Have you checked out Sally's Baking Addiction?  It's my favorite website for all things baking these days.  Sally has a way of explaining all of her recipes super clearly, and her tips really do elevate her recipes to the next level.  I've tried several of her recipes, and so far everything has been delicious.  This recipe for her "Big Fat Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies" is no exception.  Seriously, so good!!  They are buttery, light and crispy, without tasting dry, and bonus that they are easy to make.  They received rave reviews from everyone in my family!!  My husband says one of his favorite cookie recipes ever--and he's a bit of a connoisseur!

​This recipe made about 4 dozen good sized cookies--so next time I would probably cut the recipe by half.  Wasn't I just lamenting that I had eaten too many cookies in a recent post?  Sigh...


Big Fat Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
• Yield: 32 cookies

Description:
Big fat peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are easy, thick, and exploding with peanut butter, oats, and chocolate chips to satisfy your cookie cravings.

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks; 235g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (260g) creamy peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (180g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
• 2 and 1/2 cups (450g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping if desired

Instructions:

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the oats. Once combined, beat in the chocolate chips. Dough will be thick and sticky. Cover and chill the dough for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator (and up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than 1 hour, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
5. Scoop balls of dough, 2 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the tops– this is only for looks!
7. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes:

1. Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 4. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. 
2. Peanut Butter: Use a non-natural peanut butter like Jif creamy or Skippy creamy. I do not suggest using natural style or oily peanut butter as both produce crumbly, fragile, and sandy tasting cookies. Crunchy peanut butter is OK, but I find the cookies taste a little dry with it.

Check out her site if you get a chance--you won't be disappointed!  Here's a link to the recipe:
​sallysbakingaddiction.com/peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/

And Sally has a couple of baking cookbooks I'd like to buy.  Anyone tried them?  Thinking about this one for my kindle for just 99 cents.  (Affiliate link)

Not going to lie, choosing a salad for this week's meal was a bit of a gamble with my family.  I could eat salads for lunch and dinner all week long, but my family? Not so much.  My plan was to get this one and make it for my lunches this week.  Alas, that never happened, and I ended up making this one for our dinner because I needed to use it up.

The chicken was really simple--just Italian seasoning, salt and pepper sprinkled on top and sautéed in some olive oil.  Am I the only one who didn't realize until about a year ago that you are supposed to massage kale before you eat it?  One thing I love about HelloFresh recipes is that they have very clear directions, explained in beginner cook terms--they even explained WHY you are supposed to do that (apparently it makes it more tender and less bitter).  I thought this salad was very good, and my husband (who NEVER eats salad for dinner) enjoyed it.  The dressing had a nice lemon-y flavor to it that made it taste fresh, and the prep was very easy.  I won't say that everyone RAVED about it, but no one complained and I thought it was very good.  Bonus is that it was in the "lower calorie" category.  So, order this one if you are like me, and trying to eat a little healthier as we start the new year.

Ratings:
me: 8
husband: 7 (trust me, for a salad, this is high!)
son: 7
daughter: 8 (she loves Caesar salad!)
​
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Well, it's been a while!  The holidays caught up with us--it had gotten to that point where I couldn't eat another Christmas cookie!!  So, I took a break from HelloFresh for a few weeks and ate super healthy for a nice re-boot!  Now to a more normal routine...  To ease back in to it, I opted for a couple of "Calorie Smart" meals this week, including this Bulgogi Lime Pork Tenderloin meal.  I really wish that HelloFresh had more great Calorie Smart meals, but I digress...

The veggies were pretty good.  Food seems to taste better when it looks pretty, right?  I love to make colorful roasted veggies for this reason and these were good.  The pork tenderloin was just OK.  The sauce was fine, but not outstanding.  The prep time said 10 minutes, but it was at least 20 for me...I must be a slow cook!!

So, this one was a solid "meh" from all of us.  I didn't even ask for ratings.  We did have an entire serving leftover for lunch tomorrow, though.  Would I order it again?  Probably not, but it wasn't bad.  

My daughter and I were perusing Pinterest the other day, and noticed a recipe for this quick and easy holiday drink.  I don't have the source handy, but this is a festive looking drink that all of us enjoyed.  You could adjust the ingredients to your taste.  

Just take a scoop or two of sherbet (we used rainbow), some grenadine, and pour some Sprite/7-up over the top.  And top with some whipped cream--that's it!  It looked so pretty and festive.  My husband thought this would be good with some Prosecco instead of Sprite--we may give that a try next.

Happy Holidays!!

UPDATE: we tried this with Prosecco, and decided we will stick to Sprite! ;-)
​

My kids have always loved breakfast for dinner.  Not sure why that is--maybe because it feels a little different?  It's a win-win for me, because usually those meals are easy to prepare (at least the recipes I use) and not terribly time intensive.  I love this Apple Puff Pancake recipe because it's made with only a few ingredients, usually things I have on hand--eggs, milk, a few apples.  It takes just a few minutes to prepare, and you pop it in the oven for 20 minutes.  My kids always gobble this up!

