This is another recipe from my No-Bake Cookies cookbook. This one is a little trickier because the cookie mixture dries and hardens quickly, so once you stir in the oats you need to move fast to get the cookies out. The easiest thing to do is pre-measure the hazelnut spread and oats before you stir them in so you can move fast once you remove the saucepan from heat. Stir the oats in two batches, making sure the first half is coated before you dump in the second half.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/3 milk
1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups quick oats

Line cookie sheets with waxed paper.

In a large saucepan, combine butter, unsweetened chocolate, sugar, and milk, stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Continue stirring and bring to a full, rolling boil. Remove pan from heat.

Stir in hazelnut spread and vanilla, stirring until hazelnut spread is melted. Quickly stir in oats, coating well.

Working quickly, drop the mixture by tablespoonfuls onto lined cookie sheets. Allow to cool about 30 minutes until cookies are firm. Store tightly covered between sheets of waxed paper.

Here are some great websites related to cooking and baking:

http://www.cooks.com/

This website is full of user supplied recipes. You can type in a particular type of recipe, such as “spinach artichoke dip,” or search by categories like meat, vegetables, and pasta.

http://www.foodsubs.com/

This is a cooking “Thesaurus” with great tips for the kitchen.

http://www.plumbingsupply.com/lifetimetips.html

This webpage is called “Tips of a Lifetime” and has tips relating to cooking, baking, and general kitchen maintenance.

http://food.aol.com/food/channel

This is AOL’s Food Channel, which has an awesome recipe collection to search. Many of the recipes come from Cooking Light and Real Simple magazines. There is also a great section called “Dinner Tonight,” which contains hundreds of meals to make for dinner.

http://allrecipes.com/

Another recipe database full of user provided ideas.

http://www.bakespace.com/

This is the “MySpace” for bakers (and cookers). An interactive blog/recipe collection. If you would like to look me up, my user name is “jennscookbook”

http://www.recipezaar.com/

This recipe collection website also offers a free email newsletter.

This is a great recipe from the book “No-Bake Cookies” that combines dark brown sugar and real butter, which creates a praline-like taste (similar to the Brown Sugar Cookies from the post on August 11th, 2006). Add in some butterscotch pudding and instant espresso and you get what the author calls a “rich, comforting cookie, reminiscent of flavored espresso drinks from the local coffee shop.” With only 7 ingredients, these cookies are easy to make with little clean up.

2 cups packed dark brown sugar (equal to one 16 oz package)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 small package instant butterscotch pudding mix
2 tsp instant espresso (or 1 tbsp instant coffee)
2 1/2 cups quick oats

Line cookie sheets with waxed paper.

In a large heavy-duty saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a full, rolling boil. Remove pan from heat.

Stir in pudding mix, instant espresso, and quick oats. Mix well until all the oats are coated.

Drop mixture by rounded tablespoons onto lined cookies sheets. Allow to cool and become firm, about 30 minutes. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

Note about dark brown sugar:
Dark brown sugar is regular brown sugar mixed with molasses, which burns easily. To prevent burning, stir mixture constantly while heating. Mixture is at a full, rolling boil when it bubbles even while you are stirring.

This zesty recipe combines fresh citrus with sweet, sour, and spicy Asian flavors. Basil adds an earthy note to the dish.

1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp grated orange rind
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp dark or toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp grated lime rind
1 pound fresh mushrooms, halved
3-4 large fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add orange rind, oils, and lime rind. Stir well. Arrange mushrooms in a large bowl or shallow baking dish. Pour marinade over mushrooms, coating well. Toss in basil leaves, mixing mushrooms. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Marinading Tips:
Prepare mushrooms in the morning before work for a great side dish at dinner. If mushrooms are large, quarter them. You can also keep mushrooms whole and marinade for 24 hours. Serve cold or bake for 20-25 minutes at 350F after marinading, or use sliced mushrooms and simmer all ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat then serve over steamed rice.

This recipe is from Cooking Light’s special edition magazine “Chicken for Dinner.” The warm, tangy, slightly buttery sauce is the perfect comfort food on a cold day. You can substitute lemon if you don’t have any lime on hand.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
cooking spray
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp lime juice, divided (one large lime, juiced)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp water
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp butter

Trim fat off chicken and place between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderizer or rolling pin, pound to 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 7-8 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.

Add chicken broth, brown sugar, 2 tbsp of the lime juice, and Dijon mustard to pan. Stir well, cooking over medium heat and scraping the pan to loosen browned bits.

Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to pan, stir well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook 1 minute or until sauce begins to thicken slightly. Whisk in remaining 1 tbsp lime juice and butter, stirring until butter melts. Return chicken to pan and simmer 2-5 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.

Remove chicken and place on serving plate. Pour sauce into a small bowl and serve on the side.

Serving Suggestion: this sauce goes great with steamed veggies like green beans and carrots. Mashed potatoes or potato wedges also go well with this dish.

Lime Tip:

To get more juice from a lime, roll the lime around on a counter top using the palm of your hand. You can also place the lime (or lemon) in the microwave for 5-10 seconds to loosen the juices. One large lime/medium lemon should yield about 3 tbsp.