, canned chicken or beef...or just eat as is. Rachel's bottles of stew look so much better than mine. I peeled and sliced my potatoes with my food processor, but next time I think I will do what she did....scrub and dice the potatoes.

Canned Stew

Ingredients:

• carrots
• potatoes
• onions
• celery
• 1 T Pearl Barley (per quart)
• 1 T Parsley (per quart) (I used dried parsley)
• 1 T Bouillon (beef or chicken) (per quart)
• 1/4 salt (optional - I used garlic salt) (per quart)

Directions: In large bowls --- cut, chop or slice the following: Potatoes, carrots, celery, onion (A food processor works great for the carrots and celery & don't forget to keep the potatoes covered with water so they don't brown). In a clean quart size canning jar add: pearl barley, parsley, bouillon, salt (optional). Then using a LARGE handful of each, add the following: onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes.Cover all ingredients with boiling water leaving 1 inch head space. Wipe rim with clean dish cloth, top with lid & ring then process in a Pressure Canner for 30 Minutes at 12 pounds of pressure.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I LOVE these cookies! Really I LOVE anything that is baked with pumpkin(except pumpkin pie). These cookies are super simple(3 ingredients) and really...they are super yummy!!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 Box Spice Cake Mix
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients together. Drop dough, by spoonfuls, onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.