My favorite baked oatmeal

Simple Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350° F. Place the butter in a square (9×9 or 8×8-inch) baking dish and place in the oven to melt. Make sure to keep an eye on the butter, or it will burn!

2) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, eggs, syrup and vanilla.

3) Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well, making sure all of the oats are moistened.

4) Remove the pan with the butter from the oven. Pour the oats mixture into the pan and stir, mixing until most of the butter in incorporated, but leaving some unmixed at the edges & bottom of the pan.

5) Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden, about 30 minutes. Serve hot with cream.

This recipe makes 6-8 servings. Sometimes I make it in a 9x13 pan and 1 1/2 times the recipe.

NOTE: the original recipe calls for 3/4-1 cup of sweetener. I only use 1/2 cup so don't be surprised if it's not as sweet as you'd expect. (Also, I like to serve it with hazelnut or sweet cream coffee creamers. It's also good with coconut milk.)

Wild Rice Hot Dish

Apparently this is a popular casserole in Wisconsin.  I saw the recipe here and thought that it would be really good, but I made some modifications so that there's more grains and less meat and so the prep goes a little bit faster.  And dang, it's good.  As a warning, it does take a seriously long time to bake, and I think it took me about 35 mins to put it together (but I'm a super slow cook). 

Wild Rice Hot Dish

• 1 1/2 cups wild rice (I actually used a packaged blend of wild and other rices)
• 1  pound ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced (I use as many as I have on hand--last time it was 10 oz)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions

1. In a small bowl, cover the wild rice with cold water and let it soak for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the dish.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a large non-stick skillet (12-inch) begin browning the ground turkey with the salt and pepper After a few minutes, add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are translucent and the most of the liquid has evaporated from the mushrooms, about 5-7 minutes (turkey should no longer be pink). Sprinkle the flour and spices over the meat/vegetables and stir to combine. Continue stirring and cook the mixture for about 1 minute over medium heat until it is cooked and golden.
4. Slowly pour in the broth and milk and whisk to incorporate. Cook until liquid boils, continuing to stir.
5. Drain the wild rice. Stir it in to the sauce with the browned hamburger. Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 9X13-inch baking dish.
6. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the almonds and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the almonds are golden and toasted and the rice is tender. Serve immediately.

Turkey Paninis: Three Ways

A few months ago I discovered that you can kind of use a George Foreman grill as a sandwich press, and so we have been eating a lot of paninis.  I always use the individual-sandwich-size ciabatta rolls from Walmart--not the healthiest, but they taste so good in these sandwiches.  These aren't really recipes, just a list of ingredients (because who measures stuff for a sandwich?), but you get the idea.

Apple Gruyère

turkey deli meat

thinly sliced apples

sliced Gruyère cheese (If you don't have Gruyère, I would probably use Moriah's variation which includes cranberry cream cheese instead.  The Gruyère gives it a lot of flavor. )

mayo

ciabatta rolls

Sun-Dried Tomayo Cheddar

sun-dried tomatoes, drained

mayo

turkey deli meat

cheddar cheese

spinach

Pulse like a 1/4 of a cup of sun-dried tomatoes in the food processor.  Mix with mayo and use as a spread. (This is based on a sandwich I had at the cafe at Ellis Island--one of the best sandwiches of my life.)

Cuban--kind of 

turkey deli meat

ham (or turkey ham, I use thicker slices)

sliced pickles

swiss cheese

mayo

After typing these, I feel like they may be kind of obvious, but they taste good :)  Let me know if you have any whole wheat ciabatta alternatives. 

Moroccan Roasted Carrot Quinoa Salad

This is one of Steven's very favorite meals, and I usually make it about once a month (which is a lot for me!).  It's very healthy and quick to throw together--just chop prep the rest of the ingredients while the carrots are roasting and the quinoa is cooking.  As a sidenote, it's also vegan, if you ever need to cook for a vegan.  I make the Moroccan spice mix in larger batches and then store it in a little tupperware so that it is even faster to make. Recipe is from here.

