Baked Oatmeal

I want to start off by saying that I have been wanting to post this recipe for a few days now but I can't seem to get a picture since my children devour it so fast both times I have made it! So, even without a photo, I hope everyone will want to try this, it is really good! I first tried this type of oatmeal after our youngest daughter was born earlier this year. A dear friend from church gave us this as part of a "welcome baby meal". I promptly began searching my cookbooks for a recipe then never got around to trying it until last week. Since then I have it twice. I got this particular recipe from the Fix It And Enjoy It cookbook which has many great recipes. Slightly modified to suite what I had on hand.

Oh, and I also updated the Soft Fluffy White Bread recipe. I forgot to include yeast when I first typed it up! You'll have to forgive my "mama brain", we are quite busy around here these days :0)

Here's the oatmeal recipe.....

Baked Oatmeal

1/4 c. light olive oil (vegetable oil or canola oil works too)
1/2 stick butter, cut in small pieces
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
3 c. old fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. milk
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
chopped nuts, raisins, chopped apples or other dried/diced fruit (optional)

Combine all ingredients and spread into a greased 8 x 8 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with milk, hot or cold. Makes enough to feed three hungry children and one hungry mom on a busy school morning :0)

(Note: I mix this up at night, put it in a bowl in the fridge and put it in the pan and bake it in the morning, works great!)

Speaking of Bread

I just found this awesome new blog just about bread. I can't wait to gain a bit more time so I can thouroughly check it out.

A Year In Bread

Soft Fluffy White Bread

** See Updated Below Recipe!**

I have been looking for a good recipe for white bread since I got my bread machine back around Christmas time. All the recipes I have found are tasty but don't have that store bought fluffiness that my husband loves. Although I know white bread is not really healthy, my hubby loves it so I have been on a quest to find the perfect recipe. After much trial and error I have finally succeeded. This bread is nice and soft and so much better than store bought. I usually make a second batch of dough while the first is rising so we have enough for about 2 days.

Soft Fluffy White Bread

1 2/3 c. water
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. light olive oil (NOT extra virgin, it is too strong of a flavor for this bread)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 c. bread flour (don't try to use all-purpose, it won't work... not enough protein in the flour)
1 heaping Tablespoon Vital Wheat Gluten (I buy this at Wal Mart right near the yeast and flour)
2 tsp. quick rise yeast

Put the ingredients into your bread maker in the order suggested in the manual. Select the DOUGH cycle. When the dough is done, punch it down, divide it in half, form it into loaves and put it into buttered loaf pans. Cover it and let it rise about 45 - 60 minutes. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread for 45 minutes. Remove loaves from oven and cover with a kitchen towel for about 10 minutes or until you can easily shake the loaves out of the pans onto a cooling rack. When bread is cool enough to handle, put into plastic bags and tie shut, or you can slice the bread with an electric carving knife at this point and then put it in bags.

* NOTE: For added nutrition, you can substitute 1 c. of whole wheat flour for one cup of the white flour. You will still get a nice soft loaf, but it will not be completely white.

** Update**

Some people seem to have had problems with this recipe. I'm not sure why because it always works great for me. However, to offer all of you readers an alternative recipe. If you purchase a bag of Bob's Red Mill Brand All Purpose Flour there is a GREAT recipe on there for white bread that is just as soft and fluffy as this one, maybe more! I use it all the time and love it. Just a note, it is intended for a bread machine. However, I make it in my Kitchen Aid mixer and use 1 pkg. of yeast per loaf. Works GREAT! I make 4 loaves at time with no problems. Happy Bread Baking!

Safeway.com Coupon Codes

Safeway.com has come great coupon codes this week. You can find the link to their site on my right sidebar. We love ordering from Safeway, especially in the summer when it is HOT! :0) At check out you will be prompted for the codes, just type them in. Happy Shopping!

