Monster Cookies

I got this recipe from my friend, Lindsay.  She brought them over for a KSU watch party and everyone could not stop eating them!  They were amazing!

When I made them they still tasted delicious, but the flattened out and were crunchy while hers were nice and thick and chewy.  What did I do differently?  Was it the type of butter I used?  Let me know if you have any suggestions...

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups peanut butter
4 1/2 cups regular oats
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup m&ms
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter.  Add sugar and beat.  Add eggs, peanut butter, vanilla, syrup and mix.  Add oats, baking soda and salt.  Stir in m&ms and chocolate chips.

Bake 350, 12-15 minutes.  In my convection oven I only baked them 7 1/2 minutes.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup (Mrs. J)

I feel like I am in a little of a cooking slump.  For awhile I was finding and trying new recipes constantly.  I am still browsing through the cooking blogs I follow and pinning recipes on pinterest, but I have not found anything exciting enough and not-too-time-consuming enough to try.  We are still cooking almost every weeknight, but we keep circulating through the same old recipes.  So, if you have any good recipes, please send them my way!

I did get this soup recipe recently from a fellow teacher, Mrs. J.  I held on to it for a few weeks because I thought it would be a little time consuming for a weeknight, but it really was not bad.  Especially because I had Derrick beside me chopping the broccoli!

I adjusted it just a little, omitting the onions (since we do not care for them), substituting a few spices based on what was in our cupboard, cutting down the butter, and using milk instead of heavy cream to lighten it up.  It really has a great flavor - Mrs. J says the nutmeg is the secret ingredient.
Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter
2 cups yellow onions or sliced leeks (we left this out)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (I used black pepper since it's what I had)
pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (I used dried)
6 tablespoons flour
6 cups chicken stock or chicken broth
2 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed
2 cup milk
2 1/2 cup shredded medium cheddar (works best to buy a block and shred yourself - I used closer to 3 cups)

In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute.  Add the flour and cook, still stirring until well blended and smells fragrant, 2 minutes.  Slowly add the chicken broth, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Add the broccoli and cook, until tender, 10-15 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor.  I skipped this step since the last time I made broccoli cheese soup and blended it, we had an explosion.  Derrick chopped the broccoli extremely fine with a nut chopper and it was just fine!

Add the milk and bring to a bare simmer to heat through.  Add the cheese and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted.

Roll Ups

Great for tailgating or football watch parties!

1 package cream cheese
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 cup cheddar
1 package tortillas (sundried tomato or jalepeno cheddar)
1 can diced green chilis
some salsa

Combine all ingredients except tortillas and spread onto tortillas.  Roll up (sometimes they cut easier if you refrigerate a couple hours or overnight) and cut into bite sized pieces.  Refrigerate.

Jenna's recipe (I have not made it yet, but I have tried hers and they are amazing!)
2 packages cream cheese
dried beef
chopped olives (not the entire can)
green onions
some salsa
Mama lupe tortillas

Follow same directions as above.

Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Derrick found this recipe in a Beach Body newsletter, so not only were they delicious with the nice toasted almond flavor, but they are also healthy!

3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
(or you could use honey mustard instead of the above ingredients)
olive oil cooking spray
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 pound chicken tenders
1 cup whole wheat Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine honey, dijon mustard, and rice vinegar in a small bowl.  Mix well and chill.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheet with foil.  Spray with cooking spray.
Place eggs and water in medium shallow bowl.  Beat lightly.
Soak chicken pieces in egg mixture.  Set aside.
Combine bread crumbs, almonds, salt, and black pepper in large resealable plastic bag and shake to combine.
Working with a few pieces at a time, lift chicken from egg mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl and drop into bag containing bread crumb mixture.  Seal bag and shake to coat.  Repeat with remaining chicken.
Place chicken on baking sheet.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown, turning once halfway through.
Serve with honey mustard dipping sauce.

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

Marcie found this recipe on Pinterest and makes it all the time for her and Keith.  I thought I would give it a try, and Derrick loved it!  It has a strong lime flavor.

24-ounce jar medium salsa
juice from one lime
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 package taco seasoning (I actually left this out - it was flavorful enough on its own!)
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (optional)
6 boneless chicken breast halves

In a crock pot, mix together the salsa, lime juice, cilantro, taco seasoning and jalapenos.  Add the chicken and coat with the salsa mixture.  Allow the chicken to cook, covered, in the slow cooker on low for 6 hours.  Serve chicken with salsa mixture spooned over top or shred and use as taco filling (which is what we did).