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Monday, April 30, 2012

Dried Apricot Oatmeal Scones

I love me a lazy Sunday.  I try and get all of my planned out-of-the-house activities and errands scheduled on Saturday, attend church on Saturday night and then settle in late Saturday night for a full day of homey things, crafting, cooking and devotional time on Sunday. Some would accuse me of being a little protective of my Sundays.  Some would be absolutely correct. 

I learned a long time ago that I am equally an early morning and late night person...it's the middle of the day that doesn't thrill me.  That doesn't bode well for my job really.  If I had my perfect day, it would be waking up by 5am, taking a siesta after lunch and then staying up late into the dark night.  But alas, my office frowns upon siestas at our desk so I'm stuck choosing between morning or late night and I choose mornings.   By not running any errands on Sunday, I accomplish more around the house by 11:00am than I do all week.  

All that to say I got a new DVD and planned for a few hours of uninterrupted Jane Austen delightfulness yesterday. This is my third copy of this particular movie.  I owned the original 6 VHS copy and then bought it on DVD when it first came out.  What a horrid, abysmal thing that was.  When I heard that they digitally remastered P&P AND released it on Blu Ray, I debated.  What is it was only slightly better than the original DVD?  I finally just took the chance and ordered it.  WOW! How I've missed you so P&P... "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.."  The colors and quality of this release are awesome.  I would absolutely recommend purchasing the remastered version if you love this movie(umm, who doesn't?)...it's like watching a brand new version, except still with the best Darcy and Lizzie ever. 


Anti-climatic, but I also made scones.  Oatmeal apricot scones to be precise because what is more British than tea and scones while watching P&P?  Have to appease my inner anglophile when possible. 

I baked these in a cast iron skillet because I love my scones crisp on the outside and melt in your mouth soft on the inside.  Not so much a fan of the soft cakey sones. Cast iron helps get a little crunch on the bottom and crystallized sugar add crunch to the top. 


No clotted or Devonshire cream in this house...I whipped some cream and added some greek yogurt for a little of that clotted cream tang.  Served with jam of course.  The apricots added fun little bites in the scones and the oat flavor was surprisingly pronounced.  Definitely a make again scone but probably won't replace my all time favorite scone recipe.  That recipe masters the crunchy top and bottom, soft inside combo. 

Oh, and cookbook #84, Gourmet = complete.  I'd go on about how spectacular it is, but it's one of those magazine compilations that's like a eleventy billion pages long, so it's a given that it's pretty fantastic.  It's one of those cookbooks that has just about everything you could possibly want to make, all in one book.  It's way shy on photos though so doesn't get used as often as it should.  Shame indeed. 

Oatmeal Scones
adapted from Gourmet cookbook

1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (can also use 1 2/3 cup ap flour for the wheat and wheat pastry)
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into 12 tablespoons
1/2  chopped dried apricots
Grated zest of 1 large orange
2⁄3 cup buttermilk, plus additional for brushing
large crystal sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425  Lightly butter pan, or line with Silpat type liner.   
  2. Whisk  flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and add to bowl  food processor. Add oats, and pulse to mix. 
  3. Add butter, and pulse until mixture that resembles coarse meal with small pea-sized lumps of butter. Transfer mixture to large bowl, and add dried fruit.
  4. In small bowl, stir together zest and buttermilk. Add to dry mixture, stirring with fork just until dough forms. 
  5. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, and gently knead a few times. 
  6. Pat dough into 1-inch-thick rectangle, about 15 inches long and 5 inches wide, dusting surface with more flour if necessary. 
  7. Cut rectangle into 3 squares and cut each square in half diagonally to form triangles
  8. Transfer scones to buttered baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.
  9. Brush tops of scones with buttermilk and sprinkle lightly with sugar. 
  10. Bake on middle rack until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. 
  11. Transfer to rack and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Denver Zoo Day

I've been back in Denver for well over a month now and it's been such a whirlwind that I haven't had all that much time to see my favorite little Peanut.  Who is actually not really peanut-like these days.  I can't believe she starts kindergarten in the fall.  Crazy. 

