Peanut Lemongrass Chicken

 Peanut Lemongrass Chicken

7-8 skinless chicken thighs
¾ cup fish sauce dressing (recipe below)
¼ cup peanut butter
4-5 garlic cloves (grated)
1 lemongrass stalk (grated or chopped)
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
juice from ½ lime

FISH SAUCE DRESSING: (This will last you a while.)

1 Cup Fish Sauce
1 1/4 Cup Vinegar
1 Cup Water
2 Cups Sugar

Put everything together and stir until sugar dissolves. I mix this in a liquid measuring cup with a spout and then just pour into an empty glass bottle.

CHICKEN:

1) whisk all ingredients together and add to chicken. Allow time to marinate if you can.

2) Grill medium high for 5-7 minutes then reduce heat to medium for another 20-25 minutes.

SCALLION OIL (to drizzle on top):

1-2 stalks of chopped scallions
2-3 tbsp olive oil/oil

Bring oil to a boil in a small sauce pan, add scallions and stir for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

You can serve this with a rice salad: rice, greens, fresh slaw, fish sauce dressing and crushed peanuts. Or stir fry some rice noodles with garlic and scallions. Whatever you eat this with make sure you don't leave out cilantro, peanuts and fish sauce dressing.

Seafood Curry

Seafood Curry

Anytime there’s a football game, you can guarantee there will be food in the Garner home. I asked Dave what he wanted for the Skins game tonight and surprisingly he was craving curry! Well, you don’t have to twist my arm! Any type of curry is extremely simple and takes no more than 15-20 minutes to prep/cook. It’s even easier if you eat it with rice. Just put the rice in the cooker and have it ready when the curry is done.

2 tilapia fillets (about 8 oz)
1 dozen shrimp
8 oz salmon
1 onion (medium slices)
4 garlic cloves (minced/grated)
1 red pepper (sliced)
1 whole lemongrass stalk (2-3 inch diagonal slices)
¼ cup chopped basil
⅓ cup green curry paste (1/4 if you want a milder broth)
½ cup coconut milk (I use Thai Kitchen avail. most grocers. No preservatives)
1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar

GARNISH:

julienne cucumbers
bean sprouts
basil
crushed peanuts
Sweet Fish Sauce (1 Cup Fish Sauce, 1 1/4 Cup Vinegar, 1 Cup Water , 2 Cups Sugar)


1) Slice tilapia and salmon into 1 inch cubes or strips. Don’t slice too small or it will fall apart while cooking.

2) Mix the curry paste with the coconut milk, milk, fish sauce and sugar. Set aside.

3) Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet on 80% high. When hot, add onion, garlic, red pepper, lemongrass and seafood. Sear the seafood for about 15 seconds and stir. Do not over stir.

4) Add curry mix and basil to the skillet. Cover and reduce heat to medium low to simmer and allow seafood to finish cooking.

TO SERVE:

Pour over rice, rice noodles or pho noodles and add a generous amount of cucumbers, beans sprouts, crushed peanuts and fresh basil. Also keep some sweet fish sauce dressing on the side to drizzle on top! All you Thai lovers out there should just eat with your eyes closed it’s so good!

Creamy Seafood Saute w/ Basil Tomato Sauce & French Garlic Bread

 Creamy Seafood Saute w/ Basil Tomato Sauce 
 & French Garlic Bread

Made this for the boys for lunch today. It’s actually very easy and simple to make. I have to admit, everything was very good, but the garlic bread just kicked butt! Maybe it was because I haven't had any in forever. No butter. I just used olive oil and fresh garlic of course. You can use it to mop up leftover sauce too!

SEAFOOD SAUTE

3-4 cups frozen seafood mix (get ours from Sam’s Club)
3 garlic cloves minced/grated
½ onion (diced)
3 tsp salt or to taste
½ tbsp garlic powder
¼ cup red wine
⅛ cup cream or whole milk
⅛ cup vinegar

BASIL TOMATO SAUCE

1 whole onion (diced)
2-3 carrots (diced)
1 red pepper (diced)
4-5 Roma tomatoes
4 garlic cloves (minced/grated)
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
⅓ cup chopped basil leaves
6 ½ cups tomato sauce

GARLIC BREAD

1 loaf french bread
olive oil
2 garlic cloves
garlic powder
salt
Italian seasoning

1) GARLIC BREAD: Preheat oven to 350. Slice bread in half lengthwise. Grate and spread garlic on both halves. Then generously drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Place on 2nd highest rack in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. (Very little work, yet divinely delicious!)

