Oatmeal Raisin Sandwich Cookies

I saw these cookies and had to make them.  Philip's favorite cookies are oatmeal raisin and I haven't made them in quite some time.  Something about oatmeal in cookies and the altitude (or maybe it was operate error) but it seemed that any cookie that had oatmeal in it wouldn't turn out up there.  But now that we are back down to baking level I can make them again!

I forgot to get my normal oatmeal raisin cookie recipe out when I made these and I didn't feel like finding it so I just used the recipe off the oatmeal container (and it wasn't Quaker).  The cookies were really good but they were a little on the crunchy side and we both would have liked a softer cookie for these.  So I won't post the recipe for the cookie...just the filling.

Oatmeal Raisin Sandwich Cookies

Source: From Baking Bites

Ingredients:

One batch of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

For the filling:
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
To make the filling, combine the cream cheese, honey and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium-high speed until completely smooth.

Once cookies are completely cooled, match them up in pairs according to size. Lay one cookie of each pair face down, so that the flat side is up.  Using a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip, pipe a swirl of cream cheese filling onto the the flat side of each cookie. (Alternatively, just spread a layer of filling on each cookie with a knife.  The edges won’t look quite as nice, but they will still taste great.)  Top with the other cookie from each pair so that the flat side is on the filling and press down slightly so that the filling is pushed to the edges.  Chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Pasta Pie

This is so yummy and cute! I really like it because I don't like a lot of red sauce on my pasta and Philip likes A LOT.  This way I had just enough on my pasta and you serve it with the extra sauce on the side so Philip could add extra to his.

It is a little time consuming to make to get all the rigatoni standing up inside the pan but I didn't think it was too bad.  I am thankful I have a husband that likes to help in the kitchen.  It makes things go quite a bit faster.  (And because I am the messiest cook in the world and he tends to clean up behind me as I go!)

I am not sure if I didn't let my sauce thicken quite as much as I should have or if it was just my springform pan but some of the juice from the sauce leaked all over the counter when I was putting it together.  I would definitely recommend putting the springform pan on top of a cookie sheet before you assemble it and when it goes into the oven.

Pasta Pie
Slightly Adapted from Noble Pig

1 pound rigatoni
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 can (28 ounces) good quality crushed tomatoes
Butter, for pan
Salt
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces coarsely grated mozzarella

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone (I cooked mine for 12 minutes when the box indicated 14 minutes).  One pound of pasta should be cooked in 6 quarts of water, make sure you are using a big enough pot so the pasta doesn't stick together.  When done, rinse in cold water and drain again.  Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon olive oil to coat.  Set aside.

Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add ground beef.  Cook, stirring occasionally until browned.  Add garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Cook 2 minutes more.

Add crushed tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese.  Butter a 9-inch springform pan.  Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end.  Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.

Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up.  Stuffing the meat into the holes is a weirdly satisfying task.  Enough said.

Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden.  Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold.

Cut into wedges and serve with any remaining meat sauce you might have.

Weekly Menu 01/24/2010-01/29/2010

Sunday:  Chicken Cordon Bleu, Mashed Potatoes, & Asparagus

Monday: Chicken Burrito Bowls

Tuesday: Baked Teriyaki Chicken, Garlic Rice Pilaf, & Green Beans

Wednesday: Brinner (Breakfast for Dinner)

Thursday: Chicken Stir-Fry & Rice

Friday: Panko-Crusted Chicken Fingers & Garlic Parmesan Oven Fries

Notice a pattern? Guess I didn't plan all that well this week.  Good thing we are chicken people!

Movie Night Cupcakes

Friday's are "Movie Night" in our house.  It typically involves something fun for dinner that can be ate on the couch while we watch whatever Netflix we have that week.  It makes for a nice easy night while we wind down from the week.

Philip bought me "Hello Cupcake" for Christmas because every. single. time. we would go to the store I would stop and flip through this book.  It has the cutest and most clever cupcakes ever! Guess he wanted to speed up our shopping trips. :) I knew I had to make these cupcakes first as they were perfect for our Friday nights.  I have quite a few other cupcakes earmarked to make in the near future.  The more I look at this book I do have one complaint though.  A lot of the cupcakes use a regular size cupcake and a mini cupcake to put whatever the shape is together...or a cupcake and a donut hole.  Don't get me wrong, the cupcakes are adorable.  They are just a little impractical to me I guess.  If I sat down and ate a cupcake, a donut, frosting, and whatever candy is on it to decorate it I am quite sure I would die of sugar shock right then and there.