EASY7 - Free delivery on your FIRST order of $50 or more
SHELF - FREE delivery on your order of $150 or more (good until 7-17-07)
FREE - buy two Nabisco products and receive a free pack of Capri Sun drink pouches.
SNACKS - buy 4 Nabisco snacks and save $4
SOFT - save $1 on the purchase of 2 Angel Soft bath tissue products
NAPKIN - Save $1 on Vanity Fair napkins
TOWELS - Save $2 on Brawney paper towels
NORTHERN - Save $2 on the purchase of 2 Northern bath tissue products
PANINI - Buy one get one FREE on Stouffers and Lean Cuisine Paninis

Mexican Lasagna

I have been wanting to create a Mexican themed lasagna for some time now. I love any kind of lasagna and of course Mexican food is a favorite around our house too. I apologize for the lack of a photograph, I just realized that my digital camera needs new batteries. Here is the recipe.

Mexican Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 package taco seasoning (or use a combination of salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, cumin and chili powder to your taste)
1/2 c. water
4 cups refried beans (I used homemade but you can use canned, just make sure to heat them up with a little milk mixed in to loosen them up)
1 bottle taco sauce (or you could use salsa)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
9 no-boil lasagna noodles

Brown ground beef with taco seasoning and water. Mix taco sauce, tomato sauce and tomatoes in a bowl. In a 9 x 13 pan, spread a little of the taco sauce mixture. Next add 3 lasagna noodles, then 1/3 of the refried beans, 1/3 of the meat and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat layers starting with the taco sauce mixture and ending with the cheese until all the ingredients are used. Cover dish with a double layer of foil. Bake at 425. for 1 hour. I always set a cookie sheet on the bottom oven rack in case of any drips. Serve with diced scallions, chopped cilantro and sour cream.

Coconut and Lime

Hey y'all! One of my favorite blogs, Coconut and Lime is up for an award. Please take a visit and if you like what you see stop by and register at this site then vote. If you do you could win a cool cookbook :0)

Homemade Salsa

Salsa is one thing I make very often. We love Mexican food and the stuff in the jar just does not compare to fresh homemade salsa. Normally I like to use fresh tomatoes for this salsa, but I have listed here my recipe using canned tomatoes so that you can prepare this any time of year. For fresh tomatoes, just substitute about 2 cups, chopped. When using fresh I prefer to use Romas .




Homemade Salsa

1 (28 oz. can diced tomatoes) preferably organic or fire roasted for maximum flavor
1/2 can of diced green chilies
2 cloves garlic
4 scallions
2 handfuls fresh cilantro (use leaves and stems)
juice of one key lime or half a regular lime
1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Put all ingredients in the food processor or blender and process until slightly chunky but mostly smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This is always better the second day as it gives the flavors time to develop as it rests in the refrigerator.

Chicken with Creamy Dill Sauce

I finally feel like it's time to try some new and exciting recipes again. Our little one is content to sit in her swing as I chop, saute and rush about the kitchen so all is just about back to normal in our house these days. Here is a new recipe I had been wanting to try recently. I changed it up by substituting dill for the chives originally called for and adding some lemon juice to brighten the flavor. I served this over linguini with spinach on top of the linguini. It was a hit!




Chicken with Creamy Dill Sauce

(adapted from Eating Well's Healthy In a Hurry Cookbook)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 shallots, minced (I used 2 tsp. dried shallots from Penzey's)
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth (or use homemade)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 c. sour cream
1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. dried dill
salt and pepper

Season chicken with salt and pepper then dredge in 1/4 c. flour. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a heavy skillet and cook chicken about 4 minutes on each side, until nicely browned over medium high heat. Place chicken on a plate and keep warm. Add remaining olive oil and shallots to the skillet and saute until golden. Put remaining flour in skillet and stir until combined. Add broth, wine and lemon juice. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Place chicken back in skillet. Add sour cream and Dijon mustard and stir well. Allow to simmer about 7 more minutes, until heated through and chicken is no longer pink in the center. Sprinkle with dill. Serve.

Garlic Olive Oil Bread Dip

One of my husband's favorite restaurants is Carabba's. They serve nice warm sourdough bread with this amazing bread dip that keeps you coming back for more. The last time we had spaghetti I tried to duplicate this dip. The attempt was a success and now I make it as often as we have something to dip. Last night I made it to go with Stromboli and it was excellent. For the Strombolli I just used me pizza dough recipe, made two 8 x 12 rectangles, topped it lightly with sauce and toppings, rolled it up, pinched shut and baked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Here's the recipe for the bread dip.

