Holiday Baking

The girls have disbanded for a short Thanksgiving break, but that doesn't mean the cooking and baking has to stop!  After making the requested Kung Pao Shrimp (with the replacing of edamame with peppers and carrots because little Jacob refuses to eat anything green) for my family back in St. Louis, I was on a roll, so I decided to bake some cookies.  This is a delicious recipe I've made before, and is quite a hit with the fam, so why not share it with you.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
3/4 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
3 c. rolled oats
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 2/3 c. butterscotch chips
Preheat oven to 375.  In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together, then add eggs and vanilla, beating well.  In a medium size bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, until blended well.  Stir in oats and butterscotch chips with a spatula, and drop dough balls (about a tbsp. each) 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes, until the edges start to brown, then let them cool on a wire cooling rack.

I'm drooling.

I'm Glad Humpty Fell

Healthy egg white omelette and lean sausage patties!

Breakfast for dinner is always a winner! Spinach, feta, and egg white omelettes with spicy breakfast sausage at 5 PM on a Tuesday night hit the spot. The combination of Italian spices and fresh feta made for a wonderfully spicy dinner experience. Paired with some fantastic breakfast sausage, this dinner was one for the record books.

Spicy Breakfast Sausage

1/2 lb of spicy breakfast sausage ($1.31)

Make patties and cook thoroughly.

Egg-White Omelette with Spinach, Feta and Herbs
2 large egg whites ($1.39)
1/8 teaspoon salt (bulk item)
1/9 teaspoon pepper (bulk item)
1/4 dried Italian seasoning (bulk item)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley ($0.59)
1/4 cup fresh spinach ($2.99)
1 tablespoon crumbled feta ($2.19)


Whisk egg whites with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and parsley. Pour into a nonstick skillet over medium heat top with spinach. Sprinkle with feta, fold over and serve. Makes one omelette, but pricing is for two, just repeat the measurements.  $7.16/$3.58 per serving

"Lighter" Sesame Chicken

The obsession with asian food continues, however, our budget doesn't allow us to indulge in the legendary take-out versions very often, so once again, us girls take on another chinese favorite, and do it up in our style.  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Lighter Sesame Chicken.  Make this, and you won't even miss the convenience of having your food delivered to you, I promise.

OH MY GOD, YES.

Lighter Sesame Chicken
1 c. brown rice (bulk item)
3 tbsp. honey ($3.62)
2 tbsp. sesame seeds ($0.15)
2 tbsp. soy sauce ($3.25)
1 garlic clove, chopped (bulk item)
2 large egg whites (bulk item)
1/4 c. cornstarch (bulk item)
1 1/2 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into 2 inch chunks ($3.27)
2 tbsp. of vegetable oil (bulk item)
10 oz. bag of veggie medley, we used tri-colored peppers ($3.69)
salt and pepper, to taste
Cook rice according to package and set aside.  Whisk egg whites and cornstarch well, add chopped chicken, salt and pepper, and toss to coat.  Mix together honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic in a separate bowl.  Heat 1 tbsp. of oil over medium high heat, and cook chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Add remaining 1 tbsp. of oil and cook peppers until tender, add back in chicken and sauce, and heat through.  Serve over rice, and DIG IN (as I'm about to do in the picture below)! Yields 4 servings, $13.70/$3.43 per serving

Pre-demolition