Fresh and Crunchy

California Style Tuna Salad Rolls

Ingredients

2 cans albacore tuna, in water, drained and flaked
Mayonnaise, as desired, just enough to moisten (4-5 Tlbs)
10-inch flour tortillas (lg burrito size, I used the spinach/green tortillas to mimic seaweed)
Flat dark green leaf lettuce (Boston, red leaf, etc)
2 med zucchini, chopped julienne (long matchsticks)
2 medium carrots (can use several baby carrots), chopped julienne
1 red bell pepper, julienne
Flavored cream cheese like garden veggie (I used Laughing Cow)

Instructions

1. Combine the tuna with the mayonnaise in a small bowl and mix until blended.  Set aside.
2.  Lay the tortillas on a work surface and spread cream cheese over entire surface.  You can leave a bit of space on the right/left sides since those will be cut off, but spread clear to the edge of the top and bottom of tortilla.  This will help seal it when you roll it up.
3. Place one lettuce leaf on the lower middle 2/3s of the tortilla, press slightly and it will stick flat to the cream cheese.
4. Arrange the zucchini, carrots, and pepper sticks lengthwise in rows on top of the lettuce
5.  Spoon the tuna in a line next to/on top of the vegetables (away from the edge).
6.  Roll each tortilla up snugly into a cylinder.  You can cut crosswise in half or use a sharp, thin knife and slice into 1 1/2 inch rounds (like a California roll).  Arrange on plate and serve as an appetizer or as a light refreshing meal.


Variations:
Switch out or add the following veggies ~ 
   Avocado; peeled, pitted, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
   Seedless/English cucumber, chopped julienne


I got about 5 rolls per tortilla.  I made 4 tortilla wraps (cut up) and served them with fruit and salad for a light summer dinner.  Easy, crisp, and delicious!

Crunchy & Quick

Microwave Peanut Brittle 
(allrecipes.com)


1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup salted peanuts
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

Butter a cookie sheet. Combine sugar and corn syrup in a 2 quart glass bowl and microwave on high 3 1/2 minutes. Stir in peanuts and microwave on high 3 1/2 minutes more, then stir in butter and vanilla and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.

Stir in baking soda until light and foamy. Pour onto cookie sheet and spread thin. Cool completely and break into pieces and serve.

This turned out really well and was SUPER easy!  Would be great to put on a Christmas plate, maybe paired with fudge.  I think you could also have fun experimenting with this:  different nuts, pretzels, etc.  I drizzled dark chocolate over mine, but I think I might like them best plain.

Dark and Decadent

Chocolate Truffle Tart

from Gourmet

Serves10

For crust

28 chocolate wafers such as Nabisco Famous (not oreos),

     finely ground in a food processor (1 1/2 cups) 

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled completely

For filling

1/2 lb fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), coarsely chopped 

   (I used Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips)

3/4 stick stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes  

2 large eggs, lightly beaten 

1/3 cup heavy cream  

1/4 cup granulated sugar 

1/4 teaspoon salt  

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  

Garnish 

unsweetened cocoa powder for sprinkling

Make crust:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap a sheet of foil over bottom of springform pan (in case of leaks). Lightly butter side of pan.  You can also use a tart pan, which is what I did.  I did not worry about buttering the pan and it turned out great.

Stir together ground wafers and butter in a bowl until combined, then pat mixture evenly onto bottom of pan and 1 1/2 inches up side. Bake until crust is slightly puffed, about 10 minutes, then cool completely in pan on a rack, about 15 minutes. Leave oven on.

Make filling while crust cools:

Melt chocolate and butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth, then remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.

Whisk together eggs, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until combined well.

Assemble and bake tart:

Pour filling into cooled crust and rap pan once on counter to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake until filling 1 inch from edge is set and slightly puffed but center trembles slightly when pan is gently shaken, 20 to 25 minutes. (Center will continue to set as it cools.)

Cool tart completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours. Chill, uncovered, until center is firm, about 4 hours. Remove side of pan and sprinkle with cocoa to serve. 

This is my new favorite dessert!  Rich and dark and heavenly.  I like to serve it with fresh berries (raspberries) or with a fruit syrup drizzled over it.  Next time I may even add a little raspberry oil to the chocolate filling for another dimension.

Taste of Spring

Spinach and Walnut Pesto

1 1/2 cups firmly packed baby spinach

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (not the powder stuff)

1/4 cup toasted walnuts (broil in oven or heat in microwave, but don't burn!)

1 lg clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Can also add a little lemon juice and pepper, if desired

Play with it and adjust the seasonings to your taste

In a good blender or food processor combine the spinach, basil, Parmesan cheese, walnuts, garlic and salt.  Cover and blend with several on-off turns 'til a paste forms.  Stop the machine several times and scrape down the sides.

