Chocolate chip cookie bars

Since I like to procrastinate and I saw a recipe for these and instantly got a craving, I decided to go ahead and make these chocolate chip cookie bars. I saved 72.5 calories per serving by subbing applesauce for the oil in these. So, one cookie bar only has 147.5 calories compared to 220 calories for the original! Yeah, I figured out the math - I'm a huge dork. Now I don't feel so bad making dessert tonight. After typing all of that, I tried the cookie bar and the applesauce definitely changed the texture. It is more cake-like than bar-like. They are still good, but I wanted to warn you that the texture would change if you decide to sub in applesauce! You can even tell in the bottom picture that they are cakey.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Adapted from allrecipes.com as seen on Tricia's Kitchen


Ingredients:
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup oil (I used applesauce)
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sugars and the oil. (I used my Kitchen Aid!)
- Add vanilla and eggs/applesauce, mixing well.
- Gradually add dry ingredients.
- Stir in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips.
- Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. (I just sprayed cooking spray in the pan)
- Spread the dough into the pan & sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.
- Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 15-25 minutes until light golden brown.

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

It's a crock pot recipe! It's been a week since I used my crock pot so it definitely needed to be used again...because, well, I love my crock pot! When I made my menu on Sunday, I fully intended to go to class tonight & not have my car in the shop. A crock pot seemed the way to go. However, life happens & I'm home early tonight but my soup was already done so I got to enjoy it 3 hours early! I have made similar tasting meals over pasta & rice, but these flavors tasted great as a soup too. And since the cold front is still hanging on in Ohio, it was a perfect night for soup.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Adapted from Just 2 Good

Ingredients:
2 skinless chicken breasts, thawed or frozen
1 10 oz package frozen corn
1 large onion, chopped (I didn't have an onion on hand so I just threw in some dried chopped onion)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
24 oz chicken broth (I used two 14.5 oz cans)
10 oz tomato sauce (I used an 8 oz can)
10 oz diced tomatoes with green chiles (I used 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can green chilies)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 bay leaf
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken before serving.

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Easy Cheesy Beer Bread

My mom always makes up pans of lasagna and hands them out to fellow family members. I love just defrosting it in my fridge throughout the day, then throwing it in the oven when I get home from work. Such a quick, simple, tasty meal. However, I felt like I needed something else with it tonight - like more carbs! I've been eying this bread for awhile now so I figured I might as well make it tonight since a) I have to wait for my oven to preheat which always takes forever, b) the bread seemed super simple to whip up, c) it will go well with tomorrow night's soup too, and d) it bakes for the same amount of time as the lasagna. Win-win all around. So here you go friends.

Easy Cheesy Beer Bread
Adapted from Good Things Catered


Ingredients:
2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar
12 oz. bottle of lager or stout (I used Guiness stout)
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare loaf pan for baking.
-In large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder.
-Whisk to combine well.
-Add cheese and whisk to combine.
-Slowly add beer to dry ingredients and stir lightly until combined.
-Knead dough lightly until it just comes together.
-Place into prepared loaf pan and pour melted butter over top.



-Place in oven to bake for 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

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Apple crisp

So I was sitting watching TV and really wanted something sweet...but fruity. I have had apples in my fridge for awhile now that I needed to use up so it seemed like the perfect option. It definitely hit the spot!

I cut the recipe in half since I only had enough apples for about 2 cups.

Apple Crisp
Adapted from allrecipes.com as seen on Jenn and Food, Perfect Together


Ingredients:
4 cups sliced apples (I used 2 cups)
ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water (I used 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup white sugar (I used 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (I used 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup butter (I used 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used half this amount)
Quick cooking oats - I added this to the original recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish. Place apples in prepared dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour water over all. In a bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Blend in flour. Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples. I also sprinkled some quick cooking oats over the mixture and I probably would add more next time. Bake in preheated oven 50 minutes, until apples are tender and crust is golden. (I only baked for about 35 minutes since that's all the time my apples needed) I then served it with some whipped cream on top!Pin It

A summer dinner in the midst of snow flurries - Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

So in an effort to use items in my pantry this week, I decided to make these burgers since I've had pineapple rings & baked beans from this summer sitting in there. I have to say - I am quite impressed with these burgers. They don't have that "burgery taste" where it just tastes like all meat, but a nice combination of meat with the breadcrumbs. I prefer my burgers to not be too meaty! Most of the time I add a lot of toppings to my burgers, but with these I just added a little more teriyaki sauce and the pineapple ring and I was all set. I think it also helps that these were made with turkey instead of beef.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
Taken from ...and a cookie for dessert

Ingredients:

1 cup bread crumbs

1 can pineapple rings, drained, 1/4 cup of juice reserved

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 lb lean ground turkey

Teriyaki sauce for basting

Sesame or whole wheat hamburger rolls (I was forced to use white buns because the grocery store literally did not have any wheat ones - I think they needed to restock the bread aisle!)

