Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

My online mommy's board has weekly cooking recipes and though this recipe didn't win for cookies; I had to try it out since my husband loves peanut butter.

Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 cup old fashioned oatmeal

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar (I used light-brown sugar)

1/2 cup peanut butter

Filling

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Cookies: line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Melt 4 Tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add oats and cook; stirring until toasted, about 5-7 minutes. Spread oat mixture onto prepared baking sheet and let cool.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together remaining 1/2 cup butter, granulated and brown sugars. Add peanut butter and mix until combined. Add oat and flour mixtures, mix on low speed until combined.

Turn dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. Cover dough with a second piece of parchment paper and roll out dough, to 1/2 inch thick. Carefully slide rolled dough onto the back of a baking sheet and transfer to refrigerator until chilled, about 20 minutes.

Remove top layer of parchment paper; cut out cookies using a 2 inch round cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets. If desired, sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake until golden, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool complete on baking sheets.

For the filling, mix all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag until ready to use.

When cookies have completely cooled, snip the end of the pastry bag and squeeze filling in a spiral motion on the bottom side of half of the cookies. top with remaining cookies to form sandwiches.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

A great cook ahead and refrigerate meal. From the Fall 2008 issue of Kraft Food & Family.

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top stuffing mix for chicken
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp dried basil
1 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic just until stuffing mix is moisten.

Layer chicken, basil, cheese and stuffing mix in a 13x9 inch or 3 qt baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Enjoy now or cover and refrigerate. To reheat, microwave each serving on high 2 to 3 minutes.

Cranberry Bread

Quick breads are another favorite of mine. Here's a perfect bread for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Recipe is from Everyday Food.

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for pan
2 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled) plus more for pan
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup whole milk
1 bag (12 oz) cranberries
1 Tbsp turbinado sugar for topping (I left this off since I didn't have any)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine butter, egg and milk. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and whisk to combine; fold in cranberries.

Pour batter into prepare pan; sprinkle with turbinado sugar if desired. Bake until toothpick inserted in center come out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Mine baked in closer to 1 hour.

Transfer pan to wire rack; let bread cool for 30 minutes. Invert onto rack; then immediately turn right side up to let cool completely.

Italian Market Meatloaf

From one of Pampered Chef's cookbooks. Sun-dried tomatoes and italian seasonings boost the flavor of a classic Sunday supper.

1 pkg (3 oz) sun-dried tomatoes (dry-pack)
2 lbs ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup (2 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup snipped fresh Italian parsley
8 oz can tomato sauce, divided
1 egg
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup red currant jelly, melted (I omitted this)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover sun-dried tomatoes with boiling water; let stand for 10 minutes. Drain; coarsley chop.

Place ground turkey in large bowl, add bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, onions, parsley, 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce, egg, garlic, seasoningsm salt and pepper. Mix lightly but throughly. Shape meat mixture into loaf pan. Bake 1 hour.

After an hour of baking, spoon remaining tomato sauce over meat loaf. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink in center.

Lemon Thyme Turkey with Vegetables

Modified recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray.

Cooking spray
5 Tbsp butter, softened
Juice of 1 lemon
2 small shallots, finely chopped
1 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp dried thyme
2 lbs potatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 large carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 boneless turkey breast half (about 3 lbs)
salt & pepper

Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mash the butter with half the lemon juice, shallots, thyme and parsley until combined. Spread 2 Tbsp of the butter mixture on the bottom of the cooker. Arrange the potato slices on top, season with salt and pepper. Layer the carrot slices on the potatoes and also season with salt and pepper.

Using your fingertips, gently loosen the skin from the turkey breast, leaving it attached on one side. Spread the remaining lemon butter under the skin with your fingers. My turkey breast was skinless, so I just spread it across the breast. Season the breast with salt and pepper.

Place the breast, skin side up, on the vegetables. Drizzle with the remaining lemon juice on top. Cover and cook on high until the breast is cooked throughly and the vegetables are tender when pierced (3-4 hours).

Transfer the turkey to a platter and let stand for 5 minutes, then slice. Spoon the vegetables onto plates and serve the turkey alongside.

More Muffins

Can you tell I love making muffins? Here's another recipe my entire family LOVES!

Lil' Citrus Muffins


1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tsp orange, lemon or lime zest

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line or spray a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray or paper lines. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well.

In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until well blended. Add egg, beat until smooth. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and zest. I usually squeeze 1/2 of the fruit juice into the batter for extra citrus flavor. Add flour mixture, mix just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Drop rounded scoops of batter into each muffin cup. Bake 12-13 minutes or until light golden brown.

For a extra special treat, dip the tops of warm muffins into melted butter and then sugar. I usually skip this step to cut down on the amount of sugar my daughter gets.

Thai Beef & Noodle Toss

I've been making this recipe for a couple of years. It's from Kraft Foods:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/thai-beef-noodle-toss-55410.aspx

1 beef top round steak, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (1 lb.)
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. sesame oil, divided
1 pkg. (3 oz.) beef-flavored instant ramen noodle soup mix
1 cup diagonally sliced carrots
1/2 cup green onion slices
1/4 cup A.1. Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Dry Roasted Unsalted Peanuts

Cut steak across the grain into 1-inch-wide strips; cut each strip in half. Place steak in medium bowl. Add jalapeno peppers, garlic and 1 Tbsp. of the oil; toss to coat.

Break noodles into 3 or 4 pieces; set the seasoning packet aside. Cook noodles as directed on package; drain and rinse.

Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add steak, in batches. Cook and stir 30 seconds to 1 minute or until cooked through. Remove steak from skillet; place in medium bowl. Cover to keep warm. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet. Add carrots and onions; cook and stir until carrots are crisp-tender. Stir in the cooked steak, cooked noodles, steak sauce, water, peanuts; sprinkle with the reserved seasoning packet. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Quick & Easy Pumpkin Muffins

I love making mini muffins for my daughter. They're the perfect size for sending to daycare for healthy snacks! I came across a quick and easy pumpkin muffin recipe on allrecipes.com.

1 box yellow cake mix (spiced cake mix would be great too!)
15 oz can pumpkin
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove

OR just a can of pumpkin pie puree

Mix all ingredients together and drop into muffin pans. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes for mini muffins and 25 minutes for regular muffins. The batter is thick so I smoothed out the tops of each muffin to look pretty.