Energy Bites

INGREDIENTS
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup ground oats
2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined. Cover the mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or until the mixture is chilled. (This will help the mixture stick together more easily.) Roll into mixture into 1-inch balls. Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/no-bake-energy-bites/

Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS

Tomatillo base

• 1 pound (about 8 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 or 2 fresh serrano chiles
• 1 small white onion, sliced ½ inch thick 

Sauce

• 2 T oil
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped  cilantro

Filling

• 12-16 ounces cooked, coarsely shredded, boneless chicken, pork or beef (canned chicken works well) OR 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican melting cheese (such as Chihuahua, quesadilla or asadero) or Monterey Jack, brick or mild cheddar OR 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) goat or dry-ish ricotta cheese

8 corn tortillas

Finishes

• Dollops of Mexican crema, sour cream, crème fraiche or Greek-style yogurt thinned with a little milk OR A few tablespoons grated Mexican queso añejo or other garnishing cheese such as Romano or Parmesan OR A handful of shredded Mexican melting cheese (such as Chihuahua, quesadilla or asadero) or Monterey Jack, brick or mild cheddar —you can sprinkle it over the enchiladas before they go into the oven
• A handful of cilantro leaves 

INSTRUCTIONS



First make a roasted tomatillo base: On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out tomatillos, garlic, serrano, and the small white onion, sliced ½ inch thick. Slide the baking sheet as close up under a preheated broiler as possible. After 4 or 5 minutes, when everything is blotchy-black and softening, turn the vegetables and roast the other side until everything is cooked through (they should be soft), while taking on an attractive bit of rustic char. Once the vegetables are roasted, they go on the stove top to cool down a little.

When the vegetables have cooled down enough to handle, slip the skins off the garlic and pull the stem off the chiles. In a food processor, combine the tomatillos (and any juice on the baking sheet), garlic, chiles, onion and a scant teaspoon salt, and blend everything to a coarse puree.

In a large (10-inch) skillet over medium-high heat measure the oil. When it’s hot, add the roasted tomatillo sauce base. Let the sauce reduce and concentrate, stirring it frequently, for about 4 minutes. When it’s thicker than spaghetti sauce, stir in chicken broth and cilantro. Season the sauce with salt, turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer while you prepare the filling.

Measure out your choice of filling. Turn on the oven to 400 degrees. Spray or brush with oil on one side of the tortillas then stack them up, slip them into a plastic bag, fold it over and microwave them at 100% for 1 minute. Let them stand for a minute (to uniformly absorb the heat) while you stir a little sauce into the meat to moisten it (the cheese needs no sauce). Then lay out the tortillas on the counter, top them each with a portion cup of the meat or cheese, roll them up and fit them into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Spoon the hot sauce over them (covering the whole tortilla avoids dry ends), slide them into the oven and bake just until heated through—about 4 minutes. Longer in the oven means mushy enchiladas.

To serve the enchiladas, simply use a spatula to transfer them to dinner plates. Garnish the enchiladas with the topping(s) of your choice, crema, cheese, and or cilantro leaves.

https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/roasted-tomatillo-enchiladas/

Spiced Ham

INGREDIENTS

6 pound smoked, bone-in ham
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice 

1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup pure maple syrup


INSTRUCTIONS

Remove completely defrosted ham from fridge about 60 minutes prior to cooking.

Mix all dry ingredients and use your hands to evenly coat the ham with the spice mix.

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a large roasting pan with tin foil and set aside.

Place spice covered ham on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to make 1" diagonal slices (about 1/4" deep) into the layer of exposed fat. Repeat in the other direction to make a diamond pattern.

Move to roasting pan and place in oven. Bake undisturbed for 1 hr and 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and baste ham with 1/2 of the maple syrup. Return to oven and cook for 15 more minutes.

Remove and raise heat to 450. Baste with remaining maple syrup and return to oven for 15 additional minutes. Cover any very dark spots with small pieces of foil.

NOTES

The total cooking time for a 6.5-pound ham was 2 hours and 15 minutes. The first hour and 45 minutes undisturbed, 15 minutes basted at 325F and 15 minutes basted at 450F.

You may need to adjust this slightly based on the size of your ham or how your oven performs.

A good rule of thumb is 20 to 25 minutes per lb or an internal temperature of 145F.

Allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes, slice and Enjoy!

https://www.everydaymaven.com/how-to-cook-a-smoked-ham/

Pasta with Spinach, Gorgonzola, and Walnuts

Ingredients
Kosher salt
8 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves (10 lightly packed cups)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
12 oz. dried penne (3-1/2 cups)
3/4 cup heavy cream
2-1/2 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola (1/2 cup) Freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives


Preparation
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Put the spinach in a colander in the sink.
Toast the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven until dark golden-brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
Cook the penne according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta in the colander over the spinach.
Put the cream, Gorgonzola, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and a pinch of salt in a 12-inch nonstick skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the pasta and spinach, and 2 Tbs. each of the walnuts and chives. Cook, stirring constantly, until some of the sauce is absorbed by the pasta, about 2 minutes. If necessary, add some of the cooking water to moisten the pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowls, sprinkle with the remaining 2 Tbs. walnuts and 1 Tbs. chives, and serve.

from Fine Cooking

Tastes like Tom Kha cilantro lime chicken

Ingredients 
2 lb chicken breasts or thighs, deboned 
4 limes juiced 
1 large bunch cilantro 
2 cans full-fat coconut milk 
4-6 cloves garlic 
2 T ginger
pinch salt

Optional:
Carrots
Green onions
Mushrooms

Instructions 
1. Simmer can of coconut milk over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until it begins to come to a low boil, stirring occasionally. 
2. Add garlic, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper to food processor to create cilantro lime sauce. 
3. Add in cilantro lime sauce to skillet and stir to combine. 
4. Allow all ingredients to simmer in skillet until chicken is thoroughly cooked, another 5-10 minutes. 
5. Serve with rice.

Chocolate chip cookies

the best soft chocolate chip cookies

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• author: pinch of yum
• prep time: 10 mins
• cook time: 10 mins
• total time: 20 minutes
• yield: 12 cookies (or 9 if you make the cookies huuuge, which i often do)

DESCRIPTION

These are THE BEST soft chocolate chip cookies! No chilling required. Just ultra thick, soft, classic chocolate chip cookies!

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INGREDIENTS

• 8 tablespoons of salted butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar (I like to use raw cane sugar with a coarser texture)
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (more as needed – see video)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (but I always add a little extra)
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (I use a combination of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks)

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Microwave the butter for about 40 seconds to just barely melt it. It shouldn’t be hot – but it should be almost entirely in liquid form.
2. Using a stand mixer or electric beaters, beat the butter with the sugars until creamy. Add the vanilla and the egg; beat on low speed until just incorporated – 10-15 seconds or so (if you beat the egg for too long, the cookies will be stiff).
3. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until crumbles form. Use your hands to press the crumbles together into a dough. It should form one large ball that is easy to handle (right at the stage between “wet” dough and “dry” dough). Add the chocolate chips and incorporate with your hands.
4. Roll the dough into 12 large balls (or 9 for HUGELY awesome cookies) and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies look puffy and dry and just barely golden.Warning, friends: DO NOT OVERBAKE. This advice is probably written on every cookie recipe everywhere, but this is essential for keeping the cookies soft. Take them out even if they look like they’re not done yet (see picture in the post). They’ll be pale and puffy.
5. Let them cool on the pan for a good 30 minutes or so (I mean, okay, eat four or five but then let the rest of them cool). They will sink down and turn into these dense, buttery, soft cookies that are the best in all the land. These should stay soft for many days if kept in an airtight container. I also like to freeze them.

NOTES

The 3 most important things about this recipe are 1) melting the butter, 2) adding enough flour, and 3) not baking for too long.
If you find that the dough is wet and it REALLY sticks to your hands, you probably need a little more flour. This is important otherwise you’ll have flat cookies. I’ll usually add a few tablespoons at a time to get it to the right consistency. See video in post for reference. You should be able to roll the balls of dough between your hands without any issues.

From our recipe tester:
If you’re running into issues with your cookies, you can reference the examples above to help find out what may have gone wrong.
One of the keys to achieving the perfect cookie is to ensure the correct amount of flour is used. Ideally, the flour should be weighed. In testing, we found that 6.75 ounces of flour was the correct amount. Without a food scale, don’t pack the flour into measuring cups and always level the flour off.

Creamy One Pot Spinach Orzo

Serves: Serves 4-6  

Ingredients 
1½ tablespoons butter 
½ cup diced onion 
1 garlic clove, minced 
2 cups whole-wheat orzo 
2½ cups low-sodium chicken stock 
½ teaspoon salt 
½ cup heavy cream 
½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish 
2½ cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped 

Instructions 
1. Heat a medium pot to a medium heat. Add butter. Add onion and garlic. Saute until slightly softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add orzo. Toss to coat in butter, Toast orzo, stirring often, until some pieces are slightly brown. 
2. Add chicken stock and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes or until orzo is aldente and most of the chicken stock has been absorbed. You may need to stir halfway through to prevent the orzo from sticking. If the orzo is still not done once the liquid has absorbed add in another ¼ cup of chicken stock. 
3. Once the liquid has been almost absorbed and the orzo is aldente, add heavy cream, parmesan cheese and spinach. Stir until spinach has wilted and cheese has melted. 
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with more parmesan cheese.  

from http://www.cookingforkeeps.com/creamy-one-pot-spinach-orzo/