Craisin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Craisin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
from the Market Pantry Quick Oats Container
makes about 3 dozen

1 Cup Butter, Softened (2 Sticks)
1 1/4 Cups Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup White Sugar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
3 Cups Quick Oats
1 Cup Raisins
1 Cup Dried Cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium size bowl, beat together the butter, brown and white sugar, and vanilla on medium speed.  Beat in eggs until light and fluffy.  In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Mix the dry ingredients into the wet.  Stir in oats and raisins.  Shape dough into 2-inch balls and place on a baking sheet two inches apart.  Bake for 16-18 minutes until edges are golden brown and centers look slightly soft. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy with a tall glass of milk.

I've always thought that oatmeal raisin cookies were the ugly step sister of chocolate chip cookies.  However, these craisin oatmeal raisin cookies will rival any chocolate chip cookie!  Also, they are awesome for breakfast.  Oatmeal!  Fruit!  You can't go wrong!  

Green Monster Smootie

Green Monster Smoothie
adapted from a bunch of smoothie recipes from Pinterest
makes one 16 oz. smoothie

1 Banana
1 6 oz. Container Vanilla Yogurt
About 1/3 of a Can of Pineapple Chunks (about 10 chunks), Plus a Few Tablespoons of Juice
A Handful of Fresh Baby Spinach
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds

Blend all ingredients together with a blender or with an immersion blender.  That's it!

I've been having at least four of these bad boys a week for lunch for the past month.  They are so delicious and ridiculously easy!  If you've never tried a spinach smoothie before, I know it can be a little scary.  But I promise that if you didn't know there was spinach in there you would never guess it!  I sometimes switch it up with a different flavor of yogurt or use a different canned fruit like peaches.  This recipe is merely a guideline, make it your own!  

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
from food.com
makes 18 muffins

For Cream Cheese Topping:
1 (8 Oz.) Package Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

For Muffin:
2 1/2 Cups AP Flour
1 1/2 Cups White Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
1 1/3 Cups Canned Pumpkin
1/3 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour a muffin tin and set aside.  For the topping, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add egg, vanilla, and brown sugar.  Set aside.  For the muffin batter, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and gradually incorporate the 2 eggs, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla extract.  Beat together until smooth.  Fill the muffin  cups about 1/2 full of muffin batter and spoon about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese topping on the batter.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Of course it wouldn't really be fall without a pumpkin recipe!  These moist little muffins are perfect on a chilly morning with a cup of coffee.  I was a little concerned when I was mixing the muffin batter that they would get too dry since all the wet ingredients are mixed in with the dry instead of mixed in a separate bowl  then incorporated into the dry but it turned out not to be an issue at all and then I didn't have to dirty an extra bowl!  Side note, these muffins freeze beautifully.  I just set them out in a covered container the night before and the next morning they are ready to go.  

Sausage, Potato, Pepper Casserole

Sausage, Potato, Pepper Casserole
from kayotic.nl/blog
serves 4-6

2 -3 Russet Potatoes
1 Large Onion
1 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Pound Baby Carrots
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 1/2 Teaspoon Italian Herbs
Salt and Pepper, To Taste
1 Pound Sausage

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cut potato and onion into bite size pieces and bell pepper into strips.  Place cut veggies and carrots in a large casserole pan.  In a bowl mix together garlic, olive oil, herbs, and salt and pepper.  Pour oil mixture over veggies and toss until veggies are nice and oiled (add more oil if needed).  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes until veggies are fork tender.  While that's in the oven, cut the sausage into bite size pieces.  Brown the sausage in a skillet, no need to fully cook.  Add the sausage to the veggies when the 45 minutes is up then put it back in the oven, uncovered, for an additional 20-30 minutes.

Another recipe with sausage.  But really, can you ever have too much sausage?  My husband doesn't think so!  I think you'll be surprised how simple and delicious this recipe is.  Also, it's very family friendly!

Jambalaya

Jambalaya
serves 4-6

1 Large Onion
1 Large Green Pepper
2 Stalks Celery
1 Pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Raw
1 Pound Andouille Sausage
1 (28) Oz. Can Diced Tomatoes
1 Cup Chicken Broth
2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
2 Teaspoons Dried Parsley
2 Teaspoons Cajun Seasoning
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (Or More To Taste)
1 Cup Rice, Dried

Chop onion, green pepper, celery, chicken, and sausage.  Place all ingredients, except rice, in a dutch oven and bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours until chicken is no longer pink (or in a slow cooker low for 7-8 hour or on high for 3-4 hours).  When the chicken is done, transfer the dutch oven to the stove top and bring the jambalaya to a boil.  Add rice, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes until rice is done.  Serve with corn bread muffins.  If you are using a slow cooker, add cooked rice to the jambalaya  and serve.

I've wanted to make jambalaya since M and I lived in our campus apartment and they made it all the time on Food Network.  However, every recipe I found was a mile long and I never found the perfect one.  Two to three years later Pinterest came to the rescue!  I actually had all the veggies already chopped waiting for me in my freezer.  I have to say, this recipe was worth the wait!

Banana Pancakes and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Banana Pancakes and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Today I have two recipes for you.  Both are super easy and require just a few ingredients that I know that you have sitting in your kitchen - bananas and eggs.  

Banana Pancakes
from blogilates.com
serves one, makes about 5 cakes

1 Ripe Banana
2 Eggs

In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork.  Add the two eggs and stir until combined.  Spoon the batter on a greased, hot griddle.  Cook on a few minutes per side until golden brown.  Serve with pancake syrup.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
from artsyfartsymama.com
makes one loaf

1 Box Yellow or White Cake Mix
2 Eggs
3 or 4 Ripe Bananas
1/2 Cup to 1 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl smash the bananas.  Add the eggs and cake mix (no need for oil or water, just the cake mix!) Stir until well combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
from copykat.com
serves 8

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
4 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Cup Celery, Diced
1 Cup Onion, Diced
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
4 Tablespoons Flour
1 Quart (4 Cups) Half-and-Half
1 Cup Carrots, Shredded
1 Cup Chicken, Cooked and Shredded or Diced
2 (14) Oz. Cans Chicken Broth
1 Package Gnocchi
1 Cup Fresh Spinach
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Thyme, Dried
1/2 Teaspoon Parsley, Dried

In a large pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add celery, onions, and garlic and saute until onions become translucent.  Add flour to make a roux.  Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute then add the half-and-half.
In a separate pot, cook gnocchi according to package directions.  Set aside.
To the half-and-half add the carrots and chicken.  Once the mixture is thick, add the chicken broth.  Once the mixture thickens again, add the gnocchi, spinach and seasonings.  Serve when spinach is wilted and gnocchi is heated through.

My husband loves this soup from the Olive Garden.  So I had to make it for him right away when I found this recipe!  I served it with Italian Olive Oil Balsamic Bread Dip and french bread; however, if you wanted to, I bet you could Google an Olive Garden bread stick recipe.  The soup came together really fast because I used cooked rotisserie chicken from the store, used preshredded carrots, and used diced onions and celery from my freezer.