Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Via facebook the other day I was completely put in my place. As you can see, everyone and their mother knew about chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, except me, and now I look like a boob. I have a cooking blog for someones sake. So, out of the goodness of her heart my dear friend Ellen has offered to not only make them for me but to do a guest post while I recuperate from having my ego crushed.

Lets all give her our undivided attention.

1/2 shortening (a.k.a.- butter!)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 brown sugar (packed)

1 egg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup flour

1 cup quick oats (uncooked oatmeal)

1 package of chocolate chips (8 oz.)

Optional:

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup coconut



Ok, heat your lovely little oven to 350 degrees while you are mixing up your cookie dough. Mix each ingredient in order until smooth. 





 

On a cookie sheet, place a dollop of dough on the sheet about an inch apart. (You don't need to grease the sheet or put anything on them. These cookies don't stick!!) 12 should fit on each cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. When done, place on a cooling rack. I usually double the batch, and that makes about 4 dozen cookies.





These will be delicious!!! Enjoy them!!

individual chicken pot pies

Chicken pot pie, my one true love... 

The 'gredients you will need are:

2 whole Chicken Breasts (frozen or not)

1 Onion, chopped

1 Potato, cubed

2 Carrots, sliced

1/2 cup of pees

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 1/2 cups of chicken broth

1/2 cup of flower 

1 pie crust

This makes 5 individual pies. I used 10 oz custard cups, any small oven safe safe dish will work.

The first step is cooking the chicken, and although we'll be putting it in the filling and into the oven after, cooking it all the way through is important. Frozen this takes about 15 minutes, fresh about 8. I boil it in the broth (water and some bullion cubes works spectacularly as well) and once it's cooked I pull it out and let it cool for a bit so I don't burn my hands when I chop it up.

 The next step is making the filling. Use a little of the broth (or some olive oil, or a table spoon of butter) to start cooking the chopped onions and garlic. Add the carrots and potatoes after about 5 minutes and then the rest of the broth. I just used the broth I cooked the chicken in because is as already warm and it was already chicken(y). Add the peas and cook for about 10 more minutes the potatoes and carrots, those are the tellers is it's done. You'll want them to be soft and almost done.

Dice the chicken into bite sized pieces. The best part of chicken pot pie is the fact that you only need a fork. Make sure that all your chops for everything is small.  

Next add the flour. You're technically making chicken gravy. I did it by handful because Its my flour and I know where my hands have been. I suggest starting with less and adding till you get the thickness you want. Throw the flour in, stir it all around, add some pepper and salt. if you use fresh ingredients the broth alone isn't enough to salt it all. I made that mistake. I also made the mistake of cooking this on a 90 degree day... ugh.

Get your gravy to where you want it and let it simmer on low heat while you get the pie crusts ready. Oh, and you could preheat the oven to 375 or something like that if you'd like. :)

  Cover a baking sheet with foil, makes clean up as easy as throwing it away... and ladle equal amounts into the dishes. You can add a little more pepper at this point if you'd like, and cover with small pie crusts. Cut breathing holes into the tops and bake for 15 minutes or till crust is golden.

I didn't, but I think that if you were to brush the crusts with melted butter I bet it would be delicious. 

Variations on this are endless, since no one but me likes peas you can always omit them, I've got a picky friend who doesn't like carrots either so I've made his with broccoli and green beans and cauliflower. If you don't feel like cutting anything a bag of microwave veggies works fine too. Microwave them and then go from there. If you don't want pie crust using biscuits are also delicious, although I suppose it becomes more of a dumpling thing but who really cares? Not I said the chicken, not I said the duck.

Enjoy.