"O" is for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

We're back to our Alphabet Service Projects and last week was "O". We made Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for a friend of Corban's named Oliver.  We delivered them to him on Wednesday night in his Royal Rangers Class, and I wish I had a picture of the smile on his face. He was so pleased and proud to be the recipient of a plate of cookies from a little sister of his buddy.  Annika was quite delighted with it herself and has been talking about Oliver the rest of the week.  She wants to have him over to play.  :)  

I usually don't make Oatmeal Cookies, as Grant much prefers Chocolate Chip Cookies - and these were a delightful change from the ordinary.  Even Grant declared they were the best Oatmeal cookies he had ever eaten.  I have to agree.  They're chewy and have just the right amount of spices for flavor.

Recipe: (from Annie's Eats)

1 cup butter, softened
1-½ cups light brown sugar, packed

½ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1-¾ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1-½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large bowl beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla with a hand held mixer until well blended. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, stirring until just combined.

Fold in rolled oats, raisin and walnuts (if desired). Drop dough by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto a cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 2 minutes and remove to wire rack to cool completely.

To see the rest of our Alphabet Service Projects, click here!  

Hearty Hamburger Soup

I just made this soup for the first time last night and was very, very pleased with it.  It's very simple, pretty quick to throw together, nutritious, frugal, and best of all, very tasty.  What more could you ask for?  This will definitely become one of the regulars in our house, especially in the cold months. 

Recipe: (from Taste of Home)

1 lb ground turkey or beef
4 c. water (more if needed to cover vegetables)
1 can (14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3-4 medium carrots, sliced
3 medium potatoes, peeled if desired and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 c. chopped celery
4 beef bouillon cubes
1-1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. oregano
1 cup cut fresh or frozen green beans

In a large dutch oven (or pot), cook ground turkey over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Add the next 10 ingredients; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are getting tender.  Add green beans.  Cover and simmer 15 minutes longer or until the beans are tender.

Gina's Pumpkin Cheesecake

This.....this is the stuff dreams are made of.  Really good dreams. 

For not including chocolate, it's one of the best cheesecakes out there.  Shoot, it might even beat some of the chocolates.  And that's saying something. 

It's just the right balance of creaminess and substance......sweetness with the spice of the gingersnap crust, and topped with fresh cinnamon whipped cream and Sugar-Coated Pecans, it's sure to please even the harshest of critics, the non-pumpkin eater. 

Note: The recipe called for using a water bath, which can prevent cracks in your cheesecake.  The last time I tried one, water leaked into my cheesecake and made the crust a bit soggy, which made me very unhappy. This time, I opted not to take that chance and as a result, mine did have cracks, rather substantial ones at that.....and that made me unhappy too.  But probably not as unhappy as a soggy crust would have.  So you decide. 

If you want to try a water bath, basically you boil some water in a tea kettle while you're making your filling.
Wrap the sides and bottom of your springform pan tightly with heavy-duty foil (before filling pan).  Place the filled pan in a small roasting pan.  Pour hot water from the tea kettle into the roasting pan, filing halfway up the sides of the springform pam, about 1-1/2 inches. 

Recipe (from Food Network)

Crust:
1-1/2 c. gingersnap cookie crumbs (crush in blender or food processor)
6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1-3/4 c. sugar
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
5 large eggs
1-1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. salt
1 T. vanilla extract
2 T. all-purpose flour
Cinnamon whipped cream for serving (recipe follows)
Sugar-Coated Pecans for serving, if desired
Caramel sauce for serving, if desired

Preheat oven to 350°. 
Combine gingersnap cookie crumbs with melted butter and stir until evenly mixed.  Press the mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan with 3-inch sides. Bake the crust until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool while preparing the filling.

In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the pumpkin and beat until incorporated.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and vanilla and beat until blended.  Add the flour and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the crust.  Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, which could take from 60-80 minutes. Start checking around the hour mark.  Mine was done then. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.  Once cooled, use a paring knife to loosen the sides of the cake from the pan.  Chill the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.  Serve with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream (for serving)
1 c. heavy cream, chilled
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. ground cinnamon

Pour the heavy cream into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until thick and frothy.  Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and beat until medium peaks form. 

Yield: 1-1/2 to 2 cups

Taste of Fall Salad

I didn't include the dressing in the photo....it was a couple of hours before we would eat and I didn't want the lettuce to get soggy.

This recipe from Taste of Home (Oct/Nov '09 issue) caught my eye a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving and although salads aren't part of the traditional menu for our family, I just thought it might be a nice addition - something healthy and refreshing amidst all the carb-loaded delicacies. 

It really was lovely.  And I even forgot to buy the fresh parmesan to grate on top.....and it was still good.

I do think that next time I'll add a little sugar to the dressing....just personal preference.  (Oops....just as I'm typing up this recipe, I realized that it does call for sugar in the dressing and I forgot to put it in there!  Geez, I really messed this salad up and it was still delicious!)

The pecans were surprisingly (to me, anyway) delicious.....they looked burnt when I was done cooking them, but it was just the balsamic vinegar making them dark.  I made them a couple of days ahead of time, which worked nicely.

