Quick, Yummy Sandwich!

Sometimes, all you need is a good sandwich. It's quick and easy, and if you add the right stuff, it's delicious!

INGREDIENTS

1 multigrain baguette

cheese (we used marble cheddar, but smoked gouda would be perfect!)

1 cooked chicken breast (ours was marinated in spicy bbq sauce and baked in the oven)

1 avocado

ASSEMBLY

Slice the baguette in half so that you can put the filling inside. Cut it into servings. Slice up the cheese and lay it on both sides of the baguette. Put in the oven on 350 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is bubbly.

While the cheese is melting, slice up the chicken breast (if it's leftovers, then you can reheat it quickly in the microwave) and the avocado.

Remove the cheesy baguette from the oven and top with chicken and avocado. Serve it up with some chips or veggie sticks.

Mmmmm!

Soft, Chewy Ginger Cookies

I love ginger cookies, both hard like gingersnaps or gingerbread men and soft like these chewy cookies. They're quick and easy to whip up and this recipe is foolproof!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons white sugar (for rolling cookies)

STEPS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium mixing bowl, blend flour, baking soda and spices together and set aside.
• In another bowl, cream together butter and 1/2 cup of sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg until well mixed. Then add the molasses and mix to combine.
• Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
• Using rounded teaspoonfuls (or not quite full tablespoons), form dough into balls the size of walnuts and roll them in the extra 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet, approximately two inches apart and lightly flatten.
• Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Granola Bars

Granola bars are great for breakfast or a snack in the middle of the day. They can give you a burst of energy, but those store-bought granola bars are packed with sugar and all kinds of ingredients that I can't pronounce. So here's my recipe for homemade granola bars.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (use anything you like: raisins, dates, apricots, crystallized ginger, pineapple, etc.)
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (I use smooth, but you can use crunchy)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

STEPS

• Lightly grease an 8"x11" or 9"x13" casserole dish with butter and set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the cereal, oats and fruit.

• Pour honey, corn syrup and brown sugar into a small saucepan and heat over medium low heat until the mixture just starts to bubble. Stir occasionally.

• Once the sugar mixture has started to bubble, remove it from the heat and add the peanut butter. Stir until the peanut butter is well mixed, then add the vanilla.

 

• Pour the peanut butter mixture over the cereal mixture and stir to combine everything. Then pour into the greased casserole dish and even it out by pressing firmly on top.

 

• Allow to cool completely, then cut into bars and serve.
  

Quick and Easy Chili

Fall is in the air and it's time to start making some hearty dishes again. With the house for sale, we're cooking things that can last a few meals and can be done relatively quickly. Here's a quick and easy chili that tastes pretty good. You can experiment with the type of pasta sauce that you use to achieve different flavors.

Quick and Easy Chili

INGREDIENTS

1 to 1-1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey

1 medium sized onion, diced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed

1 bottle pasta sauce, e.g. Ragu

1 chipotle pepper, chopped (optional)

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

STEPS

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the meat, onions and chili powder and cook until the meat it is no longer pink. If using ground beef, you will want to drain the liquid once it is cooked. If using turkey, there is no need to drain since it is leaner than beef.
2. Add the beans and the pasta sauce. If you are using a chipotle pepper, add it now. Stir together and bring to a boil. Once it has reached a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Serve in bowls and sprinkle grated cheddar on top if desired. I usually serve the chili with garlic bread made from my own baguettes. This recipe makes 4 large servings or 6 small servings.