With the machine running slowly, gradually add olive oil and blend to the consistency of soft butter.  You can add a little more oil if you want it more liquidy for pasta or whatever.

I usually end up using a bag of fresh spinach and just add in more accordingly.  Taste as you go! 

Enjoy!!

Chinese Take-out Made at Home

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe is super easy and Oh So Addicting!

Chicken Coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

   

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. 

Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through.  (I actually used a little more oil and deep fried my chicken because I wanted that crispy texture and authentic taste.)

Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.  (**Note:  Because I deep fried my chicken it was cooked, unlike the recipe calls for so I only had it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes to blend and heat through and only turned it once) 

Add white or fried rice and a yummy vegetable and this is a great, easy Chinese meal!

Southwestern Flavor

Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avocado Ranch

(makes 48 mini rolls, or 24 regular rolls)

For the egg rolls:

2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (I mashed mine up a little bit to help it blend in)
1-9 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel (There was a lot of spinach, I will cut this back next time, maybe by half)
2 cups shredded Mexican or Cheddar cheese
1-7oz can diced green chiles, drained
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder (I used a little less)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I used a little less)
1 package of egg roll or wonton wrappers

 **I added approx a cup of finely shredded chicken breasts that I had sauteed with salt, pepper, and a little onion powder.  This really helped pull everything together! If you wanted to keep this meat free, you could also try rice.

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 425F. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

In a large bowl mix together corn, beans, spinach, cheese, chiles, onions, cumin, chili powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and chicken. Using a small spoon, scoop a small amount of filling onto the wrapper. Starting at a corner, carefully start to roll the wrapper. When it’s slightly rolled, tuck in the two side and continue rolling to the last point. Wet your finger with water and dab a bit on the corner to seal the egg roll. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling, placing them slightly apart on the baking sheet.

Lightly spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes, flipping them at least once during baking. (It took at least 15 minutes on one side to start to crisp up so plan for a little extra time.  It might also help to put a cooling rack on the pan so that the egg rolls get heat on all sides.  I liked the low-fat aspect of baking, but these would be REALLY yummy deep fried!)

For avocado ranch:
3/8 cup mayonnaise
3/8 cup sour cream
3 Tbs buttermilk (I left this out because I didn't have any)
1/2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 green onion, chopped (I will substitute cilantro next time to add another layer of flavor)
1/4 tsp salt
1 avocado, peeled and pitted

Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Use immediately. 

You could also add in chopped/chunks of avocado after you've blended or just serve it with mashed avocado. I really liked this dressing, but I will also try putting some slices of avocado into the egg rolls before cooking.

Homemade Tai

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken 

found on Pinterest

Light Peanut Sauce:

14.5 oz fat free chicken broth, divided

5 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce (I only used 1 tsp and it still had a nice kick)

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

16 oz chicken breast, cut into thin strips

salt and pepper (to taste)

1 Tlb Sriracha chili sauce (Again, I only used 1 tsp)

juice of 1/2 lime

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp sesame oil

8 oz rice noodles

3/4 cup green onion, chopped

1 1/4 cups shredded carrots

1 1/4 cups cup shredded broccoli slaw 

1 cup bean bean sprouts

2 tbsp chopped peanuts 

1 lime, sliced

cilantro for garnish (optional)

For the peanut sauce: Combine 1 cup chicken broth, peanut butter, sriracha, honey, 2 tbsp soy sauce, ginger, and 3 cloves crushed garlic in a small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat stirring occasionally until sauce becomes smooth and well blended, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside.

Boil water for the noodles cook pasta according to package instructions.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, sriracha, lime, garlic, ginger and soy sauce.

Heat a large skillet or wok until hot. Add oil and sauté chicken on high heat until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes; remove from heat and set aside.

Add 2 cloves crushed garlic, scallions, carrots, broccoli slaw and/or bean sprouts and salt, sauté until tender crisp, about 1-2 minutes.

Drain noodles and toss with peanut sauce and additional chicken broth if needed to loosen the sauce. When chicken is cooked, toss with noodles.

Divide noodles and chicken between 6 bowls, top with sauteed vegetables, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts (or you can toss everything together to hide the vegetables so your family members don't push them aside!) and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

This had great flavor!  Easy to make (requires a little planning) and very filling.  My kids liked the rice noodles and peanut butter flavor, but not the kick.  If I were to make it for them again, I would probably leave out the sriracha sauce even though hubby and I liked it.

Yummy breakfast

Dutch Babies
(all recipes)

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1 pinch salt

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:

Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet inside oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until light. Add milk and stir. Gradually whisk in flour, nutmeg and salt.

