Pasta Pomodoro

From Allrecipes
Makes 4 servings (I would say 8 servings)

Ingredients:
2 (8 ounce) packages angel hair pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups roma tomatoes, diced
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 (10.75 ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth (I used 14 ounce can)
crushed red pepper to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 T chopped fresh basil
cooked chicken, cubed (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
1.  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to directions al dente; drain.
2.  Cook chicken, remove and set aside.  Pour olive oil in chicken skillet over high-heat.  Sauté onions and garlic until lightly browned.  Reduce heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, vinegar and chicken broth; simmer for about 8 minutes.
3.  Stir in red pepper, black pepper, basil and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce.  Simmer for about 5 more minutes and serve topped with grated cheese.

*Tasty way to use garden tomatoes--which I'm so glad it has been warm enough to let these tomatoes ripen.  Half of the recipe would have been sufficient.  Jeff and I liked it, but I think my kids ate too many apple muffins while I was distracted--I had to encourage them to eat more pasta than I would have liked.

Apple Muffins

Adapted from Allrecipes
Makes 30 muffins

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 T baking powder
1 T cinnamon
1 t salt
1 1/2 cups apple juice
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 egg
3 cups apples--peeled, cored, and finely diced

To make topping mix:
1 cup instant oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
and 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease bottoms only of muffin cups or line with baking cups.
2.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; mix well.  In a small bowl, combine apple juice, oil, and egg; blend well.  Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy).  Stir in chopped apples.
3.  Fill cups 2/3 full.  Sprinkle with topping, generously (I had leftover topping).  Bake for 18 minutes.  Cool 1 minuted before removing from pan.  Serve warm.

*These must have been good.  I made them before my scouts came over for den meeting--I'm pretty sure than both the scouts and each of my children had 2 or 3 a piece, if not more.  Yummy.

Old Fashion Oatmeal Cookies

*I copied this recipe over a decade ago from my Grandmother Jennie's recipe box.  Who knows how long she had it.  That got me to thinking, "What makes a cookie old fashion?"  Whatever the answer is, there is a certain nystalga about this cookie.  Maybe it was me imagining Grandma making them for my Dad as a little boy.  It was like I could feel her celebrating fall with the warm smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice--perfect for the first chilly day of the autumn.  Now, I must admit, I didn't think old fashion meant healthy, but with only 1/2 cup butter in 3 dozen cookies and 3 bananas with 2 cups oatmeal, this is a happy cookie.  Expect a healthy taste.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 t backing soda
2 t cinnamon
1 t allspice
1/2 t cloves
1 t salt
1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c sugar (I took that to mean 1 c brown sugar and 1/2 c white)
1 egg
3 ripe mashed bananas
2 c oatmeal
1 c chopped nuts (I used cashews, as that's what I had)
1 c chocolate chips

Directions:
Shift dry ingredients together.  Cream butter with sugar until fluffy.  Add egg and bananas mixing well.  Stir in oats, nuts, chocolate chips.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Drop from teaspoon on a well greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.

Yields 40 cookies.

*These cookies will tend to flatten.  I actually left the dough in the refrigerator for more than an hour before baking to help with that.  I also like the thought that I ended up with 41 cookies--after my kiddos and eye snacked on some of the dough--that means Grandma liked dough, too.