Cookies packed with goodness

There was a time when I seldom made cookies. They were messy, I reasoned, and not worth the effort. But I've changed my mind in the last few years, thanks to the purchase of a cookie scoop for the dough. (Actually, my sister might have bought my first one.)

So now, I think nothing of trying a new recipe, or pulling out an old one, so my family and I can enjoy fresh-baked cookies when we want them. With the help of the scoop, I can make relatively uniform cookies and don't have to form cookies into balls with my hands (which I hate). And if I happen to have parchment paper on hand, the whole process is even easier because there's no crusty cookie sheet to wash.

My latest effort was a variation of Flu-Fighter Cookies in the new Food Network Magazine. That recipe is jam packed with nuts and fruit and oatmeal and spices. The photograph showing the nuts and fruit on top made an enticing photo, so I made the recipe, with changes, of course. In fact, I made lots of changes.

My version of the cookie omits a few things, such as molasses, cloves, raisins, walnuts and dried cranberries. Instead, my cookies featured dried cherries and pecans, seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg. The big addition, however, was dark chocolate chips to complement the cherries.

Let me tell you just how good these cookies are, fresh out of the oven while the chocolate is still gooey! And the lemon zest adds the most wonderful, fragrant addition to the tasty treats.

My husband and I loved these cookies. I will be making them again.


Fruit and Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate

• 2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• Zest of one lemon
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 bag dried cherries (cut in half)
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Prepare cookie sheets either by lining with parchment paper or lightly coating with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir cinnamon and nutmeg into flour.

In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until creamy. Mix in eggs, yogurt and lemon zest. Slowly incorporate flour and spice mixture. Fold in oats, chocolate chips and half the dried cherries and half the pecans. Mix together remaining cherries and pecans and set aside.

Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop tablespoonsful of dough onto prepared cookie sheets. Place remaining cherries and pecans on cookies. While oven is preheating to 375, let dough chill (on cookie sheet) in refrigerator.

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Don’t let cookies bake too long; cookies should be soft.
Makes about 30 cookies.

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Dip into some spinach

I'm not one to make appetizers for meals. We're lucky to just get the main course and a side dish or two. Appetizers and desserts are few and far between as a general rule at our house.

But the photograph of a spinach dip caught my eye at the grocery store one Saturday morning a few weeks back, and I had to try it.

The recipe for Creamy Spinach and Red Pepper Dip was on the back of the box of Triscuit Thin Crisps that I was buying. I immediately thought how good it would be teamed with the grilled steak sandwiches we were having for supper. If I made that dip, plus my daughter's favorite pizza dip, I could also skip making a salad, I reasoned.

So I bought the Triscuits as well as the ingredients I needed to make the two dip recipes.

I very seldom cook with spinach. I don't know why, but I don't. But I was careful to drain the spinach the best I could, even using my salad spinner, as I had seen suggested in a review for another recipe recently. It only took a few minutes to make the dip, which I refrigerated until suppertime.

My family enjoyed our dips that Saturday night. It was nice to have some different foods on a table -- fun foods at that!

I'm glad I looked on the back of that Triscuit box. I'm always looking at those back-of-the-box recipes. Some of my favorite recipes come from the back of a box. Look for more in coming weeks.


Creamy Spinach and Red Pepper Dip

• 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
• 4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Neufchatel cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped roasted red peppers
• Triscuit Thin Crisps

Mix all ingredients except crackers; cover.
Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.
Serve as a dip with the crackers.

Kraft Foods

Tomatoes in pie?

If you have a garden, odds are good that there are still a few tomatoes, at least, clinging to those fading vines. I noticed several green ones on mine this weekend and will be watching them closely because I've got plans for them. I'm going to make another tomato pie.

I've seen recipes for tomato pie before, and this summer, a number of food blogs I read mentioned various versions of both tomato pies and tomato tarts. The photos showed pies layered with tomatoes and cheese with a golden brown crust; I was intrigued. My husband and I love vine-ripened tomatoes, and we certainly love cheese, so why not give it a try?

I didn't especially want to go by a specific recipe. Instead, I wanted to make my own. So I read recipes online and in a cookbook from my niece's former elementary school in South Carolina, where tomato pies are apparently quite popular.

I read the dozen or so recipes and imagined how each pie would taste. I decided right away that my first tomato pie would be meatless, although some use bacon or even pepperoni. Mine would be a side dish.

I also decided not to use cheddar cheese, although many of the recipes I read did use cheddar. I wanted more of the pizza effect, I guess, and decided on mozzarella and Parmesan.

At first, I didn't want to add onions to my pie, until I saw a comment with one online recipe where the cook had sauteed Vidalia onions for her recipe. That sounded delicious, so I tried it. But I opted not to use garlic. I did, however, use fresh basil from my patio plant.

I also took the advice of recipe reviewers and drained the juice from my tomatoes the best I could.

Here's how I did it: I cut the tomatoes into relatively thin slices, not paper thin, but thin. I placed them on a cooling rack that I positioned inside a jelly roll pan to catch the juice. Then I sprinkled salt and pepper on the tomato slices and let them drain. After an hour or so, I put the tomato slices on paper towels to soak up more liquid. If you only seasoned one side of your tomato, be careful to place it seasoned-side up on the paper towels so the salt and pepper won't rub off. Quite a bit of liquid was removed from my tomatoes, and my pie was certainly not runny. But I also waited to cut the pie until it had cooled for at least 15-20 minutes, based on a reviewer's suggestion, which also helped it firm up.

Those of us at home who love tomatoes, loved this pie. We agreed it reminded us of pizza, although the crust is a pie crust. If I can get the tomatoes, I will make this recipe another time or two before the summer's tomatoes are gone because it is truly delicious.


Lisa’s Tomato Pie

• One frozen or refrigerated pie crust
• 3 to 4 medium, ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onions
• Olive oil
• 3 or 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Dried oregano
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used reduced fat)

Slice tomatoes and season with salt and pepper; drain juice for an hour or so before using.*

Cook pie crust for 10 minutes at temperature recommended on package. Make sure to prick the crust before baking.

While the crust is cooking, saute onions in a little olive oil.

Once crust is cooked, remove from oven (adjusting oven temperature to 375 degrees) and sprinkle a little of the Parmesan cheese on the crust. (Keep in mind that the Parmesan cheese will also be used in the pie’s layers, so don’t use too much.)

Layer tomato slices over cheese. Add a layer of basil, sauteed onions and a little oregano. Repeat layer, omitting basil this time.

Mix mayonnaise and mozzarella cheese and spread on top of pie. Top with remaining Parmesan.

Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes until top is lightly browned and juice is beginning to bubbe through.

Let sit for about 20 minutes before cutting.

* Here’s how I drained my tomatoes: I cut the tomatoes into relatively thin slices, not paper thin, but thin. I placed them on a cooling rack that I positioned inside a jelly roll pan to catch the juice. Then I sprinkled salt and pepper on the tomato slices and let them drain. After an hour or so, I put the tomato slices on paper towels to soak up more liquid. If you only seasoned one side of your tomato, be careful to place it seasoned-side up on the paper towels so the salt and pepper won’t rub off. Quite a bit of liquid was removed from my tomatoes, and my pie was certainly not runny. But I also waited to cut the pie until it had cooled for at least 15-20 minutes, based on a reviewer’s suggestion, which also helped it firm up.