Garlic-Olive Oil Bread Dip

1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. course grind black pepper (or freshly ground)
3 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients and mix well. the longer this is allowed to set the more intense the flavor. It can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator, but let it come to room temperature before serving. Serve with nice crusty bread or any Italian type bread. It is also wonderful drizzled over pizza or spaghetti.

Pacific Island Chicken

It's been quite a week here. Our new little one is growing so fast... right before our eyes. It's always amazing to watch a new baby change and grow. The days seem to be passing instantly and before I know it I take a peek at my blog here and realize it's been days since I have posted.

I have been sticking to old stand-bys mostly when it comes to dinner. The other day we had a recipe I haven't made since before I started this blog. I'm not quite sure why because we all loved it and it was really easy too. The recipe is listed below.

I also found a cool new (to me anyhow) food blog that I really enjoyed so it's been added to my list of favorite food blogs. Take a look at Cooking Is Medicine.

Pacific Island Chicken

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts (I have made this with boneless-skinless, bone-in or chicken tenders, all work well)
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 can pineapple chunks (including the juice)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 c. cold water
3 Tbsp. corn starch

Place chicken in crock pot and top with soy sauce, brown sugar, pineapple chucks, garlic and ginger. Whisk corn starch into cold water then pour over all. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. I serve this with broccoli seasoned with salt, pepper and shallots and Jasmine rice.

Rice Pilaf

I just made a great rice pilaf in the crock pot. I posted the recipe on my crock pot blog, so check it out if you're looking for an easy and delicious side dish that won't have you standing over a hot stove. Here's the link.

Crock Pot Lasanga

We are finally getting back into the swing of things here. I didn't do much cooking the first two weeks after Serena's birth because our wonderful and generous church family blessed us with meals for dinner every night. This past week we stuck to some tried and true favorites like posole, spaghetti and lentil stew. Tonight our 7 year old, Kiah took over in the kitchen and with a very small amount of help from me, prepared her first dinner for the family. The meal was wonderful and a very happy mom and dad are much appreciative of her willingness to help in the kitchen! Here's a picture of her culinary masterpiece and the recipe :0) Great work Kiah!!



Crock Pot Lasagna

1 box farfelle ("bow tie") pasta
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
( season beef to taste with salt, pepper, minced onion, garlic powder and Italian seasoning)
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 c. grated mozzarella cheese
2 jars spaghetti sauce of your choice
sliced pepperoni

Spread a small amount of pasta sauce in bottom of crock pot. Layer ingredients in crock pot in thirds as follows: pasta, sauce, meat, bell pepper, cheese. Top last layer with pepperoni. Set on low and cook 3 - 5 hours.

New Arrival!

Our new little one arrived into the world on Tuesday. Serena Annalise weighed 6 lbs. 7 oz. and was 19 inches long. She is just a doll and such a good, calm, sweet baby. We don't post pics of our kids online but trust me, she is a cutie pie :0)

Thanks everyone for your well wishes and prayers!

New recipes will resume in a couple of weeks (give or take). In the meantime, here's one of my favorite sites for recipe inspiration.

Homemade Graham Crackers

Happy Easter everyone! I am not going to be preparing a big holiday meal this year but I do have some of my favorite Easter recipes listed here.

I recently had the chance to pick up a new very cool looking product to try. Have you seen Philly Cream Cheese's new Ready-To-Eat Cheesecake Filling. Awesome idea for people like myself (my whole family actually) that LOVE cheesecake in any form. The tub of filling costs a little under $5 which is comparable to the amount you would probably spend when buying the ingredients to make your own cheesecake filling. I first planned to just purchase (or make) a graham cracker crust to serve this new found confection, but when I remembered a recipe I had seen on The Baking Sheet for Homemade Graham Crackers, I couldn't resist making them. We made "Cheesecake Sandwiches" with them and the new Philly filling and were they good! If your grocer offers this product I highly suggest you give it a try :0)


Here's the Graham Cracker recipe...

