Love the Carnival? Try These Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

I made these cookies awhile back, and thought I would share them with you.  Kind of a new take on an oatmeal raisin cookie.  I love the mixture of caramel and apple, and if you get them out of the oven quickly, they end up really chewy.  I will warn you, you will want to eat them all when you make them.  So make sure that you have somewhere to take them or people to serve them to.  My camera was broken when I made them so I don't have a picture of the ones I made, but the recipe came out of the March 2010 Cooking Light magazine.  The picture posted below is also from the magazine.  


The recipe calls for caramel bits or chunks of caramels.  I found the caramel bits at SuperTarget.  I haven't seen them anywhere else.  I just did not want to have to cut up sticky caramels.  One bag is enough for two or three recipes.  


Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies




1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 cup finely chopped dried apple slices
3/4 cup caramel bits or 16 small soft caramel candies, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°.


2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a bowl; stir well.


3. Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture; beat at low speed until just combined. Fold in apple and caramel bits.


4. Drop dough by 2 teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Flatten balls slightly with hand. Bake at 350° for 9 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Who Says You Can't Have Pizza for Breakfast?

Good Morning everyone! For some reason I have been craving breakfast pizza, so last week, my wonderful husband made one for us. He's had to play Mr. Mom while I am on bed rest with the twins.  He is a fantastic cook, and an expert griller.  I will try to post some of his grill secrets if he will share them.

I remember one of my student's moms sent a pizza in for class and it was sooooooooooo good, so we found a recipe from Cooking Light that worked for us. Now, I can't take any credit other than searching for an online recipe. Ken made the whole thing. You could definitely jazz it up a bit by adding southwest veggies and different cheese, or spinach and mushrooms. Whatever suits your fancy would totally work! The base recipe we used is below, hope you enjoy!

**Just a side note -- be sure you use a pan deep enough to hold the liquid egg mixture.  You don't want it spilling over to the bottom of your oven.  Ours ran over a bit and the next time we used the oven we smoked out the house!!

Breakfast Pizza


1 (8-ounce) can reduced-fat refrigerated crescent dinner roll dough
Cooking spray
12 ounces turkey breakfast sausage
1 cup frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8-ounce) carton egg substitute
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375°.


Separate dough into triangles. Press triangles together to form a single round crust on a 12-inch pizza pan coated with cooking spray. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim.


Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain.
Top prepared dough with sausage, potatoes, and cheese. Combine milk, salt, pepper, and egg substitute, stirring with a whisk. Carefully pour milk mixture over sausage mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until crust is browned.

Easy and Delicious Chicken Pot Pie

Don't ask me why, but Chicken Pot Pie has always been a favorite of mine.  When I realized that most recipes are cream of ??? and milk, it kind of grossed me out.  Not to say that I never use canned soup, but I do try to stay away from it.  This recipe was different and super easy.  I mean super easy.  Your kids are sure to eat it.  Throw in their favorite veggies and serve with a side salad.  This recipe is also from Real Simple magazine, April 2010 issue.

Way Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 1 rotisserie chicken (2 to 2 1/2 pounds), meat shredded
• 2 14.5-ounce cans corn chowder (Wolfgang Puck Brand is suggested)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce package), thawed

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, corn chowder, peas, corn, thyme, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a shallow 2-quart (or 8-inch square) baking dish.

2. Lay the pastry on top of the dish, trim to fit, and cut vents in the top.

3. Bake until the chicken mixture is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

So good and simple.  Definitely a comfort food, but hey, you can do that every once in a awhile!  You will impress your family with this one!