Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

I made this oatmeal on a cold and snowy Wisconsin morning.  It was delicious. Since baked oatmeal has a thicker consistency, I added a little milk over the top of mine before serving.
 









2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup 1% milk (you can also use unsweetened almond or soy milk)
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 TBS brown sugar
4 tsp mini chocolate chips
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Spray a 1 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour oatmeal mixture into dish.

Bake for 20 minutes. At the end of baking, place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to crisp up the top.

Serves 4

Source:  slenderkitchen.com

Kimberly

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Raw Cookie Dough...Yes, it's O.K. to eat

Who doesn't crave raw cookie dough? Yes, I admit it, I eat raw cookie dough.  However, everyone says you shouldn't eat the raw eggs.  So, when I saw this recipe, I thought it was something fun to try.  It makes just a little bit of dough but it really satisfies the craving.  Don't attempt to bake this as an actual cookie because there is nothing in the recipe that will help them rise.



1 1/2 TBS butter
A few drops of vanilla extract
3 TBS flour
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS milk or water
as many chocolate chips as you want (I like the mini chips)

Mash the butter.  Add everything else except the milk and the chocolate. chips  Stir together.  It should be a little crumbly.  Now add the milk until you get a desired cookie dough texture.

Yum!  Enjoy!

Makes 1/3 cup

Janice

Friday, December 13, 2013

Zesty Roasted Chicken and Red Potatoes

The honey Dijon mustard gives this chicken dish a wonderful flavor.  Everyone enjoyed this.  There were already requests to make this again soon.  It is a very healthy, low calorie and low fat meal as well.



6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb small red skinned potatoes, quartered
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 TBS honey Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
chopped chives or fresh parsley, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 
Arrange chicken and potatoes in a lightly greased 10x15 pan.  Blend mayonnaise, mustard, pepper and garlic in a small bowl; brush over the chicken and potatoes.
 
Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender and the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork.
 
Sprinkle with chives or parsley, if desired.  Serve with a salad and a piece of crusty bread.

Serves 6
 
Source:  Gooseberry Patch - Quick & Easy Family Favorites
 
Eileen

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Classic Pot Roast (Pressure Cooker)

This roast is so tender and delicious. I have also made this recipe using venison. No need to heat-up the oven to make a delicious roast for dinner.


3 to 3 1/2 lb boneless chuck roast
salt and pepper
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped into 1 1/2" slices
1 cup red wine
2 cups beef stock
2-3 springs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3 carrots, sliced into 2-inch slices (or use 18 baby carrots)
18 fingerling potatoes, left whole (or use 6-8 red potatoes, cut in half)
2 TBS flour or cornstarch
1/4 chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Pre-heat an electric pressure cooker using the "brown" or "high" setting.

Season the roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pressure cooker and let it heat up for a few minutes. Add the roast to the pressure cooker and brown it on all sides. Remove the browned roast and set aside.

Add the onion and celery to the pressure cooker and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the red wine and using a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom while you bring the liquid to a simmer. Add the beef stock, thyme and bay leaf; return roast to the pressure cooker.

Pressure cook on "high" or "meat" setting for 60 minutes; quick-release the pressure. (If the meat is not fall-apart tender, cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.) Add in the carrots and potatoes; bring the pressure cooker back up to pressure and cook on "high" or "meat" setting for another 5-7 minutes; quick-release the pressure.

Transfer the roast and vegetables to a plate and tent with foil. Bring the sauce to a simmer using the "high" or "meat" setting and let it reduce for about 10 minutes while the roast rests. Mix the 2 tablespoons of flour or cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and stir the mixture into the sauce; bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Slice the beef and sprinkle the meat and vegetables with parsley, if using. Serve with gravy.

Serves 6-8

Source:  Comfortable Under Pressure - Meredith Laurence

Kimberly

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Quick Amish Cinnamon Bread

I have seen this recipe posted all over the internet so I figured it must be really good.  I'm not even sure who to give credit for this recipe because it is on so many blogs....maybe the Amish!  This bread is delicious and easy!  Now I know why it was re-posted so much.  It's a great bread to make in a pinch because you most likely have all the ingredients on hand. 










1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk or 2 cups milk plus 2 TBS lemon juice
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon-Sugar mixture:

2/3 cups granulated white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon 
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 9x5 loaf pans. 

Cream together butter, sugar and eggs.  Add milk, flour and baking soda.  Put 1/2 of the batter (or a little less) into two greased loaf pans (1/4 of the batter in each pan).  Mix in a separate bowl the sugar and cinnamon mixture.  Sprinkle 3/4 of cinnamon mixture on top of the 1/2 batter in each pan.  Add remaining batter to pans; sprinkle with the last of cinnamon topping.  Swirl with a knife.  Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick tester comes clean.  

Cool in pans for 20 minutes before removing from the pan.

 Makes 2 loaves

Source: The Amish

Janice