Remove skillet from oven and reduce oven heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt butter in hot skillet so that inside of skillet is completely coated with butter. Pour all the batter in the skillet and return skillet to oven.

Bake until puffed and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Remove promptly and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

** If you do not have a skillet, you can use a 9x13 baking dish. Heat your oven to 425 F degrees. Double all the ingredients. Chop 1/3 cup butter up into your baking dish and let melt in your preheated oven. Once all of the butter has melted, take baking dish out and pour in batter, DO NOT STIR OR MIX just let it be. Bake for 20-22 minutes and enjoy! We topped ours with maple syrup, powdered sugar, fresh fruits (blueberries, blackberries, bananas, strawberries,etc.)

Great for Cold Weather

White Chicken Chili
(adapted from a Pinterest recipe)


Ingredients

1 large onion, diced

2-3 cloves, garlic

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces

4 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, or other white beans, drained and rinsed

2 (4 ounce) can green chilies

2 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

cheese, sour cream, cilantro (optional, for serving)

Instructions

Add everything to slow cooker and give it a stir. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Serve nice and steamy, topped with cheese, sour cream, or cilantro if you like

(I added chopped cilantro to the chili before serving and set out sour cream and shredded sharp cheddar to put on top. Would also be nice with fresh avocado)

Vegetarian

Quinoa Burgers

Tip: Cooking quinoa

In a medium saucepan bring 2 cups of water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil over high heat. Add 1 cup of quinoa, reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 18-20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed and the seeds are tender. Allow to cool for a few minutes before using in recipe.


Ingredients:

2 rounded cups cooked quinoa (see above)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 medium carrot, finely grated OR 1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed
3 eggs
3 Tlb flour
2 green onions, including white parts, chopped
1/2 tsp Splenda or sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Olive oil for frying


Directions:

In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, carrot, eggs, flour, green onions, sugar, pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder.

Heat a frying pan and a couple teaspoons of olive oil over medium-low heat. Mixture will be slightly sticky, but I found it best to form patties with your hands before depositing into the pan. Using a 1/4 measuring cup will help you keep the sizes uniform. Form patties about 1/2 inch thick.

Fry until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side.

We really liked these! It makes a lot. They were good on hamburger buns with lettuce and sauce, but were also really good by themselves. Made a great snack or lunch. I recently found the following variation, but have yet to try it.


Baked Bites variation

2 cups cooked quinoa
2 large eggs
1 cup shredded carrot
2 stalks green onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tlb flour
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Distribute mixture into a greased mini muffin tin, filling each cup up to the top (1 heaping Tlb each)

Bake for 15-20 minutes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce

Little bites of goodness

Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 tablespoon water 1/8 tsp salt

2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, if desired 1/8 tsp baking soda

Directions:

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir in the vanilla, water, flour, salt, baking soda, chocolate chips, and walnuts, if desired, and mix until well blended. Roll dough into bite-sized balls (or use a small ice cream scoop). Place on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 2 hours. Store balls in resealable plastic bags in the freezer. You can also dip these in chocolate or drizzle them with chocolate for a fancier look. They are simple and yummy and make A LOT. Kids loved them!

Chocolate Heaven!

French Chocolate (hot cocoa)

5 sq unsweetened chocolate
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 pint heavy cream

Melt chocolate on low heat. Add 1 cup boiling water while stirring vigorously. Heat well. add salt and sugar. Cook over medium low heat for about 10 minutes stirring continuously. Chill, possibly overnight, or at least 4 hours. To serve, whip 1 pint heavy cream until stiff and then fold into chocolate. Add heaping spoonfuls to hot milk and stir.

**This is also delicious eaten as a chocolate mousse (instead of stirring into milk)

Yummy Fall Dessert

Pumpkin Crunch Cake


Ingredients:

2 cups pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (I will add a bit more next time, perhaps another 1/2 to 1 tsp more)

1 teaspoon salt

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts work well too)

1 cup margarine (2 cubes), melted (I think 1 1/2 cubes would be plenty)

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

(Or make your own whipped cream or use ice cream)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease one 9x13 inch baking pan.

Combine the pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix well and spread into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle the yellow cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mixture and pat down flat. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top of the cake mix then drizzle the melted margarine all over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour but no longer than 1 hour and 20 minutes. (Mine was done in 50-55 minutes, so check it!) Top cooled cake with whipped topping when ready to serve.


I love the crunchy top on this and it was so easy to make! A great alternative to pumpkin pie or for anytime you're craving pumpkin sweets. I also think this could be good, and a pretty presentation, to serve it with caramel sauce drizzled under or over it.