2) TOMATO SAUCE: Heat olive oil on medium high/high heat in an extra large skillet or pan. Stir in garlic, onion, carrots, red pepper and tomatoes. Add enough oil to prevent garlic from burning. Reduce heat and continue to stir veggies until they are soft. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil then simmer until you are ready to plate.

3) SEAFOOD: Add olive oil, garlic and onions to a skillet. Stir for 30 seconds then add frozen seafood and cook until juices are released. Add the rest of the ingredients along with ½ cup of tomato sauce and simmer for a few more minutes.

To serve, toss pasta with tomato sauce, place in a bowl then spoon seafood on top.  Garnish with basil slivers, crushed red peppers and Parmesan cheese. 

**Start the pasta first and have it cooking while you work on the rest of the meal.

Grilled Lobster w/ Muenster Mash, Stir Fried Veggies & Watercress Salad

Grilled Lobster w/ Muenster Mash, Stir Fried Veggies & Watercress Salad

Here’s a nice dinner we made during our stay in Hilton Head, SC. While there may seem to be a lot of components to this dish, it’s really simple to make. You can do the sauces first just to get them out of the way. I like to grill the lobster and boil the potatoes at the same time, since it takes the longest time to cook. Meanwhile, you can chop and saute the red peppers and onions for the mash. When you do this often, you can have 2-3 things going at once. But if you’re not comfortable with this, you can just follow the list in order. Have fun making this!


WATERCRESS SALAD

1 bunch or bag of watercress
1 tomato (diced)
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup vinegar
⅛ cup olive oil
crushed red pepper or black pepper

Make the sauce and chill until you are ready to eat. When you are ready to plate, toss with watercress and tomatoes. Place this on top of the lobster as an edible garnish.


TOMATO WHITE WINE DIPPING SAUCE:

1 tomato (diced)
½ onion (diced)
1-2 garlic cloves (grated)
⅓ cup white wine
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup olive oil
crushed red pepper
basil slivers

Mix white wine, vinegar, olive oil with sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Heat ⅛ cup olive oil in a skillet to 80% high. Add tomato, and onion. Stir to blend with the oil and leave it alone for 1 minute or so to allow the tomato and onion to caramelize. Add the garlic during the last minute of cooking. Remove from heat. When cooled, combine with the white wine mix and add basil and crushed red pepper according to your preference.



MUENSTER MASH:

red potatoes (about 3-4 per person)
1 onion (diced)
1 red pepper (diced)
3 garlic cloves (grated)
½ tbsp garlic powder
milk (add enough to bring the mashed potatoes to the right consistency)
4 slices of muenster cheese (The best cheese ever!!! It’s like mozzarella & swiss combined!)
olive oil
salt

Bring water in a large pot to boil. Add a couple tbsp of salt and potatoes then cover. Cook long enough for it to feel extremely tender (almost mushy) when you insert a fork. While the potatoes are cooking, chop onions and red peppers and saute with 1 tsp salt, olive oil, garlic powder and garlic until soft. When the potatoes are done, drain and return to pot. Using a masher or a metal spatula, mash the potatoes according to your desired preference. (We like ours mainly smooth with some lumps.) Add the red pepper, onions, milk , some salt and stir. Finally, add cheese and stir to melt.


LOBSTERS:

Rinse and pat dry lobster tails. Coat with olive oil and grill on medium high for the first few minutes then medium for the remainder of the time. It should take about 20-25 minutes depending on the weight. Let it sit for a few minutes before you plate. Use a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut a slit lengthwise down the body to make it easier to pry open the lobster. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty during the meal, you can remove the meat prior to plating.


STIR FRIED VEGGIES:

green beans
red peppers
onions
1 garlic clove (grated)
salt
olive oil

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium high. Add veggies, garlic and salt and stir fry for 5-8 minutes until cooked but still crispy.