In a bowl combine the breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of juice from canned pineapple and the soy sauce. Crumble turkey into bowl and mix well. Shape turkey into four patties. Grill over medium heat 10-15 minutes, brushing occasionally with teriyaki sauce. (Since it is pretty cold outside, I used my George Foreman and grilled them for 7 minutes and they came out perfectly). Towards the end of grilling, add pineapple rings to grill and grill 1-2 minutes per side. Pineapple can also be brushed with the teriyaki sauce - it's good with and without the sauce! Place burgers on buns and top with a slice of grilled pineapple.

I served these with some baked beans as mentioned before. A nice light meal! And plenty of burgers left for lunches this week. :-)

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Mmm...pumpkin.

So I jumped on the pumpkin bandwagon. Actually, I've always loved pumpkin, but the only thing I've ever done with it is make pumpkin dip. I really wanted to make Reading, 'Riting & Recipes (adapted from Cara's Cravings) pumpkin cheesecake brownies so I started with those. I served them to some friends who came over to play Rock Band 2 & they really enjoyed them. They are very rich, but delicious!

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
Adapted from Reading, 'Riting & Recipes and Cara's Cravings.

Ok, so it's a super close up brownie - not sure why it has so many holes in it!

Brownie Batter
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake Batter
6 oz cream cheese, softened (I used neufchatel cream cheese)
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground ginger and ground cloves (I omitted the cloves since I didn't have any)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" square metal baking pan. (I used a glass baking dish)

For the Brownies
Beat together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and then gradually stir into butter mixture by hand.

For the Cheesecake
In a separate bowl, beat together all ingredients.

To assemble
Spread about 2/3 of chocolate batter into prepared pan. Spread the pumpkin batter over it, distributing evenly. Drop the remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter. To make the swirls, run a butter knife back and forth through the pan - don't be afraid to go all the way to the bottom of the pan like I didn't on this batch!

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely and chill before cutting and serving.

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I had some pumpkin left over so I went on search for a pumpkin sauce. I've always wanted to try it so I figured this would be the perfect time to do that. I found a Rachael Ray recipe - simple & tasty.

Pasta with Pumpkin & Sausage
Adapted from Rachael Ray


Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage (I only used 2 links to save on meat)
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I omitted)
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons (would have loved to use, but couldn't find it in the store!)
1 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1 cup chicken stock, canned or paper container
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating

Directions

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

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Chicken BBQ Pizza

I was so excited to make this pizza. I've never made a pizza before - I know, I know - so I figured I might as well give it a try. However, I did not make my own crust. I just don't have time for that during the week. My family always makes their own crust though so I would love to do that next time. Once I got the pizza out of the oven I thought it was a total failure. The crust was still a little soft and it looked really messy...but it actually ended up being pretty good!

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Adapted from All Recipes

My really messy pizza!

Ingredients:
3 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed (I only used 2)
1 cup hickory flavored barbeque sauce (I was out of hickory so I used original)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (I used dried)
1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust
1 cup smoked Gouda cheese, shredded (I used mozzarella)
1 cup thinly sliced red onion (I omitted)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine chicken, barbeque sauce, honey, molasses, brown sugar and cilantro. Bring to a boil.

2. Spread chicken mixture evenly over pizza crust, and top with cheese and onions. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. (My mixture was really runny and going over the sides of the pan so I baked the pizza pan on top of a cookie sheet so I didn't get my oven messy)
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I'm back!

So I was going to make Southwest turkey burgers for dinner tonight, but I completely forgot to buy buns. Luckily I had a vegetarian meal on the menu for the week so I just substituted that instead...I hate the idea of defrosting something right before dinner. I didn't have time for that! I made black bean burritos and Mexican sour cream rice...yum! My only complaint is that brown rice never gets as soft as white...

Black Bean Burritos
Adapted from Cooking Light - I basically just used this recipe as a template...I omitted and revised a lot!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado (I omitted this)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (I used a squeeze of the lime juice out of the bottle over the black bean mixture)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (I probably used about 1 from jarred garlic)
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons ground cumin (I used more like 1 teaspoon)
2 cans black beans, drained (I only used 1 since I cooked for 2)
Flour tortillas
Fat-free sour cream (I used light)
Salsa

Combine avocado and lime juice, tossing to coat. (I didn't use avocado...even though I love it)

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in water, cumin, and beans. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture into each tortilla. Top with 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons salsa, and 2 tablespoons avocado; roll up. I also added shredded cheese to mine.

Mexican Sour Cream Rice
Adapted from allrecipes.com as seen on Lauren's Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice (I used brown rice)
1 can chicken broth
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 can diced green chile peppers
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 can whole kernel corn, drained (I used frozen corn)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (I used dried cilantro)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.

In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, green chile peppers, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, corn, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

The whole dinner

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