Grandma Bush's Oatmeal Cookies

I love oatmeal. Put it in a cookie and it is even better. I remember having these cookies when I was little and they are delicious. No raisins, nuts or chocolate chips in these. Just pure delicious oatmeal goodness. They have an amazing crispness outside and a nice tender chewy inside. These are phenomenal. This recipe is from my Grandma Bush. She makes some of the best sweets from homemade carmels to bing bars to sugar cookies and these fantastic cookies. Now this recipe calls for shortening, normally I like to substitute butter for shortening because it has more flavor, but in this recipe you MUST use shortening. It just won't turn out the same with butter. I recommend taking these out of the oven just when the outside of the cookie begins to brown and the middle is still slightly soft. As they cool, the middle becomes tender and chewy. If you prefer a crispier cookie, just bake them slightly longer and they are still fantastic.

Oatmeal Cookies:
1 c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2-3 c. oatmeal (I use 3 because I like a lot of oatmeal)

Cream together shortening and sugars. Mix in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Mix in flours, salt and baking soda. Combine well. Stir in oatmeal. Drop onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. Yield 32 cookies.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Casseroles (or as we Minnesotans call them, "hotdish") are such a super easy, comforting, filling and delish supper. They are also perfect for my husband and I because it's just the two of us and casseroles usually reheat pretty well. This Chicken Tamale Casserole I found on the Cooking Light Website. This is filling, and you can't tell that it has been lightened up. By all means, feel free to substitute back in the full fat ingredients. For this chicken, I like to take some help from the store and buy a rotessierie chicken. It already got great flavor and seasonings, plus it is super moist and I don't have to worry about it drying out in the oven. This is definitely a regular meal for us since we love Mexican food and are always looking for other ways to eat Mexican besides tacos. You can make this spicy by purchasing spicy enchilada sauce; we prefer to use the mild variety.

Chicken Tamale Casserole
From Cooking Light
Yield: 8 servings

*9 POINTS+ per serving
 

4 ouces pre-shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
1/3 c. fat-free milk
1 egg
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4 oz) can Cream Style Corn
1 (8.5 oz) box Corn Bread mix (Like Jiffy Brand)
1 (4 oz) can green chiles, drained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
2 c. shredded chicken breast
1/2 c sour cream, reduced fat

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.