Oatmeal Cookies (No Raisins!)

Whenever my father-in-law has a birthday, or other special occasion, Little Devil makes him Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, which she thought was his favorite.  Finally my Mother-In-Law let her in on a little secret:  He hates raisins.  Loves Oatmeal Cookies.  Not Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.  When Little Devil first started baking (which was many years ago) she asked if I had a go to Oatmeal Cookie recipe.  Now I don't like Oatmeal or Raisins so that answer is No.  But thankfully my friend Michaela from An Affair From the Heart made me the most treasured, beautifully handwritten book full of her family favorites.  It is one of my most used cookbooks, because it features tried and true recipes from both sides of her lovely family.  This recipe comes from Michaela's Mom, or Grandma Jane as they refer to her.  It's Jane's Recipe, with one little tweak:  No Raisins!

Papa Bear's Favorite Way...

Scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake until light golden brown.
Don't over bake,
So they will stay chewy!

We even made a sign so he would know
we left out the raisins just for him!

Oatmeal Cookies (NO Raisins)

Adapted from: An Affair From The Heart


1/2 cup shortening
1/2 unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups oatmeal
(raisins optional)

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream shortening and butter together.  Add sugars until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda.  Add to the creamed mixture until blended.  Fold in oatmeal.  Scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 9 minutes, or until lightly browned.

The Carajillo Cocktail

A carajillo is a Spanish drink combing coffee, usually with brandy or whiskey.  I recently told you about my new found obsession:  Licor 43 in my post about Little Beers.  Since Licor 43 is a Spanish liqueur flavored with citrus, vanilla and aromatic herbs, adding it to coffee to create this sublime cocktail seems so obvious.  Paired with a cold brew coffee, it makes a fabulous after dinner drink or anytime for coffee lovers.  

Licor 43 (my new favorite) paired
with cold brew espresso.
Try this!

Check out that giant sphere of ice.
The perfect presentation.

Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Glaze + FREE Printable Gift Tags

In the past I've made Strawberry Brownies for Valentine's Day.  They were such a big hit and so simple, I decided to adapt the recipe for a quick and tasty Easter treat!  Carrot Cake Bars are so easy.  Just 3 ingredients!  Start with a boxed carrot cake mix and by adjusting the amount of oil and eggs, the result is a thick, rich bar full of carrot and spice flavor!  Now I LOVE cream cheese frosting, especially the one on My Mom's Carrot Cake, but I wanted these bars to have more of a glaze instead of a thick, fluffy frosting.  Mainly because I'm giving them in cute little Easter bags.  If you're planning to serve them on a platter where that delightful frosting won't get squished, feel free to frost them instead.  Since I'm giving these away to family and friends as a little gift for Easter, I created some cute little tags reminiscent of vintage carrot seed packets.  They are included below if you'd like to print them for gift giving too!  

Only 3 ingredients plus a quick glaze!

Spicy Southwest Egg Salad

We took a little trip to Santa Fe a while back.  Like Oklahoma Football, I'm sure you've heard me mention just how much I love Santa Fe.  I send Mr. Devilish Dish homes for sale from Santa Fe Realtor websites on a daily basis.  I don't talk about "if" we move there, I speak in terms of "when."  It's free to dream right?  Leading up to our trip I think everything I made for dinner had a Southwest flair.  Just to get everyone in the mood.  We love egg salad sandwiches around here.  They are simple, tasty and I always have eggs in the fridge.  This is an updated version of egg salad.  Heartier, tastier and full of Southwest flavor.  With a kick!  It was great on toasted bread as a sandwich, but would be lovely on a bed of lettuce leaves as well.  If your spouse won't let you move to your favorite place this week, then bring the flavors of your favorite place to your kitchen...

A hearty sandwich filling
with the flavors of the Southwest...

Serve this colorful egg salad
on toasted bread or lettuce leaves.

Creamy, crisp and colorful!

SPICY SOUTHWEST EGG SALAD

12 hard boiled eggs, cooled and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
5 green onions, sliced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, celery, green onions, jalapeno, red bell pepper, garlic and cheese.  In a small bowl whisk together mayo, lime juice, cumin and chili powder.  Gently fold the mayonnaise mixture into the egg mixture.  Add a little at a time, you may not use all of the mayo.  You just want the egg salad to come together.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.  Transfer to a serving bowl and chill.  Use as a sandwich filling on toasted bread, or serve on lettuce leaves as a hearty salad.

Prep Time:  Approximately 30 minutes   Cook Time: 0 needs to chill

NOTE: This makes a large batch.  It can be easily halved if desired.