Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies {The Healthier Version}

I love my Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies. I could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And when I have them sitting around I do eat them all. the. time. I could go on and on about why I love the original recipe and how special it is to our family- but that will be another post.

Today, I was reminded that I cannot NOT eat them when they are in a jar on my counter. And, since one batch makes 4 dozen cookies, I figured it wouldn't hurt to tweak a few things to make them a bit healthier. Oatmeal cookies are, what I consider, one of the healthier cookies you can make anyway- oatmeal=healthy, so why not make them even better for you? {"cookie logic" might be an idea for another post...}

By using less sugar, Egg Beaters and substituting applesauce and vegetable oil for butter, you'll never be able to tell that these are a healthier alternative to yummy oatmeal cookies!

Ingredients:
1/2 c. applesauce (I prefer cinnamon applesauce)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs or the equivalent using an egg substitute like Egg Beaters
1 T vanilla
3 c. quick oats (I like to do half quick oats, half regular. It makes for a chewier cookie)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the applesauce, oil, sugar, brown sugar, egg substitute and vanilla until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, and baking soda and stir with a whisk until mixed thoroughly.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1 cup at a time until well combined. {If you feel so inclined, since you've made such healthy choices thus far, go ahead and add 1 c. chocolate chips and stir well :-)}

I use a medium scoop to place cookies on a stoneware pan {the stoneware keeps them from spreading too much, but they will spread some, so space them a bit apart}.

Bake for 11-13 minutes until the edges are brown.

Because of the applesauce, the cookies might be a little sticky coming off the pan. I recommend using parchment paper or a stoneware pan for baking. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes to make it easier to remove them with a spatula.
For the same reason, let them cool completely on a wire rack to make sure they don't stick together in the cookie jar. But if they do stick together, eating two is really like eating just one. Right?

Enjoy them for breakfast, lunch, dinner or any snack time in between!

Sunday Sweetness: Snickerdoodles

I love Snickerdoodles! My grandmother used to make them all the time when I was growing up.  They were a favorite of her kids and grandkids!

I have a recipe book I made with pictures of her old recipe cards.  This way, when I make one of her recipe's, I can see her handwriting, her notes, and the cinnamon stains.  It makes it that much more special.

These are originally a Betty Crocker recipe, so it may look familiar.  They are pretty tasty and the perfect texture!

Recipe {in my Grandmother's words}
Mix together thoroughly:
1 c shortening
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
Sift together and stir in:
2 3/4 c flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. of salt {I omit this- you won't miss it}

Chill dough for at least an hour.  Roll into balls and coat in a mixture of:
2 T sugar
2T cinnamon

Spread out on baking sheet {don't crowd them, and "smoosh" them down a bit so they bake evenly}.

Bake at 400 degrees 8-10 minutes (6-8 minutes for soft cookies) {I think 9 minutes is perfect}.

Enjoy!

New Gadget

Maybe this isn't a gadget in the sense of "something that moves and does 10 different things", but to me, it fits in as a "kitchen gadget".

Pampered Chef's Microwave Chip Maker is so fun!  Who wouldn't want to make their own chips, without frying?

Here's how I did it:

Using the mandolin, slice potatoes (or sweet potatoes) thin and lay on a paper towel.

Place another paper towel over the top and, using a rolling pin, get out the excess moisture. The less moisture, the crispier the chips so press hard!

Place a single layer on the Microwave Chip Maker and microwave according to the directions.  If you want, you can sprinkle some salt or seasoning salt on the chips before microwaving.
Before:

After:

Presto! Crispy chips without the grease!

Sunday Sweetness: Pumpkin Cake

Y. U. M.

These are so good! Paula Deen knows her stuff ;-)  I was on Pinterest and spotted these pretty pumpkin bars and since I had a can of pumpkin in the pantry, I decided to give them a try! You should try them too!  I've been on a pumpkin kick lately... a pumpkin sweet tooth apparently.

I think that this is more like a cake, it's not as dense as what you would think of as a "bar".  But I also altered the original recipe slightly.  Whatever the name, they are delicious.

Pumpkin Cake
(adapted from Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bars)

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce
15-ounce can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, applesauce and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.

