Chocolate Thumb-print Cookies

recipe taken from the back of Hershey's HUGS Kisses

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened

2/3 c. sugar

1 egg, separated

2 T. milk

1 t. vanilla extract

1 c. flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1/4 t. salt

1 c. chopped nuts

26 Hershey's HUGS or KISSES

VANILLA FILLING:

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 T. softened butter or margarine

2 t. milk

1/4 t. vanilla extract

1. Beat butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk and vanilla in medium bowl until fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.

2. Heat oven to 350. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Shape dough until 1-inch balls. With fork, beat egg slightly. Dip each ball into egg white; roll in nuts. Place on sheet. Press thumb gently in center of each cookie.

3. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. Meanwhile prepare the FILLING by beating all ingredients together until smooth. Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces. Remove cookies from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool 5 min. Spoon about 1/4 t. filling into each thumb-print. Gently press chocolate pieces in center of each cookie. Cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

e-notes:

My butter is salted and so I probably added less than 1/2 of what the recipe called for. I also used 1/2 the nuts b/c I only dipped 1/2 of the cookies since I know my kids aren't the biggest fans of nuts. The thumb-prints I made did not stay in the cookies while they baked. When I got them out, I had to re-do them - but that worked just fine. It was just a little hot making the prints then, but not a big deal. Also, for a valentiney-look I made my FILLING pink. I also used a baby spoon to scoop up the filling and just guessed on the 1/4 t. amount. Good stuff. My kids love me b/c I made these this morning.

Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup finely crushed peppermint candy
3 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp milk
1-2 Tbsp peppermint schnapps or 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

Place butter in mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy. Add peppermint candy, powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp milk, and schnapps or extract. Blend until the sugar is well incorporated. Beat until fluffy and add more milk if frosting seems too stiff.

Chocolate Ganache

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I don't chop mine if it is in 1 oz. squares)
1 Tbsp. liqueur such as Grand Marnier, framboise, or peppermint schnapps (optional) OR 1/2 tsp. extract such as orange, peppermint, etc.

Place cream in small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring. Place chopped chocolate in large mixing bowl. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted. Stir in liqueur, if desired.

To use as a glaze, let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before spooning over a cooled cake. To use as a frosting or filling, let stand at room temperature for 4 hours, or chill until it thickens and is spreadable.

Lethal Peppermint Chocolate Cake

Okay, so I don't know if this is "lethal" in flavor, but it is a nice hint of mint that makes this cake yummy.

This one comes from one of my all time favorite books, The Cake Doctor. It is a great book for taking cake mixes and making them just a little bit better.

1 package plain devils food cake mix (not a mix with pudding in it)
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 recipe Peppermint Buttercream frosting
Chocolate Ganache

Prepare ganache, adding peppermint schnapps(or extract) after the chocolate has melted. Let ganache cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans. Place cake mix, cocoa powder, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend, scraping sides until thick and combined. Divide batter between pans and bake until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger and start to pull away from the sides of the pan, 28-30 minutes. Cool for ten minutes and then invert onto wire rack and cool completely.

Spread one layer with Peppermint Buttercream frosting, and place second layer on top of the first layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with Chocolate Ganache that has cooled until it is spreadable. Chill the cake until ready to serve.

I personally like to keep the cake at room temperature. For some reason the cake seems to dry out in the fridge.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Okay, so this one comes right off of the Reese's Peanut butter chip bag, but we LOVE this recipe. Only thing: DO NOT dump everything in the mixer and expect a good cookie. Follow this recipe--cookies just aren't the same if you don't separate the dry and wet ingredients like you are told :)And be sure not to overbake them. Over cooked cocoa is never a good thing!

2 cups flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Stir above ingredients in a bowl until well combined.

In mixer:
combine
1 1/4 (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened/room temperature(not melted)
2 cups sugar
mix until fluffy.

Add:
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Beat well. Gradually add flour mixture until well combined. Stir in 10 oz. bag of peanut butter chips.

Oven 350 degrees. Drop rounded teaspoons (I use a small ice cream scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes (or until tops begin to crack). Do not overbake! Cool slightly, then remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely and store in the freezer so you don't eat the entire batch in one sitting.

Turkey and Pasta with Peanut Sauce

6 ounces dried fettuccine or linguine
2 c. fresh pea pods, tips trimmed
1 c. cooked turkey or chicken strips
1 c. coarsely chopped fresh pineapple or one 8-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained
1/4 c. chicken broth
2 T. creamy peanut butter (although I think chunky would be fine too)
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. lime or lemon juice
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

Cook pasta according to package direction. Meanwhile, halve the fresh pea pods, diagonally. Place pea pods and turkey in a large colander. Pour hot cooking liquid from pasta over pea pods and turkey in colander; drain well. Return the pasta, pea pods, and turkey to the hot pan. Add the pineapple.

Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan stir chicken broth into peanut butter. Heat and stir with a whisk until peanut butter melts. Stir in soy sauce, lime juice, red pepper, and garlic; heat through.

Add sauce to the pasta mixture. Gently stir to coat pasta with sauce.

(From the Better Homes and Gardens 75th Anniversary Cookbook)

Warm Banana Sundaes

1 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil
4 bananas, peeled and cut crosswise in half, then each half cut in half lengthwise to produce 16 quarters
frozen nonfat vanilla yogurt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, butter and salt in a medium bowl. Use your fingers (or a pastry cutter) to work the butter into the mixture until thoroughly incorporated. Then add the nuts. Spread out the mixture on the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes to form the pecan crisp (don't let it get dark), then let cool. Once cool, break it up like you'd do a toffee.

When done, it should look like this:

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many of the banana quarters, cut sides down, as will fit in a single layer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the bananas soften and start to brown. Use a spatula to carefully turn over the banana pieces and cook for 1 minute.

Transfer the bananas to individual dessert plates, arranging 2 quarters for each portion.

Use paper towels to wipe out the skillet; return to medium-high heat and add the remaining teaspoon or two of oil. Add the remaining banana pieces to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium; repeat the cooking process. Arrange the banana quarters on the remaining dessert plates.

Place a scoop of frozen yogurt on top of the banana quarters on each plate. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons of the pecan crisp. Serve immediately.

Notes: in order to get the crumb topping to work for me, I have to do it in many steps because otherwise the butter gets too soft. So I'll cut in the butter for a minute, then put everything into the fridge for another 15 minutes. Cut again, chill again. I do this until the crumbly texture I want is achieved.

Also, we like this with more than half a banana, so we gave ourselves each a full banana. The topping is really delicious and is even tempting on its own.

(From The Washington Post)

Applesauce Raisin Muffins

1 c applesauce
3/4 c brown sugar
½ c oil
1 3/4 c flour
1 t baking soda
½ t salt
1 t cinnamon
½ t ground cloves
½ c raisins (optional)

Combine dry ingredients in bowl and stir together. Add applesauce and oil and blend together. Add raisins, if desired. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 375° for 18 minutes.

Peach Crunch Cake

Peach Crunch Cake

24.5 oz jar of sliced peaches in light syrup
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Layer ingredients in a 13 X 9 dish, in order starting with the peaches.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Serve warm or cold… with or without ice cream.

Enjoy!

It's more like a dessert than cake, it's a BIT gooey, but that's why it's so good.

Found on bakerella.com!!! Yum, yum, YUMMY!!!!!! And E-Z!!!

Banana Filled French Toast

1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut into 1 inch slices
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

Create a pocket about 2/3 of the way into each slice of bread by cutting along an edge. Fill pockets with 2 or 3 banana slices each.

In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, water, milk, vanilla extract, orange juice, and orange zest. Dip the bread slices in the mixture, allowing slices to become saturated.

Grease your skillet or griddle with butter or Pam. Place a few slices at a time in the skillet, and cook, turning once, until both sides are golden brown. Dust with confectioners' sugar to serve. Serve with warm syrup.

Lemony Snickets

These cookies from Parenting Magazine were a huge hit at our home. They make a light, cake-like cookie. The delicious, tangy glaze made it hard to eat just one.

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon zest
15 oz ricotta cheese (we used cottage cheese)

Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 Tbs lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
Sprinkles

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and ricotta until blended. Add flour mixture and beat until combined. Cover and chill at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Shape dough into balls, and place at least an inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until bottoms are light brown. Cool on baking sheet for about 1 minute, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

While cookies cool, prepare glaze: Stir together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze evenly over each cookie. Garnish with sprinkles if desired. Let stand until hardened.

Yields 6 dozen

Peanut Butter Cups

Here's one of a few Christmas staples from my youth:

2 sticks (1 c.) melted butter
1 3/4 c. crushed graham cracker (about 1 1/2 packages)
1 c. peanut butter (chunky or smooth--your choice)
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1 12 ounce bag of milk chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips together and press into a 9x13 pan. Melt chocolate chips in microwave at 30-second intervals till completely melted and pour and spread over peanut butter mix. Let cool. Cut into small squares.

