Recipe: Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, this is not my recipe originally, but it's amazing and my friend's notes were so helpful that I'm including them with the rest (as it changes the recipe anyway). My notes will come at the end.

Not my picture, but ours didn't really last long enough for one

2 cups flour (I use half wheat, half white)
1 cup quick oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter/margerine, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup raisins **
1 cup nuts (any kind) **

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Cream butter, gradually add sugars, beating untill light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mix well. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips, raisins, nuts. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet, spread with spatula. Bake 20-25 min, untill firm and lightly browned.

**My changes to the recipe: Overmeasure all the dry stuff except for sugar, which I undermeasure. I use a whole 15oz can of pumpkin. I added some flax seed meal and a couple shakes of nutmeg. I left out the nuts and raisins and added extra chocolate. I tried these with the addition of dried cranberries once, it was pretty good. I used teaspoons to drop globs of dough onto the ungreased cookie sheet, didn't smooth them out at all, and they took about 15 minutes to cook.

My changes: I didn't have craisins this time and didn't want to use extra chocolate (plus we only had half the needed cinnamon), so I used cinnamon chips. I used a whole can of pumpkin. Plain, instant oatmeal in place of quick oats (three packets). Ovemeasured dry ingredients, lightly undermeasured sugars. No nutmeg. No nuts or raisins. I squish ours out because they already puff up HUGE. I just use all purpose flour.

Quick, Easy Meal Recipe: Bacon and Eggs Ramen

Seriously? Yes. I'm far from granola in my crunchy status. Every now and then, what I really love is some good old poor people food. If it's already going to be unhealthy, why not go all the way and add bacon?

So, this will be in my "quick meals" recipe file--this one takes a little bit on the longer side, but that's okay, it's still done pretty quick and easy. The bacon is the longest part.

Needed: Two packages Chicken Ramen (trust me, you can do another variety, but chicken is what you want)
Bacon (1-2 strips per person)
3 eggs

So, first thing's first: fry up that bacon in a skillet (no, don't use the oven, you need the bacon grease for the ramen). Start boiling water (I use an electric kettle). When it has about 3 minutes left and your water is boiling, in a large bowl or another skillet, drop the two packets of ramen noodles and pour the water over them. Cover and set a timer for 2 minutes.

Pull the bacon from the skillet when it's done and set it on  some paper towels (or whatever you usually rest bacon on to absorb some grease) and then drain all of the water off the noodles. Put the bacon skillet back on the burner and drop the noodles in. Sprinkle with the seasoning (one packet if you like less sodium, two if you like the full dose) and then drop in the eggs.

Stir like crazy with a spatula. Cook until the eggs firm up all over, then transfer to plates and serve with the bacon on top or on the side. Enjoy!