{white chocolate orange cookies}

My friend Brook showed up on my doorstep with these cookies one lovely evening, and I've been thanking her ever since.  :)  They are my new favorite cookie, and I love them just as much substituting the orange for lemon or lime.  They are divine!!!

White Chocolate Orange Cookies

1 c. butter

½ c. white sugar

½ c. brown sugar

1 egg

2 ¼ c. flour

¾ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

2 T. grated orange peel (about 2 large oranges)

1 ½-2 c. white chocolate chips

Mix butter and sugar until creamy.  Beat in egg.  Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix.  When you get a dough consistency, mix in the orange peel and chocolate by hand.  Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool on a wire rack.

*You can substitute lemon or lime instead of the orange.

{south of the border sandwiches}

This sandwich is TO DIE FOR good.  It has so many of my favorites flavors, textures, and ingredients in it, and I love it.  I also love it for a couple of other reasons--my kids will eat it (at least the turkey and cheese), and it's super fast and easy.  I served it with homemade oven fries, and two days later, I'm still craving it!  The sauce is absolutely divine--I used light mayo and sour cream to make it more figure friendly--and I even dipped my fries in it.  YUM! Emma and I are eating gluten free, so I just used a loaf of homemade gluten-free bread, and it was delicious!

 South of the Border Sandwiches

(recipe source)

1 loaf French bread, cut into 3/4" thick slices

½ cup olives, chopped
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lite mayonnaise
1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
1 pound sliced turkey
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 ripe avocados, sliced
¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
¾ cup pepper jack or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine olives, chili powder, cumin, and salt; set aside 2 Tablespoons of this mixture. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, and green onions to the remaining olive mixture.

Place bread on an ungreased baking sheet and spread 1 Tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture on each slice. Top with slices of turkey and tomatoes. Spread with another Tablespoon of mayonnaise mixture (I didn't add this because I didn't think it needed it). Top with avocados and cheeses. Sprinkle with the reserved 2 Tablespoons of olive mixture. Bake @ 350 for 15 min. Makes 8-10 servings.

{northern cornbread}

Wow!  It's been a long time since I've posted a recipe!  I just finished completely re-doing my recipe binder(s), and I am thrilled.  I discovered a few long lost recipes, got rid of recipes we didn't like or didn't use, and added a ton of new favorites. 

Today I'm sharing an old favorite.  It's definitely chili weather, and it's something our family loves and eats often.  The perfect complement to chili is cornbread, and I am forced to choose between two wonderful choices--Southern Cornbread (in right side column), and Northern Cornbread.

Northern Cornbread is a little more cake-y and sweet, and very delicious.  Serve it warm with butter, or dip it in your chili--either way, you will want more!

Northern Cornbread

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk together:

1 ¼ c. cornmeal

¾ c. flour

4 T. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

Whisk in separate bowl:

2 large eggs

2/3 c. milk

2/3 c. buttermilk

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until moistened. Fold in 2-3 T. butter or oil.  Bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9x9 square pan, or 10-12 minutes in a 12-cup muffin tin.