The addition of juicy pears to a salad was wonderful.....I loved the variation from the usual tomatoes. 

Recipe:

2/3 c. pecan halves

2 T. balsamic vinegar

Dash cayenne pepper

Dash ground cinnamon

1 T. sugar

Dressing

1/4 c. olive oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. sugar

1 t. Dijon mustard

1/8 t. salt

1 pkg (9 oz) leafy green romaine (or desired salad greens)

1-2 medium pears, thinly sliced

1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large heavy skillet, cook the pecans, 2 T. vinegar, cayenne and cinnamon over medium heat until nuts are toasted, about 4 minutes.  Sprinkle with 1 T. sugar.  Cook and stir for 2-4 minutes or until sugar is melted. (my sugar never did completely melt).  Spread on foil to cool.

Place salad greens in a large bowl.

Combine the dressing ingredients; drizzle over greens and toss to coat.  Arrange the greens, pear slices, and pecans on six salad plates.  Sprinkle with cheese.

The Fun of Leaf Piles!

Having a bit of computer difficulty today....so I can't complete the post with all the photos I wanted.....but here's just a few pictures (taken with my new DSLR camera - Thanks Honey!!) of the kids enjoying a leaf pile in the back yard. 

......and a bonus shot of the kids that I took at the park a couple of days ago.

Amazing how many pictures I had to take to get a couple of decent ones!  :)

 

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

I got a 3 lb. bag of cranberries from Sam's Club early in November.  I used part of it for my Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce for Thanksgiving, but still had at least half a bag left.  Hmmm....what to do with all those berries? 

This pie was a no-brainer. And the best part is....I still had enough to freeze for another pie later this month! 

Okay, so it does have a lot of sugar.  But you really do need it to balance out that tartness of the cranberries.  Even with this outrageous amount, the pie retains a bit of tang.....just enough to be not overpoweringly sweet. 

And it's obviously not a traditional pie....more like a cobbler....or something like that.  But whatever you call it, it's festive, delicious, and a great treat. 

Recipe: (from the Pioneer Woman)

2 heaping cups fresh cranberries (rinsed and drained)
3/4 c. pecans, chopped (measure, then chop)
2/3 c. sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 t. almond extract
2 whole eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 t. salt
1 T. sugar (for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 350°. 
Butter a 9" cake pan or pie pan generously.  Add cranberries to bottom of pan.  Top with chopped pecans and sprinkle with 2/3 c. sugar. 
In a mixing bowl, combine butter, flour, 1 c. sugar, almond extract, eggs, and salt.  Stir gently.  Mixture will be pretty thick.
Pour as well as you can over top of cranberries.  Spread with a spatula to cover completely.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned.  Five minutes before removing from oven, sprinkle with 1 T. sugar for additional crunch. 

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

To be honest, I was a little bit skeptical about this recipe when I first saw it (again...Pioneer Woman Cooks rules the day)....but I thought about it for awhile and decided it would be on the Thanksgiving menu.  Now, a couple of years ago I tried out this recipe for green beans, also from the Pioneer Woman, and although she raves about it profusely, it just didn't go over well with my family.  I seem to remember throwing out most of the leftovers because nobody would eat them. 

But that was then.  This is NOW.  And this recipe rules. 

I think it has to be my favorite green bean recipe.  A couple of my kids didn't care for it as much and resorted to scraping the delectable sauce off of the beans before eating them.  Weirdos.  (said in the most affectionate way). 

Another great thing about it; you can make it ahead.  I actually made it on Wednesday, didn't top with the panko crumbs, and refrigerated it overnight.  Around mid-morning, I removed it from the fridge to allow it to warm up a little.....topped with the crumbs, and baked it with the sweet potato casserole while the turkey was resting and getting carved.  Worked beautifully.
 
Recipe:

2 lbs. fresh green beans, ends trimmed off
5 slices bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 T. butter
4 T. all purpose flour
2-1/2 c. whole milk (+ more for thinning if necessary)
1/2 c. half and half
1-1/2 t. salt (more to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Dash cayenne pepper
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 jar (4 oz) sliced pimentos, drained
1 c. Panko bread crumbs

Cut the green beans in half or thirds if desired.  I did thirds.  Easier for kids (and me!) to eat.

Blanch the green beans:  Drop them into a pan of lightly salted boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge them into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.  Drain beans once they're cool and set aside.

Put bacon pieces in a preheated skillet and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.  Add garlic and onions and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes, until bacon is done (but not crisp) and onions are golden brown.  Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add flour and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter.  Cook for a minute or two, then pour in the milk and half-and-half.  Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens....2-4 minutes.  Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and grated cheese.  Stir until cheese is melted; remove from heat.

Add pimentos to pan, then add the bacon/onion mixture. Stir to combine.  Pour over green beans and stir carefully to combine.  Pour into a 13 x 9" baking dish and top with panko crumbs.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and crumbs are golden.

Linked to Ultimate Recipe Swap: Cheese