Breakfast Cookies: Oatmeal-Chocolate-Cranberry-Pecan Cookies

It's that time of year when I start channeling Betty Crocker and do a couple all night cookie baking marathons.  This year it looks like there's going to be at least seven types of cookies, so somewhere around thirty dozen cookies.  I've done five of them so far and I thought I would share one of them with you guys.  I stumbled upon the combination a few years ago when I was playing around with an oatmeal cookie recipe.  Cranberries can be rather tart (like in my Cranberry Nut Pie), but it's balanced out nicely with the cookie and chocolate.  I call these Breakfast Cookies because they're great for a grab and go when you're in a hurry.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups softened butter
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together. Add the flour, eggs, baking powder and soda, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, pecans, and dried cranberries. The dough is going to be very stiff.
Drop by rounded teaspoons on to cookie sheets and bake for 12 minutes or until the cookies start to brown. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Nutritional Info
• Servings Per Recipe: 60
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 160.2
• Total Fat: 7.2 g
• Cholesterol: 18.6 mg
• Sodium: 33.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 25.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
• Protein: 1.8

Tomato Bacon Quiche

Since the husband has to work night shift this week, we're going to have breakfast for dinner (or lunch, or brunch, or whenever he decides to eat).  I personally love quiches and frittatas because they are so easy, just mix some stuff together and bake it.  I bet you could even mix the stuff the night before and just pour it in the pie shell and bake it the next morning.  They also reheat pretty well, which is always a plus when there's only two of us in the house. 

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 frozen pie shell

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Add bacon, scallions, tomatoes, and cheese to bowl, stir together. Pour filling into frozen pie shell. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until the filling it puffed and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 259.4

• Total Fat: 16.2 g
• Cholesterol: 122.8 mg
• Sodium: 377.5 mg
• Total Carbs: 15.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.3 g
• Protein: 12.5 g

 

 

Attempt One of Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry

I love Thai Chicken Curry and have been attempting to create or find a recipe for it.  In Germany it was a little difficult sometimes because it was hard to find the curry paste and curry powder just didn't quite work.  I finally found some here and decided it was time to try to make it, again.  Well, it tasted just ok and wasn't really like the chicken curry I was trying to recreate.  I'll add the recipe on here just because someone else might find it good or it might be a good starting point for a recipe in the future. 

Ingredients

1 13.66 oz can lite coconut milk
3 tablespoons red curry paste
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons minced garlic
8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium potato, chopped
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped bell peppers
4 cups cooked rice

 

Mix the coconut milk, water, curry paste, chili powder, and garlic in a bowl. Put the veggies and chicken in a slow cooker and pour the coconut milk mixture over it. Cook on low for eight hours.  Thirty minutes before serving, cut the chicken breast into bite sized chunks or shred it.  Serve over rice.

 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 422.9

• Total Fat: 5.4 g
• Cholesterol: 32.5 mg
• Sodium: 514.7 mg
• Total Carbs: 73.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5.4 g
• Protein: 20.6 g

 

Cranberry Nut Pie

After being in Germany for three years, a lot of American things seem really sweet.  Germans use a lot less sugar, in fruity desserts they rely more on the natural sugar found in the fruit.  In other things they just add less sugar.  The tartness of this pie makes it a nice contrast to the usual sweet desserts you find around Thanksgiving.  Plus cranberries have a ton of health benefits like antioxidants(more information about the benefits here).  Depending on you taste, you may want to top your pie with some cool whip like my husband does.

Ingredients

For the Pie:
1 ready to bake pie crust
3 cups fresh cranberries, berries cut in half
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans

For the Top "Crust"
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven 350 degrees.
Combine the cranberries, brown sugar and pecans. Pour into the pie crust.
Combine the egg, sugar, flour and butter. Pour over the cranberry mixture. You may have to spread it out with a spoon.
Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until the top starts turning golden brown.

 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 311.1

• Total Fat: 14.3 g
• Cholesterol: 38.6 mg
• Sodium: 117.7 mg
• Total Carbs: 49.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
• Protein: 2.8 g

 

Herbed Sausage Stuffing

Stuffing is one of those essential Thanksgiving sides.  Luckily, I grew up with homemade stuffing and not something from a box.  Although I understand the appeal of how easy it is to make boxed stuffing, this recipe is pretty easy.  Plus you you can do most of the preparation ahead of time.  Make the sausage mixture and keep it in the fridge (or freezer) and toast the bread ahead of time and store them in a bag or air tight bowl.  Then when you make the stuffing, just mix the two parts and continue with the recipe. 
Now just to warn you, this makes a ton of stuffing.  Seriously, it's about 15 cups of stuffing, but there's not much leftover.

Ingredients

12 cups bread, cut into cubes
12 oz reduced fat sausage
4 cups chopped onions
4 cups chopped apples
3 cups chopped celery
1/2 cups minced garlic
2 tablespoons dried sage
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Directions

Toast the bread crumbs in a 300 degree oven in a large roasting pan for 30 - 45 minutes, or until throughly dried.
In a large pan, cook the sausage, garlic, sage, thyme, rosemary and poultry seasoning until the sausage is no longer pink. Add the onions, apples, and celery to the pan and cook until the celery is tender.
Combine the bread and sausage mixture in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with the chicken broth. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.
 
