Monster Cookies

Leila decided that she wanted to make monster cookies for her birthday dessert.  I had just gotten recommendations about this website for great recipes and decided to try it.

Monster Cookies

2 sticks butter - softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
1 T vanilla
2 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cup old fashioned oats
1 1/4 cup M&M’s
1 cup pretzel sticks - crushed
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until combined. Beat in the eggs and 1 egg yolk, 1 at a time, until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the oats. Fold in 1 cup of the M&M's, the pretzels, chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips. Roll the dough into 1/4 cup size balls. Place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake another 2 minutes. Pull the pan out and push the remaining M&M's into the cookies. Bake 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. Eat warm (highly recommended) or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. 

Overnight Oats

Jeremy saw a youtube video about overnight oats and we decided to try it.
 

Overnight Oats

1/2 cup oatmeal (not quick cooking)

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vanilla yogurt 

1 T chia seeds

1 T maple syrup or honey

Mix all ingredients together in a 16oz container.  Place in fridge overnight.  

M&M Ultimate Chocolate Cookies

I wouldn't let the kids eat the mini M&M's because I wanted to bake with them, so the girls asked if they could make the cookies on the back of the bag.  

M&M Ultimate Chocolate Cookies

2 stick butter 
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup (1 bag) mini M&M's

In a large bowl, melt the butter.  Mix in sugars, then add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt then mix until combined.  Stir in M&M's, then refrigerate the dough for an hour.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350° for 9 minutes, then set on a rack to cool.  

Chocolate Chip Muffins

 Jer requested chocolate chip muffins instead of my normal bran muffins.  I searched and this recipe looked the most delicious.  Her photo is below, I can't find the one that I took.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

5 T butter - melted and slightly cooled

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream 

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 T baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

raw sugar

In a large bowl, melt butter, let it cool slightly, then add vegetable oil, eggs, sour cream, milk, and vanilla.  Mix well, then add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar.  Stir until just combined, do not overmix.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Spoon into muffin tins, sprinkle with raw sugar.  Bake at 425° for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake for 25 more minutes.

Blueberry Syrup

We were making french toast and Jer wanted strawberries and whipped cream with it.  I went to the store for thick sliced bread and strawberries.  The strawberries were overpriced so I couldn't bring myself to buy them.  Leila had already made the whipped cream, so we wanted some fruit with it still.  I grabbed a bag of frozen blueberries and googled a syrup recipe.  I modified it slightly.  We used the syrup on the french toast and over ice cream.  Both were delicious.

Blueberry Syrup

1-2 cup blueberries (frozen)
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch 

If the blueberries have a lot of ice in the bag, rinse them first.  Then put in a small saucepan and add water and sugar.  Mash the berries a bit and bring to a boil over high heat.  Cook and stir for 1-3 minutes, then in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with about 1/2 T cold water, then stir it into the syrup mixture.  Cook for about 1 more minute, then remove from heat.  It will thicken as it cools.  

Spicy Chicken And Rice (SCAR) or Corn & Black Bean Salsa Chicken

We were having chicken for supper tonight, but none of my usual recipes sounded good.  I googled easy chicken breast recipes and went through 100 on Taste of Home's website.  I came across this one and decided to go with it because it did not have any of Henry's allergens in it.  I changed it a bit because I had thawed a whole bag of chicken breasts and did not think that there would be room in the pan for everything, so I baked it in a 9x13" pan instead.  Leila decided to name it SCAR.  

Spicy Chicken And Rice (SCAR) or Corn & Black Bean Salsa Chicken

1 T chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 bag of thawed chicken breasts
1 can black beans - drained
1 can corn - drained
1 cup salsa
4 cups rice - cooked

In a small bowl, mix together spices, then sprinkle on both sides of each breast.  In a glass 9x13" baking dish, mix together corn, black beans, and salsa.  Place chicken breasts on top and bake at 375° for 35 minutes.  Serve with rice.  

Fresh Blueberry Pie

I wanted to make a pie for Jer for father's day, and we had blueberries in the house, so I decided to go with a fresh blueberry pie.  This is my Gramma's recipe.

Fresh Blueberry Pie

1 cup sugar
3 T cornstarch
1 T lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 T butter
4 cup blueberries
1 pie crust - baked

Bake single pie crust according to box directions.  In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and water. Smash 1 cup of the blueberries into the sauce and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and clear  Add 1 T of butter and stir until it melts in. Fold in remaining blueberries, pour into pie crust, and refrigerate to set.