Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Oatmeal

What??

What on Earth would motivate me to post on this long-forgotten blog after nearly 6 years of silence?

Well, it's simple, really.

I have accumulated a number of recipes that I want to keep track of in one place.

I'll be posting them here, but probably won't include pictures often.

This baked chocolate chip cookie oatmeal adapted from Apple of My Eye is one of my favorite go-to recipes for breakfast!

It's so warm and comforting, especially on a chilly morning, and several of my kids love it. This morning Benson said as he was eating, "Mmmm, so good, Mom!"

Maxwell, on the other hand, who regularly eats 4 helpings of it, spotted a tiny bit of cooked egg white in his oatmeal and a fit commenced because it was a "cold white thing" and he would no longer eat it.

Such is life.

2 c. quick oats

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

1/3 c. brown sugar

2 1/2 c. milk

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1 T. honey

1 T. butter

1/4 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. In a 9x13 pan, combine quick oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar. Melt together honey and butter and whisk together with milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients and combine. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake for 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Puppy Chow

Here is the famous puppy chow recipe! I know people think it's just muddy buddies, but there are a few small changes that make a big difference in this recipe.

6-8 c. Crispix cereal (NOT Chex)

1 stick butter

1 c. peanut butter

1 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips

3-4 c. powdered sugar (plus more as needed)

Melt together butter and peanut butter and stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and heat until mixture is glossy (you can do this in the microwave or on the stove). Pour cereal into a large bowl and add chocolate mixture. Stir gently to coat, trying not to crush cereal. Add additional cereal if it appears to be too heavily coated. In a plastic grocery bag (I double or triple layer mine to prevent a mess), put powdered sugar and then dump in chocolate-covered cereal. Twist bags to close and shake well (this works best if you also close air in the bags so the cereal can move more freely). After shaking for 1-2 minutes, check cereal. If it's stuck together in clumps, break them up and add more powdered sugar and shake again. Continue until most of the cereal is separated into individual pieces, as pictured above. Enjoy!

Fruited Black Bean Salad

I made this salad for a work picnic and it was a huge hit! There are so many different flavors that you wouldn't expect to blend well, but they do. It's like a party in your mouth.

Original recipe here

1 can black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup chopped mango

1/3 cup chopped sweet onion

1/2 cup chopped strawberries

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp salsa verde (unless you like it spicy, get a mild kind)

1/4 tsp cumin

dash of salt

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Note: this is delicious the first day but disgusting the next day (the strawberries absorb all the other flavors and get kind of fermented in onion and salsa verde). I highly recommend consuming all of it the first day and not keeping any for leftovers.

Sweet Potato Burritos

What? Losaunne cooks? Surprise! And it's not even pasta, my common go-to when I was so terribly forced to make dinners for the family as a child. I chose not to put cheese in these burritos, but I'm sure it would be tasty if you choose to! Feel free to get crazy with the toppings.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, minced

3 cans of black beans, roughly mashed

2 cups water

3 tablespoons chili powder

4 teaspoons prepared mustard

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Cayenne pepper to taste

Cinnamon to taste

Salt

Pepper

5 mashed sweet potatoes

20 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a medium skillet and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add chili powder, mustard, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Mix beans into the onion mixture. Stir in water, and heat until warm. Combine the onion and bean mixture with the sweet potatoes, and mix until evenly distributed. Add the cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Spoon the mixture into tortillas, and fold the tortillas burrito-style. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes.

Nutrient-Packed Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

These cookies aren't very photogenic, but they are delicious enough to make up for their less-than-attractive appearance. We went on an early-morning "hike" (in Texas that means a walk around a park on a wooded trail), and took these with us. They are perfect for hikes, camping, or just a quick breakfast to keep in the freezer.

Recipe adapted from MOMables

1/2 c. mashed banana (about 1 large)

1/2 c. peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/2 c. honey

2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. quick oats

1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. ground flax seed

1/4 c. powdered milk

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. banking soda

1/2 c. raisins or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. Add oats, flour, ground flax seed, powdered milk, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir until just combined. Stir in raisins/chocolate chips. Spoon onto a greased cookie sheet and cook for 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 12 cookies.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pistachio-Cilantro Pesto

Breanne and I love ALDI! Sadly, you Utah folk don't get to experience it, but we'll try to share recipes from time to time so you can at least benefit from it somewhat! This is another incredible recipe from their website. When I saw it, I knew immediately it was something we would love, but when I made it Sam and I were both blown away! This flavor combination is fantastic. Well worth the time it takes to shell all the pistachios. (A fabulous activity for 4-year-old fingers, by the way.)

Recipe slightly adapted from ALDI

Sweet Potatoes
4-5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1 Tbsp. olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. chili powder
zest of 1 lime, divided

Pesto
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 bunch cliantro leaves
1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cups pistachios, shells removed, divided
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 c. olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Toss with oil, seasonings, and half of the lime zest. Bake for 20 minutes or until tender and carmelized. Meanwhile, prepare pesto. In a food processor, combine ingredients (except 1/4 c. pistachios) and chop until desired consistency is reached. Roughly chop remaining 1/4 cup pistachios. Toss warm potatoes with pesto. To serve, sprinkle potatoes with remaining pistachios and lime zest.

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Cauliflower Soup with Goat Cheese

YUM! This soup is delicious, especially on a cold wintery day. 

Picture and recipe courtesy of Closet Cooking

4 red bell pepper, cut in half and seeds removed

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon thyme, chopped

1 pinch red pepper flakes

4 cups chicken broth or chicken stock or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

salt and pepper to taste

Place the red peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down, broil until the skins are blackened, about 10 minutes, place in a sealable container and let 'steam' for 20 minutes before pinching the skins off and dicing.

Meanwhile, toss the cauliflower in the oil, place it in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees until tender and caramelized, about 20-30 minutes, mixing once in the middle.

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the onion until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the roasted red peppers, cauliflower, broth, paprika and goat cheese and simmer for 10 minutes before pureeing to the desired consistency with a hand blender. Season with salt and pepper and serve garnished with goat cheese.

I found the most tedious part of this to be pinching the skins off the red peppers. But you know what? I just realized that I sliced them thinly first and then broiled them. I highly do not recommend that. I'd be interested in hearing if the skins pinched off easily with the peppers only cut in half.

Also, the goat cheese garnish at the end adds quite a bit of flavor--I highly recommend sprinkling some on top!