Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Hey All!! I hope you're all doing well. I wanted to post a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe. This recipe is soooo good! This recipe makes plump and chewy cookies...Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1-3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3-1/2 quick cooking oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325

In a large bowl cream together butter, brown sugar, white sugar until light and fluffy (about 3-4 min). Beat in eggs one at a time then stir in vanilla.

In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix these dry ingredients well. Stir this mixture into the large bowl with the creamed mixture until just blended. (I would recommend mix this part by hand. You don't want to over mix the dry ingredients with the creamed mixture because that can make your cookies come out flat)

Next, mix in quick oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts (optional). Drop spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets and bake for 12 min. Let them cook on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring somewhere else to cool.

This recipe is very, very easy...and it's very, very yummy! If you try this recipe, let me know how it turns out!

XOXO

Domestic Goddess: Buttermilk Pie Challenge

Two weeks ago, I was challenged by one of Tom's co-workers, Adrian, to bake a buttermilk pie that was as good as the one they had in Kentucky earlier this year. I've tried three different recipes. The first one was terrible, but the second and third recipe I've tried we're pretty good. The second one had great flavor and the right amount of sweet for me. The third one had a more creamy consistency, great taste, but a little too sweet for me. For you Sidney or Piqua people that have experience The Spot's Old Fashion Cream pie, the taste is very similar. Since, I couldn't decide which one I liked better, I've decided to post both recipes and the website links. :)

If you like to bake Aunt Ruthie's Sugar Pie Farmhouse is a great website. She started putting recipes up on her blog and recently moved from a blogspot account to a .com website. This is where I found the two recipes that I liked the best. http://www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com/

Sister Lizzie's Buttermilk Pie:
(On the website I posted above, she also has a recipe for a pie crust. I haven't tried it yet. I used a store bought one...yeah, yeah...I know, it's not as good)

Ingredients:
White sugar (1-1/4 cup)
Flour (3 TBS)
Eggs (4 whisked)
Buttermilk (1 cup)
Vanilla (1-1/2 tsp)
Butter (1/2 cup, melted and cooled)
Nutmeg (pinch)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.

In a mixer, combine the flour and sugar. Next, stir in the eggs and buttermilk. Then, add the butter, vanilla, and a pinch or two of nutmeg.

Pour into pie shell and bake at 425 for 15 minutes then 350 for 40 more minutes. See if the pie center sets and if it does, let it cool and then chill. (To check if the pie sets, tap the side of the pie plate. Since this pie is more of a custard consistency, it should be a little jiggly. When the center sets, it's more stable in the middle than on the sides. If the center jiggles a little, it's ok to take out.)

Buttermilk Pie from YouTube:

Get your pen and paper ready! This recipe actually comes from a southern gal named India Galyean. She was kind enough to put this on YouTube. I found this link from the Aunt Ruthie's website I mentioned earlier. This is the recipe that has more of the custard consistency, and I thought was a little too sweet. (Tom thought it was just right..hehe). India also shows how to make a quick salty pie crust, which I actually did make and enjoy. This is a great recipe. The only thing I would change for the next time is to decrease the sugar content by either 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup. Enjoy!

From the adidas group, I think they favor the second recipe, but you decide for yourself! I hope you are all doing well...miss you...:)

xoxo

Domestic Goddess: Pork Chops and Apples

To motivate me to cook, I've decided to post about recipes. I'll try and post a new recipe every month. I decided to post "pork chops and apples" first because it's Tom's favorite. I'll warn you, the apple part of the recipe is pretty sweet, if you don't like sweet this recipe is definitely not for you. Also, most of you already know this, but I'm a beginner cook so none of the recipes are going to be fancy schmancy. Feel free to post if you have any suggestions! :)

Servings: 2

Ingredients:
Pork chops (2-4, depending on size of chops)
Apples- cored, peeled and sliced (2 or 3, depending on how much you like apples)
Garlic powder
Salt & Pepper
Egg

Flour (1/4 cup)
Bread crumbs- I use seasoned (1/2 cup)

Ginger (1/4 tsp)
Cornstarch (1 TBS)
Cinnamon (1/2 tsp)
Nutmeg (1/4 tsp)
Soy sauce (1 TBS)
Brown sugar (1/2 cup)
Apple juice (1/2 cup)
Butter (1 TBS)

Part 1: Pork chops
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare 2 small plates, one with flour and another with bread crumbs. In a bowl, beat 1 egg. Set aside. Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides. Dredge pork chops first in flour, then egg, and finally bread crumbs. Heat a little olive oil in a medium size frying pan until medium high heat. Then fry chops for about 2-3 min per side or until browned. When they are browned, place the chops in a baking dish and put it in the oven to bake for 35 min.

Part 2: Sweet Cooked Apples (start about 15 minutes before pork chops are done)
Put brown sugar, apple juice, soy sauce, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch, and butter in a sauce pan. On medium heat mix all the ingredients and wait until the butter melts. Once it is well mixed, add the apples. Make sure all the apples are coated in the sauce. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes and the sauce should thicken. Stir occasionally. I like my sauce with all of these flavors and for it to be as thick as syrup. If you don't have the soy sauce, ginger or nutmeg, don't worry...the goal of the apples is to get a nice sugary, cinnamony apple taste and if you omit those ingredients, it'll be ok. I just like the mix of flavors. :)

You can cut the apples whatever way you want, but I prefer to cut them in thin slices like the smaller slice on the left. When they are on the thin side, they cook through faster.

Once chops are finished baking...pour apples and sauce over chops. There is a nice salty and sweet going on in the dish, and also, we think mash potatoes go well with it. (see first picture)

Note: I made up this recipe by combining a few of the pork chop recipes I found from online. Also, about the sauce, you can use it (minus the apples) as a marinade when you grill. You can also substitute the apple juice with another like pineapple juice and have grilled pineapples with it. We haven't tried it yet, but I bet this marinade goes well with chicken. Anywho...these are just extra ideas for you to play with.

My next post will be a dessert recipe. I have one more recipe to try before I post the one I think is best. :)

Thanks for reading!!

xoxo