I cooked these up for Dad’s birthday. They are headed out in the mail come monday!

I didn’t have any M&M’s in the house, so I used chocolate chips.

Ingredients

1/2 Butter Flavor Crisco Stick

1 jar – 12 ounces  creamy peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packe brown sugar

3 eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 teaspoon maple syrup

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 1/2 cups quick oats, uncooked, divided

1 package (8 ounces) candy-coated chcolate pieces

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheet with shortening. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooking cookies.

2. Combine peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and 1/2 cup shortening in large bowl. Beat until well blended and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and maple syrum. Beat at high speed 3-4 minutes. Add baking soda and 2 1/4 cups oats; Stir; Stir in candy. Stir in remaining 2 1/4 cups oats. Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls . Flatten slightly. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.

3. Bake for 9-10 minutes for chewy cookies (i like that kind best!) or 11-12 for crispy cookies. Cool 2 minutes. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

I’ve been wanting to make this gem for ages, but never knew where to get ground pork.

Finally found some ground sausage at King Soopers the other day, and today at Sunflower some regular ground pork yea!

Hubby also used it for Lumpia so we are in hog heaven right now!

I would flash fry the tofu prior to adding it to the pork so it has some crunch! And i of course bumped the heat from 1 tsp to 1 tbs and that was still not enough.

Ma Po Tofu

1 (1-pound) package reduced-fat firm tofu, cut into 6 slices
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
4 ounces lean ground pork
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups hot cooked long-grain brown rice
1/3 cup chopped green onions

Place tofu slices on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Place a dinner plate on top of covered tofu; let stand 30 minutes. Remove plate; discard paper towels. Cut tofu slices into 1/2-inch cubes.

Combine broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chili garlic sauce, stirring with a whisk.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 4 minutes or until done, stirring to crumble. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tofu; cook 4 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add broth mixture to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.

Serve tofu mixture over rice. Sprinkle with onions.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup rice, about 2/3 cup tofu mixture, and about 1 tablespoon onions)

CALORIES 290 (26% from fat); FAT 8.4g (sat 1.9g,mono 2.5g,poly 3.3g); IRON 2.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 21mg; CALCIUM 72mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.5g; SODIUM 390mg; PROTEIN 21.5g; FIBER 4.6g