Peanut came over for a sleepover and we did all the required sleepover things....made play dough, ate ice cream and watched Disney movies.  I was reprimanded for falling asleep during Snow White.  I would contend that I didn't stand a chance...Snow White and the Prince are quite possibly the most vanilla prince and princess out there. Definitely no Belle or Beast.


I thought trying out an oatmeal creme brûlée for breakfast might be a fun morning in the kitchen. Aprons went on...some of us wore them for actual cooking, others danced around in them.  Sometimes you do have to dance it out in the kitchen. 

I'd seen oatmeal creme brûlée on a menu once and was intrigued...how bad can it be right?  And obviously it's way healthy if the bottom half is oatmeal.  Loved the concept and the idea but not so much the execution--it was a little eggy.  Have to give it another try and will post the recipe when I get it right. 

It is quite fun to behold and there's nothing like pulling out a torch in the morning.  


Peanut was not so intrigued.  After many attempts at trying to convince her to taste the oatmeal creme brûlée or pineapple upside down pancakes, she ended up with what she wanted the entire time...plain pancakes and yogurt.  What are you gonna do, right?  

Yes plain pancakes are so much better than anything else I made.  


The Denver Zoo hasn't changed much over the years.  They are finishing up an elephant exhibit but otherwise, it's exactly as I remember, except smaller.  Of course the carousel is a must...and always a highlight.  The biggest smiles of the morning...



Since I once posted a photo of an exotic creature I saw on a work trip to Bozeman only to be told it was a cow, I'll refrain from trying to properly name any of the below.  I might have an idea of what they are, but I wouldn't count on it.  

Blue bird with stylish feathers.  


Snuggly little scaly guy.  Love those fingers.


Mustache imp.


One of the bear types.  


Cuddly kitty.


Boston Terror...fiercest of all canine americans. Obviously.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Blackened Salmon with Spicy Fresh Mango-Pineapple Chutney


I'm in training this week and it's odd how sitting still and listening can actually be exhausting.  I haven't come home in the mood to prep and cook so was looking for something fast and easy.   This meal, straight from Rachael Ray's cookbook Book of 10, (Cookbook #83--woohoo!) is a quick one. 

I'll admit to not being the biggest Rachael Ray lover.  Once however, I was browsing through a friend's cookbook and I was surprised to see that many of her recipes actually sound pretty fantastic.   This cookbook has 30 top ten lists and recipes in categories such as: Super Easy, Family Faves, Comfort Foods, Sammies, Soups and many others.  Chipotle Chicken Rolls with Avocado Dipping Sauce?  Yes. Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Cheddar-Mustard Sauce?  Okay.  Pumpkin-Peanut Curry Noodles with Five-Spice Seared Scallops? Sold!

Love the spicy-sweet fruit salsa which was a welcome contrast to the blackened salmon.  I of course made a few changes....fresh pineapple instead of canned, added a bit diced roasted red pepper for color, used thai bird chilies instead of jalapeños and grilled the salmon.  Rachael's recipe called for sautéing the salmon but I am a grilling queen these days.  I blackened the salmon because I always have a jar of blackening spice I make in large batches...it was easier to toss that on instead of read what Rachael wanted me to season the salmon with.  I call it lazy interpretation. 

Little shy of photos for this post.  Too. Tired. To. Take. Photos.  I did sit still for many hours after all. 




