Oatmeal craisin cookies

It's Christmas and its all about family, presents and parties....lots of parties, class parties, office parties, and family parties. But what to bring to these get together a if necessary?!? Well I was thinking about just that when I remembered at 7pm that I had a party to go to 11am tomorrow.......so what to make?

I looked in the pantry and it was like two spotlights were shining on the oatmeal and craisins, so I thought I love craisins and one of my favorite cookies is oatmeal raisin......BOOM.....it hit oatmeal craisin cookies!!!

So here it is. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!

1 cup of butter/margarine softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups of uncooked oats
2 cups of craisins

Preheat oven to 375*.

Cream butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon together and then add to butter sugar mix. Add oats and craisins. Mix well.

Drop teaspoons of dough onto greased cookie sheets bake 10-12 minutes.

Stuffed Grilled Chicken Greek Style

So in Louisiana my favorite Greek/Lebanese restaurant is in the small city of Zachary named Cafe Phoenicia. It is a life changer with every bite you slip further into Mt. Olympus. The only bad thing about it is that it has got to be a gagillion calories so I have to dial it down a bit. So I decided to take ALL the flavors that I know to be in Cafe Phoenicia's food and stuff them into a chicken breast.

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food." -George Bernard Shaw


Ingredients

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
1 5 oz container fat free feta cheese
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato, chopped
1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 clove garlic, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon rosemarie
1/2 teaspoon dried sundried tomatoes

Preheat grill to medium. Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, rosemarie, dried sundried tomatoes and oregano in a small bowl. Mix well. Sprinkle seasonings over both sides of chicken breasts.

Combine feta cheese, onion, Italian parsley, sun-dried tomato, kalamata olives and garlic in a medium bowl. Mix well. Spoon mixture into each chicken breast, and fold over top half of breast.

Grill breast over medium heat for 25 - 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Cook 15 mins on each side.

Crawfish Pie

Ok so the first time I ever had this savory pie I thought I heard Angels.....from that day on I have decided that I was going to recreate this fantastic dish. And at $13 a slice it was a more economical choice for my addiction to make it myself and spend around $20 for the whole pie!!!

So I offer you this wonderful gift to the culinary world!!! Be ready to be the star chef of your Casa!!!!!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes
2 pound crawfish tails
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cup water
Store bought refrigerated Pie Crust

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, cayenne, and black pepper. Saute for about 8 minutes, or until golden and wilted. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the crawfish tails and parsley. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes. Dissolve the flour in the water and add to the pan. Stir for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Place the crust in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan and crimp the edges. Pour the crawfish mixture into the pie crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the edges of the pie crust are golden. Cool for several minutes. Cut and ENJOY!!