Moroccan Roasted Carrot Quinoa Salad

4 large carrots (peeled and slices 1/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon moroccan spice blend
1/2 cup red quinoa (red quinoa is a  harder to find and it's pretty expensive, but I think it really makes a big difference in this recipe)
1/2 cup white quinoa
2 cups water
2 teaspoons moroccan spice blend
1 cup chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup red onion (diced)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, zest and juice (I actually just forgo the zest and add lemon juice and olive oil to taste)
1 teaspoon moroccan spice blend
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Toss the carrots in the olive oil along with the spices.
2. Arrange the carrots in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 20 minutes, turning them once in the middle.
4. Simmer the quinoa in the water along with the spices until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
5. Mix the carrots, quinoa, chickpeas, onion, raisins, pine nuts and parsley in a bowl.
6. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, moroccan spice blend, salt and pepper in a small bowl and then toss the salad in it.

Moroccan Spice Blend

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Hot Cross Buns

I've made hot cross buns on Good Friday for years cause my mom did it. I know a lot of LDS people don't celebrate Good Friday but for some reason my mom did for I feel this compulsion to do it too, even though my mom hasn't done it for years. It's traditionally a British thing and is popular in the East and South of the US so I'm not sure who taught my mom but I just found out her sister always made them too.

Anyway, I've never found a recipe I really loved until this year. It's from the pioneer woman and if you want visuals they are here. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/hot-cross-buns/

The dough was almost too sticky to work but I kept adding a bit of flour as I shaped the balls and they turned out great...very moist.

Hot Cross Buns

Prep Time:

 2 Hours

 

Cook Time:

 20 Minutes

 

Difficulty:

 Intermediate

 

Servings:

 18

Ingredients

Buns

• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Canola Oil
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 package (2 1/4 Teaspoons) Active Dry Yeast
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup (additional) Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• Spices: Cardamom, Nutmeg, Allspice (optional)
• 1/2 cup Raisins
• GLAZE
• 1 whole Egg White
• Splash Of Milk
• Icing
• 1 whole Egg White
• Powdered Sugar
• Splash Of Milk

Preparation Instructions

BUNS

Combine 2 cups milk, canola oil, and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan. Stir and heat until very warm but not boiling. Turn off the heat and allow to cool until mixture is still warm, but not hot--about 30 minutes.

Sprinkle yeast over mixture. Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour.

Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir till combined.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and whatever other spices you want to use.

Lightly flour surface. Press to slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on about a third of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is "plain" again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time until all the raisins are used. (You won't use all the sugar/cinnamon mixture.)

Pinch off ping pong or golf ball-size bunches of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll it into a ball, then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes...an hour-plus is better.

PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 degrees

GLAZE

Mix 1 egg white with a splash of milk. Brush onto each roll.

Bake for 20 minutes, give or take, or until tops of buns have turned nice and golden brown.

Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

ICING

Mix 1 egg white with enough powdered sugar for icing to be very thick. Splash in milk as needed for consistency.

Add icing to a small Ziploc bag and snip the corner. Make icing crosses on each roll, making sure they're completely cooled first.

Brownie Mix

I haven't tried this yet but I want to make sure I don't lose it. I'll post when I've tried it.

Never buy boxed brownie mix again! Follow the recipe below and make brownies for approximately .30 a mix! 
Be sure to save this by clicking "SHARE"! You will be able to find it on your own timeline later!
So simple, so easy. Not just frugal but cuts out the unknown ingredients. 
1 Cup Sugar, 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour, 1/3 Cup Cocoa, 1/4 tsp Salt, 1/4 tsp Baking Powder. 
At Baking Time Add: 2 Eggs, 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil, 1 teaspoon Vanilla.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan. OR use the amazing Pampered Chef brownie pan and bake it in much less time - depends on your oven, check after 12-15 minutes of baking and remove when brownies are done!
Put mix in plastic bags or mason jars.

Ginger Molasses Muffins

These muffins go well with the pumpkin soup.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup molasses (I actually ran out of molasses so used half honey)
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (I keep fresh ginger root in the freezer and when I need fresh ginger, I take it out and use the zesting plane.)

• Grease a 12 cup muffin pan and set aside. (I used muffin cups.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl and set aside.
• Beat eggs, oil, molasses and milk in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer on slow speed. (I just mixed by hand.)
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and combine well until glossy and smooth. It will be pretty runny.
• Add the ginger and just stir until incorporated into the batter.
• Pour batter evenly into greased muffin cups and fill 2/3 full. (I had to fill mine almost to the top because there was so much batter. You could probably make 14 muffins but I squeezed mine all into 12 tins and then they spilled over the edges some.)
• Bake for 20 minutes or until nicely browned.