Blackened Salmon with Spicy Fresh Mango-Pineapple Chutney
adapted from Book of 10 by Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow or red onion, chopped
1-2 jalapeno pepper, seeds and membrane removed, chopped(I used 3 Thai bird chilies)
Salt and pepper
1.5 c fresh pineapple diced in 1/2 cubes
2 tablespoons honey
2 thicker salmon fillets, about 8 ounces each
1-2 tbsps blackening spice
1 ripe mango, diced
2 tbsp finely diced roasted red pepper
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:
  1. Heat grill on medium-high and lightly grease
  2. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sized saucepan
  3. Add the onion and jalapeño and season with salt and pepper to to saucepan. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes
  4. Add the pineapple, honey, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then down to a gentle simmer for 3-4 minutes
  5. Add cilantro, mango, red pepper and lime juice to pineapple. Stir and remove from heat. Season salmon with blackening spice and place on grill. Grill 5-7 minutes each side
  6. Remove from heat and serve with with chutney

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Chocolate Orange Loaf


This chocolate loaf recipe is originally from Nigella's cookbook Feasts.  It has four kinds of chocolate and the result is a super moist, dense, chocoholic's dream.  I especially love the sticky, dense, almost rich frosting texture that the top of the cake gets when you pour the chocolate syrup over it...all without the uber sweetness of frosting.  As a result,  I used to make it ALL THE TIME.  When I started back at my former company, now current company, several coworkers wasted no time in asking when this cake was coming back too.  

I used to make many of the chocolate cakes from this cookbook quite often, so much so that the cookbook falls open to the chocolate cake section (Guinness chocolate cake page to be precise).  Not sure why I stopped there for awhile.  Nigella's cake making style is pure rock star since is all about making cakes as easy and fuss-free as possible. Love Nigella and love this cookbook...it's one of my most used. The Guinness cake all goes into a pan on the stove...melt the butter, pour in the Guinness and add the other ingredients.  This recipe is almost as simple. 


While the butter is not melted and you do have to bring all of the ingredients to room temp, to make this cake you simply put  the ingredients to the food processor and pulse, blitz, mix. I've made this recipe a bazillion times and have tried variation upon variation.  You can add mint extract, Oreos instead of chocolate chips, chopped up candy bars (especially Reeses PB cups), coconut and coconut extract or just about any extract you can think of. It's all good.

I'd recently seen a recipe for an orange chocolate loaf in a cookbook that I couldn't stop thinking about but couldn't remember which cookbook I was looking through at the time.  Very often the case.  I figured that the chocolate loaf in the recipe I saw in passing probably couldn't hold a candle to this chocolate loaf so I made this with an orange variation. If you are not making the orange version, you would replace the orange juice with 1/2 cup of boiling water. 


Cocoa powder, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup and chocolate shavings. 

Seriously good cake. 



Spring has sprung here in Denver.  Hooray!


  • Chocolate Orange Loaf
  • adapted from Nigella Feast

    1 cup ap flour
    2/3 c whole wheat pastry flour (plus 2 tbsp for high altitude)
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 cup cocoa powder
    1 1/3 cups sugar
    zest of 2 med-large oranges
    1 1/2 sticks softened unsalted butter
    2 eggs, room temp
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1/3 cup greek yogurt, room temp
    1/2 cup orange juice heated to almost boiling
    1 cup chocolate chips

    Syrup:
    1 teaspoon cocoa
    1/4 cup water
    1/4 cup OJ
    1/2 cup sugar
    chocolate bar grated for topping
    candied orange peels (optional)

    Directions
    Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and grease and flour large loaf pan
    Place  the flour, cocoa, baking soda, sugar, butter, eggs, yogurt and vanilla,  into the bowl of food processor and mix until a smooth
    Scrape sides with rubber spatula and turn processor back on  
    Gently pour the heated OJ down the spout and continue mixing until smooth
    Turn processor off, remove lid and scrape sides again with rubber spatula.  Pour in chips and mix well
    Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 mins.  When ready, the loaf will be risen and split down the middle and a toothpick will come out clean
    About 15 mins before the loaf is done, put the syrup ingredients of cocoa, water, OJ and sugar into a small saucepan and boil gently for about 5 minutes, until syrup is thickened
    Take the cake out of the oven and while still in the pan, pierce randomly with a cake tester or toothpick 
    Pour the syrup over the cake
    Cool completely before removing from pan onto plate.  Sprinkle the grated chocolate over the top and garnish with orange peels if desired