(can also use snap peas, mushrooms, zucchini, squash)

Cinna-tella Belgian Waffles w/ Berry Syrup

 Cinna-tella Belgian Waffles w/ Berry Syrup

Nutella + Cinnamon + Belgian Waffle = Big Smiley Face! We were all smiles in the Garner house this morning! This is an insanely easy breakfast. I don’t think it even took me 15 minutes.

(Makes 2 large Belgian Waffles)

2 eggs
1 cup milk
4 tbsp Nutella
3 tbsp sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 tsp cinnamon

BERRY SYRUP:

1 cup frozen berries (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry)
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp vinegar


1) Whisk eggs, milk, Nutella, and sugar in a mixing bowl.
2) Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and stir until well blended.
3) Add batter to heated waffle maker.
4) Place berries, sugar and vinegar in a glass bowl and microwave for 1 -1 ½ minute.

This is superb as a dessert as well! Just add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with berry syrup!

Kung Pao Spring Rolls (Vegetarian)

Kung Pao Spring Rolls (Vegetarian)

SPRING ROLLS:

1 pack of rice paper wraps
shredded red/green cabbage
thin red pepper strips
cilantro
edamame
1 pack of extra firm tofu (marinate with hoisin or sweet chili spring roll sauce)
mixed greens or green leaf lettuce

KUNG PAO SAUCE:

½ cup hoisin
¼ cup sesame oil
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup water
3-4 scallion stalks (chopped)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
½-1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp crushed red pepper


1) TOFU: Drain and pat dry tofu. Cut horizontally into ¼ -⅓ of an inch slices. Pat dry again. Sprinkle with salt and marinate with chopped scallions, minced garlic and either a hoisin or sweet chili sauce. Add oil to a non-stick pan and pan fry on medium high until the tofu caramelizes on both sides. Allow to cool then slice into strips.

2) SAUCE: Add a couple tbsps of olive oil to a non-stick pan and heat on medium high. Add garlic, ginger and scallions and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the remainder of the ingredients and stir until completely blended. Remove from heat to cool. You can also add crushed peanuts to the sauce. It adds great texture and flavor.

3) SPRING ROLLS: Combine all the greens into one large bowl. Fill a large pot or bowl with water to dip the rice paper in. Quickly wet the rice paper in the bowl and shake off excess water. Place it on a chopping board or clean counter. Add a small handful of greens, strips of tofu and edamame to the side nearest you and start rolling away from you. When you’re half way through the wrap, fold the left and right sides in and finish rolling.

Blueberry French Toast Bagel

 

Blueberry French Toast  Bagel

2 blueberry bagels (can also use plain or whole wheat)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/8 cup sugar in eggs
pinch of salt
1/8 cup sugar (for egg mixture)
1/8 cup sugar (for blueberries)
1/2 cup blueberries


1) Preheat oven to 375. Separate the bagels and poke holes on both the inside and outside with a fork.

2) In a shallow baking dish mix the eggs, milk, ⅛ cup sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the bagels to the mixture. Flip constantly and soak while the oven is preheating.

3) Spray non-stick or add oil to a skillet and heat on medium high. Briefly fry both sides of the bagels and place in baking dish.

4) In a bowl, coat the blueberries with ⅛ cup of sugar and place on top of bagels. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

(I think Liem nominated me for Mommy of The Year with this one! Isn't that what life's all about? Enjoy!)

Jerk Chicken w/ Peach Chutney & Jalapeno Corn Slaw

Jerk Chicken w/ Peach Chutney & Jalapeno Corn Slaw

JERK CHICKEN

approx. 3.5 lbs split chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
½ lime (juice)
1 jalapeno (sliced or diced- You can omit if you have kids or substitute w/ 2-3 tsp cayenne)
¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
4 garlic cloves (finely minced, preferably grated)
½ - 1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp salt
1 ½ tbsp Italian seasoning (oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil)
½ tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cloves
½ tsp cinnamon

PEACH CHUTNEY

2 very ripe peaches (skin peeled)
1/2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
¼ cup tomatoes (diced)
½ tsp crushed red peppers

JALAPENO CORN SLAW

4 corn cobs (cooked)
2-3 cups of green & red cabbage (mandolin sliced)
cilantro (roughly chopped)
1 tomato (diced)
1-2 stalks of scallions (chopped)
1-2 jalapenos (sliced or diced-2 if you like it spicy!)
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup white vinegar
⅛ cup olive oil
pinch of salt

1) CHICKEN: Add wet ingredients to chicken. Combine all dry ingredients and add to chicken. Rub Rub and Rub! Try to get access to every surface. If you find a flap or pocket between the rib bones and the breast, rub there as well. If you’re in a rush, you can get straight to cooking the chicken. If not, allow chicken to sit for a couple to a few hours.