Pumpkin Soup with Garam Marsala

Oh my gosh! I made the best soup tonight and I wanted to document the various things I did since I modified a few recipes. It was so good.

Makes enough for 2 very hungry people to eat a lot on fast Sunday and at least 1 more day...probably 6 servings?

Ingredients:

• 4 C cooked pumpkin chunks (I cut up a pumpkin, placed it skin side up (without removing seeds or slimy stuff inside) and baked for about 2 hours at 350. I probably didn't need to bake that long but it makes it easier to remove. After it's cool the seed part scrapes off really easily and the pumpkin can be chopped and cut off the skins.
• 4 T butter
• 2 onions, chopped (I use the veggie chopper)
• 4 carrots, chopped (veggie chopper again)
• 2 applies, peeled and chopped (peeled and then...yes...veggie chopper)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp garam marsala (you could add more. It has just a tiny kick with this much but dad doesn't like things too spicy.)

Saute the above in a big soup pot for 8-10 minutes. It's ok if things start to get sort of mushy because you'll be pureeing it.

Add 2 c water (or chicken broth--I made my own broth so I just add water and then put the bullion in later) to vitamix. Add sauteed veggies. It will be really full so start slow and get it pureed nicely.

Pour back into pan and add 4 more cups chicken brother. (so you'll have 6 cups chicken broth total.)

Add 1 can of coconut milk and simmer for 5 min; don't boil.

Add salt and ground pepper to taste.

Mom's Pizza Dough

 In bread mixer combine:

• 2 1/2 c warm water
• 3 Tbsp honey or sugar (I usually use honey)
• 1 Tbsp dough enhancer (optional)
• 1 1/2 c cooked grain (I usually use a combination of kamut, sweet brown rice, spelt and quinoa--cook in the rice cooker just like rice)
• 3 c flour (high gluten preferred but I don't usually use it)
• 2 Tbsp yeast

Mix well. It will be runny. Let it sit for 10-15 min. This is called "sponging" it and it allows the yeast to make it airy. Pulse your mixer to release the air.

Add:

• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 c flour

On top of flour add:

• 2 tsp salt

Mix/knead. Add flour a little at a time while mixer is kneading until the dough pulls away and cleans sides and bottom of mixing bowl. (In the kitchenaid its sometimes easier to scrape the sides with a spatula as you go.) Then knead 10-15 min.  I usually have to keep adding flour because it starts to get runny after kneading for a while.

Separate pizza dough into 1 3/4 lb-2 lb balls. (Or whatever size will work with your pans.)

Rub olive oil on the outside of the ball and let it 'relax' for 5-10 min. (Pizza will roll out easier if you don't knead it after it has relaxed.)

Place on piece of parchment paper. Put toppings on and bake at 450-500 for 5-9 minutes.

The key to not having doughy pizza is to preheat the oven with the baking stone inside for at least 15 min. Then slide your parchment paper (with pizza on top) onto the stone that is in the oven.  (This is where a pizza paddle comes in handy!)

Best Ever Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp (I think this is the best one I've ever made.)

posted by request from Peter and Lia

Preheat oven to 350.

Apples:

10 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used Fuji but I imagine any of the tart ones would be good too.)

1 c sugar

1 Tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix the dry ingredients together and then mix with the sliced apples. Put in 9x13 pan.

Topping:

1 c quick-cooking oats

1 c flour

1 c brown sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 c butter, melted  (Oops...my bad...I cut the butter in. Mixing it melted would be much easier!)

 Combine all together and crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

Bake at 350 for about 45 min.  (I baked longer because my apples weren't soft enough.)

Texas Sheet Cake

Texas Sheet Cake 
recipe from Karen Greulich

Cake
Boil 2 minutes:
1 cup water
5 Tbsp cocoa
2 sticks of butter

Mix with boiled ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Pour into greased cookie pan; Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes

Icing
Boil 1 minute:
1 stick of butter
6 Tbsp milk
5 Tbsp cocoa

Add 1lb powdered sugar. Boil and beat with whisk. Add 1 tsp vanilla.