Thursday, April 19, 2012

Bacon Chicken Kebobs with Guinness BBQ Sauce


These 2  recipes kind of came together as if they belonged together.   I saw a recipe for bacon paste chicken kebobs from Cooks Illustrated.  Bacon paste.  It's exactly what it sounds like, bacon that has been pulverized into a paste and then you rub it all over chicken. Totally intriguing right?  I figured if I was going to all the trouble to turn bacon into a paste (30-45 secs in a food processor amount of trouble really) I might as well up the stakes with a different kind of bbq sauce too.  

When I saw the bottles of Guinness in the fridge, I knew immediately what kind of BBQ sauce it needed to be.  Guinness has a deep dark flavor that I hoped would lend itself to a super rich BBQ flavor...I hoped.  As it turns out it was....eh.  It was pretty similar to any bottled sauce and the Guinness flavor was almost nonexistent.  Personally I'd save the Guinness for drinking next time but included the recipe link just in case you are that intrigued that you need to try. 


The bacon paste part though...kind of genius.  I didn't post a photo of the paste itself because no one wants to see that. Not pretty but once you get it on the chicken and then onto the BBQ...magic.  The bacon crisps up and adds that fantastic bacon flavor and really does keep the chicken ultra moist.  I would recommend spacing the kebobs a bit more on the skewers though so the bacon in between the pieces gets crisped and bbq'd up.  

This is super with some grilled pineapple on the side.  




Chicken Kebobs 
kebab recipe from June 2011 Cooks Illustrated
Guinness bbq sauce from Epicurious

Guinness BBQ sauce

2 cups Guinness
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup dark brown mustard
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Kebabs:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 12-inch metal skewers

Directions: 
  1. Boil the Guinness in a saucepan over high heat until reduced by half
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes, or until thick. 
  3. Cool and store in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
  4. Add the chicken and salt to a large bowl and stir to combine. 
  5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  6. Preheat your grill – turn the burners to high, close the lid and let heat for at least 15 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, use paper towels to pat chicken dry. 
  8. Mix the sweet paprika, sugar and smoked paprika together in a small bowl. 
  9. Add bacon to food processor and pulse until the bacon becomes a smooth paste, about 30-45 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. (this is not pretty)
  10. Combine the chicken, spice mixture and bacon paste in a large bowl and use your hands to mix and coat the chicken evenly. Thread the chicken onto the skewers.
  11. Leave one burner of your grill on high and turn the others off. Place the kebabs over the hot burner, and grill , giving them a quarter turn every 2 minutes, until browned and slightly charred on all sides, about 8 minutes. If a flare-up occurs, just move the kebabs to the cool side of the grill temporarily.
  12. Brush one side of the kebabs with about 1/4 cup sauce then flip and cook until the sauce browns a bit, about 1 minute. Brush the other side with the remaining 1/4 cup sauce, flip and cook until brown, about 1 more minute. The chicken should register 160 F on an instant read thermometer. 
  13. Transfer the kebabs to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes before serving

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Strawberry Sangria Jam


I could introduce this with an anecdote about how fun it is to make jam, or throw in a reference to the episode of Friends where Joey eats jam by the spoonful (still awesome after all these years), or how Rachel's trifle with a layer of ladyfingers and a layer of jam topped with beef sautéed with peas and onions is a forever classic, or even how I feel like I'm channeling my inner Laura Ingalls Wilder when I make jam, but all the thoughts are so random that I won't even try.  I'll just say jam good, strawberries good, wine good, what's not to like? (Jam good, beef good...get it? Ha!)

Now, you don't really have to make jam when strawberries are on sale.  Throwing strawberries and whipped cream on top of pound cake is always a classic summer flavor. 


But when you get a bit greedy, there's not a chance that you can eat 10 lbs of strawberries even in shortcake form.   That's when you have to ask yourself what that Laura Ingalls girl would do.  Jam of course, for the long hard winter.  