To cook chicken, preheat oven to 325. Add some oil to a pan and heat on medium high. When the pan is hot, add chicken skin side down and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side. Do not sear chicken until the oven is ready. If you have a piece of chicken that is noticeably larger than the others, you can cook it in the pan another minute or so to allow even cooking. Bake chicken for 35-40 minutes depending on size. Loosely cover chicken with foil for 5-10 minutes after you take it out. If you baked for 40 minutes, tent for only 5 minutes. The longer you bake the chicken, the less time you tent.

2) CHUTNEY: While chicken is baking, cut the peaches in half and peel off skin. You can only do this if the peaches are really ripe (it can even be almost mushy). If you can’t, just use a pairing knife. Cut the peaches into small cubes. Add just a tad of olive oil or non-stick spray to a sauce pan on medium high heat and add all ingredients. Stir, then reduce heat and alllow to simmer for a few minutes until peaches soften and juices are released. Set aside to cool.

3) SLAW: While the chicken is in the oven and the chutney is simmering you can prep your slaw ingredients. (I absolutely love overlap cooking!! It makes gourmet meals during the week possible!) Cook the corn cobs whichever way you’d like. Just don’t boil them. I like to pop them in the microwave with the husks and everything on for 7-8 minutes. Just rotate and flip them around half way through to make sure they cook evenly. Allow the corn to cool before slicing and combining with the other ingredients. Place corn, cabbage, jalapenos, cilantro, scallions, and tomatoes in a large bowl. In a small bowl, add olive oil, vinegar, sugar, a pinch of salt and mix. Refrigerate both bowls until the chicken has finished cooking. When you’re ready to eat, pour the dressing into the bowl and stir.

NOTES:

-I like to remove the bones and slice the chicken into ½ inch slices. It’s so tender when you eat it this way. Leftovers taste even better!

-You can tailor the spiciness according to your tolerance. If you have kids but love to eat spicy foods like me, you can have a side of pickled jalapenos to add to everything. That way everyone is happy! To make pickled jalapenos, just add a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to sugar and placed sliced or diced jalapenos in the juice and refrigerate. Just keep adding jalapenos and replenishing the juice. The longer you keep it, the spicier it gets!!

-Vegetarians: Substitute chicken with black beans, avocado, and pan-seared plantains.

Summer Chicken Chili w/ Creamy Tomato Sauce

Summer Chicken Chili w/ Creamy Tomato Sauce

What do you do when you feel like chili but it’s too hot outside? Have beans? Have veggies? Have chicken? Make summer chili!!

CHICKEN:

3.5 lbs of split chicken breasts
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp olive oil

BEAN SALAD:

3-4 cups cooked red beans
3-4 celery stalks (rough chopped)
3 green peppers (rough chopped)
½ large onion (rough chopped)
1 cup grape tomatoes (cut in half)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
cilantro (chopped)
2 tsp salt

TOMATO SAUCE:

½- ¾ cup grape tomatoes
½ onion (diced)
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup sugar
pinch of salt

1) CHICKEN: Add all ingredients to chicken and marinate until you’re ready to cook.

To cook chicken, preheat oven to 325. Add some oil to a pan and heat on medium high. When the pan is hot, add chicken skin side down and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side. Do not sear chicken until the oven is ready. If you have a piece of chicken that is noticeably larger than the others, you can cook it in the pan another minute or so to allow even cooking. Bake chicken for 35-40 minutes depending on size. Remove chicken and cover with foil. When the chicken has cooled, peel off the bones and cut into large cubes.

2) BEAN SALAD: I prefer cooking my own beans instead of buying them canned. Once you cook your own beans, it’s kind of hard to buy canned. The texture is completely different. Cooking them yourself really doesn’t take that much time, as long as you are overlapping it with other tasks. So if you’re going to marinate the chicken for a while, you can cook your beans during this time. If you plan on cooking your chicken right away, you can do this step first. Therefore, while the beans are simmering, you can prep the chicken.

