Oatmeal Scotchies

I love anything butterscotch. My cousin Stacie & I used to grab all the butterscotch haystacks we could hold from the refreshment table at gospel sings. And Oatmeal Scotchies has been one of my favorite cookies since I was a teenager. Oatmeal & butterscotch seem to compliment each other so well. These cookies are just irresistible. I ate one (OK, two) warm from the oven - yummy! They'll stay nice and chewy for a couple of days when stored in an airtight container, not that they will last that long.

Oatmeal Scotchies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Morsels


Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION:
Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

Recipe courtesy of Nestle

Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins

With the cost of everything on the rise, everyone I know is looking for ways to cut back. An obvious cutback for me is to take breakfast from home, skipping my morning latte stop (which sometimes might include a muffin). This habit easily adds up to $15+ if I stop 3 times a week, which is almost half a tank of gas for me.

This recipe for Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins from Sarah's Cucina Bella is the perfect morning treat & you won't feel like you're missing anything by skipping the coffee shop. I don't know why I've waited so long to try these.

Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup frozen raspberries, partially melted
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the egg. Beat in milk and butter until well combined. Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until just moistened. Gently fold in vanilla, raspberries and white chocolate.

Spoon evenly into the muffin cups. Bake for 22-26 minutes, until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center pulls out clean.

Let muffins cool until they can be touched.

Topping:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Place butter and sugar into separate bowls.

Dip each muffin top first in butter and then in sugar.

Easy Cheddar Bacon Potatoes

I saw this recipe over at Sarah's Cucina Bella and decided to try it out today. It turned out to be the perfect side dish for Mike's barbecued country-style ribs. The potatoes cook up so quickly, which is nice when it's 95 degrees outside. A dollop of sour cream is the perfect topping.

Bacon Cheddar Potatoes
serves 4

4 medium potatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup sharp cheddar
1-2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Wash potatoes. Then cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with cooking oil. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheddar and bacon. Place back in the oven and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Blueberry Pancakes

I saw some beautiful blueberries at the grocery store yesterday. I bought them with the idea of making some fresh blueberry muffins and still had plenty on hand to make a great Sunday breakfast of blueberry pancakes. They turned out light, fluffy & delicious. I didn't use syrup on these, just a little bit of fresh whipped cream & a few fresh berries.

BLUEBERRY PANCAKES
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup fresh blueberries

Mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder & baking soda.In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Stir into flour mixture until combined/moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Fold in blueberries. Heat griddle over medium heat. Add batter by 1/3 cup (do not crowd griddle). Cook until bubbles & flip; cook until both sides browned. Serve with whipped cream & fresh blueberries.

4th of July

Ally was really enjoying her S'mores on the 4th of July.