Nutritional Info
• Servings Per Recipe: 24
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 133.1
• Total Fat: 3.3 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Sodium: 171.8 mg
• Total Carbs: 16.2 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.0 g
• Protein: 2.2 g

Out and About in Leander, TX

 

I don't know how many of you know it, but I'm a Pampered Chef consultant.  Considering I love cooking, I figure it fits me pretty well :-)  I just got invited to a little vender event in Leander, TX.  If you live in the area and would like to check it out, let me know.  I'll have some yummy goodies in the kitchen and there will also be Mary Kay, Celebrating Home, Discovery Toys, Interior Reflections by Rose, Miche Bags and Parklane Jewelry.  If you'd like the address or any other information, you can drop me an email at manapproveddiet@gmail.com  Or if you'd like to check out my Pampered Chef website, just click on the picture below.  I hope to see a couple of you there!

Sex on a Plate Apple Pie

I know with a name like that you just had to take a peek, right?  The more traditional name for this is Amish Sour Cream Apple Pie, which is just as long but not as fun as Sex on a Plate.  A more PG version of the name, Dirty Word Pie, was created by a friend of mine with kids.  The original recipe was my mom's, I'm not entirely sure where she got it from.  But I took it and adapted it into something that was my own.  This pie is probably the thing that I get the most requests for every Thanksgiving.  I've even had a few friends who got this instead of a cake from me for their birthdays! 

If you don't like apple peels, feel free to take them off.  I leave them on because they add more fiber and vitamins, plus it takes a little less time to make the pie.  It'll take two small - medium Braeburns, or three big ones if you're doubling the recipe (which I highly recommend!!).  Of course you can use any type of apple you like, I think my mom's recipe used half regular Red Delious and half Granny Smith.  For the topping part, depending on how soft your butter is, you may need to add a little extra flour to get it to the crumbly texture you're looking for.

Ingredients

For the pie:
1 cup fat free sour cream
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup diced and peeled apples (I like braeburn)
1 unbaked 9" deep dish pie crust

For the topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven at 400. Mix together the sour cream, eggs, sugar, two tablespoons flour and vanilla. Add in apples and pour into pie crust. Bake for 25 minutes. While that's baking, combine the brown sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of pie and return to oven for another 20 minutes.
 
Nutritional Info
• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 252.5
• Total Fat: 7.8 g
• Cholesterol: 31.0 mg
• Sodium: 159.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 45.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g
• Protein: 3.7 g

Sausage Potato Soup

Since winter has taken hold of our part of Texas, it's time to pull out some recipes that warm you up.  And if this one worked while I was growing up in North Dakota (where it's not uncommon to spend days below freezing), it'll definitely work wherever you are! 

I haven't tried it yet, but you might be able to skip dicing the potatoes if you use a bag of the frozen diced potatoes, like the ones by the hashbrowns or the ones you steam in the microwave to make mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

1 14 oz package smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 cups water
1 bag coleslaw mix
3 cups milk (at least 1%)
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Parsley to garnish, if desired

Directions

In a large soup pan, combine sausage, potatoes, onions with a little salt and pepper. Add five cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cooked for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cabbage and cook for ten more minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of milk, mix the remaining milk with the flour, stir into soup. Cook until thick and bubbly, stirring often. Stir in cheese until melted.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 10
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 167.4

• Total Fat: 6.6 g
• Cholesterol: 35.5 mg
• Sodium: 483.4 mg
• Total Carbs: 13.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.7 g
• Protein: 12.0 g

Blogging Break

I'm sorry everyone that it's been a bit since I last posted a recipe.  The husband was gone for a few weeks and just got home, so that past week has been getting ready for him coming back and then enjoying being around him again.  I should have a couple new recipes this week.  I'm going to try to get some Thanksgiving ones up next week, hopefully in time for you to get the stuff to make them yourselves. :-)
Well, back to enjoying the husband :-)

The picture is from his deployment homecoming a couple years ago, luckily this trip was MUCH shorter!

Spaghetti Cups

I love easy and tasty recipes, and this is one of them!  They're perfect for grab and go meals, or when everyone needs to eat at different times.  Just serve them with some veggies and you'll have a complete meal.  The leftovers can be thrown in the freezer and reheated later.

Ingredients

24 wonton wrappers
1/2 pound ground beef
1 15 oz can no salt chopped tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon rosemary
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place two wonton wrappers in each cup of a 12 cup muffin tin, overlapping to make a wonton cup.
In a large saute pan, brown the ground beef with the onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, and rosemary to the pan.  Cook on high until all of the liquid is gone, about five minutes.
Spoon the meat mixture evenly among the wonton cups. Top with the mozzarella cheese and bake for about 10 minutes.

 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 12
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 109.3

• Total Fat: 3.5 g
• Cholesterol: 15.4 mg
• Sodium: 175.7 mg
• Total Carbs: 12.2 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.0 g
• Protein: 5.9 g