This version of jam has a bit of red wine and some citrus flavor in a nod to one of my favorite warm weather drinks...sangria!


Some may think jam is scary.  I think it's really just precise.  If you follow the recipe and process exactly, you have jam.  If you start making alterations on the fly, often you'll have lumpy juice.  This recipe I ripped out of a newspaper (don't have which one or when...sorry newspaper for not giving you credit) calls for tons of sugar.  I love to use the low sugar pectin because I like my jam less sweet, but wasn't willing to risk experimenting using the low sugar pectin with the wine.

I also really love the process of sterilizing the jars and lids--it makes me feel so clean and surgical.  I throw everything in the water bath too...even the plastic funnel for about a minute.  


The tools can mean the difference between whether jam is fun, or jam is frustrating.  You can pick up the tools (widemouth funnel, jar tongs and long tool with magnet for grabbing the lids out of the water bath) for under $10 at Target.  It's so worth it...using your regular tongs is just a 2nd degree burn waiting to happen.  Trust me on that one.  These jar tongs are the best thing that ever happened to canning.


This jam has just a slight wine flavor and the orange oil adds just the perfect sangria fruity flavor.  It is definitely on the sweet side (like all sugary jams are )though so just a little will probably do you if you are a little sensitive to sweet.  If not, you could just grab a spoon and eat it Joey Tribbiani style.  

Gratuitous puppy shot of the day. 


Strawberry Sangria Jam

5 cups chopped strawberries (about 3 lbs)
4 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp orange oil
1/2 cup red wine
1 package (1.75 oz) powdered pectin
6 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp butter
  1. Prepare your canning supplies by sterilizing all lids, jars (and tools such as ladle) in simmering water for 5 minutes
  2. Wash strawberries well and chop into 1/4 inch dice.  Measure 5 cups into 8 quart soup pot.
  3. Use a potato masher to roughly crush the berries. 
  4. Add sugar to the the crushed strawberries along with lemon juice, orange oil and wine. 
  5. Whisk in the pectin until dissolved, and then bring to a rolling boil. Add the sugar and butter all at once and return to a full boil. Boil hard 1-2 minutes. 
  6. Remove from the heat
  7. Ladle the jam into the jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Top with lids and bands.
  8. Place the jars back into the canner and process for 10 minutes. 
  9. Remove jars from bath and let cool before testing seal.  Jars should make popping noises as the seals lock.  When cool test all jars by pressing lightly in the center of the lids.  Lids should not move or click--if any do, place jar in refrigerator and use first. 
  10. Let remaining jars sit 24 hours for the jam to set resisting all temptation to tap and swirl and turn jars to see if jam has set yet. :)
  11. Makes 8 eight-ounce jars

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Chocolate Strawberry Pie

Strawberries were on sale and I might have gone a little strawberry crazy this weekend.  There's jam cooling on the counter, strawberries diced for spinach salad lunches this week and pie chilling in the fridge.

I wasn't sure what kind of strawberry pie to make exactly.  My mom's rhubarb is just beginning to come in but I was kind of in the mood for a fresher strawberry flavor.  It had to be pie though because I really wanted to use my new Fiesta pie plate.

Why wouldn't you plan your menu around your dishes?

I thought of making chocolate covered strawberries with that simple but perfect flavor pairing when it struck me that if I made it into a pie, I could use my pie plate.  Such determination.

I opted for a cookie crust, similar to a graham cracker crust but made with Nilla Wafers.  You could substitute a graham cracker crust.  I didn't  because, well, I don't really love graham cracker crust all that much.  That's not one of those things I like to admit often because it always has people staring at me as if I had two heads.  It's nothing like admitting that I can't stand Nutella though...that has others picking up stones to cast. Not sure why, but I've never liked hazelnuts, hazelnut flavors or even the word hazelnuts.  It's not even the ambivalence we sometimes feel when we say we don't really like something.  