Homemade Graham Crackers
(from The Baking Sheet)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour (I used Organic Graham Flour from Hodgson Mill)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a food processor, mix together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 30 seconds or so. Add the honey, molasses, water, and vanilla. Mix until the dough starts to come together in a ball, another 30 seconds. Scrape dough out of the mixer.

Between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper, roll the dough 1/8-inch thick. Chill for at least 1 hour, until firm (I chilled for several hours).

Preheat oven to 350F. Retrieve dough and roll it a bit more if it is not yet 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. Arrange the crackers on parchment lined baking sheets. With a toothpick, prick several holes in each cracker.

Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan.

Yield: 48 crackers

Winding Down For A While...

It's been a busy past few days for us... our 2 year old had a penicillin reaction and broke out in an awful rash. It was very scary for us but praise God she is doing so much better now!

I went for my 37 week prenatal appointment a few days ago and was told by my doctor that my blood pressure is high. So it looks like I will be winding things down here on the blog for a while. I am scheduled to be induced on Tuesday. Baby girl will be here two weeks earlier than we expected!

This afternoon I baked two quiche for the freezer to add to my "post-baby food stocks" :0) So far I have pancakes, pinto beans, chili, pepper steak, and baked beans all frozen and ready to go. It sure does make a difference if you don't have to cook after arriving home with a new little bundle of joy!

I have a couple of recipes I plan to post over the next couple of days but after that if I seem to disappear for a while you'll know why.

I'm so excited to meet our new baby girl! :0)

Monster Cookies

My girls were in the mood for homemade cookies today. I took a quick inventory of what we had on hand and went to my cookbook pile to find something new to try. I had seen recipes for "Monster Cookies" for a long time, but whenever I wanted to make them we seemed to be missing one ingredient or another. Today was finally our day to try them. I'll be honest, I still prefer plain old oatmeal raisin cookies, but all in all these were very good and not nearly as rich as you'd think by the ingredient list. I got this recipe from Penzeys "ONE" Magazine. The original recipe makes 4 times as many cookies but we had to cut in fourths to make a manageable sized recipe. If you like M & M's this is a must try recipe!

Monster Cookies
(adapted from Penzeys "ONE" Magazine)

3 eggs
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/8 c. peanut butter
2 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. M&M's

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream together eggs, butter, sugars and vanilla extract. Mix in the other ingredients by hand to form a stiff dough. Make sure the oats are the quick cooking variety, as they make the cookies fluffier than regular oats. Bake tablespoons full of dough on a greased cookie sheet for about 10 - 12 minutes.

Skillet Bread

With our new baby due so soon I have been really tired and my back has been aching so I haven't felt much like cooking. This morning was no exception. Then I remembered a quick recipe I knew my girls would enjoy. My grandmother used to make this bread for me when I was growing up. These are kind of like fried biscuits. They are really soft inside and go wonderfully with butter and jam or honey. They were such a hit today and I didn't even get an opportunity to take a picture :0)

Skillet Bread

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1 c. water

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Heat 3 Tbsp. oil or butter in a skillet over medium - medium high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls into the skillet. As soon as bread begins to set enough that you are able, turn them with a spatula and press down on them to flatten a bit. Lower the heat and cover the skillet and allow them to steam to cook the inside. Keep a close eye on these, the outsides will burn easily!

Pina Colada Bread Pudding

I always save the ends of bread in a freezer bag for bread pudding. The difference this time is that all the bread I have saved lately is from fresh, homemade bread... yum! So in honor of the "special bread ends" I decided to make a special pudding. This recipe is adapted from a few I found on-line. I just tweaked it a bit to fit what I had on hand. It's cooling right now and smells wonderful!



PINA COLADA BREAD PUDDING

12 thick slices day-old bread
1/4 c. softened butter
6 eggs
1 box banana pudding mix
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 (15 oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice
1 c. grated coconut
1 cup coconut milk
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. sliced almonds

Spread butter on bread slices. Place in a 9 x 13 in. dish, overlapping slices. Beat eggs with brown sugar in bowl. Add pineapple, coconut, coconut milk and milk. Blend well. Add vanilla extract and pudding mix. Blend well again. Pour over and in between bread slices. Sprinkle with almonds. Allow to soak 15 minutes. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool before serving. This would be wonderful served with whipped cream or ice cream on top!

