Cookies I Can't Live Without

Modified from the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe. I use salted butter...I think it has more flavor. I also use half whole wheat flour.

Cream Together:
4 sticks salted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar

Add and mix:
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Combine...then add to butter/sugar
2 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
5 cups oatmeal (blended into powder)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Stir in Mixins:
24 oz. chocolate chips
8 oz. Hershey bar (grated) - optional
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice) - optional

Roll into small balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Fresh: Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Frozen: Bake fro 12-14 minutes at 325 degrees.

Pasta with Creamy Tomato-Clam Sauce

Recipe From: Pampered Chef
The bread crumb topping was kinda a waste of time, but the pasta was a great flavor.

Ingredients:
8 oz cooked pasta
2 slices french bread (crumbs)
2 tbsp fresh parsley (snipped)
1 tsp butter
2 cans (6 oz) chopped clams (juice used separately)
1 cup vodka marinara sauce
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tbsp lemon juice

To prepare topping: Melt butter over medium heat. Add bread crumbs. Stir 2-3 minutes or until bread crumbs are crisp and golden. Remove pan from heat, cool slightly. Stir in snipped parsley.

For the sauce: Strain clam juice into skillet. Add vodka sauce, garlic and lemon juice. Simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in pasta and clams. Let stand 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Serve with sprinkled bread crumb mixture.

Sausage Jambalaya

Recipe From: HEB
Blake discovered a Cajun Meat Market - Herbert's on Dairy Ashford. He brought home jalapeno sausage, a stuffed whole chicken (de-boned) and stuffed jalapenos. We ate well for a few days. The sausage was great in the jambalaya.

Ingredients:
1 link smoked sausage (thinly sliced)
1 cup onion (chopped)
1 cup celery (chopped)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1 pkg Zatarain's Jambalaya Dinner Mix (original flavor)
1 cup frozen corn

Heat oil in a skillet and saute onion, celery and sausage for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Stir in jambalaya mix. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat and add frozen corn. Let stand until corn is cooked in. Fluff rice with a fork and serve.

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Recipe From: Argo Cookbook
I used my gingersnap cookie recipe and when they came out of the oven, I smooshed them down to be a bit flatter. Now that I am typing out the recipe, I realized I used the whole can of pumpkin, not a cup...wonder what the difference is. They tasted great, maybe next time I'll make them look as good as the picture. I'm not much of the garnishing type.

Ingredients:
Gingersnap Cookies
12 ounces cream cheese (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmet, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 cloves)
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup karo syrup

Line muffin pans with baking cups and place 1 cookie in each. Beat cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch and pumpkin pie spice in the mixer. Add eggs and mix well. Add pumpkin and syrup and beat for 1 minute. Pour filling into baking cups over the cookie, dividing evenly. Bake in a preheated 325 oven for 30-35 minutes, until just set. Chill for 1 hour. Garnish as desired.

Citrus Pork Chops

Recipe From: Argo Cookbook

Ingredients:
4 pork chops (1/2" thick, boneless)
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp oil
2 cups orange juice
1 cup carrots
2 tbsp onion (minced)
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp corn syrup (2 tbsp water + 2 tbsp splenda)
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tbsp fresh parsley (minced)

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Cook over grill. Heat oil in a skillet and add onion. Then add 3/4 cup chicken broth, orange juice and carrots. Cover and simmer 10-12 minutes until carrots are tender. Stir 1/4 cup chicken broth, 2 tbsp cornstarch, honey, corn syrup, vinegar, dijon mustard and crushed red pepper. Add to skillet. Stirring constantly, bring to boil over medium heat and boil for 1 minute. Stir in parsley. Place pork chops in mixture until heated through. Serve over rice.

Homemade Granola Bars

Recipe From: Joyful Abode Website

Blake and I are obsessed with granola bars lately. Here is my attempt at copying Nature Valley's Dark Chocolate & Nut Chewy Granola Bars. I modified this from a billion websites, but mostly A Joyful Abode.

Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup rice krispies
1/2 cup almonds (or walnuts)
1/2 cup golden raisins (or craisins)
2 TBSP chocolate chunks (or white chocolate)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup splenda
1/2 cup honey
4 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Mix together 1st four ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Combine sugar, salt & wet ingredients and simmer in a saucepan. Mix everything together and spread evenly into a 9x13 pan (wax paper spray with pam). Press down hard to set in. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. When cooled add chocolate chunks to the top and press in. Cool completely before cutting.

Chocolate Cholate Cookies

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3.9 oz package instant chocolate pudding mix
1-2 cups of mix-ins (white or semi-sweet chocolate chips)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl often. Add the vanilla and pudding mix. Slowly add the dry ingredients just until combined. Stir in your choice of mix-ins. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Don’t over bake.