Wednesday, March 16, 2011

E: Variety & Oatmeal Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies

How has your week been so far?  Mine as been a litttttle exhausting. Monday night, Frank hurt his leg jumping on the bed. We thought his discomfort would disappear by Tuesday morning, but it didn’t. We took him to the vet where they had to partially sedate & x-ray/examine him. The result: Frank tore a ligament in his knee. Its only a partial tare, so he is on rest & medication. Hopefully he won’t need surgery. I’m just glad my baby is OK:

 lips

Rewind: Monday night, I used the leftover turkey sloppy joes to make up two different plates for Josh & I. I love using leftovers and giving them a new spin/adding variety. For me, I made a spinach salad with steamed green beans, carrots, cheddar & a baked tortilla:

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Josh also had steamed green beans, but his turkey sloppy joe portion was reheated, topped with cheese & jalapenos and served with a baked tortilla for dipping. He also had a couple pumpkin chocolate chunk bars for dessert:

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 What is one of your favorite re-uses of leftovers?

On Tuesday, I decided to try a slightly adjusted take on my big oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I always get nervous about messing with a good thing, but had faith in this small adjustment. I replaced a little of the flour/oats with cocoa powder (I next plan to try this with the awesome carob powder that my friend Kelley brought me). The result was a very yummy batch of Oatmeal Chocolate, Chocolate Chip cookies:

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick margarine or butter, softened
  • ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon skim or 1% milk
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ cup cocoa or carob powder
  • 1 1/4 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
  • 1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat margarine/butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda and powder mix well. Add oats and chocolate chips and mix until combined.

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2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. 3. Bake ~12 minutes for a chewy cookie. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

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On a side note, the baby is continuing to receive some rocking gifts. I wanted to share a few and send out a few thank yous:

1. Our friends Ryan & Alexis sent us tons of cute stuff including this bulldog onesie. She will definitely be hanging out with Frank in this outfit:IMG_1589

2. Our friends Chip & Jill dropped off an incredible package filled with a super soft blanket, picture frame set and adorable clothes from Old Navy. The one on the left is a hoodie outfit- too cute!IMG_1590

Thank you :)

49 comments:

Jessica @ How Sweet said...

Those cookies look perfect!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Oh no! I'm praying that Frank will be okay.

Lauren said...

Hope Frank is okay!! Give him hugs for me. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh Frankles! Poor little peanut! I hope he heals up well Erica! That onesie is so amazing. I love it <3

The Teenage Taste said...

Those cookies look wonderful! Nice to meet another Eri(c)(k)a in blog world! My name's spelled with a K though. ;]

Averie said...

Frank...get well soon!

Erica the cookies look amazing!!!!

And what a cute pink outfit :)

lee said...

Poor Frank. I hope he feels better soon.

Heather said...

Awwwwwww.....hope Frank feels better soon!!
And that onesie is to die for. Love!

Pound said...

glad frank is ok! those cookies look delish! looks like your baby girl's closet is going to be full before she even arrives... just wait for all the adorb shoes....

carolinebee said...

AW glad Frank is ok!!

Kitchen Belleicious said...

I am like the cookie monster so when I say these look good they look GOOD! I love the shirts too and hope your dog gets better!

The Purple Carrot said...

Glad Frank is okay! It's horrible when pets are hurt because you never know how bad they're hurting. He'll be cheered up just seeing that adorable onesie with his face on it ;) SO cute!!

Stephanie @cookinfanatic said...

Oh no, I hope Frank gets better fast! And how cute is that pink onesie?! Great job mixing up the leftovers, both ways look deeeelish.

fittingbackin said...

Look at that bulldog onesie! It's perfect for you guys! And oh no - hate to hear about Frank. I hope he recovers quickly and am so glad he's okay. Poor fella! The cookies look amazing. I know what you mean about messing with a good thing but it paid off - yay!

Katie said...

Poor Frank! Hearing an animal in pain is one of the most heartbreaking sounds. So glad he's okay!

Those cookies look DELICIOUS! I've been craving (and buying) cookies like whoa lately.

Have a great day, Erica!

Renee Paj said...

Oh poor Frank! I have my fingers crossed for you for no surgery!

I don't do very well at reinventing leftovers...and for the past year, I send my leftovers ( sometimes I make extra) to my elderly inlaws so they don't have to cook most days and can enjoy a homecooked meal. Its like my meals from yesterday on wheels program! haha I have made a sort of goolosh dish from leftover sloppy joes though with pasta and veggies.

have a great day Erica!!!

