Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I usually half the recipe b/c it makes nearly 5 dozen.

Also, it is important to make large mounds ( a little bigger than golf ball size) and if you can chill/freeze the dough balls before cooking.

2 cups butter (room temp)

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

4 cups flour

5 cups old fashioned oatmeal

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

3 cups chopped nuts

24 oz choc chip

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla. Stir in flour and oatmeal. Add salt, soda, cinnamon. Add nuts and chips last. Mix well. Place ball mounds of dough on greased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes.

Cheesecake

4 packages of cream cheese

8 eggs, separated

2 cups of sugar

2 tsp vanilla

tsp of lemon zest (optional)

Separate egg whites from yolks. Beat the whites until they are very stiff. Then beat the softened cream cheese, yolks, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Add whites and blend, but don't overbeat. Fold into a graham cracker crust Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 1 hour. It will get somewhat brown and begin to rise in the middle when it is done. Be sure that the oven is not too hot. Top with 1 cup of sour cream, 3 Tbsp. of sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla. Turn off the oven, crack the door and let sit for an hour. Then take out of the oven and let cool in the fridge uncovered for 4 hours.

Meemaw's Chocolate Pecan Pie

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 t. vanilla

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 cup chopped pecans

1 pkg. chocolate chips

Beat eggs and mix other ingredients in the order given. Pour into an unbaked pie crust and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Best when served warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Blackberry Cobbler

Crust:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

pinch of cinnamon

Filling:

5 cups of blackberries

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

Mix crust ingredients with a pastry blender until crumbly. Place blackberries in baking dish, dot with butter and cover with sugar. Pour crumbly crust over fruit and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Top with ice cream.

Biscuits

2 cups self rising flour
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk

Combine dry ingredients. Cut butter into flour mixture with pastry cutter. Carefully stir in buttermilk until blended, do not over mix. Turn dough onto floured surface. Knead 3 to 4 times. Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter. Bake at 375 for 18 to 20 minutes

Jambalaya

1/4 olive oil
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 green pepper chopped
2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 pound smoked sausage
2 cups uncooked rice, can use brown
2 cups chicken broth
1 14 oz. can whole tomatoes with liquid
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Heat oil in large cast iron pot. Add next 4 ingredients and cook until tender, 4 or 5 minutes.
Add shrimp and sausage. cook for 10 minutes. Add rice, broth , tomatoes and all seasonings except parsley. cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook slowly 40 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Add parsley just before serving.