soft and chewy cowboy cookies

To me, there are a few things that make the perfect cookie. First, it has to be soft and chewy, not hard and crispy. Second, it has to be a fairly easy recipe and be made with ingredients I usually have on hand so it only takes a few minutes to make a batch after a long day, when a friend is in need, or when I want to do something fun with my toddler. And third, they have to freeze well so we can pull a few out when we have guests over.

My favorite go-to is this recipe for soft and chewy cowboy cookies. They are just so yummy and soft. The oats set them apart from a regular 'ole chocolate chip, and the M&Ms add both color and deliciousness.

This has been a very long week over at our house, and to be honest, it helps knowing I have a batch in the freezer that I can sneak when the kids are in bed and I want a 5-minute break. 

So without further ado, I give you the easy, soft, chewy, delicious, cowboy cookies we love so much around here.

SOFT AND CHEWY COWBOY COOKIES

*recipe adapted from my cousins, Matt and Michelle Ratto. An earlier version was shared on my blog a few years ago here.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup shortening
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups M&Ms (or any combination of chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc.)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1/4 cup slivered almonds (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the shortening, butter, and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended. Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Add oats, nuts, M&Ms (or chocolate chips) and coconut and mix until combined. Scoop cookie mixture onto greased cookie sheet (can line with nonstick mat or parchment paper). Bake for 10-13 minutes until the edges are barely light brown and the middle still looks a little under done. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

TIPS FOR AWESOME COOKIES:

+ I always add a little extra flour to give it extra fluffiness. If you're at a high altitude, also throw in 1/2 teaspoon of water.

+ Millions of lives have been ruined by people overbaking their cookies. Don't do it. Take them out a tiny bit before they look done. I promise it will make for the perfect soft cookie and lots of happy friends. Check those babies every minute after about 5 minutes!

+ If a little bit more than the prescribed amount of M&Ms happens to make it into your dough..... well, there would be no way of knowing ;)

+ I always use my small ice cream scoop to make perfect rounded cookie dough balls.

+ Recipe makes three dozen cookies. 

+ These cookies are also great as massive cookies! Make 6 large cookies, slightly flattened, per cookie sheet.

Enjoy!

chicken with sun-dried tomato basil cream sauce

I had to fend off my husband to get three minutes alone with this plate of food and photograph it before Sam gobbled it up. Literally. That's how good this recipe is, you guys.

We first had this sun-dried tomato basil cream sauce a few years ago at my family's house in Alpine. It quickly became Sam's favorite, and whenever it was his birthday, he'd request that Krysti make it for him. I finally wised up and got the recipe from her. The rest is history, as they say. Sam requests it for every single birthday. And Father's Day. And Valentine's Day. And holiday of any kind. And every week when I'm making a grocery list and ask what he wants to eat. Last week we had it just because it was Monday.

In fact, if you've been over for dinner in the last year, chances are we've served you this dish. Or homemade Cafe Rio. We're currently on a homemade Cafe Rio kick.

I can't begin to explain how good this recipe is. First, I start with chicken tenderloins, coat them in crunchy Italian breadcrumbs, and bake them until the chicken falls apart in your mouth. Then, I top it with sun-dried tomato basil sauce. The sauce is easy to make and full of flavorful garlic, sweet basil, delicious cream, melted parmesan cheese, and pops of sun-dried tomatoes (which I don't usually like, but trust me, they are so good in this recipe). Last, I drizzle the sauce over the chicken, add some rice pilaf and whatever baked vegetable I'm in the mood for, et voila. Heaven in my mouth.

Here's the recipe. It was originally adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything, but I've changed it enough over the years that I claim it as my own. (In my apparently-not-humble-at-all opinion, I've managed to make it both easier and more delicious.)

You're welcome in advance.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO BASIL CREAM SAUCE
serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
6 Tbs butter, divided
6 chicken tenderloins, thawed (or 3 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise)
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup chicken broth (or 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup water)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

THE CHICKEN: Preheat the oven to 375. Melt 3 Tbs butter in a bowl and put breadcrumbs in a second bowl. Dip chicken tenderloins in the butter and then coat with breadcrumbs. Place each coated chicken piece in a baking dish (I use an ungreased 11x7 baking dish).  Cook in oven for about an hour, or until crispy on edges and very tender in the middle.

THE SAUCE: Melt 3 Tbs butter on a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add crushed garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in cream and sun-dried tomatoes; bring to a boil and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low. Add parmesan cheese, basil and pepper. Heat through.

Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve with this rice pilaf and roasted broccoli or zucchini. And if some sauce accidentally gets on the rice pilaf, well, there's really nothing you can do except eat it (and rejoice in the excuse for added sauce).

