a holiday favorite

Oatmeal Carmelitas
A "Best of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Cookies and Bars" Recipe

Base
2 cups flour
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups butter or margarine, room temperature

Filling
1 jar caramel topping (1 cup)
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine  flour, oats, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or another bowl with hand mixer) mix together the butter and brown sugar until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until crumbly (careful not over-mix or you will have a dough rather than crumbs).

Reserve half of crumb mixture (about 3 cups) for topping. Press other half into bottom of pan and bake 10 minutes.

In a small bowl mix caramel topping and 3 tablespoons of flour.

When crust is done partially baking, sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts.   Next drizzle caramel topping evenly on top of chocolate/nut layer.   Top with remaining crumb mixture.

Bake 18-22 minutes longer until top is golden brown. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack, about 1 hour. Refrigerate until filling is set, 1-2 hours. Cut into bars.

164 Washington Ave. Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:
1 can of artichokes (not marinated) - chopped/diced
2/3 cup of grated parm. cheese
1/3-2/3 cup of mozz. cheese
1/3 cup of sour cream
2/3 cup o mayonaise
(some people add spinach to this recipe as well)

Mix all ingredients together in bowl and bake (350') or microwave until hot.

Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, or anything your dipping heart desires! Enjoy!!

Pasta with Spicy Almond Pesto Recipe - Grace Parisi | Food & Wine

An oldie but a goodie! One of my favorites and Donna's too!
Pasta with Spicy Almond Pesto Recipe - Grace Parisi | Food & Wine

You can thank me later:)

Paul Deen Meet Skinny Gina (for french toast)

I have a problem, I LOVE French Toast Casserole....especially Paul Deen's butter, cream, sugar rich French Toast Casserole recipe.  Then there's the Gina's Skinny Recipes and her Creme Brulee French Toast.  Today I married the two and even made my own modifications  - using Challah Bread and a mixture of eggs and fake eggs (like egg beaters) and a can of fat free evaporated milk instead of using milk or cream.  This brunch bake is rockin'!


1 loaf of Trader Joe's Challah bread
4 large eggs (yup, the whole egg)
1 egg equivalent (about 2 oz)
1 12 oz can of fat free evaporated milk

1 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup H2O

dissolve brown sugar with water over med-low heat in a heavy bottom pan
once mixture is smooth (about a minute or so) pour into a coated 9x13 baking pan
slice Challah loaf into slices (about 1 inch thick) and arrange in pan
sprinkle bread with cinnamon 
pour egg/fake egg/milk mixture
refrigerate for 20 minutes to overnight
then bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown
serve with powdered sugar, chopped pecans and banana slices

YUM!

chicken soup, good for the soul

Made this yummy, easy soup the other day - I used shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking thighs....also just used a great long grain rice and wild rice combo rice mix from Trader Joe's instead of using two kinds of rice.  Came out good, perfect with some red pepper flakes sprinkled on top. 

Gina's skinny recipes are awesome!


http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/01/chicken-shiitake-and-wild-rice-soup.html#more


Enjoy:)

Berry-licious

compliments of MEG...

Mixed Berry Cobbler

 

Ingredients

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries.

1 cup F or F blueberries

2 cups F or F strawberries

(NOTE:  the past two times you had this I used blackberries instead of strawberries and mixed the berries all together and used 4 cups mixed berries.  I have made it with the strawberries and it is also very good - just takes more time to clean and cut them if you use fresh).

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk ( I use soy and it tastes great)

1/2 cup butter or margarine (I use one stick regular butter - I refuse to cook with margarine on principle. If it is a baked good it should have REAL butter).

 

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375.  Place a stick of butter in a medium baking dish.  Place dish in oven to melt butter, remove from oven when melted.  Since my sticks are usually frozen when I do this I make this my first step.  If your butter isn't frozen, do this a little later as it will melt fast.

 

Step 2

While the butter is melting. combine the berries in a medium bowl and add 1/2 cup sugar.  Mix gently and set aside.

 

Step 3 Combine flour. remaining sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and mix well ( I do this by hand).  Then add milk and beat until smooth (about 2 min).  I use a hand mixer for this part.

 

Step 4

Once your butter and you batter are ready (sounds like a Dr. Seuss book).  You spoon (don't pour) your batter evenly over the melted butter (don't stir).  Then spoon your berries evenly over the batter (again, do not stir).

 

Step 5

Bake for 20 min or until golden brown.  Serve cobbler warm or at room temp.

 

It was Hannigan's idea

to make a site where we could share recipes (since we often eat together!)
I would love to get some recipes from Indian night, the spinach salad was delicious....
JH brought it and shared this link -

http://showmethecurry.com/salad-raita/spinach-salad-with-mandarin-oranges.html

Come on Hoodlums - Share your really good recipes:)