Crazy for Oats

I have developed a bit of a reputation in my family for being a little oat crazy.  I was overjoyed when I saw the Costco had 10 lb boxes of them for sale.  Why do I love oats?  They're cheap, healthy, comforting, and hearty.  But it's more than all that, they just have a special quality that I can't even explain.  (If you want, you can imagine a bowl of oats with sparkles in the air surrounding it just for fun.)  I'll wait while you do that....

My son took this pic of me and my Quaker boyfriend -







 
So some folks have asked for recipes and wonder, "Hey, Crazy Pants, what do you do with all those oats?"  You asked, I answer:

Favorite Oatmeal Add-ins (I've made up goofy names for some combos so I can trick my sons into eating oatmeal instead of cereal in the morning.)

Funky Monkey - sliced banana and chocolate chips
Almond Joy - almonds, coconut, and chocolate chips
Raisinet - raisins and chocolate chips
I've got to stop eating so many chocolate chips - raisins, walnuts and cardamom
Tutti Fruity - raisins, chopped apricots, chopped figs, dried cranberries or whatever is in the pantry
Berry Awesome - blueberries, raspberries, you get the idea

Throw some chia seeds or ground flax in for good measure! : )

 Sweeteners (if you haven't already loaded your bowl with fruit and/ or chocolate)
Agave nectar
Honey
Maple Syrup
Jam
Peanut butter
Cocoa powder

Favorite Oatmeal Spices (but not all at once)
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Nutmeg (freshly grated if you've got it)
Ginger
Apple Pie Spice
Pumpkin Pie Spice
All spice

Granola
Take any basic granola recipe and tweak it according to what you're hungry for and what you have in your pantry.  I constantly change the dried fruits and nuts depending on what I have available.  I normally use coconut oil and for the sweetener I use agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup.

 I've been making this 'recipe' lately.  I use that term loosely b/c I just throw things in a bowl.  If you try it, just know that the measurements are approximate, so tweak it to make it how you like it.

Coconut Chocolate Granola Recipe
4 c old fashioned oats
1/4 c unsweetened coconut 
4T coconut oil
4 T agave nectar
2-3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
10 shakes of cinnamon
freshly ground nutmeg to taste

Mix ingredients together and pour onto 1 -2 cookie sheets. Heat in a 275 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.  The granola will look darker than usual because of the cocoa powder.  I usually bake it until the oats feel dry. (For goodness sakes, be careful and don't burn your fingers!)

Snow Ice Cream

Cabin fever has set in after a week of my kiddos having the cold.  Luckily, this suggestion for making snow ice cream was in my oldest son's homeschool lesson for the day.  Their recipe said to add sweetened condensed milk or cream and powdered sugar, but we had neither of those, so I just added chocolate milk.  The boys reported that it tasted like a Frosty.  Eat it up right away because it doesn't keep in the freezer : )

My Crouton Plan

Remember on the TV show Friends when Monica was trying to get over her ex-boyfriend Richard?  She became obsessed with making jam.  She called it her "jam plan for getting over her man". 

Thankfully all is well here on the home front, but we have some stressors that have made me a little weird about....croutons.  I find making them relaxing.  Yes, I am SUPER weird.  I also hate wasting the heels on a loaf of bread. 

  Every few days, I cut up the heels, stir in a tablespoon or two of olive oil, mix in about 1/2 T. herbs de Provence (you could use garlic salt, seasoned salt, etc.) and then throw them in the oven for 10 minutes or so, stirring every few minutes.  If the big oven isn't heated up for something else, I just broil them in my toaster oven to save on energy.  There you have it, folks!  Stress reducing croutons!!!!

Mocha Minus Dairy

  I tweaked this recipe from a mocha containing almond milk (which I don't like).  I miss my hot chocolates and mochas made with milk, but after limiting dairy while nursing, my tummy doesn't like the lactose anymore (boo!).  So here's my version of a dairy free mocha:

1 c. coconut milk (I prefer plain, not vanilla flavored)
1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 T. agave nectar, honey OR sugar
1 cup coffee

Warm coconut milk and whisk in cocoa and sweetener.  Don't let the coconut milk boil, otherwise it gets funny tasting.  Add in coffee and serve.