Yummmmm. Sam just took the last of the leftovers to work today, which is a shame because looking at these pictures makes me wish I was having it again for dinner tonight.

PIN FOR LATER:

cranberry pineapple yogurt bowl

Naturally the first thing I did when we got back from our holiday late last night was head to the kitchen to see what snacks I could rummage up. (Nothing, by the way. It was so disappointing.)

So after putting the kids to bed, I sat down and made a grocery list for the next morning. Isn't it weird how a little break from something will make you so much more eager to get back into it? I was in such a food rut before I left, but when I made my list last night, it was filled with all sorts of yummy new recipes I want to try, and some old classics we love (see my easy weeknight dinner recipes here). 

Today's late breakfast was a super delicious yogurt bowl. My stepmom and I first fine-tuned this recipe on New Year's Eve, and I was reticent about the fresh pineapple with the vanilla yogurt, but I have to say it's my favorite part. 

Here's a quick how-to in case you're in the mood for a delicious morning yogurt bowl. This bowl is quick and easy, can be tweaked to fit your mood, is a nice healthier option, and has the most delicious flavor combinations.

CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE YOGURT BOWL

You'll need:

vanilla yogurt

sliced fresh pineapple

Post® Great Grains® cereal (we like the Cranberry Almond Crunch)

almonds, slivered or chopped

dried cranberries

optional: shredded coconut

I didn't include exact amounts of any of these ingredients, because the beauty of a homemade yogurt bowl is you can do whatever you want with it! Start with the yogurt (I did about 2 cups and split it with my toddler), and then sprinkle everything on top. I crushed the cereal just a bit before adding it to break up the largest flakes. I am NOT a huge coconut fan, so I left it out, but my brother added coconut to his and totally loved it, so add some of that in there too if you like!

See the video version of this recipe here. (Why are those live-action cooking videos so mesmerizing? I always watch them when they appear in my Facebook feed.)

Looking for more breakfast ideas to jumpstart your healthy eating resolutions? Click here for inspiration and awesome coupons for Post® Great Grains® cereal!

What are your favorite yogurt bowl combinations?

I also have a white chocolate and berry one I love, 

but, you know, pretty sure white chocolate chips

don't fall under the "eat healthy" resolutions

we're all trying to make these days. ;)

at home date nights + our favorite white chocolate salted popcorn

Sam and I have recently gotten a lot better at in-home date nights. Before we had kids, we almost always went out for date night. And then, when we became parents, we still went out a lot (mostly because we had Jason living with us, and he is the most awesome built-in babysitter in the world). But now that we have three kids and no free babysitting, we've done a lot more at-home dates, and we've gotten a lot better at it.

Five guidelines we usually follow:

1. All regular date-night rules apply. We put our phones away. There's a specific start time. There's a specific plan (although it's nice not to schedule down to the minute for purposes of getting the babysitter home on time). All these guidelines help us feel like our date is something special, and not just the two of us lounging at home like a regular night.

2. Stick to a loose theme. If you look on Pinterest, you can find many an elaborate, detailed, fancy at-home date night theme. We are much more low maintenance, and don't require the transformation of our room into a two-tiered fort or a homemade four-course Italian meal to feel like we're doing something special. Oftentimes, we'll watch a fun cooking show and munch on the same cuisine featured on the episode (this was a favorite when I was on bedrest every night while pregnant with the twins). We also like Hawaiian nights, complete with homemade tropical smoothies eaten on the back porch in the warm night air (thanks Arizona for making this possible 9 months out of the year). Simple semi-themed activities help make at-home dates fun for us.

3. Take turns planning it. We have at-home dates about every other week, so we only have to plan it once a month each. Knowing my turn is coming up gets me thinking about fun things to do.

4. No kids allowed. We are pretty strict about making sure all our kids are in bed by 7:30, which gives us a nice dating time slot. It didn't always work out this way, and we had to be flexible when the twins were newborns, but we love our early bedtime schedule and the date night time it allows us. A lot of families have later bedtimes and love to have the kids join in for a family date night, but kid-free nights work so much better for us personally.

5. Yummy treats don't hurt. (Is it even date night if food isn't included??) Whether it's a big bowl of popcorn we share while watching funny YouTube videos or a dessert we make together before having a nerf gun war, we basically always include food. What can I say, it's the quickest way to my heart.

Here's a quick recipe we made for date night last week. Popcorn is my favorite thing to incorporate into our date nights, and we love this recipe so much (see my yummy autumn version of it here). In fact, we might whip up a few batches for neighbor gifts this week.

How to make it:

SWEET AND SALTY WHITE CHOCOLATE POPCORN

10 cups or one bag low-fat popcorn (we love PopSecret Homestyle, and get the big 10-count packs from Walmart)
1 bag (2 cups) white chocolate chips
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup M&Ms
sprinkles

Pop the popcorn. Put it in a paper bag with a small hole cut in the corner and shake gently to remove any unpopped kernels. Then pour the popcorn in a large bowl and add the M&Ms.