Add 2 cups of dried beans to a large pot along with 1 tbsp each of salt and garlic powder. Fill with water up to ¾ full and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 15 or so minutes until the beans are soft but not mushy. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Quickly stir fry green peppers, celery, onions, garlic, and tomatoes with olive oil on medium high heat for a couple of minutes. Add this to your beans, toss and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

3) TOMATO SAUCE: Saute tomatoes and onions with olive oil until tomatoes are soft. In a blender, add tomatoes, onions and the rest of the ingredients (except cilantro) and puree until smooth. Add cilantro and pour into a bowl.

To serve, combine all ingredients and toss.

NOTES:

- This also pairs great with whole wheat penne pasta. Just double the sauce so you’ll have some to drizzle on the pasta too.

-Vegetarians: Substitute chicken with avocados or grilled tofu (cube extra firm tofu, toss with olive oil, salt and grill).

Salmon Satay Skewers w/ Napa Salad & Thai Cucumber Sauce

 Salmon Satay Skewers w/ Napa Salad

& Thai Cucumber Sauce

Here's another recipe at your request and will also be found in Summer Body Salads.  This is bold, flavorful and refreshing at the same time!  Enjoy!

P.S. Please don't be mad at me if your six pack comes back!

SALAD: Sliced Napa Cabbage, Red & Green Cabbage, Tomatoes, Bamboo Shoots, Snow Peas, 2 Red Peppers, 1 Large Onion, 1 Lime

SALMON MARINADE:

1/2 cup coconut milk (shake/stir before adding)
2 tbsp curry powder
4 garlic cloves minced or grated
1 tbs garlic powder
3/4 - 1 tsp salt
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tsp red curry paste
2 tsp galangal powder


 
THAI CUCUMBER SAUCE:  (Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to eat.)

1/4 cup minced  cucumber (peeled and pitted)
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
1/8 cup minced onions
1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp chopped basil
3/4-1 cup fish sauce vinaigrette
1 tbsp vinegar


Preheat oven to 350.  Then bake snow peas for 8 minutes.

Cube 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. of salmon and add to marinade.  If you're in a rush, you can grill this right away. But it's best if you leave this for one hour to a few hours to allow the salmon time to really soak in the spices.  While salmon is marinating,  prep your salad and sauce.

Preheat grill to medium and skewer salmon cubes alternating with cubes of red peppers and onions. Place skewers on greased grill and grill for about 3-5 minutes per side. 

Let the salmon sit for a couple of minutes before plating on top of salad. 

Garnish with extra cilantro, basil, crushed peanuts and lime wedges.  

Notes: 

Any type of rice will also taste great with this dish (brown, white or sticky).

Spinach Crab Cakes w/ Strawberry Asparagus Salad

 Spinach Crab Cakes w/ Strawberry Asparagus Salad

 I LOVE salads and I LOVE seafood.  In the summer, that's pretty much all I eat.  This is probably one of the cleanest crab cakes you will ever eat!  No butter or cream added!  Even the egg yolk from the egg is tossed out. And trust me, you won't miss any of it!  This along with many other healthy and delicious recipes will be featured in Summer Body Salads, one of my e-cookbooks I am working on at the moment to help you cut out the carbs and starch and still get your eat on!  


Salad:  spinach, spring mix, asparagus, fresh strawberries, roasted pecans, feta

Crab Cakes

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp basil
2 tsp old bay
1 egg white
1 heaping handful of spinach, coursely chopped
1/2 red pepper (sliced into slivers with mandolin)
1 lb Lump Crab Meat

Makes 4 Crab Cakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (If you don't already have pecans that are already roasted, you can place them on a baking sheet and into the oven while it is preheating.  Just set the timer for 12 minutes.  You can also place them in the microwave for 1 minute towards the end.  This is a great alternative when you are short on time.  Obviously oven roasted pecans are better.)

