Granola Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1-1/2 cups granola
• 1 cup raisins or other dried fruits such as cranberries, blueberries, chopped dates

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking baking sheet. In a small bowl with a wire whisk, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and completely combine. Add milk and combine. Mix in flour mixture. Stir in granola and dried fruit. Drop by heaping teaspoonsful, 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 11-14 minutes. Makes apprx. 1-1/2 to 2 dozen.

Haystack No Bake Cookies

This is one of the first recipes I ever made.  I was 12 years old, in my grandmother's kitchen and had just finished setting them out on her kitchen table when the neighbor boy and his mom rode up on snow mobiles.  While his mom and my grandma were visiting, he laid under the kitchen table and kept reaching up to eat the cookies I had just baked.  I was really mad, but couldn't say anything, of course.  I lost the recipe and was delighted this past Winter when I asked a fellow teacher if she had the recipe.  I described it to her and she did!  I was thrilled.  I have made them several times since then, but I'm afraid I might misplace it again, so I decided to post it here for safe keeping
Ingredients
3 cups quick oats
1 cup shredded coconut
6 Tablespoons cocoa (I tried it with Hershey cocoa and it did not appeal, so the next time I used hot chocolate mix...much more to my liking)
1/2 tsp salt
Mix well and set aside
 Combine in a saucepan & boil 1 minute
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Pour over dry ingredients and mix well.  Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.  Cool and serve.






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Sweet Corn Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh corn
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped scallion
• 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. chile powder
• Salt
• 4 large flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded monterey jack
• Lime wedges

Directions:

1. Combine all up to tortillas. For each quesadilla, place a tortilla in skillet over medium heat and spread 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 cup corn relish over half; melt cheese; fold over. Cut into wedges; serve with lime.

Asian Meatballs with Spicy Lime Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 scallions, green and white parts, coarsely chopped
• One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped
• 1/4 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 serrano or jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup dark soy sauce, such as tamari
• 2 to 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves (a handful)
• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon honey 

• Directions:

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the scallions, half of the ginger, the bell pepper, half of the chile pepper, the garlic, the 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, the cilantro leaves and the lime zest. Pulse for 30 seconds, scrape down the bowl and process 1 minute more, or until finely ground. Add the meat and process until well combined, about 30 seconds more. Roll the meat into 24 balls the size of walnuts.
  2. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the meatballs and don't move them until they are brown on 1 side, about 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs and continue to cook, browning them on all sides, until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more.
  3. While the meatballs cook, make the dipping sauce. In a bowl, combine the remaining ginger and chile pepper, the 1/3 cup of soy sauce, the lime juice, the sesame oil, the honey and a splash of water. Taste and adjust the seasoning; if it's too salty, add another drizzle of honey.
  4. Place the finished meatballs on a serving platter, with toothpicks on the side. Serve with the spicy lime dipping sauce.
   

Fresh Tomato, Basil, and Garlic Sauce over Angel Hair Pasta

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 oregano sprig
• Pinch chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 pound dried angel hair pasta
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup chiffonade basil, plus whole sprigs for garnish

  Directions

  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice water bath. Cut a small "x" on the bottom of each tomato. In batches, place the tomatoes in the boiling water and blanch them for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the skins are easy to peel away. Remove and immediately plunge into the ice bath. Peel the tomatoes and halve horizontally. Squeeze out the seeds, using your fingers to get them all. Roughly chop the peeled and seeded tomatoes. Set aside. (You can also use whole peeled canned tomatoes. Simply drain them, seed, and roughly chop).
  Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add the thyme leaves, oregano sprig, and chili flakes and saute until the garlic begins to turn golden brown. Add the tomatoes and the sugar and stir well. Lower the heat and cook slowly until the mixture is fairly dry, about 15 minutes.
  Cook the angel hair pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Add the Parmesan and basil and toss well. Place in a large pasta bowl and garnish with Parmesan and basil sprigs.
  

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 tube (16-1/2 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter chips
• 1 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon shortening

Directions

• Press dough onto an ungreased 14-in. pizza pan. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until deep golden brown.
• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs and sugar; beat until combined. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter chips and peanuts.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes or until center is set. Cool for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over pizza. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 16 slices.

Spanish Rice

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
• 3 cups* chicken stock (or vegetable stock if vegetarian)
• 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained
• Pinch of oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt

*Check the instructions on the rice package for the proportions of liquid to rice. They can range from 1:1 to 2:1. If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, then for this recipe, use 4 cups of stock for 2 cups of rice.

Method

1 In a large skillet brown rice in olive oil, medium/high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook onion rice mixture, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes, or until onions are softened.
2 In a separate sauce pan bring stock to a simmer. Add tomato sauce, oregano, and salt. Add rice to broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6.