Put white chocolate chips in a bowl and melt in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds.

Pour the melted white chocolate chips over the popcorn mixture a little at a time, sprinkling with salt and stirring as you go. Stir until evenly combined and well-salted.

Store any extras in an airtight container. Enjoy!

For an added bonus for next week's date night, buy 2 Pop-Secret 10 count or 10+2 count bonus packs at Walmart between 12/7/16 - 1/8/17 and get an $8 credit toward a ticket to the Assassin’s Creed movie while supplies last. Sam's played the Assassin's Creed game before, and it's crazy how intricate and detailed the setting was. He's highly interested in how the movie will be.

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Pop Secret, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #Pop4AssassinsCreed  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

15 minutes of calm (+ yummy cookies)

Do you ever feel like you're just a circus master watching the chaos erupt around you in your own home? No, it's just me and my crazy kids? Okay then. Never mind.

We're all alive and well - it's just been a chaotic week with lots of crazy things popping up. Last night I ended up at urgent care with my daughter who had a jelly bean stuck up her nose. I just had to laugh. Kids, man. They don't stick to the master plan.

So here are some pictures from fifteen minutes that were very calm and happy this week. These days, my toddler is happy whenever she gets to help me cook, and the twins are happy whenever they get to sit in their little seats and look around. We've been making lots of simple yummy recipes lately (we're talking this level of simple), and it's fun to get my daughter involved.

Shown here are some sugar cookies and the yummiest salted caramel cookies I've had in a long while. In case you also have fifteen minutes and love everything salted caramel:

COOKIE MIX SALTED CARAMEL COOKIES

Ingredients:
1 pouch Betty Crocker Salted Caramel Cookie Mix
1 egg
1 stick butter, softened but not melted
1 package caramels, unwrapped
decorative sugar crystals

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Mix the cookie mix, egg, and softened butter in a bowl.
3. Fold 2Tbsp cookie dough around a caramel to form a ball. Place on greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
4. Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until edges are barely starting to brown. Remove from cookie sheet immediately.
5. Add sprinkle of decorative sugar crystals on top. Enjoy!

We got the cookie mixes at Walmart, and at only two bucks each, we consider it well worth our pennies. One day I'll make time for recipes that require sifting flour and clarifying liquids, but for now, these are a great easy treat our family loves.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who's had a crazy week. Good thing we have a nice long holiday weekend coming up! I am SO excited for a few days with no work or school (we'll probably make more cookies).

Easy Weeknight Dinners: Gourmet Open-Faced Quesadillas

Happy Monday, and welcome to a new mini-series here on Silver Lining! Dinner time at our house is often the craziest time of the day, so through the years I've really focused on simplifying. For us, that means meals that are easy to make, ready quickly, fairly healthy, and inexpensive. I want to share some of our easy weeknight dinner recipes with you. None of these will be extremely gourmet or fancy, but all of them will work if you're looking for a quick yummy dinner without slaving away or breaking the bank.

(Read my first post here: Easy Weeknight Jambalaya)

Today I wanted to share one of my favorites: Gourmet Open-Faced Quesadillas

We've been making stuffed quesadillas at my house for years, but one night I only had one tortilla left. I decided to leave it open-faced and broil it instead of grill it. You guys, it was so good! These open-faced quesadillas are crunchy on the edges, warm and gooey in the center, and topped with all my favorite Mexican food ingredients.

Think of it as a south-of-the-border pizza: the refried beans are your sauce, the cheese is next, and then you can personalize the toppings to finish it off. (At our house, we all make our own "Mexican Pizza" so we can have it however we want.)

Then, just broil those babies in the oven for a few minutes. When I was growing up, my mom would often call me to sit on a chair and watch something broil in the oven. It was my sole responsibility to call out when the food was beginning to brown so she could take it out at just the right second. Even today, broiling things makes me think of cooking with my mom in warm kitchens on rainy Oregon evenings.

We also love these because they're great when you need to clean out the fridge. The only things you absolutely need are tortillas, refried beans and cheese. Everything else changes weekly depending on what I'm trying to get rid of: corn, bell peppers, olives, diced chiles, tomatoes, etc.

The recipe:

GOURMET OPEN-FACED QUESADILLAS

INGREDIENTS:

1 flour tortilla
1/2 cup refried beans (regular spreads much better than non-fat)
1/3 cup shredded cheese, cheddar or blend of your choice
Optional toppings: corn, bell peppers, olives, diced chiles, tomatoes, spanish rice, etc.
Optional garnish: lime juice, salsa, or hot sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. Spread a layer of refried beans over your tortilla
2. Sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese on top.
3. Personalize with any toppings you like. (See above for topping ideas.)
4. Place on pizza tray (or cookie sheet) on the top rack of your oven and broil on high until edges are crispy and cheese is fully melted.
5. Cut into 6-8 slices with pizza cutter.
6. Add hot sauce or salsa, if desired. Serve immediately.

