Damn good cookies--Creamier and Chewier Oat Cookies

Creamier and Chewier Oat Cookies
Home Cooking 2005 Recipe Annual Copyright 2005

1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 package (4 serving size) Jello instant vanilla pudding
2 eggs
3 1/2 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
1 c. raisins (optional) I used chocolate chips

Mix flour with baking soda. Combine butter, the sugars and pudding mix in large mixer bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs. Gradually add flour mixture, then stir in oats and the raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 min.

Makes about 5 dozen.
_________________

Damn these cookies were good. I don't even want to think about how many of these I've eaten since I made them yesterday. They're very addictive. They're a very soft and chewy cookie so if you're into crisp cookies, this recipe isn't for you.

I should have waited until tomorrow to make these. I have to get on the scale at the doctor's office today.

Question of the Day: Do you prefer raisins or chocolate chips in oatmeal cookies?

Something different with chuck--Rosemary Chuck

Rosemary Chuck
The Complete Family Cookbook Copyright 1969

1 3-pound, 1 ½-inch thick chuck steak
2 tablespoons crumbled rosemary I used about 1 tbsp
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons melted butter

At room temperature, slash fatty edge of steak to keep meat from curling. Place in a deep platter. In a bowl, combine 3 tablespoons oil, vinegar, salt, garlic salt and pepper. Place holes in steak with a fork. Sprinkle rosemary evenly on steak. Brush with marinade. Let stand 1 hour. Brush hot grill with oil to prevent sticking. Pour marinade in a cup. Place steak on grill 6 inches from hot coals. Brush with marinade; turn. Grill until steak is done as desired. Place on a platter. Top with melted butter. I didn't use the butter. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Serves 6.
_________________

I never thought about grilling chuck before now. I've really only used it for stew. I actually bought this meat to use for stew when I couldn't find stew meat but I decided to try this recipe with it.

Personally, I loved this. It was tangy and salty and flavorful. It was actually quite tender when cooked medium rare. It was relatively cheap too, although there was more waste with this cut of meat (fat and whatnot) than most other steaks. I would definitely do this again sometime.

This is a great old cookbook. It's in great shape, in a sturdy metal-ringed binder. I'm not sure if it was one of those books that was collected section by section but it's all there.

The funniest thing was an ad for another book by the same publisher - The Promise of Beauty, the book about TOTAL WOMANHOOD (they capitalized it so I did too). The ad says:

DISCOVER

• How to guide your daughter to womanhood
• What men find most attractive in women
• Understanding your emotions and nervous tension
• Tested techniques for weight control
• How your marriage can become more rewarding
• The uniqueness of your own personality

I'd love to see that book! 480 pages - I'm sure it's very interesting.

Question of the Day: Have you ever collected anything, like recipe cards, encyclopedias, etc? When I grew up, I had to do reports on topics that started with the first few letters of the alphabet since our encyclopedia set stopped at about 'H' I think.

I sort of made this--Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs with Wilted Baby Spinach

Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs with Wilted Baby Spinach
Weber’s Real Grilling Copyright 2005

Marinade:
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons hot chili garlic sauce

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 4 ounces each I used chicken with skin and bones
1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped I didn't use this
4 large handfuls baby spinach leaves, about 12 ounces total I didn't use this

1. To make the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients.
2. Place the thighs in a large, plastic resealable bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, place the bag in a bowl, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, turning the bag occasionally.
3. Remove the thighs from the bag, reserving the marinade. Pour the marinade into a very large skillet and set is aside. Grill the thighs over Direct High heat until the meat is firm and the juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice.
4. Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil over high heat and allow to boil for 1 full minute. Add the tomato and spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes, turning occasionally. Serve the warm spinach mixture under the chicken.

Makes 4 servings.
_______________________

Well my son's skin has cleared up but I'm still watching dairy, eggs and tomatoes. I'm going to start rotating foods back in and see what happens. I never gave up dairy completely so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to continue with minimal dairy.

Basically, I just used the marinade from this recipe. I used chicken that still had both skin and bones and skipped the spinach and tomato.

I really liked this recipe, although the way I made it, it didn't end up tasting sweet and sour. The vinegar tenderized the chicken but it didn't linger. The sugar and soy sauce allowed it to caramelize nicely. The chili-garlic sauce gave it a little kick. This is the first time I've grilled chicken pieces like this and they turned out exactly like I wanted them to turn out. I would definitely make this again.

I don't even know what I'm making for dinner tonight. I'm off my game. As much as I love blogging, there are other things taking priority right now.

Question of the Day: Are you avoiding any foods right now? Due to allergies, health reasons, other reasons?

Regrouping

I had a week of recipes planned and then the baby decided to develop a roaring case of baby eczema. My first son had this but I was ignorant about eczema and food allergies back then and even the pediatrician really didn't have anything to say about it except to suggest some creams.

Now I know that it's most likely something I'm eating, the most common cause being dairy but I'm also cutting out tomatoes since it really seemed to take off when I started eating tomato sauce everyday (it was helping my milk supply).

So, I had to put aside this week's recipes which included plenty of cheese and tomatoes and I'll be making simple dinners this week until I can hopefully get the baby's skin under control. I was hoping we wouldn't be dealing with any food allergies this time around but I gave birth to my older's son clone so I'm not surprised.

I'll be back when I have something to blog about.

Flat sandwiches--Chicken Philly Sandwiches

Chicken Philly Sandwiches
All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook Copyright 2006

2 teaspoons olive oil
¾ pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into (1-inch thick) strips
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1 cup green bell pepper strips
1 cup vertically sliced onion
1½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
4 (3-ounce) submarine rolls
4 (1-ounce) slices provolone cheese

1. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, Add chicken to pan; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Sauté 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan. Add red bell pepper and next 5 ingredients to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken and pepper sauce; remove from heat.
2. Slice each roll in half horizontally, cutting to, but not through, the other side. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 cup chicken mixture on bottom half of each roll and gently press roll halves together.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add two sandwiches. Place a cast iron or heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently to flatten. Cook 4 minutes each side or until cheese melts and bread is toasted (leave skillet on sandwiches while they cook). Repeat with remaining sandwiches. (I used my Cuisinart Griddler.)

Yield 4 servings. Per serving: 490 cal, 15.4 g fat, 35.2 g pro, 51.3 g carbs, 4.2 g fiber, 69 mg chol, 945 mg sodium
______________________

This recipe turned out sort of flat - not in flavor but in structure. When I went to buy rolls at the grocery store, the only sub rolls they had were just white bread shaped as rolls and the Griddler squished them right down. These sandwiches were still pretty tasty - just flat.

It's so hard to find good sub rolls around here. They were carrying a decent brand for a while but it looks like they stopped. Every other brand they carry is like I said, just white Wonder Bread-type bread, shaped like a sub roll. Sometimes the in-store bakery has something better but they were wiped out and didn't have any sort of rolls.

Question of the Day: Do you have many bakeries in your area? We had one (besides the in-store bakeries) and it went out of business.