Vegged-Up Oatmeal Cookies

Oh how I LOVE oatmeal cookies add some zucchini(which i currently have a ton of) and make into a cookie sandwich...yummy!
Adapted by Everyday with Rachael Ray

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 oz. room-temperature butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 packed cup shredded zucchini
• 1 cup 1/3 the fat cream cheese, room temp
• Cinnamon Sugar 
• Vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. In bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars at high speed until fluffy, 5 minutes. Beat in egg at medium speed, then flour mixture. Stir in oats, zucchini and raisins; let sit for 30 minutes. Bake 1/4 cupfuls on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets at 350°. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Mix room temp cream cheese with as much Cinnamon Sugar and Vanilla as you would like. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the cookie and make, cookies sandwiches! Enjoy!

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

I first spotted this cutie on the bon appetite website! It looked amazing and I knew right then I wanted it my belly....well as soon as I could get my hands on some blackberries! To me this cake was great,it just really reminded me of an Orange Poppyseed bread I make. Except minus the poppyseed's and replace those with blackberries and bake it in a cake pan. So delish! I think next time I bump up the amount of berries and do all blueberries! 

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan and parchment
• 2 1/3 cups cake flour (sifted, then measured) plus more for pan
• 2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) fresh blackberries
• 1/4 cup plus 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
• 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• Powdered sugar (for dusting)

• SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

  Use a 10"-diameter springform pan

PREPARATION

• Position a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°. Butter pan; line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Butter parchment. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Arrange berries in a single layer in bottom of pan; sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup sugar.
• Sift 2 1/3 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a medium bowl; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat 3/4 cup butter and remaining 1 1/3 cups sugar in a large bowl at medium-high speed, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and zest. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until incorporated. Pour batter over berries in pan; smooth top.
• Bake until cake is golden brown and cake bounces back when pressed gently with fingertip, about 40 -45 minutes  for a 10" pan. Let cool in pan set on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a thin, sharp knife around the edge of the pan to loosen. Remove pan sides. Invert cake onto rack and remove pan bottom; peel off parchment. Dust top generously with powdered sugar and let cool completely.
  
  

Amazing refried beans!!

Do me a favor, NEVER buy refried beans out of a can!!

So it was 3 years ago or so when i stumbled over these AMAZING beans!! I have always loved refried beans but the canned version never seemed quite right to me. I have made these beans dozens and dozens  of times of the past few years. They pair so well with any Mexican type dish! They are so easy to make and much easier to eat. They go very fast!!

Recipe from Sunny Anderson

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1 packet Sazon seasoning (about 1 1/4 teaspoons)
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans pinto beans
• 1 lime, juiced....DO NOT SKIP THE LIME it is the star!!!
• Cilantro as a garnish if you like
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, jalapeno, onion and Sazon. Saute until they start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 1 can of pinto beans including the liquid in the can. Simmer until beans heat through and soften, another 4 to 5 minutes. Using a fork or potato masher, mash the beans. Drain the second can of pinto beans and add those to the pot. Stir mixture together and cook until beans warm through. Stir inlime juice and season, to taste, with salt and pepper and if you wish cilantro (yes please). 

Raspberry Jam

This is how we started the day! So to fill you in, my son loves his two kids cookbooks. As we are unpacking after the latest move he was so excited to see his Sesame Street cookbook and could not wait to make snacks from it! So this morning I let him pick out what he wanted to make and he picked these cute little sammies and you make you own jam. He wanted to make triangle shape and raspberry jam.

http://store.sesamestreet.org/Product.aspx?cp=21415_21456_21462_21504&pc=6EAM0473

Berry Jam Sammies

1 bag frozen berry of choice we did raspberries(that is what we had on hand)

1/3 cup of sugar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Whole grain sandwich bread

Stir together the berries and sugar in a large microwaveable dish

Microwave on HIGH for 2 mins. Stir and mash up berries a bit.Add the lemon juice and stir.

Return to Microwave and cook up to 8 mins, check and stir about every 2 mins.

Allow the jam to cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 weeks or freezer for 4 months.

Add Peanut Butter if you like and enjoy with some cold milk=)

LOVE Cabot!!!

So I don't think I could love a cheese company more then Cabot. Then I spotted this at Sam's Club. Could it get any more exciting!!! I really cant wait to try this out with some crackers and smoked salmon!

Popeye Ravioli Dippers

So last week I got an amazing deal on some Won Ton Wraps. After a quick sale price and coupon I was able to get a container for 30 cents. So needing to use them up, i came up with these little beauties. Popeye Ravioli Dippers

1/2 pkg Won Ton Wraps

1 pkg frozen spinach thawed with extra water squeezed out

1 to 2 cups of Whole Milk Ricotta cheese

1/4 cup of grated parm

Salt and Black peppper to taste

grate some fresh garlic or garlic powder 

Oregano to taste

Italian Seasoning to taste

Marina Sauce for dipping

Combine the ricotta cheese, spinach and grated parm. Season with spices.

Place wraps flat on a clean dry work space. Spoon a mound of mixture in center of each wrap and top with another wrap crimp edges with fork.

Place on a baking sheet with EVOO brush tops with EVOO. Sprinkle with oregano and parm cheese. Bake for 10-12 mins or golden brown and dip in warm marinara sauce. ENJOY!

Ok, so i am still getting the hang of all this blogger stuff, but i am working on setting this up along with a facebook page stay tuned