Classic No Bake Cookie Recipe

No bake cookies are a classic, but for some reason, I've never made them before tonight. They are quick, easy and I had company suddenly coming over, so that is how they made it on my cooking list tonight. Here we go. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick butter

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups oatmeal

In a pot, melt one stick butter over medium heat.

Add 2 cups sugar and a 1/4 cup cocoa powder. Mix together and heat until boiling. 

Add 1 cup peanut butter and one tablespoon vanilla. Stir in until combined. 

Stir in 3 cups old fashioned oatmeal. 

It will look like this. 

Lay out wax paper on cookie sheets. 

Using a cookie scoop or a large spoon, drop one inch blobs on the wax paper. 

Let them cool on the wax paper. 

As I mentioned, we had friends coming over, so I...

...cooled them off a little quicker in the freezer. Note: I did not freeze them.  Eat and enjoy. 

Breakfast Sandwich: Not So Healthy, But Very Delicious

I love this breakfast sandwich, but I don't eat it too often. It is quite unhealthy. Here we go.

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices of bread, toasted and buttered

3 eggs, fried and seasoned with salt and pepper (I like my yolk runny, but you decide how to cook yours)

2-3 slices of bacon, cooked (I do not like mine crispy, but you decide how you want yours)

First, cook 2-3 slices of bacon. I usually throw mine on a baking sheet and cook them in the oven, but these are the Costco pre-cooked bacon slices. I just warmed them up in the microwave. Much faster, easier and less messy. Set bacon aside. 

Fry up three eggs. I use non-stick spray on the bottom of my All Clad frying pan, and once the bottom of the whites start to cook, I add skim milk and cover to steam the tops. While the eggs are steaming...

...I toast two slices of bread and butter the insides. The eggs and the toast should be done at about the same time. 

 Place your fried eggs on top of the toast. 

Then your bacon on top of that. You can eat it as an open-face sandwich, like so or...

...put another slice of bread on top like I do. Yum!

Texas Roadhouse Chili (Healthy Knock-Off Version With Low Cholesterol)

My wife's doctor ordered her to "Lower your cholesterol!" So we have been making diet changes around here. She read that pinto beans lower cholesterol, and she loves our chili recipe (which happens to taste exactly like Texas Roadhouse's chili). So, we substituted the ground beef with ground turkey (which is much lower in cholesterol and fat) and presto! We have chili that is healthy AND tastes delicious, just like Texas Roadhouse's secret recipe. You can thank me later. 

NOTE: This recipe makes a ton of chili, but when we cut it in half, it's not enough. You decide what's going to be the best amount for your family. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

2 -15 oz cans chopped tomatoes

4-15 oz cans pinto beans

1-12 oz can tomato sauce

1-8 oz can tomato paste

3 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 bay leaves

In a large pot, brown 2 lbs ground turkey meat and one medium onion, chopped.

Add 2 -15 oz cans chopped tomatoes, 4-15 oz cans pinto beans, 1-12 oz can tomato sauce, 1-8 oz can tomato paste, 3 tablespoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 bay leaves. Stir. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Simmer for 3-4 hours. 

Now you have some amazing chili that is healthy to boot. 

The Trick With Brown Sugar Is...

I was making pumpkin biscuits this morning (I had to use up the leftover pumpkin from last night's batch. Good excuse, right?), when I realized I was out of brown sugar. I knew that brown sugar was made of white sugar and molasses, so I figured it couldn't be that hard to make. I looked at a few recipes on the internet, and they all said pretty much the same thing. Here is my version. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons of molasses (depending on how dark you want it. I use one tablespoon)

Add one cup of sugar to a mixing bowl. 

Add one tablespoon of molasses.

Mix in the molasses with a fork. It will get clumpy like this, but just work it in. 

Eventually it will look like regular old brown sugar. It doesn't have quite the same tasted of store-bought brown sugar and why go through the hassle of making it if you can just buy it for about the same price. I plan on using the recipe only if I am out of brown sugar. Also, if you have a recipe that calls for a cup of brown sugar, just use one cup of white sugar and add a tablespoon of molasses. You don't even necessarily have to go through the trouble of making the brown sugar. 

Another tip. I learned this one from my brilliant wife. Are you tired of rock-hard, dried-out brown sugar? Just throw a slice of bread in your brown sugar container for a couple of days. The sugar will absorb the moisture from the bread and soften itself. Just discard the bread, which will be hard and dry. 

Well, there you have it. How to make homemade brown sugar. 

How To Fold A Fancy Dinner Napkin

Yesterday, we had a fancy dinner and discussed what our family will do in 2013. It was a huddle where we, the parents, told our kids what we expect of them this year and our family focus - being doers in 2013. 

What does this have to do with napkins? Well, we couldn't have a fancy dinner without fancy napkins, so I looked online for ideas. There were many to pick from, but I chose this simple yet elegant one. I don't remember what website I got this from, but I did find it using Google Images. 

NOTE: I found the site again. You can link to it here if you care to see the source.

We don't have any cloth napkins, so I used these black paper ones I found stashed away in a drawer. 

Step one: open your napkin and place it in front of you like this, in a diamond shape. 

Step two: Fold the bottom half up and form a triangle. 

Step three: fold corners up to the top of the triangle. 

Step four:  flip it over like this. All open points should now be facing you. 

Step five: fold the bottom half up to form another triangle. 

Step six: fold it over again from right to left. 

If you pick it up, you should see this pleated part along the side. This is the front. 

Step seven: prop it up on your plate like this. 

Now you have a fancy dinner setting. Yay!

 The fancy napkins, ended up in random heaps across our table, but our dinner turned out well and the napkins created an elegant atmosphere when we sat down to eat. 

The Only Roast Recipe You Will Ever Need

I'm not sure where my wife found this recipe, but it is truly one of the best things that has ever happened to me. And, it's simple to boot. 

This recipe is good for both beef roasts and pork roasts. I've yet to try it with a turkey roast, but I think you would yield the same success. 

INGREDIENTS:

Roast

Garlic (5-7 cloves depending on how big your roast is)

Salt

Pepper

1 medium onion, sliced

If I am smart enough to think in advance, I put my roast in a casserole dish and let it thaw in the fridge for two days. If I am not smart enough, I leave it on my counter for the day. People say this is dangerous, but I say how can it be dangerous. It's frozen for heaven's sake. It's colder than if it were in a fridge, right? Anyway, let's move on.

Before you start, preheat your oven at 500 degrees. Peel the skin off of 6-7 garlic cloves.

Cut slits in your roast and insert each garlic clove.

It will look like this on both sides. 

Rub the outside of the roast with salt and pepper. 

Put it into a Dutch oven or large oven proof pot. 

Add one cup of water and one onion sliced. 

Put your roast in the oven and cook it at 500 degrees for 20 minutes then reduce the heat to 275 degrees and cook it for 20 minutes for every pound. This is a five pound roast, so I am cooking it for an extra hour and 40 minutes.

When you pull it out of the oven, let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving. 

There you go. Best meal you'll ever have, right there.