Single Serve Cookies

While there are innumerous recipes for assorted kinds of cookies available online, virtually every recipe explains how to make a batch of cookies (8 to 12, typically). Sometimes, you want one cookie; and you want it now; and you want it warm and gooey and fresh out of the oven. What's a cookie lover to do?

My solution - which, admittedly, doesn't make the best tasting cookies, but is quick, easy, and satisfies that cookie craving without gluttony - is to make a single cookie. Yes, that's right, I bake one cookie. I do this using a toaster oven and my "single serve" cookie recipe. Now, I don't have the amounts for each ingredient down pat, which is what makes cooking these single serve cookies so much fun - each time it a new experience!

Ok, here are the ingredients, mixed in a small bowl:

• A spoonful of brown sugar
• A spoonful of normal, white sugar
• Two to three spoonfuls of flour
• A few drops of vanilla
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of baking soda
• About a quarter-inch from a stick of butter, melted
• A couple Tablespoons of egg beaters (virtually all cookie recipes call for 1 or 2 eggs; since I'm making a single cookie, I need like 1/4 of an egg. Rather than waste an entire egg to only use 1/4 of it, I buy the egg beaters, which comes in a carton and is egg whites, basically)
• A bit of your favorite cookie add-ons - chocolate chips, walnuts, peanut butter, oatmeal, raisins... whatever you fancy and have lying around

Before mixing, I turn on the toaster oven to 350 degrees or so. After mixing all of these with a spoon, I get out a sheet of aluminum foil and spray some Pam on it. I then spread out the cookie dough mix onto the sheet of aluminum foil and let it bake for 10-15 minutes, depending if I'm in the mood for a chewy or crispy cookie.

Once it's done baking, let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes and then enjoy your dessert!

Turkey Enchiladas

With Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching, we're reaching that time of year where turkey dinners will become the norm around the country. While Turkey is a rather dry meat, it is very affordable and reheats well, making it a great leftover meat. The traditional turkey dinner involves turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberries, stuffing, and the like, and while I enjoy the traditional turkey dinner as much as the next guy, one or two "traditional" turkey dinners per year is more than enough for me. The problem, though, is that typically after one of these traditional turkey dinners there's enough turkey for several more days.

Rather than simply reheating that turkey and reserving with potatoes, gravy, and stuffing, why not turn that leftover turkey into something new? There are a variety of leftover turkey dishes I enjoy, but none as much as turkey enchiladas. They are quite tasty and easy to make, requiring about an hour in total for prep, cooking, and cooling. (If you are not a turkey fan or don't have turkey available but want to try out this recipe nevertheless, you can substitute chicken in for the turkey.)

To start, gather up the following ingredients:

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, mashed and chopped
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 16oz can of diced tomatoes (I prefer picking up the "Mexican Style" canned diced tomatoes, which come with little bits of chopped up green chili)
• 1.5 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano (any kind of Italian seasoning works well here)
• Chili powder to taste (I usually use 2-3 teaspoons)
  
• Black olives
• Cooked turkey (or chicken)
• Corn tortillas
• Cheddar cheese

The first step is to make the enchilada sauce. To accomplish this start by heating the oil in a pan. Next, add the garlic, oregano, tomato paste, and most of the onion. Mix well and simmer for about five minutes. After five minutes add the vinegar, water, diced tomatoes, and chili powder. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes. Then set to thicken.

Once the sauce has thickened, grab a casserole dish and pour and 1/4 of the sauce into the bottom. Next, cut several of the corn tortillas into halves and quarters. The put quarters into the corners of the dish and the halves along the edges. Finally, cover the open area at the bottom with whole tortillas.

Pour more sauce into the dish, enough to cover the tortillas. Then heap generous portions of turkey, black olives, and cheese into the dish. The last step is to cover the dish with another layer of tortillas. For this step, dip the tortillas in the sauce to moisten the underside, and then cover the dish. Finally, pour the remaining sauce on the dish, add some more cheese, and a dash of oregano (or other Italian seasoning, like parsley).

Bake the enchiladas for 20 to 25 minutes uncovered at 350 degrees. Let cool and serve with sour cream and/or guacamole. Makes about 8 servings...

These turkey enchiladas are but one of many ways to better enjoy your leftover Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Enjoy!

Cornbread

Whenever I leave on a business trip my wife bakes up a mean batch of cornbread to keep me sated and thinking of home while away. The cornbread, individually wrapped in saran wrap, makes a great on-the-go snack or meal replacement while waiting at airports or when arriving at a hotel after the restaurant has closed. Her recipe is one of the more healthy cornbread recipes, with a lighter, fluffier result, and is so easy to make that I whipped up batches on my own from time to time.

The ingredients for this delicious cornbread are as follows:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• a pinch of baking soda

(For a less healthy, heavier batch of cornbread, use regular yogurt instead of the nonfat kind.)

Once you've got all of your ingredients, simply mix them together and then pour into a glass pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes and then set out to cool. If you're making the cornbread to comfort your significant other while they're away, after the cornbread cools cut it into 2"x2" squares, wrap in saran wrap, place in a brown paper bag, and put it in your spouse's suitcase. :-)

Enjoy!

Chicken Fiesta

Interested in cooking a quick, easy chicken dish that's both filling and tasty? If so, you have to give Chicken Fiesta a try, it's remarkably easy to make and comes out tasting great! The ingredients list is simple enough:

• 1 box stuffing
• Chicken (I typically use 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts)
• 1 can of lite fruit cocktail
• Mayonnaise

This dish is, essentially, just chicken and stuffing, but the twist here lies in how the stuffing is prepared. To start, you'll need to prepare the stuffing per the directions on the box. However, rather than using the margarine and water, substitute in mayo and the syrup from the fruit cocktail.

Once the stuffing has been made, place it at the bottom of a glass pan and then put the chicken on top. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour. After the hour, place the fruit from the fruit cocktail on top of the chicken and bake for another 15 minutes.

And that's it! In about 5 to 10 minutes of real work - making the stuffing, loading it in the pan, and clean-up - you'll have a delicious, warm, and filling chicken dinner. Enjoy!