Upcoming Kitchen-A-Thon

• Chocolate Chip Cookies today, just for fun (but not Gommie's--Sis didn't want oatmeal, much to my disappointment)
• WW Easy Layered Ravioli Bake and WW Pumpkin Spice Cake tomorrow for a sick church friend (and yes, she's on Weight Watchers)
• a variety of snacks--maybe almond bread?--for our Fairy House Party on Wednesday
• a side dish and a dessert for our church's Thanksgiving potluck this weekend
• Thanksgiving itself, which I do pretty much all by myself (well, no, Mama is a great sous chef; what I mean is, we produce all the dishes, which is, actually, how I like to do it, though I'm hoping Goo--hint, hint--will bring something fun, as he said he might)
• 4-5 different batches of cookies for our church's bake sale: jam thumbprints, shortbread, sugar cookie cut-outs
• Holiday Cookie Swap, with about 5 dozen cookies, either almond bars or chocolate cut-outs in the shape of gingerbread houses
• potluck dish for church decorating party
• A variety of homemade candies for holiday gifts for preschool teachers, church school teachers, pediatrician, and vet office. I'm thinking butter mints, chocolate-dipped pretzels, English toffee, pate de fruits, fudge (though boiling sugar with preschoolers is probably not a good idea!), and white chocolate peppermint bark.

I'm going to be cooking and baking for the next 4 weeks straight. And that only takes us to mid-December (not including cooking for Christmas, my parents when they're here, or New Year's Eve and Day) and, of course, it doesn't include evening dinners! But I like it, like the perusing endless new recipes, choosing them, and tasting them (I do get a little edgy actually making new recipes sometimes so I won't include that in the "like it" list). Stay tuned. I promise to post all the recipes, starting with the three below.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (12 oz bag) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

Stir together flour, soda, and salt; set aside.

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy (at least 2 minutes). Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture; beat until well blended.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop onto cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.

Bake 8-10 minutes until golden. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.

Sesame Street's Yummy Cookies: Baking with Kids

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Weight Watchers Easy Layered Ravioli Bake

9 oz refrigerated low fat cheese ravioli

24 oz marinara sauce

2-10 oz packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed ry

1 cup shredded mozzarella

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Cook the ravioli according to package directions, omitting oil and salt if desired.

Spray at 2 quart baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread half the marinara sauce in the dish. Add half of the ravioli, then top with half of the spinach and half of the mozzarella. Repeat layering once. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese is melted and slightly golden, 6-8 minutes longer.

Comfort Classics (7 pts a serving, which is 1/4 of the casserole)

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Weight Watchers Pumpkin Spice Cake

1 box spice cake mix

1 can pumpkin

1/4 cup water

Combine ingredients and bake according to box instructions (or as muffins).

my meeting (I think this is 3 pts a muffin)