In a mixing bowl, mix all ingredients except for the crab meat.  Then gently fold the meat into the mixture.  You want to do a good enough job incorporating the meat  without mashing it up.   Spray a baking sheet with a non-stick spray.  To form the crab cakes, find a small plastic or metal bowl that will allow you to pack about one cup of meat into it.  You should be able to make 4 heaping crab cakes from this.   Since we're not using any cream, mayo or melted butter which adds a great amount of stickiness (and also calories), don't be afraid to really pack it in.  Once packed, quickly flip your bowl onto the baking sheet and remove the bowl without disturbing your crab lump.  It's ok if you mess up a few times.  Just repack and try it again.  Bake crab cakes for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, chop off approximately one inch off the bottoms of the asparagus.  Then cut them in half and place in boiling water for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.  During this time, place 2-3 cups of ice in a mixing bowl and fill it with water.  When the color changes from pale green to deep green, you can remove the asparagus with a strainer or strain the pot, then immediately place it into the ice bath. Once it is chilled, drain and set aside. 

Prepare the dressing while the asparagus is in the ice bath.  Once the crab cakes are done, let them sit for a couple of minutes while you plate your salad. 

Boil the asparagus for 1 1/2-2 minutes. Drain. Then place in an ice bath until chilled.  Drain again and set aside in a colander.

Combine all salad ingredients and finally, place crab cakes on top!

 Blackberry Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 cup Manischewitz blackberry wine (In most grocery stores.  Can also substitute blackberry juice)
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
red pepper flakes
Italian seasoning/oregano
Kirkland Organic No Salt Seasoning (you can omit or substitute with any all purpose spice blend)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pecan & Coconut Nutella Cookies

Hello my dear friends!  I'm sorry for the lack of yummy posts.  I assure you there is no slacking on my end!   I'm currently working on multiple e cookbooks for Amazon Kindle and Kindle apps while chasing a curious and active 18 month old around the house.  In fact, the pic for this one was cropped of tiny fingers reaching over to grab one of the cookies screaming to be eaten!  I feel so blessed to be where I'm at in life right now and really want to share as much of who I am with whoever needs my help, advice or ideas on food and cooking. 

As requested, here are the recipes for my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pecan and Coconut Nutella cookies.  By the way, I will always do my best to post any requested recipe while I'm working on the cookbooks.  You will just have to be a tad patient!


Plain Cookie Dough Batter-  I always like to make different types of cookies at one time.  Instead of doing the same steps multiple times, I just make one super large cookie dough batter that I split up and add different ingredients to.  Makes it possible to make multiple types of cookies in one sitting! It's great when you have cookie monsters in your home who are each craving a different type of cookie!  If this is too much for you, you can cut all the measurements in half.

4 1/2 cup white or fine wheat flour (like King Arthur's)
2 tsp  baking soda
2 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
4 sticks softened butter

Yields 5 cups of dough and approximately 4 dozen cookies.

In an electric mixer,  cream the butter with sugar, salt, and baking soda.  Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time alternating with one cup of flour.  Scrape the bowl with a spatula as needed.  Divide the batter in half by removing 2 1/2 cups of dough.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Preheat oven to 375.  

2 1/2 cups plain cookie dough
1 1/2 cup regular oatmeal (for softer, less dense cookies, use 1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pecans

In an electric mixer, add oatmeal, chocolate chips, and pecans to the cookie dough and stir until well mixed.  Use an ice cream scoop to transfer dough on to a greased baking sheet.  (I like to use a metal spatula and slightly pat the top of each mound to flatten it a bit since the oatmeal stiffens the dough.)  Bake for 12-13 minutes depending on your oven type and how crispy or soft you like your cookies.

Coconut Nutella Cookies

2 1/2 cups plain cookie dough
3/4 cup Nutella spread
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened) (you can add another 1/4 cup if you really really love coconut)

Preheat oven to 375.

In an electric mixer, add the Nutella to the plain cookie dough and stir at medium low speed until completely  mixed.  Add the shredded coconut and slowly stir until just barely mixed so you don't pack the coconut into the dough.  Use an ice cream scoop to transfer dough onto a greased baking sheet.

Keep the dough in round mounds with at least 1 1/2 inches of space.  They will spread out quickly while baking, which will give the cookies a light crispy texture.

Bake for approximately 12 minutes.


Notes:

1) You can use whole wheat flour and double the fiber without anyone noticing the difference.

2) No more boring sugar cookies to give as gifts!  Be creative!  To your plain cookie dough batter, you can try adding chopped apples, butterscotch and pecans  or grated carrots, walnuts and white chocolate chips!!