I think these taste quite like Nutty Bars with the graham cracker texture. Yum. Also, these are very similar to Becky's excellent Buckeye Balls, but may be slightly easier because no dipping or rolling.

Apple Walnut Pancakes

1 1/2 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/8 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

2 egg yolks

4 T. butter

1 1/3 c. milk

3/4 t. vanilla

1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and shredded

1/3 c. coarsely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted and cooled completely

Start by prepping the walnuts. Chop them to a coarse chop and then put on cookie sheet in oven at 325 for about 8 minutes. They need to be completely cooled before using. Then, melt the butter and then let it cool completely too.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar.

In a medium bowl, add the egg, egg yolks, melted butter, milk, and vanilla and whisk to blend. Pour the egg mixture over the flour mix and stir just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add the apple, walnuts, and stir to combine.

Cook on a griddle that is greased.

Serve the pancakes straight off the griddle, sprinkled with powdered sugar OR with warm syrup. I highly recommend the warm syrup. Also, please don't do this without toasting the walnuts. They're so tasty toasted.

Clam Dip (for Miles)

8 oz. cream cheese
2 TBLS. mayonnaise
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 TSP salt
1/2 TSP worchestire

Mix/blend all ABOVE ingredients together until smooth

ADD:

1 small can DRAINED minced clams, stir with spoon

TOP with:

1/4 lb. cheddar (shredded)

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until bubbly. Serve with veggies or tortilla chips.

We had this on Thanksgiving and one CUTE little boy I know wanted to be sure his mom had the recipe, now she does!!! ;)

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup apple butter
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 5-ounce-can (2/3 cup) evaporated milk
1/3 cup whole milk

In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, apple butter, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon and mix well. Add the eggs and milks, stirring to combine. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the center has set. Cool completely before serving or storing in the refrigerator.

Note: This recipe assumes you already have a pie crust, hence the "filling" in the title. Also, if you've never made a pumpkin pie before (as I hadn't until I did this), the batter will be super runny. But it still turned out great. It's a great use of apple butter if you can't find another one for it.

(From the Washington Post)

Bruschetta

2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 T. olive oil

1 T. fresh oregano

1 t. fresh basil

2 t. fresh parsley

1/2 t. sugar

dash salt

1 clove garlic, minced

dash of balsamic vinegar

Mix everything together. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice loaf of french bread and brush the tops with olive oil. Put the bread in the oven for five minutes. Remove bread from oven and top with bruschetta and parmesan cheese. Put back in the oven for another five minutes.

Any leftovers can be refrigerated and then reheated at 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes.

Notes from e: Although it would probably be much better with fresh herbs, I couldn't justify the cost for something I thought only I would eat. So I used dried herbs. I use 1 t. of the dried oregano, 1/2 t. of dried basil, and 1 t. of the dried parsley. And it still tasted great.

Banana Cream Pies

1 instant vanilla pudding
1 instant banana pudding
2 8-ounce cream cheese (can do light), softened
2 c. milk (I used skim)
4-6 bananas

Beat softened cream cheese, adding half of the milk slowly. Add pudding and rest of milk. Beat till smooth and thick. Line sides and bottoms of TWO graham cracker crusts with bananas. Spoon in filling. Top with whipped cream or cool whip. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Note: I didn't want two pies, so I just halved everything. I used my kitchen scale to halve the puddings. And I hate whipped cream so I left it out. These pies don't need it. I used 2 1/2 bananas for the half recipe.

Pumpkin Waffles/Pancakes

2 1/2 c. flour

1 T. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cloves

4 eggs

2 c. buttermilk

1 c. pumpkin

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. melted butter

1 t. vanilla

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl.

Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin, sugar, butter, and vanilla in another large bowl until smooth. While whisking, add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.

Cook like regular waffles (which the original recipe said) or pancakes (like I did with happy results). Serve with syrup, powdered sugar, or topping of choice!

Maybe I should have added nuts...Either way, they were great. Using our 1/4 cup measuring cup, we got just over 40 pancakes.

Rich Chocolate and Chocolate Pudding Cake

¾ cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
¼ cup butter
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup sugar
5 tbs milk
¼ tsp vanilla
heavy cream, for serving

For the Topping
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
½ pint hot water
7 tbs dark brown sugar
5 tbs sugar
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch square non stick baking pan.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter, chocolate and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, or in a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the heat.
4. Add the flour mixture and stir well. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract. Mix with a wooden spoon, then pour the mixture into a prepared baking pan.
5. To make the topping, dissolve the cocoa powder in the water in a bowl. Let cool.
6. Mix the brown sugar, sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the pudding mixture.
7. Pour the water and cocoa powder mixture evenly over the surface. Bake for 40 minutes or until the pudding had puffed up and set on top. The water mixture will have formed a creamy sauce underneath. Serve immediately with whipped cream.

