Baked Oatmeal

I know that oatmeal is a staple in many of the FF households, so hopefully this is a tasty addition to everyone's recipe box.  Addie is now eating more of the foods that we are but insisting to only eat them with her hands.  This is a bit of a dilemma when it comes to creamy oatmeal.  What is the solution?  Baked oatmeal, of course!  Brett and I can add a little milk to ours to make it creamier and Addie can eat it in little chunks.  

I found this recipe and have modified it slightly to reduce the sugar content (the first version was disgustingly sweet).  Additional modifications have made it dairy and soy free to accommodate Addie's food intolerances.  It is also a nice option for busy mornings because I can assemble and put it in the oven before I shower and by the time I am all ready for work it is ready to eat!

This makes enough for two or three mornings' breakfasts.  

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

2 c quick-cooking oats

1 c rolled oats

2 T brown sugar

2 t baking powder

1/2 t cinnamon

3/4 t salt

1/4 t ground ginger

3 T flax meal (I ground up flax seeds in my blender - easy)

1/4 c warm water

1 c rice milk (vanilla or plain)

1 t vanilla

1/4 c maple syrup (I think I used a little less than this)

1/4 c melted margarine (we use Earth Balance soy-free)

3/4 c frozen blueberries

1 peeled, chopped apple

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Lightly oil or grease an 8" square baking pan. 
2. In a medium-large bowl, combine the quick-cooking oats, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and ginger. Set aside. 
3. In a small bowl, combine the flax meal with the warm water until the mixture is "goopy". Set aside. 
4. In another small mixing bowl, whisk together the almond milk, vanilla, maple syrup and melted margarine. Add this to the dry ingredients, followed by the flax mixture. Stir until just combined. 
5. Fold in the blueberries and apples until evenly distributed. 
6. Spread the mixture in the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. 
7. Cut into 8 squares and serve warm with milk.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Prep Time: 15 Min.
Total Time: 8 Hrs 15 Min.
Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of onion soup (any other cream of soup will do)
1 jar (6 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
6 cups hot cooked noodles or rice

Preparation:
In 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-quart slow cooker, mix beef, onion, soups, mushrooms and pepper. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until beef is very tender. Stir cream cheese into beef mixture until melted. Stir sour cream into beef mixture. Serve over noodles.

Notes: I added some garlic and halved both cream cheese and sour cream.

BBQ Country Style Ribs (Crock Pot)

We are busily cleaning up broken branches and bushes from our 12+ inch snowstorm, so I decided to do something easy for dinner today.  Yesterday was the last day of our farmers market (*sigh*) so I stocked up on meat and winter squash (they were less than $1 each which I thought was a great deal).  Here's what's in the crock pot:

1 package Pork Country Style Ribs (it was about 1.5 lbs)
1 small bottle of BBQ sauce
Water - 1/2 of BBQ bottle (super scientific)
1/2 of one onion
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper

I placed 1/2 of the BBQ sauce and onion on the bottom, added the ribs, and then added everything else.  I put it on high for 2 hours and then low for the remainder (total of about 6 hours).  Also, the pork was still pretty frozen but I don't think that makes much of a difference.

We are having sweet potato fries on the side.  Yum!

Return of the Meat!

Thank goodness - we have found a local, free-rangey, good for the animals (at least up to the obvious point) meat  supplier.  I was worried we would just have to go and stand in line at the meat packing plant.  Okay, not really (eww), but my mind is resting much easier now that I now we are not ingesting hormones and antibiotics as a side dish.  I am also in a good mood because Brett cooked said meat for dinner.  Rub your eyes and re-read that line.  Here it is in case you missed it... Brett cooked tonight.  Yep.  He grilled chicken (from our meat man - does that sound inappropriate?) after dousing it with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Then he made a honey mustard "sauce" to use when it was done cooking.  Here's what he used:
- Dijon mustard
- Maple syrup (real stuff)
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Yellow mustard (he didn't want it to be too fancy)
- Fake syrup (again, he had to scale it down a notch)
- Salt
- Pepper

I made couscous (large pearl, yum), wild rice, and green beans for the side.  Hey, I didn't say he made the whole dinner... baby steps!  Oh, and Addie ate some of the chicken, too, but I cooked it in my favorite pan (eco pan - check it out) without any oil, etc.  I did end up sprinkling some onion powder on it and that encouraged her to eat it up (or, maybe it was the peas and bananas that I threw in).  Either way, we are all happy and fed.

What did you have for dinner?

Tomato-Basil Crab Bisque

Yields: 4 to 6 servings
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 ounces fresh crabmeat, divided*
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1/2 cup)**
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups clam juice (or you can use chicken stock)
1 (5.5-ounce) can V8 vegetable juice (or you can use tomato sauce)
1 cup whipping or heavy cream
1 to 2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
In a large heavy soup pot over low heat, melt butter. Add 3/4 of crab meat, chopped tomato, 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Whisk in flour; stir 2 minutes. Whisk in clam juice, V8 vegetable juice, whipping cream, Old Bay seasoning, and hot pepper sauce. Simmer over low heat until slightly thickened, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let soup cool slightly. Puree soup in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth OR immersion hand blender (which is what I used.) Return soup to pot. Stir in water and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper; bring to simmer before serving. Sprinkle with remaining crab meat and basil.

Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated.

MY NOTES: Use low heat for the whole process. If your crab meat is in cubes or chunks chop it further. This was very important when it came time to puree, as I used an immersion hand blender as opposed to a food processor. It also helps to have smaller bits when you whisk in the juice and flour in the second step. This is pretty rich, so we had it as our main course and would have been delicious with a good bread.

Adapted from: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Soup/TomatoCrabBisque.htm

Weeknight Chicken

Not a crock pot recipe, but this is the easiest dinner I make for busy nights. It takes approximately 1 minute of prep and then cooks for about 40 minutes.

1. Put boneless skinless chicken breasts in a baking dish.
2. Add a can of corn.
3. Add a can of black beans, drained.
4. Add a jar of salsa, whatever kind you like.
5. Cook for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
6. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar, and cilantro. Or not!

New England Pot Roast (Crock Pot)

Thank you for suggesting the crock pot challenge! This is my favorite pot roast recipe, from my trusty Betty Crocker. Secret ingredient? Horseradish.

4 pound beef arm, blade or cross rib pot roast
1 to 2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 jar (8 oz) prepared horseradish
1 cup water
8 small potatoes, cut in half
8 medium carrots, cut into fourths (I usually just use a bag of baby carrots)
8 small onions

1. Cook beef in 12 inch skillet over medium heat until brown on all sides.
2. Place potatoes, carrots, and onions in 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Place beef on vegetables.
3. Mix horseradish, salt, and pepper, and spread evenly over beef.
4. Pour water into slow cooker, cover and cook over low heat for 8 to 10 hours.