Sweet Lemon

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
(more like a pound cake)
American Profile

Ingredients:

Bread ~

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tlb poppy seeds
2 Tlb coarsely grated lemon rind
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 large eggs

Glaze ~

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp coarsely grated lemon rind
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of two (9x5 in) loaf pans.

To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients (flour through lemon rind) in a large bowl and blend well.

Combine sugar and next 5 ingredients (sugar through eggs) in a mixing bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

To prepare glaze, while bread is baking, combine all ingredients; stir well to combine. Remove loaves from oven; drizzle immediately with glaze. Let cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; turn out onto wire racks, and let cool completely.

Makes 2 loaves

This is really delicious! The lemon flavor keeps it so light, but the bread is satisfying and just sweet enough. I like to make mine in mini loaf pans so that you get a better glaze to bread ratio. I usually get 4 mini loaves out of 1 recipe. If you do use the mini pans, you will need to adjust your oven time a bit, I would check them at 40 minutes. Great for a snack, brunch, or even dessert.

Simple Breakfast Idea

Pancake Muffins


Ingredients:

2 cups Original Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 stick butter
12 tbsp filling: try Nutella or fruit jam
confectioners sugar for sprinkling
maple syrup for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously coat the bottom & sides of a 12-muffin tin with butter. Make Bisquick pancakes per instructions on the box. Fill each cup in the muffin tin half-way. Add 1 tbsp of filling to the middle of each muffin, then cover with the remaining pancake mix. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven, place on serving dish & use a flour sifter to sprinkle with sugar. Serve with warm syrup.

These were super easy and a great way to make pancakes for a large group without having to stand over a hot griddle. I loved the crunchy texture of the outside and they tasted just like pancakes with a burst of flavor!

Another Tuna Idea

Asian Tuna Patties

allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

3 green onions, minced

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup cornmeal**

2 tablespoons vegetable oil


Directions:

In a large bowl, mix tuna, egg, bread crumbs, green onions, and garlic. Blend soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, ketchup, sesame oil, and pepper into the mixture. Form the mixture into about 6 patties approximately 1 inch thick. Lightly sprinkle each patty on all sides with cornmeal.

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Fry each patty about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

**The cornmeal was far too crunchy and not a good texture for the tuna. I would suggest using breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, or frying with no coating at all.

These were quite tasty. I would happily eat them on their own, but they were also good as a "fish" sandwich, with coleslaw, or cabbage crunch salad. Could also do some kind of Asian noodle.

Oh My YUM!!!

Easy Decadent Truffles
Yield: approx 60 truffles

Ingredients:

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
2 cups (16 oz) semi sweet chocolate, melted (I do mine in the microwave, starting with 1 minute, stir, then stir in 30 sec intervals until melted. Do not over cook! If your chocolate seizes try adding warm cream or a little butter.)
I added a couple handfuls of Ghirredeli 60% chocolate chips, another 2 oz or so
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

More chocolate for dipping, optional (you will need at least another 16 oz if you'd like to dip them all)


Directions:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioner's sugar until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for about an hour, then shape into balls. After an hour, I used a large melon-baller to scoop out the chocolate mixture and placed the blobs on a wax-paper lined baking sheet and put them back in the fridge for another 30 minutes. Then, when I took them out to roll them with my hands they were easier to manage and didn't melt all over me. I put them back into the fridge for another 15 min (it's important to keep the mixture cold) before I dipped them.


Variations:

Sub your choice of flavored extract for the vanilla, then be creative with your decorating!!

Raspberry: raspberry extract, dip in chocolate and decorate or roll in nuts

Almond: almond extract, roll in crushed almonds or dip and sprinkle on top

Peppermint: peppermint extract, top with crushed candy canes

Peanut butter: Melt some smooth peanut butter in with your chocolate

Dips or drizzles with white, milk, dark chocolates. When set, you can pipe a frosting design on top, red/pink for raspberry, green for mint, etc. The Possibilities are endless!

*NOTE: This recipe splits very easily. The first time I made it, I used two bowls split all the ingredients and made half regular and half raspberry truffles. Both delicious!

Soft and Delicious

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

allrecipes.com (revised)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 cups quick-cooking oats 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.	Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.	In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. With a spoon, stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Stir in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. **Drop by heaping spoonfuls (mine were rather large scoops and cooked perfectly) onto ungreased baking sheets.
3.	Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes (don't skip this step) before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

**chill the mix for 2 hours prior to baking and the cookies won't spread.

These were chewy, soft, and perfect with a glass of milk. I usually put nuts in everything, but didn't have any and found I actually really enjoyed the soft cookie with chocolate and no nuts. We kept these for about a week in a Ziplock bag and they stayed soft and chewy up until the moment they disappeared.