Nacho Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I used whole since I wasn't sure how skim would do)
7 slices processed American cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and stir in flour. Pour in the milk and stir until the mixture thickens. Stirring constantly, mix in cheese and salt. Continue to cook and stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well blended, about 15 minutes. If you'd like to add spice, you can add some tabasco sauce as well as chili powder.

(from allrecipes.com)

Eclair Cake

4 large eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups milk
3 (3-ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
16 ounces container whipped topping
Chocolate icing (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 9x13 pan. Whisk eggs in a small bowl and set aside. In saucepan, melt butter in water. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and beat in eggs all at one time, continue beating until smooth. Spread in prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, then cool completely.
Combine cream cheese and milk, beating until smooth. Add pudding, one package at a time. Spoon over cooled shell. Spread with whipped topping and drizzle with chocolate icing. Chill at least one hour before serving.

Chocolate Icing

3 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon butter, melted
About 2 tablespoons water

In small bowl combine cocoa and powdered sugar, mixing well. Add butter and water and beat until smooth, adding a small amount of water, if needed, until the consistency is right.

Lentils and Rice, or Rice and Lentils

olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 c rice
1 c lentils, picked over
4 c water or broth
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent; add remaining ingredients. Bring to simmer and cover, cooking 25-30 minutes or until moisture is absorbed and rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Chicken and Veggies with Dumplings

This is from allrecipes.com with a few of my own modifications

Mix
1 can cream of chicken (can be reduced fat)
1 can chicken broth (can be low fat, low sodium)
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp oil
1/4 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped celery (I omit this because I HATE celery)
3 chicken breasts cut into strips
1 tsp celery seed
1 c corn
1 c green beans (or omit the corn and beans and use a can of mixed veggies)

Dumplings
1 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c milk
2 tbsp oil

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, stir together the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken strips, onion and celery. Sautee until chicken is cooked through, and onions are tender. Transfer the chicken mixture to the soup pot, and mix well. Add corn, green beans, or veggies of choice. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30-45 miniutes. Season with celery seed and black pepper.

3. Make dumplings: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 c of milk and 2 tbsp of oil. Pour into the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

4. Drop tablespoonfuls of the dumpling mixture into simmering chicken stew. Cover pot tightly, and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 12 - 15 minutes without peeking. Ready to serve.

***You may want to add a little extra cream of chicken or chicken broth as I found this not quite soupy enough for my tastes. Regardless, it's a great way to sneak veggies in on the kids!

Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo

This is from the Great American Recipes cookbook

Serves 4 -6 depending on serving size

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese (I use the fresh kind in the cold section of the store)
1 box fettuccine
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil to taste

1. Place the butter in a large heatproof bowl. Using a wooden spoon or electric mixer set on low, beat until smooth (I always use the mixer because my hand gets way too tired!). Add the cream and Parmesan cheese. Stir until well blended. Set aside.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well and immediately add the hot pasta to the butter mixture in the large bowl. Using two forks or a large noodle serving spoon, toss the fettuccine in the butter mixture to coat well. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Sometimes I'm not fast enough and the cheese will clump or not quite melt. I pop the bowl in the microwave for 30-60 seconds to heat it back up and stir some more. Because of my turtle speed, I mix my pasta and butter in a 13x9 glass baking dish, not a bowl).

3. Sliced basil can be added to the top according to taste.

***This is so yummy! We usually add seasoned cooked chicken strips and/or broccoli to this. Leftovers are great too. I won't tell you the calories because then you won't make this, but we all know 2 sticks of butter and heavy cream aren't the best if you are on a diet. :)

Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. shortening

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1 t. soda

1 t. salt

1 c. flour

1 c. raisins

1 c. chopped dates (optional)

1 c. chopped pecans (or walnuts)

4 c. oatmeal

Cream sugars and shortening. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix soda, salt, and flour. Add to creamed sugar/shortening mix. Then add oatmeal, dates, raisins, and nuts. Mix well. Put on greased baking sheets. Flatten lightly. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

Note: I really like these with dates, but made them without because husband said he might eat more if they didn't have dates. I totally chose poorly on that one. Regardless, they're still tasty.

Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

from Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 (8-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Combine butter, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir just until moist.