*I happened to have a lime on hand when I took these pictures so I sprinkled the juice on top. It was good, but it's also good without the lime, so don't sweat it if you don't have one. Like I mentioned earlier, this really is a meal of improvisation!

Enjoy! 

Anyone else make these on the regular?

What would you put on your open-faced quesadilla?

chocolate mint protein smoothie

Today we're back with another smoothie post, because we can't get enough of a nice cold smoothie after our morning walks. (And sometimes for afternoon snack as well!)

We love this smoothie because it tastes more like a milkshake than anything else. It's rich and creamy and super thick (if you don't love thick drinks as much as we do, you can make yours with less ice). Even with its decadent taste, it still has all the health benefits of a smoothie - lots of protein, a whole banana, and even a serving size of spinach (that you can't taste at all).

CHOCOLATE MINT PROTEIN SMOOTHIE

1 cup milk or almond milk

3 scoops OLLY chocolate smoothie (nourishing powder or kids smoothie powder)

1 banana, frozen

handful spinach leaves

1 tsp mint extract

ice cubes for desired thickness and temperature

optional: 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Tips and tricks:

+ We alway start by mixing our milk and protein powder first, and then add ingredients by thickness (easiest ingredient to blend goes in next). We finish off by adding ice cubes one by one while the blender is on until we reach desired thickness.

+We've tried a few different protein powders and really like this one. It's a rich, nourishing plant-based protein blend that's perfect for kids and adults. And so yummy too.

+ I've seen a lot of recipes online that use real fresh mint instead of mint extract. We tried it once, and it was still pretty good, but it tasted much.... healthier... than our version. Maybe you'll like it more than we did though! 

+ Sometimes when we're feeling indulgent we'll throw in a few chocolate chips as well. Too many makes the smoothie too rich, but sometimes a few is a nice yummy touch. 

Thank you to OLLY Smoothies for sponsoring today's blog post. The opinions expressed here are all my own, as is my love for a daily morning smoothie. Interested in learning more about OLLY's super-powered, plant-based blends? Check out their website HERE or and then click HERE to enter to win a huge giveaway, and get a great OLLY coupon while you're at it.

our two favorite smoothies

As the days get slowly cooler here in Arizona, we've been venturing out for more outdoor activities. The twins are slowly getting on a dependable schedule, and we've been trying to implement more regular morning routines around here. Claire loves to be outside, so the routine usually involves a quick walk with the twins in the double stroller, followed by our daily smoothies. Today I wanted to share our two favorite smoothie recipes. Because doesn't a yummy, protein-packed fruit and vegetable smoothie just hit the spot after a nice long walk?

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE

This is probably our favorite smoothie. I mean, chocolate, need I say more?! I also like that we can sneak in spinach, because plain leafy greens is one of only two foods my daughter won't eat. (The other food is tomatoes - apparently we didn't introduce her to salad early enough in life?). 

For two large servings:

3-4 scoops OLLY chocolate smoothie (nourishing powder or kids smoothie powder)

1 frozen banana

16 oz milk

1 Tbsp peanut butter

handful of fresh spinach leaves

ice cubes (optional, to achieve desired thickness)

TROPICAL BANANA SMOOTHIE

What I love about this smoothie is that it's really really really really hard to mess up. In fact, writing out an actual recipe is difficult because I usually throw stuff in that sounds good and see what I end up with. As long as you stick to the same basic taste family, you should be good.

For two large servings:

8-12 oz milk

6 oz yogurt (any flavor will do!)

1 banana

2-3 cups frozen fruit (we love the mango, strawberry and banana mix found in most stores)

handful of fresh spinach leaves

1 scoop (or more, to taste) OLLY strawberry probiotic smoothie

ice cubes (optional, to achieve desired thickness)

The easiest part about these smoothies is using the OLLY smoothie powder - without thinking about it, you get a nourishing, plant-based protein blend in every serving that's perfect for kids and adults. And oh so yummy too. 

And now that I'm editing all these yummy-looking pictures, I'm in the mood for another smoothie. Dinner, anyone?

Thank you to OLLY Smoothies for sponsoring today's blog post. The opinions expressed here are all my own, as is my love for a daily morning smoothie. Interested in learning more about OLLY's super-powered, plant-based blends? Check out their website HERE or and then click HERE to enter to win a huge giveaway, and get a great OLLY coupon while you're at it.