This would be great with a sprinkle of cinnamon or a dash of vanilla.  I might also try this with Cafix (a coffee substitute that I'm obsessed with) instead of regular coffee.  You can find Cafix at Amazon.com or at health food stores.

Juice Fever

I've noticed an big increase in interest in juicers lately.  In fact, I just read an article in the Wall Street Journal about juicing this morning.  Check it out here.  It seems like many of you are making good on your 2013 resolution to eat more fresh fruits and veggies.  Good job!  If you're interested in finding out more, check out the film Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.  (No, I have not done a juice fast!)  The man featured in the movie's website is Reboot with Joe.  You can find a number of juice recipes there.

I have a juicer that I admittedly don't use as much as I should, but when I do get it out, my kids and I really enjoy the process and the fruits (and veg) of our labor.  I have an Omega Juicer (model 8003).  I purchased it because I heard it had a heavy duty motor that would last a really long time.  I wish the feeding tube was a bit wider so I didn't have to cut up my produce into narrow strips, but other than that, it works great.

My favorite book of juice recipes is The Juicing Bible 2nd ed. by Pat Crocker.  It has an extensive listing of the fruits, vegetables, and herbs and their uses and benefits.  It also lists conditions that can be helped by certain juices.  (I did not see any recipes recommended for "mom of 3 boys", but it has everything else imaginable.) The rest of the book is full of juice and smoothie recipes.

Happy juicing!!

 

Quickie Candy Cane Project

I love a project that contains ingredients that you already have on hand.  This is a great way to remind kids that Christmas is about the birth of Christ!  

 Before we started our work in the kitchen, we read The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg.  It went over the characteristics of the candy and what they represent.

• The "J" shape that stands for Jesus
• The shape (when upright) is a shepherd's staff, the first people to find out about the birth of Jesus.
• The red representing that "by His stripes we are healed".
• The white representing how Christ can wash us clean from sin.
• How, like the candy, the story of Christ's birth and redemptive work should be shared with everyone.

We melted a 1/2 c of chocolate chips in the microwave.  (I checked their progress every 30 seconds until they were melted.)  Dip your candy in, tap off the excess chocolate, decorate, and enjoy with cocoa once the chocolate sets.

Cranberry Corn Bread

I got the general idea for this bread from a recipe on my go-to website for recipes (www.tasteofhome.com), but modified it quite a bit because I didn't want to add a cup of white sugar and a ton of butter!  The bread came out almost like a dessert.  It was very moist.  If you wanted it more "crumby" (totally not a word) I would try reducing the amount of milk by a few more tablespoons.  Remember, you need to make some other adjustments to your recipe if you're going to substitute oil for butter or agave nectar for sugar.  www.ehow.com has good guidelines for these types of substitutions.  Here's my recipe with the modifications already made for you:

Ingredients:

1/4 c butter, softened

2 1/2 Tbs oil

2/3 c agave nectar

2 eggs

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 c cornmeal

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 1/4 c buttermilk

1 c cranberries, halved

In a bowl, mix together the butter, oil and agave nectar.  Add eggs and mix well.  Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.  Add to the agave nectar mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Fold in cranberries.  Transfer to a greased 9-in square baking pan.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Serve warm.  Yield: 9-12 servings.

Chicken and Barley Soup

I made chicken and barley soup for my mom and aunt who came for lunch the other day.  We all really enjoyed it.  I got the basic recipe from Gooseberry Patch's Quick and Easy Autumn Cookbook.  Below is the recipe with my changes.

1/2 c. onion chopped

2 c. carrot, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 t. olive oil

30 oz vegetable broth

1 c. quick cooking barley, uncooked

2 c. water

salt &  pepper to taste

2 c. cooked chicken, cubed

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, saute onion and garlic in oil for about 4 minutes.  Add garlic and continue to cook until the onion is tender.  Add broth, barley, water and seasonings.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 20-25 minutes, until the veggies are tender.  Add chicken and heat through.  (At this point, I threw the soup in my Crock Pot on the warm setting and let it warm for a few hours before my guests arrived.)  If the soup is too thick, add a bit more water.  Serve with crusty bread. Yum!

