Chewy Molasses Cookies and more!

I came home from work today and decided I was in the mood for some Ginger cookies! I searched online for a recipe that uses oil instead of butter--since I was running low. I found this one at cooks.com. They turned out beautiful with golden-brown, sugary cracks on top and chewy on the inside.

While I had the oven on and the kitchen aide mixer out on the counter I figured it was a good time to bake the brownies from one of the interns at Craig's work--he had given out ziplock bags of homemade brownie mix for the holidays with a recipe attached. All I had to add was 1 and a half sticks of melted butter, four eggs, and 2 tsp. of vanilla. I lined a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and let a few inches hang over the sides (a tip I picked up from a cooking magazine). This makes it really easy to lift the brownies out of the pan and cut into equal sized squares. Cleaning the pan is a breeze too, which is important--especially when you are the dishwasher :-)

When I was finished, I threw in an alfredo chicken lasagna I had in the freezer. I made it a couple months ago from one of Emeril's recipes, Chicken, Mushroom, and Alfredo Lasagna. I mean, we couldn't eat just cookies and brownies for dinner...right?! The lasagna was really rich and had a depth of flavors. This dish could definitely be made for special company or a holiday. It is almost too decadent for a weeknight meal. I saved the leftover creole seasoning in a small ziplock bag and have used it on chicken to "kick it up a notch!"