Oatmeal Scotchies

I'm not the biggest fan of butterscotch. I prefer chocolate whenever possible. But back when we lived in Wisconsin, one of my co-workers brought these to work and I loved them. I couldn't stop thinking about them for weeks. She said she just used the recipe on the back of the bag of butterscotch chips. So, the other day I was at the store and decided to buy a bag of butterscotch chips to make those unforgettable oatmeal scotchies. They were so good!! I will have to start making them more often.

Oatmeal Scotchies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla (I used 2 tsp.)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
1 bag butterscotch chips

Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix then add dry ingredients and chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Butterscotch Bars

How much do you love it when friends/neighbors drop a treat by unexpectedly?
One of my favorite things ever.
Treats taste so much better when someone else makes them.  Don't you think?
Our friend Wendi brought these to us the other night and I ate two of them before she could even drive away.
I asked her for the recipe and she directed me to our ward cookbook.  I should have known.  Only good things come out of that book.
(The recipe was submitted by our friend, Marlene)

3/4 cup oil
1 cup honey
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

*Combine oil, honey and brown sugar.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Spread out thin on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbs. milk
3 cups powdered sugar

*Melt butter over low heat.  Stir in sugar and salt.  Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add milk.  Stir hard.  Put back on heat, boil again and then cool until warm.  Stir in powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Spread over bars.

Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kiss Cookies

Oh. my. gosh. Do yourself a favor this Fall and go straight to Target and get yourself a bag of these beauties. They will bring you happiness. I promise. Buy 2 bags. One to snack on and the other to make these delicious cookies. I'm obsessed!! Recipe from Picky Palate.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla
1 cup pumpkin
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (I didn't have nutmeg so I used pumpkin pie spice instead)
1 bag chocolate chips
35 pumpkin spice kisses, quartered

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and pumpkin. Then, add dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour in chocolate chips and kisses. Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Spinach Apple Salad

One time I read that Jennifer Anniston ate the same salad everyday for lunch while taping "Friends."
I thought that was weird...until I started eating the same salad everyday for lunch.
This is my new favorite salad.

Baby spinach
Diced up apple
Grated parmesan
(My favorite parmesan is the Grana Padano from Costco)
Chopped up almonds
(I use dry roasted almonds and chop them with my chopper)
Balsamic vinaigrette
(My favorite is the one from Fresh and Easy)

*Start with the spinach in a bowl and then add as much apple, parmesan, almonds and dressing as you like. 

Crock-pot BBQ Beef

A few weeks ago, while visiting my aunt in Utah, I came across this recipe while browsing through one of my grandma's cookbooks.  It was a Rival crock-pot cookbook and had lots of good recipes.  We have a favorite bbq sauce that we buy (Sweet Baby Ray's) but it was fun to try out a homemade sauce and it was really good.  We liked the flavor a lot.  Perfect for feeding a big group during this Fall season of parties and gatherings.

1 1/2 cups ketchup
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
2 Tbs. worcestershire
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

*Mix well and pour over a roast in the crock-pot.  Chuck roast is my favorite for shredded beef.  Cook all day on low and serve on warm rolls.

Sweet Republic

A couple of weekends ago, we went on a fun date night with our friends, Trent and Mary Jo.  It started with dinner at "The Backyard," and ended with ice cream at Sweet Republic.  Mary Jo's sister told her about the ice cream place.  It was featured in bon appetit magazine, on the food network and a whole lot of other places that recognize amazing food.  I was so excited when she was telling me about it and we knew that we had to go there as soon as possible.  I thought about it all week.  It's located in north Scottsdale off of Shea so it took a little time to get there but I'm here to tell you that it was WELL WORTH THE TRIP!  Please, for the love of all things sweet and creamy, do yourself a favor and go to Sweet Republic.  100% natural, handcrafted, artisan ice cream.  Flavors that you've never heard of and flavors that you already love. Sundae creations straight from Heaven and sauces that will blow your mind.  Not to mention the fresh baked cookies and homemade marshmallows.  Is it cheap?  No.  Is it worth every single cent?  Yes.  


(My favorite flavor was the salted butter caramel)  

Homemade chicken noodle soup

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe. Its pretty easy and tastes so good on a cold or rainy day!

-Rotisserie chicken from Costco
(obviously you don't have to use this chicken but I'll explain how I use it below)
-4 Cups water
-potatoes
-carrots
-celery
-onion
1 cube bullion
1 can cream of chicken
salt/pepper

Noodles-
1 egg
1/2 C flour
**Mix egg and flour. Roll out really thin. Sprinkle with flour on top. Fold dough. Sprinkle again with flour and fold. Cut into thin strips for noodles.

I usually buy a chicken from Costco and after we have some of it, I freeze it. Then when I use it for this soup, I boil it in 4 cups of water. Once the chicken is thawed, take the chicken off of the bones and place in water used to boil chicken. Then add your noodles (I add these 1st since they take a while to cook), chopped veggies, cream of chicken, bullion, and salt/pepper to taste.

