Oatmeal Muffins

I wanted something different than cold cereal or pancakes one morning, so I search the internet and found these little gems. I like the thought of fresh, warm muffins, but don't love the thought of getting them from a box. So these were perfect. They were pretty yummy! With the help of my two little girls, they were all gone by the next afternoon!

2 eggs

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup quick oats (or instant oatmeal)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 pinch salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups (or line with cupcake wrappers).

Whisk eggs, brown sugar, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla together in a bowl until smooth.

Stir flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into wet ingredients to form a batter. Fill the prepared muffin cups with batter.

Bake in preheated oven until tops are golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Source: Slightly adapted from AllRecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-oatmeal-muffins/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=oatmeal%20muffins&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe)

Honey Chicken Kabobs

Simple and delicious. Perfect for a nice summer BBQ!

1/4 cup vegetable oil  

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cloves garlic

5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces

skewers

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).

Preheat the grill for high heat.

Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Source: AllRecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/yummy-honey-chicken-kabobs/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=kabobs&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page)

Southwestern Pasta Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

I'm generally not a big fan of pasta salads, but when I saw this recipe, for whatever reason, I was excited to try it. We had some friends over for a barbeque over the weekend, which presented the perfect opportunity. Everyone loved it, so I'll consider that success! I will definitely be making it again!

For the salad:
8 ounces pasta (I used Rotini)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced orange or yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup sweet corn
1 large avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lime, for juicing over the salad
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

For the Creamy Avocado Dressing:
2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 small jalapeño pepper, chopped and seeds removed
2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and stir in the pasta. Cook until al dente. Rinse with cold water and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, make the Creamy Avocado Dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, black beans, tomatoes, peppers, red onion, corn, and chopped avocado. Pour dressing over pasta salad and stir until salad is well coated. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the salad, so the avocados don't brown. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Note-you may have leftover dressing, depending on how "dressed" you like your pasta salad. If the dressing is too thick, add more buttermilk.

Source: TwoPeasAndTheirPod.com: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/southwestern-pasta-salad-with-creamy-avocado-dressing/

Roasted Vegetables

I made this as a side dish for dinner last night, and it turned out great. I didn't have all the vegetables listed on hand, so substituted some with others, and it was still delicous. I don't think there's any normal combination of vegetables that wouldn't work!

1 small butternut squash, cubed

2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed

1 red onion, quartered

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preahet oven to 475 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the squash, red bell peppers, sweet potato, and Yukon Gold potatoes. Separate the red onion quarters inot pieces, and add them to the mixture.

In a small bowl, stir together thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss with vegetables until they are coated. Spread evenly in a large roasting pan.

Roast for 35-40 minutes in the oven, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-vegetables/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=roasted%20vegetables&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

Easy Lemon Cookies

I made these in desperation the other night, when I needed to make a lot of cookies in a short amount of time for a fundraiser I was putting on. Not to say this recipe makes a bunch of cookies, because it doesn't, but it does make some--more quickly than typical cookies. And they were loved by all who ate them-to the point that they were all gone before I could even taste one.  Many people asked for the recipe and were in shock when I told them I just used a cake mix. I love things that are delicious, easy, and taste like they were a lot of work!

1 package lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp lemon extract (I used lemon juice because I was out of extract, and it worked perfectly)
1/3 cup powdered sugar for decoration (I used granulated sugar because I didn't have powdered sugar, and it worked just fine)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pour cake mix into large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, and lemon extract until blended. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into a bowl of powdered sugar, and roll them around until they are lightly covered. Once sugared, put them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 6-9  minutes. After removing from the oven, let them sit on the pan for 3-5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-lemon-cookies/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=cake%20mix%20cookies&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page