Baked Oatmeal

I've had a lot of requests for this recipe, so before we jump in, I want to give full credit. 

This delicious recipe was perfected by my Mother and Sisters-in-Love. They make good food. 

Here is what the recipe looks like in my cookbook:

Snazzy, right? The left column is for a smaller batch, but I always make the right hand column, for a nice big batch to last a while.

My favorite version is made in a 9-qt. casserole dish, with rolled oats. 

(The recipe calls for quick oats; I just use the Walmart brand of rolled oats. Strictly preference.)

Ready to amaze your taste buds? Good.

1: Combine all dry ingredients in your dish (seen here is my 9-qt.).

(You can use a 9x13 dish as well, but you'll probably want to mix in a separate bowl then put it in your dish)

2. In a glass measuring cup (I use a 4-cup one for space), whisk together your eggs and oil.

Nice and fluffy:

3. Then dump in 1/3c. peanut butter.

 and mix it up.

 I like using a whisk for this part because it breaks up the peanut butter smoothly and combines everything well. This works great with chunky PB, too!

4. Now dump that into the dry ingredients

 then use that same measuring cup to add 1 1/3c. milk to everything.

5. Mix everything together well.

6. Cook it! 

My preferred  version (because it's Scott's favorite way to eat it, and it's fast) is to microwave the stuff.

With the rolled oats I use the full 12-minute time slot. With quick oats 9 minutes is sufficient. 

Covering is optional, just make sure to start with less time and work up if you're not sure how long. Don't leave any gooey spots in the middle, and don't let it dry out.

I'm making this sound super complicated, and it's not.

7. EAT IT. 

We like ours with a little milk.

Bon Appetit!

That is not posed. She really did take a bite and make the perfect picture.

Supper 2/27

Tonight's recipe was a winner! Found in a cookbook we picked up at TJMaxx (also sold on Amazon.com), it brilliantly combines vegetables with massive amounts of cheese for incredible flavor.

Tortillas toasted, topped with swiss cheese. (The recipe called for pitas, which I didn't have. The tortillas substituted well.) Then mashed avocado. Then tuna salad with grated carrot and swiss cheese in it. Then more cheese on top, sprinkle on some thyme, and toast again.

It was so good!

Bruschetta

One of my favorite summer foods is bruschetta. There are many nuances to bruschetta, but the basics are tomatoes, oil, seasoning, and cheese combined and served on toasted bread.
With tomatoes in season, they are especially delicious!

A visit to my local farmer's market yielded some fabulous 7-grain bread.
Butter both sides and pan toast until a deep golden brown.

My favorite key to bruschetta: fresh basil, also acquired at Market.

3 tomatoes, chopped
1T. fresh minced basil
1/4c. fresh parmesan cheese
2 T. olive oil
Mix well, refrigerate several hours if possible. It is delicious served immediately if you are unable to refrigerate first. :)

Delicious!

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Make a pizza crust.Top with your white sauce.
Add chicken and diced tomatoes.
Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake until browned and bubbly.

Eat, and enjoy!

Pizza Crust:
1 1/4 c. warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 T. or 1 packet of instant yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
cornmeal
1. Put 1/4 c. warm water into mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the top, add sugar, and mix. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Once yeast is activated, mix in remaining 1 c. water, olive oil, and salt. Gradually add flour until a soft dough forms. (I find the best doughs are the ones left just a bit sticky.)
3. Gently knead dough 10 times, then place in greased bowl to rise for an hour. (I have let it rise just 20 minutes. This does make a thicker crust, since it continues to rise in the oven.)
4. Sprinkle cornmeal onto pizza pan to prevent sticking. Spread dough onto pan, and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
**I have made several crusts and frozen them for up to a month, using when needed.

For our pizza tonight, we used this white sauce recipe (halving it for just one pizza), cut up cooked chicken, diced tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese. Bake the pizza at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes. This made a 16" round pizza. (Double dough recipe for large baking sheets.)

Blueberry Coffee Cake

This recipe is the best coffee cake I have ever had, hands down. I hope you get a chance to make and enjoy it!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/2c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1T baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. blueberries
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1/4 c. butter, melted
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 T flour

Mix the dry ingredients, and in a separate bowl combine the milk, egg, and butter. Then mix the wet ingredients with the dry. This is a very stiff batter, almost like a dough. Fold in the blueberries, and press into a greased 8"x8" baking dish. Mix the topping together, and spread over the batter. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center cooked through.

**Notes from this chef:
I use frozen berries, and have made this twice. When I used a plastic mixing bowl the berries mixed in well. I used a glass bowl this time, and the berries chilled the glass so much that the dough was nearly impossible to mix. It still baked just fine, but the dough was much harder to handle.
The topping is very runny. I use my fingers to smoosh it on the top-this is very simple since the batter is so stiff. If you'd rather not handle a runny topping, you can use a pastry cutter and not melt your butter, or just soften it.

Christmas Treats!

'Tis the season to eat goodies! Here's a sampling of our snacks:So, I made the almond bark pretzel sticks, and had some almond bark left over. It makes delicious peanut clusters. I'm sure it would be fabulous on cashews as well.
And not to forget the chocolate clusters. Mmmm, yummy!
Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
"And you shall call His name Emmanuel, which means "God with Us."
I'm so thankful that God is with us, that Jesus came in such lowliness and humility to be our Savior!

Appetizer Wraps

I love trying new foods/recipes that sound appealing. We are going to a Christmas party tonight and are supposed to bring a dessert and appetizer. The dessert is Scott's department: a raspberry-dark chocolate cheesecake. YUM. So I decided to make tortilla wraps as an appetizer. Here's the process:

I began with tomato basil tortilla wraps (these are soft, flexible, big, and so yummy!), fresh spinach, swiss cheese, cream cheese, mild salsa and mesquite turkey.

I used too much cream cheese and salsa. Next time I'll half it and mix 4oz. of cream cheese with 1/3c. salsa. Less salsa makes a thicker spread, but this was a pretty good consistency. (If you have too much it makes a great chip dip!)
Cream cheese spread went on the wrap first.

Next the spinach. Leave about 2-3 inches of headspace on one end of your wrap, the filling will move as you roll everything up.

Add the swiss cheese...

And the turkey...
And roll it all up, then slice! The ends make great snacking. :) The amount I had made 3 wraps.


Bon Appetit! Delicious, fairly nutritious, and oh so easy!