Let cook and simmer together until noodles and veggies are cooked.

Aunt Carolyn's Famous Casserole

This is actually the second time I have posted this recipe.  I put it on here last year when Brett's sweet aunt passed away.  I didn't have a picture of it then and if you're like me, you don't pay much attention to recipes that don't have a picture.  So here it is again in all it's photo glory.

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can tomato soup
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz.)
1 can corn, drained
1 T. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
8 oz. pasta (I used whole wheat penne) uncooked

*Brown beef and onion.  Add the rest of ingredients and mix well.  Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

*The recipe says to used already cooked pasta, but I'm not into that extra step.  So I just added a little water to the mix and it turned out just great.  A family favorite for sure. 

S'mores Cookies

I am kind of obsessed with s'mores. I think it started in college when my roommates and I would go to Black Angus just to get s'mores shakes. The best shakes ever! Then, Hershey came out with a s'mores candy bar, while I was in college, and I would buy one everyday at the bookstore for my snack. Sadly, they no longer make them. Actually, it's probably a good thing. Then, I made s'mores bars and man, were they good! But since I love cookies, I was out to find a s'mores cookie. I googled it and found this recipe on Erica's Sweet Tooth. They turned out really good! Tasted just right with a little bit of graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate. Yum.

S'mores Cookies

1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows or large ones cut up
2 Hershey bars, chopped

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Then, add baking soda, salt, graham cracker crumbs and flour. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and push a few marshmallows and pieces of chocolate into cookies. Return to oven and bake for 3 or 4 more minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Just so you know, it's in the low 60's here in NY. And to an Arizona girl, that's COLD! All I want is to curl up in a blanket and eat soup. And cookies of course. I found this soup on a new blog that I love called Trainer Momma. She's got great exercise tips and healthy recipes. We loved this soup! It is flavorful and light. It warmed us right up!

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
4 large carrots, diced or 15 baby carrots, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 or 2 cans chicken
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 can corn or 1 cup frozen corn
1 12oz can fat-free evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
bay leaf (optional)

Put olive oil large pot. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook on medium heat until tender. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add broth, chicken, rice, corn and seasonings. Cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Then add evaporated milk. Stir and cook on low until ready to serve.

*She added cornstarch to thicken soup, but I didn't have any and it turned out just fine.

Healthier Peachie Smoothie

I've been trying to do this post for two days now and Google keeps telling me that I am out of space and cannot upload anymore pictures.

So two nights ago I paid 5 bucks for more space because I'm not computer savvy enough to figure out things like photobucket, and the space has not become available yet.

I have no idea what that means or why it takes so long, but to make a long story even longer, I can't put my picture of my smoothie on this blog.

But the smoothie was really good and pretty and healthy, so here you go:

1 large peach (preferably Utah) cut up

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (I like FAGE Total 0%)

2 Tbs. honey (eyeball it)

1/2 cup crushed ice

Splash of milk

*Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Easy Baked Brown Rice

I found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe. She has some really great recipes over there. This baked brown rice was so easy and so good! My favorite rice recipe will always be Savory Rice, but this one is a close second and much healthier. I served it with Ritz Chicken and green beans.

picture from www.momadvice.com

Baked Brown Rice

1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

Put rice and broth in greased 3 quart casserole dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove foil, fluff with fork and serve.

*I sprinkled it with garlic salt before I baked it just to add a little more flavor.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Always on the lookout for a good casserole.
Don't you love when you can throw it all together in one dish?
I found this one on Picky Palate (is that girl creative or what?!) and it was really good.
Good ol' comfort food...perfect for Fall.

3 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tbs. fresh minced garlic
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
3 cups (already cooked) white rice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Cheese sauce:
4 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

*Heat oil in a skillet on stove.  Saute onion, celery, and carrots for about 10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Stir in chicken, rice, salt, pepper and garlic salt.  Reduce heat to low.  Prepare cheese sauce by melting butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour, salt, pepper and chicken broth.  Whisk continuously until thick and nearly bubbling.  Stir in cheese until melted.  Put rice mixture in a casserole dish and pour cheese sauce over it.  Stir to combine.  You can sprinkle some more cheese on top.  Bake for 30 minutes on 350.


*Her original recipe calls for 2 cups white rice and 2 cups wild rice.  I knew my kids wouldn't go for the black rice, so I just stuck with white.  3 cups was plenty.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here we go again. Yet another chocolate chip cookie recipe! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. What makes these cookies different, is one ingredient: vanilla pudding. I was so curious to see what the pudding would do to the cookie, I had to make them. And I was pleasantly surprised! It made the cookies so soft and a touch sweeter. I baked them with the intention of giving them away, but somehow they never made it out of the house. I think it's safe to say, we loved these cookies!

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars. Add package of pudding. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Add baking soda and flour and mix well. Last, pour in chocolate chips and mix until combined. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes.