oatmeal pancakes

i'm probably a bit obsessed with baking or cooking with oatmeal. i have a giant canister of oatmeal and i'm not afraid to use it! in almost anything...same goes for cornmeal. these pancakes were pretty good. the secret is soaking the oats in buttermilk overnight. that gets them moist and make the pancakes nice and soft. if you follow the recipe you should get exactly 12 pancakes. i halved the recipe because i was only making it for myself and got 6 pancakes, i ate 3 and have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow.

2 cups dry oatmeal

2 cups buttermilk

2 medium eggs

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

This is best started the night before, making it a good weekend breakfast. Get out a large bowl. In it combine the oatmeal and buttermilk. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, take the bowl out of the refrigerator. Add the eggs, oil, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat well with a wire whisk. Fry the pancakes on a hot well oiled griddle or skillet. Use about 1/4 cup batter per pancake. When the top side is bubbly and puffed up, and the underside is brown, turn the pancake. Brown the second side and transfer to a plate. Continue until all of the batter is used up.

cream tart

again my camera phone takes horrible photos. this is a slice of cream tart i made. it's like a brownie pie with a crispy crust topped with chocolate whipped cream. it's da bomb if i do say so myself. the recipe suggests to bake in a 9 inch springform pan but i baked it in a regular pie dish and it worked out fine. instead of using irish cream of whipped cream in the tart mix i substituted the white chocolate mocha creamer.

tart

1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup Irish cream liqueur or whipping cream

2 eggs

Topping

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

Dash salt

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Additional unsweetened baking cocoa, if desired

White chocolate curls, if desired

Heat oven to 425°F. Remove crust from pouch; press in bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Place chocolate chips in medium microwavable bowl. Microwave on High 40 seconds. Stir; microwave 5 to 15 seconds longer or until chocolate is melted and smooth. Cool 3 minutes.

In large bowl, beat condensed milk, liqueur, eggs and melted chocolate with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Pour into cooled baked shell.

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake 20 to 30 minutes longer or until center is set. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 1 hour. Refrigerate 2 hours.

In medium bowl, beat all topping ingredients except additional cocoa and chocolate curls with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spread topping over tart; sprinkle with additional cocoa and garnish with chocolate curls. Store in refrigerator.

irish cream brownies

i found this recipe and my intention was to actually make irish cream brownies buuuut then i went to the supermarket and found a white chocolate mocha creamer so i decided to try that. then i realized i had some raspberry coulis from the eton mess leftover so i used some of that too. so for the brownie recipe i used 1/4 raspberry coulis and 1/4 white chocolate mocha creamer instead of all irish creamer. the results came out da bomb because who good does white chocolate, raspberries and fudge taste together?!

Brownie

6 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup liquid Irish cream coffee creamer (can substitute creamer flavor)

Frosting

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened

3 tablespoons liquid Irish cream coffee creamer

Heat oven to 350°F. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in 2-quart saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in sugar and cocoa. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Add baking powder and baking soda; mix well. Alternately add flour and 1/2 cup coffee creamer, mixing well after each addition.

Spread batter into greased 9-inch square baking pan. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Combine all frosting ingredients in medium bowl; mix until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies. Sprinkle with decorator sugar. Cut into bars.

feta & spinach kugel

this was a good recipe. i should have added some salt to flavor it more. it taste good topped with sour cream but that's my suggestion for everything (it's gillian's fault!). no photo because i'm lazy and it'll probably be a horrible looking photo anyways.

One 12-oz. package fettucini

1 medium sized onion, chopped

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

One 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

3 large eggs

One 8-oz. package feta cheese, crumbled

1 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare noodles according to package directions; drain. Saute' onion in oil until brown and crispy, stirring constantly. Combine onion and remaining ingredients except for noodles in a large mixing bowl. Add noodles and mix until well blended. Pour mixture into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Bake for 30 to 45 mins. Serves 8.

v-day dessert

although it's not valentine's day yet, i found a nice no bake easy dessert recipe for v-day. the reason it's good for valentine's day is only because it's red. it's raspberry coulis eton mess. of course i changed a few things from the following recipe. first, i didn't add any vanilla into the whipped cream because i like my fresh whipped cream simple, just cream and sugar. i also cut down the sugar in the whipped cream. second, i didn't fold the meringue crumble into the whipped cream, i just topped it with it instead. i imagine if i folded the meringue in and let it sit, the meringue would get mushy. also i could only purchase a 12 oz bag of raspberries, so i cut down the sugar. i cut it down to probably half because i thought it would be too sweet. oh also straining the raspberry to remove the seeds was kind of a pain in the ass. the final outcome of the dessert was pretty tasty andnot to filling, which is great to serve when you're serving a big meal but have a sweet tooth. i think i'm gonna eat it all by myself.

Ingredients

For the Eton mess

400ml whipped cream

3½oz sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 ready-made meringue baskets, crumbled

For the raspberry coulis

14¼oz frozen raspberries

5¼oz sugar

Preparation method

For the Eton mess, place the whipped cream, sugar, vanilla extract and crumbled meringue into a bowl. Lightly fold all of the ingredients together, taking care not to over-crush the meringues. Leave to one side while you make the coulis.

For the raspberry coulis, place the raspberries and sugar into a blender. Blend to a smooth consistency. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve.

To serve, spoon a small amount of the coulis into the bottom of each of four tall glasses. Top with the Eton mess mixture and another spoonful of the coulis. Layer the ingredients until the glass is full and finish with a topping of coulis.

malted vanilla & graham cracker ice cream

ok i take horrible photos of food for this here blog. actually i only have a camera phone and it sucks. this actually looked very nice in person and had a bright yellowish hue. anyways, when i found this recipe i had to make it. i used fresh raw milk & eggs from a local farm. it was relatively easy to make, but between the cooling down & ice cream making process, it probably took somewhere between 6 & 7 hours to be ready. it was well worth it. when adding the graham cracker to the ice cream maker it disintegrated the cracker chunks into flecks, so it gives it the graham cracker flavor, but not the crunch. i would suggest keeping some extra crackers & crumble them up for a topping when serving. this ice cream would probably taste good sprinkled with some salt too. it kind of reminds me of cookies & cream ice cream but instead of chocolate, it's honey. yum! i doubled the recipe to share but i might eat it all!

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup white sugar

One 4-inch vanilla bean, split and scraped (optional)

3 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch kosher salt

1/3 cup malt powder

3 graham crackers (plain, cinnamon or chocolate covered), crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the milk, cream, 1/4 cup of the sugar and, if desired, the vanilla bean seeds and pod (now empty) in a small pan and cook over low heat, whisking from time to time, until it is warm, about 175°F.

Place the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the vanilla extract and salt in a small metal bowl and whisk until completely mixed. Add 1/4 cup of the warm milk mixture to the eggs, whisking all the while. Continue adding the milk to the eggs, 1/4 cup at a time, until you have added about 1 1/2 cups. Slowly, whisking all the while, return the now milk and egg mixture to the remaining milk mixture in the pan and continue cooking until it just begins to thicken or reaches about 185°F. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Strain into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Gradually add the malt powder, whisking all the time. Set the mixture aside until it reaches room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until it reaches 40ºF, about 3 hours. Transfer to an ice cream maker and proceed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

When the ice cream is just beginning to come together but has not hardened completely, add the graham crackers and process for about 5 more minutes.

coriander beer quick loaf

i'm still too worried about baking bread with yeast in it thanks to this i love lucy episode so i found a quick loaf recipe in which the only yeast in it is beer. the recipe calls for caraway seeds but i hate the taste so i used coriander. i really liked the way that taste but next time i'd cut it down to 2-3 tsp instead of 4 tsp. i served the bread with the homemade fish chowder i made using the ultimate soup bible recipe book http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Soup-Bible-Anne-Sheasby/dp/0760774498. this time i think i used a little less potatoes so it wasn't as thick but it was still tasty. i also add two strips of bacon so give it a more smoky flavor. yumm!!

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1-1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup butter

4 tsp caraway seeds

2 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup beer

How to make it

In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.With pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in caraway seeds.

