Banana S'mores

I found these on pinterest - so easy and so delicious!  Just slice a banana, stuff with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows and bake at 375 for 6-8 min and you have warm chocolate goodness in the picture below.

Cooking Light Pasta Salad with Mint, Melon & Prosciutto

I just discovered a wonderful little Italian shop in Littleton, CO that specializes in homemade raviolis and also has all the staples of a good Italian deli including fabulous prosciutto!  For my local readers, the shop is called The Rav House Homemade Gourmet.  On the day I visited the owner had just pulled out a batch of scratch made cinnamon rolls that he was taking to his fellow shop owners and he gave me one straight out of the oven.  Heavenly!  Ok, back to the recipe, in a Cooking Light magazine they had several mix and match pasta salad recipes and this one was perfect since I had just brought home the Italian prosciutto!

Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients:
3 cups of your favorite cooked, chilled pasta with a tablespoon of olive oil
½ cup cubed fresh cantaloupe
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1.5 ounces shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Mix and enjoy.  So easy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are some of Erik's favorite cookies and he said the take a long time to make.  We whipped them up one night after dinner in no time and they were really good cookies.  I think this plate of cookies disappeared faster than I should admit :)

Source: vintage victuals blog

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups uncooked regular oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a baking sheet and set aside. In an electric mixer bowl, beat butter and both sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the oats and stir well. Gradually add to the butter mixture, mixing until well blended. With a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.

Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool on pan 2 to 3 minutes before cooling on wire racks.