Hershey’s Oatmeal Scotchies

My husband’s favorite cookie.

Ingredients

• 3/4 C butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 C granulated sugar
• 3/4 C packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 C flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t salt
• 3 C quick cooking or regular rolled oats
• 1 3/4 C Hershey’s butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips; mix well.
3. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; remove to cooking rack and cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Sweet Potato Falafel Sandwiches

This recipe uses the reserved sweet potato mixture from Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad.

Ingredients

• 2 cups reserved sweet potato mixture
• 1 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 tablespoon breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 4 pitas
• 2 cups baby salad greens
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 12 cherry tomatoes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
2. Purée the sweet potato mixture in a food processor or blender. Form into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties.
3. Mix the sesame seeds and breadcrumbs in a plate. Coat each patty with the crumb mixture and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until heated through, 25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, to make the sauce, mix the yogurt and chili powder in a small bowl.
5. Fill each of the pitas with 1 falafel, 1/2 cup of greens, and 3 of the halved cherry tomatoes. Serve with the sauce.
6. Fill each of the pitas with

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad

I’ve never actually believed in the whole “don’t spoil your dinner” nonsense, but when I made a batch of this earlier this afternoon, I snitched so much that I nearly did spoil my dinner (which would have been a shame since my dinner was this salmon). I don’t think that I’m exaggerating when I say I could eat this every day all sumer long. (The recipe is from a Weight Watchers cookbook via my friend Beth.) 

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced, peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 4 cups baby arugula (I just use whatever greens I have)
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (I use feta)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Spread the sweet potatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until fork-tender, 25 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking.
2. Meanwhile, to make the dressing, combine vinegar, oil, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk until blended.
3. Add sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and cilantro to dressing; toss to coat. (Transfer 2 cups of the sweet potato mixture to a container and let cool; cover and refrigerate up to 3 ays for later use in Sweet Potato Falafel Sandwiches.)
4. Place the greens on a plate and top with the sweet potato mixture and sprinkle with the cheese. (Serving: 1 cup sweet potato mixture, 1 cup arugula, and 1 tablespoon cheese.)

Cumin-Coriander Crusted Salmon

I found this recipe on Sarah’s site a while ago, and it has become a regular feature in our household. (And Jason’s not a huge fan of fish, so the fact that he not only eats it but even requests it says a lot.)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots (or white onion)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• Cooking spray
• 4 lemon wedges

Directions

1. Combine cilantro, shallots, oil, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, stirring to form a paste.
2. Place fish, skin side down, in a shallow baking dish.
3. Coat top of fish with cilantro mixture.
4. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 400°.
6. Arrange fish on the rack of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray, and place rack in pan.
7. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.
8. Serve with lemon wedges.

Yield: 4 servings

Jeremy’s Amaretto Sours

For my Amaretto Sour-lovin’ friends. You know who you are.

In a small glass, pour 1/2 oz sweetened lime juice.
Add 2 oz Amaretto and a few ice cubes.
Fill the rest of the glass with Diet Squirt.
Bob’s your uncle.

**I’m so relieved we have a beverage category AND a drinks category. We could consolidate them, but that might make too much sense! ; )

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

Jamie put me on to these when we were visiting. The original recipe comes from Carrie Moseman, and it’s in the new Zion cookbook (NZC). They’ve quickly become a staple around here.

• 5 cups flour (you can use a combination of white and wheat if you like)
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 (15-oz.) box Raisin Bran
• 5 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 quart buttermilk
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup applesauce or oil

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Stir in buttermilk, eggs, and applesauce. Place in refrigerator for a couple of hours (or overnight) until cereal is soft. Spoon batter into greased muffin pan and bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes. Keep remaining muffin batter in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.

Elegant Apricot Chicken Breasts

A NZC (New Zion Cookbook) recipe from the kitchen of Amy Vogel. Amy recommends serving the chicken alongside wild rice and steamed veggies for a simple, yet delicious meal.

8-10 chicken breasts
1 C Dorothy Lynch salad dressing
1 pkg Lipton’s Dry Onion Soup Mix
1-16oz jar apricot preserves

Preheat oven to 350. Place uncooked chicken breasts in greased baking dish. Combine salad dressing, dry soup mix, and apricot preserves. Spread over chicken breasts. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

Note: I used four gigantic chicken breasts and, oops, ran out of onion soup mix so I used a substitute of spices found via Google. Still, the recipe was really easy to fix and tasted delicious. I did serve wild rice and green beans on the side, and even baked some crescent rolls while waiting for the chicken to finish cooking. Well-balanced and yummy, this meal was a winner. I shared it with Brook, so I’m counting it as a community dinner meal. : )