In separate bowl, beat together eggs, buttermilk and beer; add to flour mixture all at once, stirring with fork to make soft dough.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface; knead lightly about 10 times. Shape dough into oval to fit into greased 9 x 5 -inch (2L) loaf pan.

With serrated knife, cut shallow slash lengthwise down center.

Bake in center of 350*F (180*C) oven for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until golden brown and cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove from pan; let cool on rack.

Makes 1 loaf, 12 slices.

quick rolls

wanted to make quick rolls to go with dinner tonight. next time i need to make these plumper.

1 ¾ cups bread flour

¼ cup cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg, beaten light

1 tablespoon corn syrup

¾ cup milk

¼ cup corn oil

Instructions

Sift together the dry ingredients.

Stir in the corn oil and corn syrup.

Mix togetheer the egg and milk and add to the dry ingredients.

Turn out onto a floured board and pat to one-fourth inch thickness.

Cut in rounds and crease each one. Brush with a little corn oil.

Transfer to an oiled pan and bake from 20-25 minutes in a hot oven, 400 degrees F.

oatmeal kolaches

decided to make kolaches because i have so many different preserves in my fridge. well actually i have 3 homemade and 1 store bought, but that's a lot more than i usually keep at a time, which is usually 1. i finally finished the apricot preserves, which lasted me forever even though it was really really delicious. i also used the prickly pear jam melinda made me for the rest of the kolaches. i really enjoyed the kolaches cuz the were relatively easy to make, even though the dough was a lot more moist than it probably should have been when i was trying to roll it out. ryan thought the dough needed a little bit more sugar and he thought they were bland, but i thought they were tasty and kind of reminded me of scones.

1 3/4 cups biscuit mix

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1 cup rolled oats, quick or regular, uncooked

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

confectioners sugar

6 tablespoons thick preserves, any flavor

Put biscuit mix into mixing bowl. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and sugar.

Combine egg, milk and vanilla extract; add to dry ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough onto lightly floured board. Knead lightly several times. Roll dough 1/2-inch thick and cut out 3-inch rounds with floured cookie cutter. Place on greased baking sheet. Press a deep indentation in center of each round with back of floured spoon or thumb. Fill each with 1 teaspoon of preserves. Bake at 400 degrees F until done and lightly browned, about 10 or 12 minutes. More preserves may be added after baking. Sprinkle with sifted confectioners sugar.

toasted oatmeal crepes

i've been wanting to make crepes for a while and i stumbled upon this toasted oatmeal crepe recipe. the batter was thicker than usual for crepes, but everything placed together taste really good. i'm digging toasted oatmeal. i chose to use yogurt instead of whipped cream of ice cream. this would make a good sweet breakfast.

1/2 cup rolled oats

Crepes:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

6 tablespoons butter, melted

3 eggs

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Sautéed apples:

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 pounds cooking apples, peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Calvados

Sweetened whipped cream (optional)

Vanilla ice cream or yogurt (optional)

Preparation:

Toast the oats, stirring frequently, in a dry skillet set over medium heat. The oats are done when they are lightly browned and have a nutty aroma. Remove the oats from the skillet and set them aside to cool.

To make crepes:

Process the flour, butter, sugar, eggs and salt in a blender until the mixture is smooth. Add the milk 1/3 cup at a time, until the batter is a liquid consistency. Set batter aside for 20 minutes.

Melt a little butter in a crepe pan or large skillet over low-medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan and swirl until the bottom of the pan is covered with batter. Cook the crepe for 1 minute, or until the crepe is slightly moist on top and golden underneath. Loosen the edges of the crepe, slide the spatula under it, and then gently flip it upside down into the pan. Cook for 1 minute and transfer the cooked crepe to a plate to keep warm.

To make sautéed apples:

Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the apples and confectioners’ sugar to the pan and sauté them for 5 to 7 minutes, until they turn golden and tender. Sprinkle the Calvados over the apples and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long match. Stand back and allow the flames to go out.

To assemble the crepes, arrange the sautéed apples and whipped cream or ice cream in a warm crepe. Sprinkle the apple mixture with a spoon of toasted oats and fold the crepe. Garnish the top of the filled crepes with whipped cream and toasted oats.

This toasted oatmeal apple crepes recipe makes 8 to 10 servings.