I start by melting 1/2 a stick of butter in a 9"x13" pan, while the oven preheats.  Then I peel and slice the apples and arrange on top of the butter.  I just use whatever apples I have on hand--I've tried several different kinds, and have liked them all.  Then I blend the eggs, milk, white sugar, and vanilla--I gradually add the flour at the end until it's incorporated.

​Then you (slowly!) pour the mixture over the apples, and it looks like this:

Finally, I sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the top and bake.  I let it set for a few minutes before slicing.

I didn't get a good photo after it baked--we were all so hungry that it was gobbled up pretty quickly, but here's a picture of what was left!   (Not the most appetizing looking, I know, but you'll love it!)  

​This makes good leftovers for breakfast the next day--it heats up in the microwave just fine. 

Makes a great breakfast (or dinner)!

APPLE PUFF PANCAKE:

1/2 stick butter
6 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
4 T white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flour
3 apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 - 1/2 c brown sugar (I usually use somewhere in between)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425, and melt butter in a 9"x13" pan. 

Arrange apple slices over the melted butter. Blend the eggs, milk, white sugar, and vanilla.  Gradually add the flour until incorporated.  Slowly pour over the apple slices.  

Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Bake for 22-25 minutes, until set.  Let cool for a few minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

4.  BBQ Chicken Legs.  Another one I tried to replicate at home--with success!

​Recipe found here:  www.hellofresh.com/recipes/bbq-glazed-chicken-legs-5f3191d1fec8bd47ca115423?q=bbq+chicken+leg
​

New York street cart recipes almost always appeal to me...some of my favorite meals have come from NY street cart vendors, and it's usually the first thing on my list of things to do when I travel there.  I was very excited to try these--maybe it was my high expectations, but I was a little disappointed.  Something about it just didn't come together for me--the seasoning was not exactly what I was used to, and the steak was just OK.  

I did enjoy the roasted vegetables--roasted tomatoes are a favorite of mine, and I love roasted bell pepper.  This meal wasn't BAD, but no one raved about it.  Doubting anyone would be disappointed if I didn't order it again.  So, not overly high on our list of favorites, plus, it was on the higher end of prep time for a HelloFresh meal.

Ratings:
me: 6
husband: 6
daughter: 6
son: 5.5

Need a HelloFresh coupon?  Try VSTEINA (new customers) on the HelloFresh site!

There are a few meals that I know my somewhat picky 13-year-old will eat without complaint. Quesadillas is one of those--they are simple and pretty basic, just like he likes.  My son is happy having them without any frills--and plain cheese will do the trick.  These were a slightly fancier version of what he would generally make for himself, but he liked them. The chicken wasn't overly spicy and there wasn't too much going on.

These were quick to prepare (the chicken was already pre-cooked), and easy.  My daughter made dinner and ended up having some chicken left over (I think she was supposed to use more of it).  It's pretty plain, and it was good but not my favorite HelloFresh meal.  I'd recommend if you're interested in something quick to put together and something that is kid-friendly.  There wasn't much to it, so you could definitely do something similar on your own--it was basically just chicken with some Southwest seasoning, cheese, and a sour cream sauce.

Ratings:
me: 7
husband: 6.75
daughter: 7
son: 8

​
Need a HelloFresh coupon?  Try VSTEINA (new customers) on the HelloFresh site!

We have been taking a break from HelloFresh over the last few weeks (lots of Thanksgiving food, leftovers and making our favorite meals!), so I thought I would share one of our favorite healthy recipes.  After a week of indulgence, a healthy meal is much needed over here!

I think I have professed my love for my pressure cooker in a previous post, but I really do love it.  It somehow manages to make everything taste like I slaved all day over it, and in reality it was just a quick and easy meal.  This meal fits perfectly in that category--quick and easy and tastes like I worked on it all day.  In fact, this entire meal (with potatoes and green beans) took me about 30 minutes to prepare.  

I pretty much make this one as written, but I normally just use regular flour to thicken it.  I do add a little extra salt, as well--I don't like my food super salty, but it tasted a little better to me with a bit of extra salt.  This is a gluten-free recipe if you make it as written, and also WeightWatchers friendly and paleo.  Perfect for the week after Thanksgiving!

I found this on the Confessions of a Fit Foodie website--if you haven't already gathered this, I love healthy, clean meals--I just feel so much better when I eat that way.  This site is a great source for healthy recipes--including several pressure cooker meals--my kind of site!  Worth checking out if you have time.

Here's a link to the recipe
​​confessionsofafitfoodie.com/21-day-fix-instant-pot-chicken-marsala/

And a link to my pressure cooker is below (also on sale right now!)--affiliate link used.

Need a HelloFresh coupon?  Try VSTEINA (new customers) on the HelloFresh site!