Serves 6-8

Monkeys! (and Monkey Bite Recipe)

 To supplement our study on monkeys, we modified this chocolate covered banana recipe and made them into "Monkey Bites".  We cut up 2 bananas into about 2" slices, placed toothpicks in the middle and froze them until they were  hard.

 Melt 1/2 to 1 c. chocolate chips (we used white melting chocolate b/c we had it on hand) and dip bananas in.  (sorry this is a blurry pic!)

 Add sprinkles or whatnot while the chocolate is still soft.  Allow to harden and enjoy your "monkey bites".  

 This habitat idea is totally stolen from my friend Ann, who did a much more artistic job with her son than we did here at home!  

My son also colored a picture, and I wrote down a few simple facts about monkeys so we could review it at some point.  We sang the "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" for good measure : )  We have 5 other animals we're going to do similar projects for.  

Scarecrow Crunch

Scarecrow Crunch

4 cups crunchy oatmeal cereal squares or Chex cereal 

4 cups tiny twist pretzels 

1 can salted peanuts 

1 bag of autumn mix honey candy 

1 bag of candy corn 

2 cups peanut butter M&M's 

2 (6-ounce) boxes caramel popcorn with nuts 

1 (6.6) bag chocolate Teddy Grahams

Mix and enjoy.  Store in an air-tight container!

Thanks to my fellow Willow House Design Consultant, Georgia, for this recipe!

M & M Bars

These are a beloved family favorite, reserved only for birthdays and Christmas.  If we had them in the house any more, we would be in BIG trouble!

Aunt Cheryl's M & M Bars

2 c. quick oatmeal

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

1 c. butter or margarine, melted

2 T. shortening (I use veggie oil instead)

1 1/2 c. M & Ms (or more!)

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

Combine oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.  Add margarine and mix until ingredients are moistened.  Reserve 1 1/2 cup of mixture and press the remaining mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  Melt shortening in a heavy pan.  Add 1 cup of M & Ms and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a metal spoon while pressing candies with the back of the spoon to break them up.  Remove from heat and stir in condensed milk, mixing well.  Spread over partially baked crust.  Combine reserved oat mixture with remaining candy and sprinkle over top.  Bake 15 minutes more.  

I usually half the recipe unless we have guests coming to enjoy dessert too.  These are also great when stored in the fridge and eaten slightly cold.  

I hope you love these as much as my family does!  : )

Squash Mania!

Yes, the word "squash" doesn't necessarily conjure up ideas of deliciousness, but this recipe from The Good Housekeeping Cookbook is great!  

Maple Butternut Squash

Prep: 20 minutes  Cook: 20 minutes

2 medium butternut squash (2 lb. each)

1/2 c. maple syrup

4 T. butter, cut into pieces

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. black pepper

1.  Cut each squash lengthwise in half; discard seeds.  With veggie peeler, remove peel, then cut squash crosswise into 1 in.-thick slices.

2.  In a sauce pot, heat 1 inch of water to boiling over high heat.  Add squash.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tender (about 15 minutes).

3.  In large bowl, combine squash, syrup, butter, salt and pepper.  With mixer at low speed, beat until smooth.  ( I put it all in the blender and added a bit of water.)  Makes 10 accompaniment servings.

Lasagna Italiano

Lasagna Italiano

1 lb. hamburger

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 garlic clove, diced

6 oz. tomato paste

1 1/2 c. water

2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. pepper

8 oz. lasagne noodles, cooked and drained

1 lb. cottage cheese

12 oz. mozzarella cheese slices

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Brown meat; drain.  Add onion and garlic; cook until tender.  Stir in tomato paste, water and seasonings.  Cover; simmer for 30 minutes.  In a 9 x 13 pan, layer half of the noodles, meat sauce, cottage cheese and Mozzarella cheese; repeat layers.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Makes 6-8 servings.  (If using no-boil noodles, you'll need to cover the lasagna and cook it for about 45 minutes.)

