I’m not a big fan of date squares. I find them sticky, thick, and just not…vibrant…enough. However, I know that there are some people out there who just love them (hence the reason I made them to begin with), and I think this recipe yields some of the best date squares I’ve had.

They’re not overly sweet thanks to the lemon (some recipes ask for orange zest and juice, which I think just makes them too sweet), and I like the cinnamon and pecans in the oatmeal base and topping.

If you do enjoy date squares, then I think you’ll love these. They’re even better if you serve warm (cut them into pieces, then warm each piece up…trying to cut them into squares while they’re warm will just be messy) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Oatmeal Date Squares
adapted from Robin Hood: Home Baking

FILLING
3 cups chopped pitted dates
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar

BASE & TOPPING
1 3/4 cups oats
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup butter

Grease a 13″ x 9″ pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

FILLING
1. Combine dates, lemon zest, lemon juice and water, and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat , stirring often, until thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

BASE & TOPPING
2. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl. Using two knives, a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Press half of the mixture (2 1/2 cups) into prepared pan. Spread filling over base. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top. Pat down lightly.

4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden. Cool completely in pan on rack, then cut into squares.

I love these cookies! I LOVE THESE COOKIES! If you’re going to make any cookies any time soon, make it these ones.

They have an amazing bite of ginger, coming from both the ground and fresh ginger that’s grated into them. They’re bright with cinnamon, have a delicate touch of cocoa, and the occasional chunk of milk chocolate. Ginger and chocolate, it’s a stunning combo in these cookies. They are the softest, chewiest cookies and just fall apart in your mouth. The granulated sugar they’re rolled in give a slight crisp to the outside, but the inside, especially when warm, is a gooey, tender, sweet cookie that is as delicious as any gingerbread cookie I’ve had.

These can be considered the perfect cookie. They’re definitely ideal for the holiday season, great to have during any cold, winter month and would probably be just as great in the summer.

I wanted to make sure I captured their photogenic nature, so ended up taking two sets of photos on different days. I found it interesting how different they looked with a different background and light, so even though this post probably doesn’t look very consistent, I’m going to include both anyway. I like how one shows the nice, gingerbreadesque colours, and how the others really demonstrate the texture of the cookies. Like Brownies for Dinner did, I upped the molasses from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup and though it was the right choice.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart

7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate (I used milk chocolate and loved its sweetness in this cookie)
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.

4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

This is a recipe for chicken tetrazzini that I’ve used many times. It doesn’t take all that long to make, it doesn’t call for a ton of expensive ingredients, and it makes enough to fill a hungry table of eight. And on top of all that, it’s a great-tasting pasta dish!

If you’ve never eaten chicken tetrazzini, it’s a creamy pasta-casserole dish with juicy chunks of chicken, buttery mushrooms, fresh parsley and peas, topped with a crisp Parmesan topping. It’s garlicky comfort food, and I could eat this every week. I made it recently for my mother’s birthday dinner, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis at Food Network, but I have made a few changes to it. I find hers to be a bit lackluster, so I recommend upping the amount of seasoning and flavours in it.

If you’re searching for a substantial, warm, creamy dish for a family dinner, this would be an awesome choice! You can always speed up the prep time by buying a rotisserie chicken and using that..I’m sure the roasted chicken flavours would only improve the dish!

Creamy Chicken Tetrazzini
adapted from Food Network

9 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
7-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk , room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces linguine
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper on each side. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through.

3. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

4. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat (salt the mushrooms with 1/2 teaspoon for the salt) until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

5. Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining teaspoon salt, and remaining pepper Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

7. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.