Chicken Sour Cream Enchilada Casserole

My mom always made this dish when I was growing up. It was always the dish we served when company came over... not only by mom's choice but by many requests from guests. It is still one of my favorites as well as my husband and children. We serve this with various side dishes, depending on our mood. Some favorites include refried beans, Spanish rice, Spanish slaw, green salad, marinated tomato slices or calebacitas. My mom always made this in the traditional "enchilada style" with each enchilada rolled separately but I find it quicker and easier to make this like a casserole. Either way, it is delicious!

Chicken Sour Cream Enchilada Casserole

1 lb. chicken breast (boneless/skinless) cooked and diced (I use a food processor)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Progresso brand cream of mushroom soup (If you can't find Progresso, use any brand with 1/2 soup can of milk added)
1/4 c. sour cream
1 can diced green chilis, drained
2 c. grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 onion, minced
18 corn tortillas

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender, combine soups and sour cream plus 1/2 c. of the cheese. Pour soup mixture into a sauce pan and heat through. Ladle a small amount of the soup mixture into a 9 x 13 in. pan. Add a layer of 6 corn tortillas, spread out to cover the bottom of the pan. Next add a layer of 1/3 of the chicken. Then add a layer of 1/3 of the onions. Then add a layer of 1/3 of the cheese. Then add a layer of 1/3 of the soup mixture. Then sprinkle with 1/3 of the green chilis. Repeat layers twice. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted.

Bolillos

We have been sick for a couple of days now so I thought a nice crock pot full of soup would be just the thing to hit the spot. I made Posole yesterday and found a great recipe for the bolillos to go along with it. They turned out great! Sorry I don't have a photo to share but here is what they look like and here's the recipe.

Bolillos

1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups water
1 tablespoon honey (I use Agave nectar)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/4 - 4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Sprinkle yeast over the warm water in a large mixing bowl; stir and let stand 5 minutes.
2. When the yeast is working a bit stir the honey, lard and salt into the yeast mixture.
3. Add 2 1/2 cups flour.
4. Mix at low speed and then beat at medium speed until the dough is very elastic, about 5 minutes.
5. Gradually stir in as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough.
6. Knead on floured surface until dough is smooth in texture and very elastic, 15-20 minutes (use a dough hook on your mixer and knead for about 10-15 minutes).
7. Place dough in a greased bowl, turn the dough so all surfaces have a sheen of oil.
8. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour (I turn on the light in the oven and place the dough in there to rise, do NOT heat the oven!).
9. Punch the dough down and knead briefly on a floured surface.
10. Divide dough into 10 pieces and roll into balls.
11. Work with the palms of your hands and start at the center of each ball to roll out into ovals.
12. Each piece should be about 5 1/2" long and 2" in the middle, tapering to each end.
13. Place rolls on a greased baking sheet, cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 25 minutes.
14. Meanwhile heat oven to 375F degrees.
15. Mix cornstarch and cold water, heat stirring constantly to boiling, boil until thickened and clear about 2 minutes.
16. Brush each roll with the cornstarch mixture.
17. Slash each roll down the middle stopping about 1/2" from each end and cutting about 1/2" deep.
18. Bake until the rolls are brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from baking sheets and cool on racks.
19. Serve warm & fresh from the oven.

Our little container garden that I spoke about a couple posts ago has died out on us. The unexpected cold snap did not give the plants a good start at all. We are planning to replant them directly outdoors at the end of this month when the weather is a little warmer. Stop back by and I will continue to post our progress.

My oldest daughter's birthday was last week and she put in a special order for a cheesecake :) She created this cheesecake herself, "Mama" was just the chef. Here's a picture of her special birthday creation.

It is an orange flavored cheesecake with dulce de leche swirled in... chocolate chips and strawberries on top and whipped cream of course! I can hardly believe my baby is 7 years old!