Nope this is outright dislike--Nutella is pure evil in my mind.


The chocolate ganache filling on the other, that I could eat by the spoonful.  It's a pretty forgiving recipe nonrecipe really. Half and half plus chips (white chocolate, semisweet or milk chocolate) makes a thick truffle-like ganache filling that pairs wonderfully with the strawberries.  You could even add a big 'ole scoop of Nutella to the ganache filling if you happen to be one of the 99.9999999% of the people in this world that thinks Nutella reigns supreme. I hear strawberries and Nutella go well together.  I'll take your word for it.



You could leave the strawberry pie au natural and it's still quite lovely.


I opted for a jam glaze because a little shine is fun.  I could rave about this pie, but it's chocolate and strawberries. As Barefoot Contessa would say "how bad can that be?"

This pie is best eaten day of before the strawberries begin really releasing all their crazy juices.



Cuter than strawberry pie.  Way cuter than Nutella....


Chocolate Strawberry Pie

Ingredients
Cookie Crust:
2 cups Nilla Wafer crumbs (about 8 oz of cookies)
3 tbsp powdered sugar
6 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp strawberry jam melted

Chocolate Ganache:
1 1/2 c chocolate chips
1/2 c half and half

1 1/2-2 cups strawberries washed and cut in half or quarters (lengthwise)

Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Combine Nilla Wafer crumbs, sugar and butter in bowl and stir to evenly distribute butter
  3. Press into pie pan
  4. Bake for 7 mins and cool completely
  5. For the ganache, heat half and half in small pan until hot but not boiling.  Stir in chips and stir over heat for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and whisk continually until chocolate is melted.
  6. Pour chocolate into cooled pie shell
  7. Top with strawberries  and brush with melted jam.  Refrigerate for 4-5 hours before serving


Thursday, April 12, 2012

Monster Cookies


Monster cookies is one of those recipes that everyone (who likes peanut butter) loves.  Or rather LOVES.  My aunt made these often when we were growing up and we'd look forward to visits. When I lived in NY and baked a lot of for my friends who were cadets at West Point, I made these A LOT.  I made these for neighbors for block parties and BBQs A LOT.  And when I made a different kind of cookie, they'd ask where the Monster Cookies were.  But really, it's a cookie packed with peanut butter, chocolate and m&ms, so what's not to love?  If you've had them, I'm guessing you are nodding your head in agreement.

The recipe I started using most often came from a cookbook entitled West Point Officer's Wives Cookbook.  It's one of those fantastic community contribution cookbooks filled with really down to earth and easy potluck type recipes.  Most recipes for these cookies that I've seen are essentially the same but the recipe in the cookbook was quadrupled and used 18 cups of rolled oats.  I always make half of that recipe and it challenges the 6 quart volume of my mixer...it's still a huge recipe.  You can halve this again and still get a pretty good size batch of cookies.  The half recipe below made enough ginormous cookies for Easter dinner with the family,  a batch for work and I have 2 dozen more enormous balls of cookie dough sitting in my freezer just waiting to be baked. 


You can pretty much substitute or add different kinds of chips, raisins or m&ms.  All dark chocolate in this house. 



You don't have to make these monster sized, but if you do use an ice scream sized scoop, you should only fit 6 to the cookie sheet.  I like to add more m&ms to the top so they are visible after baking.  Just because. 

Just a warning though that these cookies are crazy addictive.  Yep, crazy peanut buttery, oatmeal, chocolatey addictiveness. 



Monster Cookies

Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened
2 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 cup granulated sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking soda
24 oz (about 2 3/4 cups) creamy peanut butter
9 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 1/4 cup m&ms
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
  2. In a very large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugars and mix well
  3. Add eggs and beat well
  4. Add the salt, baking soda, vanilla, peanut butter and mix well. 
  5. Stir in oatmeal and mix well
  6. Drop by ice scream scoop 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 
  8. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.