After a fabulous weekend of Pink Barre instructor training, I'm sore, happy, and hungry!  But knowing that hours and hours of practicing and working out are in front of me, I would like not to destroy those efforts with cookies!  But sometimes a girl just needs something indulgent.  

Then oats!  And chocolate chips, because I'm incapable of leaving things alone and NOT adding chocolate chips.  But dark chocolate is all antioxidants and health, right?

This recipe honestly took 15 minutes from start to finish and is perfect for an afternoon snack or breakfast (if they make it that long)!

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 12 cookies

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

1 cup oats

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2-3 tablespoons chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mash up ripe bananas, then mix in oatmeal, vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate chips.  Scoop mixture- about 2 tablespoons each- onto a cookie sheet.  Bake for 9 minutes, remove, and let cool.  Enjoy!

Nick shaking hands with the Dean of the Business School, because of his awesomeness.

I was a school counselor at a wonderful school that I already miss!

Is there anything better than happy, snuggly kindergarteners? 

Snuggle love.

Getting some thigh work in. You know, to counteract the chips.

Homeowners!  But why with the center part?!

Confusingly, this man's name is also Chris, and he joined in on the fun of being bossed by me.  {The things boys will do for food!}

{Being bossy.}

I thought teaching Chris (& Chris) to cook would be a fun series for the blog- you can learn alongside the Chrises and get some simple meal plans!  This week's plan was cooking for a crowd: an easy Italian dinner.  The first Chris {yes, differentiating in the kitchen became a little complicated.  To make it more confusing, their last names both start with C, so I couldn't even do the elementary school thing of making them go by Chris C!} will be attending law school in the fall, so I wanted him to have a dinner plan that he could use for a big study group of law friends {because food = friends and my vision of law school runs along the lines of Elle Wood's experience}.

We started with a very simple appetizer: spicy, roasted pecans.  Fresh pecans, sprinkled with Tony Chachere's {say it with me: sssaacheries} and roasted at a high temp for about 6 minutes.  

While the sauce simmered, we peeled and sliced fresh peaches for dessert {my peach obsession continues}...

Chris is diligently chiffonading basil for our garnish.  Check out that focus.

Supper time!  And a big thank you to Nick for taking all the pictures :)

Italian Dinner for a Crowd

Serves 6, but is easily multiplied

Appetizer: Spicy Roasted Pecans

1 cup whole pecans

1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere's seasoning

Preheat oven to 450.  Sprinkle seasoning over pecans in a cookie sheet or other small pan.  Roast for 5-6 minutes, or until they smell roasted and nutty, but not burned!

Main Dish: Pasta Bolognese {my version}

1.5-2 lbs hot italian sausage {you can also use mild or a mixture of the two}

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes {optional}

1/4 cup red wine

2 28oz cans of good quality crushed tomatoes

1 cup fresh spinach, torn {optional}

1/4 cup heavy cream or whipping cream

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 lbs papparadelle pasta 

1. De-case {take it out of the casings} the sausage and sauté in a large pot over medium high heat.  Break the links apart into small pieces as it cooks {about 10 minutes}

2. Fill a large stockpot with about 8 quarts of water.  Salt the water and add 1 tablespoon oil.  Heat over high heat.

3. When sausage is cooked through and a few pieces have a crusty brown edge, add in the garlic, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes.  Stir and allow to cook for 1 minute, or until garlic becomes fragrant.

4. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan and stir up all the little bits of things stuck to the pot.  Then pour in both cans of crushed tomatoes and reduce the heat to a simmer.

5. While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta according to package directions.  Add the torn spinach to the sauce and stir.

6.  As soon as the pasta finished cooking to al dente, drain, then add the cream and nutmeg to the sauce and stir.  

7.  Serve with a garnish of fresh basil and parmesan!

Dessert: Peaches with Fresh Whipped Cream

Fresh peaches {1 per person}

1 cup blueberries {optional}

1 cup whipping cream

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar

1. Peel and slice the peaches and place into a large bowl.

2. Pour whipping cream into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add in vanilla extract and sugar.  Whip on medium speed until the cream resembles whipped cream and does not have any runny parts (about 5 minutes).

3.  Serve fruit on a plate with a large dollop of whipped cream!

Note: whipped cream can be made a few hours ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until served.