Allison said...

Awww...hope Frank feels better soon. Poor thing. Side note- your cookies loo great!!

Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg said...

Awww, I hope Frank doesn't need surgery!!! I hate it when dogs injure themselves :-(

Toni said...

awww poor puppy!! It sucks terribly when our pets are in pain!

Anonymous said...

Aww poor Frank! My favorite way to use leftovers is to make a big salad and put the leftovers on top :)

Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean said...

oh no!!! poor frank :( love that onsie!

Lisa said...

Hope Frank is ok!

(and I want a cookie!)

Allie (Live Laugh Eat) said...

Oh noo!!!! Get well soon, Frank!!! Baby clothes always makes me ooh and aww. Can't wait for your other baby to arrive :)

Annie said...

oh no frank!!!

im glad it wasn't serious!

Julie said...

i can't belieeeve frank is hurt!!!!!!!!! i guess he can't train for that marathon now..
hahahaha i had to sorry

but awwwww!! i think he needs a nice grooming sesh once the leg heals up :)

take some time for rest girl! love you!!!!

Unknown said...

aw, poor frank! hope he's back at it soon! love all the little goodies you've been getting for the little one :)

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

Danny is already outgrowing the clothes we got as gifts!

Susan said...

Sorry about Frank! How does a dog jump on the bed? I can't really picture it...

I love that onesie!

Beth @ DiningAndDishing said...

What a lucky little girl you are going to have! I love all the cute baby stuff available these days :).

Wishing Frank a very speedy recovery!

Tina said...

Love the bulldog onesie! So adorable!

Maria said...

Poor Frank:( Love the cookies and cute baby items! So fun!

Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun said...

Love baby clothes!

Yummy looking cookies. :)

Kerr said...

I hope Frank is feeling better!

Anonymous said...

Hope Frank feels better! :D
Those cookies look AWESOME! I need to make some now!

Janetha @ meals + moves said...

I am glad Frank is OK! We have to worry about Randy jumping up and down, too, because he's so big and his legs are so short. That doggie onesie rocks!

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

omg that little baby onesie!!! so so so cute! i cannot wait to see your little angel!!

Corey @ the runners cookie said...

Awww I hope Frank's leg gets better soon! His pictures always kill me - his face is just too precious. Your cookies look awesome. It's fun to make varieties of great cookie recipes!

Priyanka said...

Poor Frank! But I am glad that it is nothing major.

Cookies look so good.

MegSmith @ Cooking.In.College said...

I LOVE the picture of Frank he is too cute. I hope his knee is healing well. That bulldog onesie is TOO cute!!!

I don't know why but I have never heard of oatmeal chocolate cookies so I have never had them either! This will be remedied soon :-)

Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather said...

Poor little drank! I sure hope he recovers quickly. Joe sends his well wishes too.

Holly said...

Poor Frank! I hope he is okay. :-( That is so scary....I hope he won't need surgery, either!

I know this sounds strange, but I LOVE using leftover on or in savory oatmeal. Like this week I made veggie chili, and by Thursday, I just don't want a big old bowl of chili! So I'll make savory oatmeal (with Laughing Cow cheese) and put some chili right on top for flavor. It's actually really good!

Laural (bhealthier) said...

adorable onesie! I like reusing leftovers too, it just seems to make sense~

Glad Frank is okay and heals quickly!

Yelena said...

Poor Frank! His little face is adorable and I hope he feels better soon.

How thoughtful of your friends to get you gifts- the bully onesie is just precious.

carla said...

POOR FRANK!!
As a woman who helped her bullmastiff through two knee repair surgeries (we're nuts like that :))

I know how hard this is on you too :(

Bridget said...

Frank!! Poor guy :( He overexerted himself ;) I'm sure he'll be back to normal in no time. I love seeing all your cute baby clothes!!

CaSaundraLeigh said...

Oo poor Frank--glad to know he is doing ok now though!! And I love the sounds of using carob powder in those cookies--it's been way to long since I've baked with it!

Krista said...

Poor Frank! Baby cakes! Glad it wasn't too serious...

lynn said...

poor frank! i love the cute one-sie....

Anonymous said...

Oh no! I hope that Frank is feeling better! I love his face!!!