Chewy Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

From Alder Lake Cranberries

Thanksgiving '06 was spent in my aunt's cabin near Rhinelander, WI. While there, we drove up to Boulder Junction to do a little shopping, and we stopped at a store that had food samples to taste. What better than food to go with shopping! One of the items tasted were these cookies, and I fell in love at first bite! I recently noticed that there is a very similar recipe on the Craisins package (and in some Ocean Spray advertising). I tried those today, and realized they are less sweet and not as much to my liking (they don't have white sugar or honey in them). So, I will go back to making these yummy cookies!

1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 C old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C dried cranberries (1 6oz bag of Craisins worked perfectly)
1 C white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl mix flour, baking soda and salt, stir in oats and set aside. With a mixer, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add honey and vanilla, beat until blended. Add the flour mixture in two additions, beating until well combined. Stir in cranberries and chips. Drop by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake until the centers of the cookies are soft, about 9-11 minutes.

Baked Chicken & Pasta Casserole

I was at work today (yes, after 2 years of being a stay-at-home mom, I'm now a full-time working mom!) wondering what's for dinner tonight (it's not a terribly challenging job!), and I came across this one on my "other" blog. I got the original recipe from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis. I had almost everything on-hand, so I decided to make it. I just needed to pick up the mozzarella and parsley. Probably could have used the cheddar I have in the house, but I'm never opposed to buying more cheese! The verdict? Super easy and delicious. Best thing I've made in quite a while, and I can't wait for tomorrow so I can have the leftovers!

• 1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta...I used shells because it's what I had)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 a small onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko, because I had it on hand)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.