I don't have a recipe for these.  They are quite time consuming to put together so I just used a box cake mix (Oh the horror!).  I wish when I put them into the popcorn containers I would have stacked them better so it would have looked more like popcorn but what can ya do?!?!

Garlic Lemon Shrimp with Orzo and Broccoli

Making this dinner was quite amusing to me.  About halfway through I stopped and realized that this was almost exactly like something we make already just a little more "fancy."  And if anyone was watching us make this dinner I am sure they were laughing at us.  It looked like I was playing "cooking show" and Philip was my student.  I am not so much a fan of seafood...it is growing on me and I am starting to eat more and more but I am still hesitant about it.  So I made my own pan with chicken and Philip did his own with shrimp.  So as we were cooking I just cut everything in half (except the orzo and broccoli...that all was cooked together) and I did half with chicken in my pan and Philip did half with shrimp in his pan.  I was quite impressed with his abilities as the only instruction he was given was "watch me and do what I do" and he did and his turned out.  Normally I wouldn't be so shocked by this.  Philip can hold his own in the kitchen, especially when it comes to breakfast (he makes some killer breakfasts!).  About a week before this dinner Philip took the recipe I had printed for dinner that night and decided he was going to make it by himself.  So as I waited in the other room all I heard was "Oh crap!"..."Ooops that wasn't supposed to happen."..."Oh that says 1 tablespoon...not 1 cup."  And dinner...well...didn't turn out so well.  So to see him cook this meal and cook it well was quite the achievement.

I think next time I would use a whole lemon instead of half and definitely add more garlic.  I am pretty sure next time I will ditch the chicken and just do all shrimp (but don't tell Philip I am starting to like shrimp!).

Garlic Lemon Shrimp with Orzo and Broccoli

Slightly Adapted from Cooking This and That

Makes 2-3 servings

1 cup orzo
1 broccoli crown, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste
scant tablespoon butter
about 1 pound of large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2-3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, add orzo and cook until al dente, 8-9 minutes. During last 2 minutes of cooking, add broccoli to the pasta water. Drain orzo and broccoli, set aside.

In large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

Add lemon juice, zest, and wine/broth to saute pan. Bring to boil and then reduce heat; simmer for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in butter and stir until melted.

Add shrimp to saute pan, cook until pink and cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Add orzo and broccoli, parsley, and Parmesan cheese to shrimp mixture; toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Weekly Menu 01/17/2010-01/22/2010

Sunday:  Chicken Enchiladas

Monday:  Garlic Lemon Shrimp with Orzo and Broccoli

Tuesday:  Chicken Tortilla Soup

Wednesday:  Pasta Pie

Thursday:  Freezer Chicken Fried Rice & Egg Rolls

Friday:  Tacos

Chili

I don't care for chili but Philip really likes it so I made him a pot and froze it in separate dishes (hence the picture with the Gladware) so he could take it for his lunch.  The first time we made this chili Philip was in the field with his soldiers and needed easy dinners that he could make for himself and the guys so I sent him with this recipe.  They all really enjoyed it.  The chili is quite spicy (and by spicy I mean steam might come out of your ears) so you might want to adjust it to your tastes.  Philip likes his food quite a bit spicier than most people...sometimes I think his taste buds were singed off as a child.

I made a few adjustments to this.  I cut the recipe in half and it left me with 5 portions (probably about 2 cups each).  By cutting it in half it I should have used 1.5 cans of pinto beans and 1 1/2 jalapeno peppers.  I used two full cans of beans and 2 full jalapeno peppers (one de-seeded and one with the seeds).

Easy Texas Chili

From: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground beef


• 1 large onion, diced


• 1 large bell pepper, minced


• 3 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans


• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes


• 4 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce


• 3 jalapeno peppers, minced (optional)


• 1/2 cup chili powder


• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes


• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1. Cook and stir the beef, onion, and bell pepper in a large pot over medium heat until the beef is brown and onion and pepper are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain grease from beef.


2. Stir in beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, jalapenos (if using), chili powder, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Bring mixture to a slow boil; cover and reduce heat. Simmer chili at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so that it does not stick. This chili can be simmered for several hours; the longer you simmer, the more flavor you will get.