My Cooking Spot

When Girl Meets Kitchen



Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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I’ll be honest.  I’ve never been one to put raisins in cookies.  I’m a chocoholic from way back.

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But my husband is a big raisin fan.  He loves raisins in things like rice pudding and cinnamon rolls.

So, today, for him, I set aside my raisins-do-not-belong-in-cookies rule and made Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

These cookies area based on my very favorite Plain Oatmeal Cookie recipe.  It’s a long time favorite, even though it doesn’t have chocolate.

I really love oatmeal cookies.  They have such an awesome texture and flavor.  I even made some oatmeal cookies for the county fair when I was a kid.  I don’t want to brag or anything, but they got an honorable mention.

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Pinot Noir Caramelized Onions with Roasted Garlic Goat Cheese Crostini

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A Tapas date night is what is was. A nice date with the hubs and all planned in the backyard. This recipe was one of my favorites. In fact, my brother came over and couldn’t stop eating the leftovers of this. He could not believe the flavors and said he would have never thought of a recipe like this.

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Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Mint Dressing

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Fruit salad and summer go hand in hand. Especially in this house. When the temp reaches in the triple digits, and stays there for 3 – 4 months, we want to eat something cool and refreshing.

The mint lime dressing is the perfect accompaniment. It is almost like a fruit mojito. You have to try this dressing. It is so yummy and I can’t get enough of it on any kind of fruit. Not to mention that it is so simple, it is almost a crime not to add this dressing onto your fruit salad.
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Fruit-Salad

I made this salad for a tapas date night, so I used fruits that were tropical and my vibrant. I included pineapple, strawberries, kiwis and watermelon, but you can use any of your favorite fruits for this recipe. I just love the combination of the fruits I chose and I love how vibrant and bright these fruits are. I used a melon baller for the watermelon, but that was mostly just for presentation. It is optional obviously. But I have always loved a good melon baller to make my fruit in little bite size shapes.

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Chilled Tomato Basil & Roasted Garlic Soup with Avocado Yogurt

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I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.

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Sometimes a recipe can drop from the heavens and land in your lap. It can come from necessity, a craving, or just some creativity in the kitchen.

This recipe was made from all three. I have a deep love for tomatoes, and I was searching for some ideas for lunch and that would also fit into my clean-eating diet. I also wanted it to be something that I could easily make to take to work for lunch. It needed to be refreshing because I live in Phoenix, and the summers can be brutal. The last thing I want to eat is a hot and greasy lunch when the temperatures can reach as high as 120+ degrees in the middle of summer. This couldn’t be a more perfect summer recipe for any occasion.

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My recipe criteria was:

1. Can make in a hurry
2. Easily take to work
3. Super healthy
4. Oh so delicious
5. #dinnerdone

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I started to brainstorm recipe ideas and looked in my kitchen cupboard to try to put something together that was filling, low calorie and satisfying. I grabbed my Hunt’s diced tomatoes and basil from the fridge and thought I could experiment with making something yummy.

I choose to use canned tomatoes because they are already cooked, peeled and ready to go. Using peeled tomatoes keeps the texture of my soup the way I like it. I also must admit that I really like the flavor when it’s a premium brand like Hunt’s. I use their diced tomatoes and the main difference with Hunt’s to other brands is that they use a unique flashsteam peeling method. Hunt’s only uses steam and water to peel their tomatoes, unlike other brands that may use lye to remove the peel.

This recipe could not be easier. I make it all the time now and it is great because it just takes a few minutes, and you can make a large batch that can last you all week. I also love this recipe because you can add anything to change it up and add some crunchy texture. On occasion, I sometimes add anything from fresh corn kernels, avocado, diced cucumbers, radishes and peppers. The options are endless.

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