Making it ALLLL Better

Ever since my kids were little we had this deal. If you had to get a shot, you got a milkshake. They still hold me to that to this day, and they’re currently 21 and 17.

Yesterday I had a check-up with my new doctor. And after chatting a while, he determined that I was probably in need of a tetanus booster. Did I feel like I just hit the lottery? Not so much.

And not only did I NOT get my requisite milkshake, I barely even got a nod of sympathy. And so, given a complete void of empathy at home, I decided I’d need to take matters into my own hands.

But really, milkshakes just aren’t my thing. So instead, I thought I’d make one of my favorite cookies instead. I can’t even tell you why I like these so much. I don’t have any particular love of oatmeal. Or of plain ol’ oatmeal cookies, for that matter.

Maybe it’s the combination of chocolate with the touch of cinnamon, or the fact that the oatmeal gives them a really nice, soft texture and a bit of nuttiness.

Whatever it is, I’d take these over a milkshake any day.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, brought to room temperature
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 ½ tsp vanilla
1 ¾ cups flour
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
3 ½ cups oats (I used the ‘quick cook’ variety)
½ bag (about 1 cup) mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a baking sheet (I just use the wrappers from the butter).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and mix to combine. Add oats and mix thoroughly. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoon-sized portions onto baking sheet, spacing evenly apart.

Bake for 8 - 9 minutes, or until edges are golden. Remove from oven and let stand about 1 minute before removing from baking sheet. Allow to cool.

Thanksgiving Downsized

I tend to be an impulsive cook.  I might be sitting at my desk at work and all of a sudden inspiration will strike for that night’s dinner.  Or it could happen at the grocery store (usually as I’m cruising through the aisles of Mecca - or Market of Choice as THEY prefer to call it).  Sometimes it’s on the 25 minute drive home from work.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t tend to plan ahead all that much in regards to meals.  Which, if you’re a bargain shopper like me, can sometimes be counterproductive, especially in terms of frozen meat.  See where I’m going here?

The upside to being a hoarder having a well-stocked pantry is that I generally have almost everything on hand already when these little moments of inspiration hit.  A quick trip to the store to pick up produce to round things out might be in order, but most of the time I’m doing ok when it comes to having ingredients already on hand.  The trouble I run into time and time again is not having thawed MEAT at the ready.

So I determined to get better at planning ahead and thawing accordingly.  I’ve been toying with the idea of a Thanksgiving type of burger ever since I picked up a package of ground turkey.  Plus, I also had some of this still hanging around… also in the freezer.

To round out the whole ‘theme’ I baked some sweet potatoes to go along with these little sliders.  Even steamed a few green beans.

It was like Thanksgiving in mini form.

Thanksgiving Turkey Sliders

1 lb ground turkey

¼ cup onion, finely minced

1 tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ Tbs olive oil

½ tsp dried sage

Slider Buns

Cranberry sauce

Lemon Garlic Aioli (recipe follows)

Crispy onions (thought they’d pair well with the green beans, which, alas, I got no photo of)

Break up ground turkey into a medium mixing bowl.  Add onion, salt, pepper, sage and olive oil.  Mix thoroughly with hands until just combined.  Form into small ‘slider’ sized patties.

Heat about 1 Tbs olive oil in a cast iron or non-stick frying pan over medium heat.  When the pan comes to temperature, place the sliders in, making sure not to crowd them.  Cook until golden on one side, about 4 minutes, flip over, and cook until done, about another 4 minutes.

Lemon Garlic Aioli

½ cup good quality mayonnaise (or make your own)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 - 4 drops Tabasco

Juice from ½ of a lemon

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Stir until mixed thoroughly.