This lasagna recipe is my old faithful.  It makes a hearty meal for a cool, fall evening! 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 can pumpkin

1 egg

1/2 c. oil

1 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

2 c. flower

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

12 oz chocolate chips (1 bag)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix ingredients together.  Drop by spoonfuls on an un-greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.  Let cool.

Believe it or not, we found this recipe in my son's homeschool curriculum!  They make tasty cake like cookies.  Enjoy!  

Watermelon Lime Sipper

Watermelon Lime Sipper

2-3 cups watermelon, cut into chunks

1/2 - 1 lime, peeled and sliced

Ice

Put all the ingredients into the blender and ta-dah, you have yourself a refreshing summertime drink. This is a great way to use up watermelon if you bought a too-large one : )

Strawberry Delight

My mom tried this at a party and she said it was awesome!  I need to try this one VERY soon ; )

STRAWBERRY DELIGHT  

3/4 C. SUGAR (I USE A BOUT 1/2+) 

1/2 c. WHIPPING CREAM 

1/4 C. LIGHT CORN SYRUP 

2 T. BUTTER 

1/2 C, CHOPPED HEATH BARS (2) 1.4 OZ BAR OR EQUIV.) 

2 PINTS FRESH STRAWBERRIES 

1/2 PINT SOUR CR.  

IN SAUCEPAN, COMBINE SUGAR, WHIPPPING CREAM, CORN SYRUP, AND BUTTER.  

BRING TO BOIL OVER MEDIUM HEAT.  

BOIL FOR 1 MIN., STIRRING OFTEN.  

MIX IN CHOPPED CANDY-COOL MIXTURE.   

CLEAN & SLICE STRAWBERRIES.  

TO SERVE;PLACE STRAWBERRIES IN DISH, ADD COOLED SAUCE.  

TOP WITH DOLLOP OF SOUR CREAM.  

ENJOY!

Famous Baked Bean Recipe

My mom got this recipe from a neighbor years ago. It's a permanent fixture at our summertime gatherings. One taste and you'll know why! Start them early, they take 2 1/2 hours to cook. The are so worth it, I promise!

Doreen's Baked Beans

1 48-oz. jar great northern beans

1/2 c. onion, cut in circles

1/2 c. ketchup

2 T. vinegar

2 T. molasses

1 1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces

1 can french friend onions (2.8 oz size)

Combine all ingredients except for the french friend onions. Bake uncovered for 2 hours at 350 degrees. Top with french fried onions and bake 30 more minutes.

Dill Dip

Here's my Aunt Sheila's Dill Dip Recipe. It's great with veggies!

1 c mayonnaise

1 c sour cream

1 1/2 T onion flakes

1 1/2 tsp Lawry's salt

1 1/2 tsp dill weed

3/4 tsp Worcester sauce

1 1/2 tsp Accent (I don't use this anymore b/c it's basically MSG. I'd add regular salt to taste.)

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate. It's best if you make it at least an hour ahead of time to let the flavors mix.

(Pictured is the Galveston Sectioned Server)

Jean's Lime Chicken

You will not find a better chicken recipe for the grill. I promise! Make sure to figure in your 1-hour marinating time.

Jean's Lime Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/3 c. olive oil

Juice of 3 limes (or 6-7 T. of lime juice from a bottle)

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

3 T. fresh cilantro, chopped (or 1 T. any driend herb: cilantro, dill, tarragon, thyme or rosemary

1/2 t. each of salt and pepper

Trim fat from chicken breasts and cut out middle tendon. Pound between wax paper to flatten slightly (this will allow them to cook evenly). Combine rest of ingredients and marinate for 1 hour. Grill or broil the chicken breasts for 2 minutes on each side or until done. Serves 4.

Lunchtime Smoothie Recipe

I'll be honest. I get tired of chopping food up into tiny pieces for my fabulous 16-month-old to eat. This quick lunchtime smoothie minimizes my fruit chopping time. Yipee! You'll love it even if you don't have small kids.

Berry Awesome Smoothie

1 1/2 - 2 c. yogurt

1 ripe banana

1/2 c. or so berries

1 T. ground flaxseed or wheat germ

Mix with an immersion blender and you're done! Use whatever fruits you have on hand. If you don't have any berries available, try adding a tablespoon of jam instead.