Place 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, granulated sugar, and next four ingredients (through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy.

Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil that extends 1 inch beyond sides; coat foil with cooking spray. Spread half of batter into pan. Pour cream cheese mixture over batter in pan, and spread evenly over batter. Sprinkle with raspberries. Drop remaining batter by tablespoonfuls over everything. Swirl batter, cream cheese mixture, and raspberries together with a knife. (Note: I struggled with knowing what this meant so Chuck did it for me. In his words he, "put a knife in and did little twirls to mix it together, but not stirring, just twirling.")

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Remove from pan by lifting foil. Remove foil; cut into 30 bar cookies.

Note: I put these under healthy because while they're certainly not steamed broccoli, for desserts, they're a good option. If you get 30 bars (I got 32 small ones), then they have 111 calories and 4 grams of fat per bar. And although I made these tonight, they are apparently better the next day.

Pesto Burgers

1 1/2 lbs. ground meat

3/4 c. grated sharp Cheddar or 1/2 c. grated Parmesan

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/3 c. mayo

2 T. pesto (store bought or your own)

6 burger rolls

toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

For the Pesto Mayo:

1/2 c. mayo

2 T. pesto

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and set it aside. In bowl, combine meat, cheese, salt 'n pepper, gently tossing the mix with your hands or a large fork, until evenly blended.

In smaller bowl, mix the mayo and pesto, then add it to the ground meat mix and blend all together. Shape the meat into 6 1/2 inch thick patties, placing each one on the baking sheet when done and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes to firm them (Note: the patties will be softer than traditional hamburgers).

While meat is chilling, prepare the grill and make the Pesto Mayo - by combing mayo and pesto. Grill each side for 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Serve the burgers on the rolls, dressed with the lettuce, tomatoes, and Pesto Mayo.

e-note: so we made these tonite and really enjoyed them. there is definitely a pesto flavor. it's not overbearing, but definitely there and tasty - if you like pesto, of course. the uncooked mixture was really wet. my husband told me the ground meat that comes in "tubes" or "rolls" is more wet - and that is what we had used. luckily i was able to flip out the patties onto my spatula and then flip that onto the grill. it worked out okay. yummy.

Pumpkin Blueberry Muffins

3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. quick oats
2/3 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
1/4 c. butter, melted
3/4 c. fresh blueberries or thawed frozen berries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.

Mix the flour, oats, sugar, powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl until evenly blended. In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, milk, egg, and butter. Gradually stir in the flour mixture, just until all ingredients are moistened. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling to the top.

Bake in preheated oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes.

Yield: 12 regular muffins or 24 minis.

Note: I did these in mini-muffin tins for a good snack for my babe. I hope he likes them as much as I did! Also, even though I did them in the mini tins, they still needed nearly 20 minutes.

Curry Couscous

1 1/2 c. couscous
3 c. chicken broth
1 T. curry powder
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. raisins
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted

Pour couscous into a bowl. Mix chicken stock, curry powder, salt, pepper, olive oil, and raisins in a saucepan and bring to a boil; remove from heat. Pour the boiling liquid over the couscous. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork. Top with cilantro and almonds.

Note: I like this because it was so easy and I had almost everything on hand. What I didn't (cilantro), I simply omitted, although I think it would be good. My 15-month-old ate this quite readily at first but I think there was just too much pepper (did I not halve it like everything else?!) so when I do it again, I'll certainly reduce the pepper. I think that craisins would be just as good in this as the regular raisins. Also, I just boiled everything in a sauce pan, added the couscous, removed from heat, and put lid on for 10 minutes. No need to dirty two pans.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (with peanut butter)

2 cubes of butter 
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. baking soda 
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. of flour
12-ounce bag milk chocolate chips

Mix the butter and peanut butter together.  Add the sugars and eggs; mix again.  Then add soda, powder, salt, and vanilla; mix again.  Then add flour and mix again.  Finally, add the chocolate chips; mix.
 
Bake at 375 for 8-10 min. (She watched them closely and took them out when the cookies start to crack, usually it's around nine minutes.)

Yield: When my sister did a half batch, she got four dozen.  When I did a half batch, I got three dozen.  Finally, a cookie I make that is normal-sized.

Note: I have not made these but did taste of their beauty last night.  They are the best chocolate chips cookies I've ever had.  And no, they don't taste like peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips.  They're more, "chocolate chip cookies with hint of peanut butter, and a smidgen of heaven."  Soooo good.  (When I make them tomorrow and find out how many they make, I'll edit this post with that information.)