Spread the batter into a greased 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Let cool completely before frosting.

Paula Deen's Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again.

Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

We've been eating this for the past 2 days... and it's almost gone.  There may be a race to the last piece :-)

Sunday Sweetness: Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

FALL IS HERE!

I love fall!

To celebrate the cooler weather, warmer colors, and change in the seasons, I made Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies. They are delicious.  The recipe makes a lot of cookies. Lots. So I made them into sandwich cookies that ended up looking like pumpkins without stems. Completely unintentional, but, if I were a decorator {sadly I'm not}, I would have added a stem and maybe a leaf/vine? Instead, I just ate them. Yum!

Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:

2 c. sugar

2 c. shortening {I used 11/2 c margarine and 1/2 c apple sauce}

1 can {16 oz} pumpkin

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. allspice

4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix sugar, shortening, eggs, pumpkin and vanilla {in that order} until combined.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice with a whisk.  Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix until combined.

When I put mine on the cookie sheet, I used the PC medium scoop to make them uniform in size.  Bake 12-15 minutes.

While the cookies are baking and cooling, whip up some icing.  Combine 3 oz. cream cheese with 2 cups powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla.  If you want to thin the icing out a little {personally, I don't like mine too thick} use a splash of milk.

When the cookies have completely cooled put a dollop of icing between two of them! *These cookies freeze well just in case you don't want to eat all of them... I usually eat all of them, but when I do freeze them, I freeze without icing.

 Enjoy a little taste of fall!!

Chili-Lime Chicken and Sausage

In a previous post I told you about Pinterest and how much I love it. Well, I found a recipe for shrimp "boil" kabobs and I decided to adapt it.  It was too hot to grill, and I had chicken instead of shrimp... so here's what happened!

I cut up one package of Eckridge Sausage and one pound of chicken breasts into 1-1/2 in. pieces.  I put them in a bowl and tossed them with:

1 tbs. Pampered Chef Chili Lime Rub

1 tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The juice from 2 limes

Then I put them in a skillet {sprayed with Pam} over medium heat.

While they started cooking, I chopped up half an onion {if you like onion, you could use the whole thing}.  Once the chicken was almost cooked {after about 7-10 minutes} I added the onion to the pan.

Meanwhile, I had a few ears of corn boiling.  Once the corn was cooked, and the chicken+sausage+onion was done {5-7 minutes after adding the onion}, I added the corn to the skillet, turned the heat to low, and covered the pan.  This lets the flavor of the sausage, etc. mix with the corn.

 While this marinated {10 minutes, stir after 5 minutes}, I sauteed some zucchini in olive oil and the chili lime rub {cook over medium heat, about 3-4 minutes per side}.

Kenny said this was the best new recipe yet ;) I think he just likes it 'cause it's different. Anyway, I liked it and I hope you do too!

Fried Shrimp

For some reason I have been craving shrimp. Maybe it's because it's so hot that all I can think about is getting away to a beach somewhere. Who knows. But I decided to make some fried shrimp.  There is a recipe on the Kikkoman's Panko Bread Crumbs box. I added a little extra flavor, and they turned out very crunchy and very yummy!

Kikkoman's Crunchy Fried Shrimp

3 large eggs

1/3 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

{1/2 tsp chili powder}

1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, leave tails on *very important

1-1/2 cups Kikkoman Panko Bread Crumbs

Vegetable Oil for frying

If you have the Pampered Chef Coating Trays use them to dredge the shrimp {4-5 at a time} in the flour, salt, pepper, and chili powder (all mixed together), then in the eggs, and then coat in the Panko Crumbs.

 If you're lucky you will have a cute 3 year old to help you.

Pour enough oil into a large pot or deep pan so that you have about 2 inches of oil.  Heat the oil to 350* {I used the "medium-high" setting on my stovetop}.  Fry the shrimp in small batches until they are cooked through.  Mine took about 3-4 minutes to get golden brown, but the recipe says 1 minute. So I would suggest watching your shrimp.

Remove and drain shrimp on a paper towel.

I served mine with steamed rice and soy sauce.  Next time I think I will make fried rice :) These are very good!