Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER

If you've ever had these cookies from my house,  you know EXACTLY the ones I'm talking about.

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup butter, softened (salted or unsalted both work)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I've used 60% cacao and semi-sweet and they both taste great - I have to admit that butterscotch and white chocolate probably need much fewer chips, as they turn out pretty darn strong!)

Mix butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until creamy.
Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until blended.
Fold in oats.
Stir in chocolate.

I do all of this with a stand mixer, but by hand would work too.

Drop 2 inches apart on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes.

These might just change your life. 

you're welcome.

Tahini

(to use in Hummus)

1 cup sesame seeds

1/3-1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 tsp sesame seed oil

pinch kosher salt

Oven at 350 degrees, bake seeds for 5-10 minutes, tossing occasionally

After seeds are cooled, add the oils and seeds to the food processor and pulse to achieve desired consistency.

Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cups garbanzo beans - drained - reserve liquid

1/3 c tahini

1/4 c lemon juice

1 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

Dress with:

a pinch of paprika

1 tsp fresh parsley

Directions:

Put all ingredients in food processor, pulse and add lemon juice or oil to achieve desired consistency.

Serve with homemade baked pita chips

Spicy Salsa

Ingredients

2 (14.5 oz) cans stewed tomatoes (or I used tomatoes from my garden and stewed those)

-side note: make sure to get rid of all the juice and seeds, or the consistency might be too thin

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 lime, juiced

1 teaspoon salt

fresh cracked pepper to taste

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 Tbsp Sriracha (or other hot chili sauce)

2 fresh jalepenos, chopped and seeded

3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I omitted this and it was delish!)

Directions
Place all ingredients into the food processor and pulse until you reach desired consistency.

Broccoli Salad

1 head broccoli (cut into bite-sized pieces)

6-8 slices bacon - turkey bacon works too (cooked and crumbled)

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup golden raisins

8 oz sharp cheddar chunks (your preferred size)

1 cup mayo (not Miracle Whip)

1/2 c halved cherry tomatoes

2 Tbsp. white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Make dressing with vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and toss over all ingredients. When well-coated, refrigerate or serve immediately.