Recipe Thread

[Karen]

Karen, do you make non-instant oatmeal? How do you prepare it? I've read that you can do it in the slow cooker, but when I've tried I end up with a pasty, gloppy mess. I like to eat breakfast foods for supper and instant oatmeal is one of my favorites because it's hot and fast.

Thank you,
Elyse

I usually make instant oatmeal, but also have made regular oatmeal in the microwave, follow the directions n the Quaker Oats container, and adding in raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon - yum! And doesn't take very long!

1/2 Cup of Oats
1 3/4 cup of water
5 shakes of cinnamon or so
1 tablespoon brown sugar
a handful of raisins
1 dash of salt

Put all in a microwave-safe bowl, store, microwave for 1-2 minutes, then stir again, and let cool for a minute so you don't burn your mouth then enjoy!

[RICHARD]

I made a beer can chicken last night and it was the best one yet.

I have a holder that I bought someplace that is a basic wire cage, that I put on a cookie sheet - you can look up "beer can chicken roaster' and see different models, some are like small bundt cake pans that will catch all the juice from the chicken as it cooks.

(the drippings make a good treat for a dog - mixed into a dry plate of food!)

You can use beer, water or stock in the can, I shoved a few celery stalks, dill and water into the can along with the giblets..

I washed and used a paper towel to dry off the bird - here you can take some salt, pepper or whatever seasoning you like and put it into the cavity of the bird - then grab some oil - your choice- and rub the outside of the bird and before you put the bird on the beercan stand, sprinkle the skin with your choice of dried herbs......I used a garlic/rosemary seasoning. Stand the bird up and put the holder on a cookie sheet.

Check the bird to make sure he won't flop over - because I don't have a simple BC holder, I have to put it on a cookie sheet to catch the drippings - I would put ANY holder on a sheet, just in case.

Preheat the oven to 375 and roast that sucker for about 2.5 hours.

------

When you pull him out, let it rest for a few minutes - you may not have to carve him up - the bird fell apart rather easily.

Then enjoy.

(IF you like the crispy skin of a chicken make sure that you carve him up, that way you can lay claim to the best part of the the bird.......)

[Karen]

Reposted from the Thursday's thread, just so it is in a searchable part of Pet Talk!

Chocolate Graham Yummies


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Cream together:
2 sticks of butter
3/4 cup sugar

Mix in:
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanila

until light and fluffy.

In a small bowl, mix or soft together:

3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (hence the "graham" in the title)
5 tablespoons cocoa powder (1/4 cup plus 1 more)
3 tablespoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Add this to the wet mixture, mix thoroughly. It makes a very soft dough, so throw it in the fridge for a few minutes to =harden up if necessary.

Form spoonfuls into 1" rough balls. Set on an ungreased baking sheet 2 inches apart, and into each one, push:

1 mini marshmallow - only about halfway in, don't push hard.

Bake for 11 minutes, marshmallow should be lightly browned. LET COOL on the tray a couple minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Remove from the tray with a spatula, as they are soft when warm. (If you don't, they fall apart very easily.)

Cool, enjoy!

If you pushed one marshmallow in too far, and it basically all melts into the cookie, you can always put another one on top of that spot and rebake that cookie for 5-7 minutes, to brown the new one!

When cool, store in an airtight container, and they'll keep well. Dunno how long, they've never lasted long enough without getting eaten!



(I had a bag of unused mini marshmallows, and didn't want to throw them in brownies - that would be too heavy for a summer service, so this is what the experiment lead to.

[Karen]

Latest experiment - people at church adore my shortbread cookies, so I always try different variations. okay's ended up even more of a variation than normal, and the interesting part was the dates I chopped and added turned crunchy when baked - I expected them to be chewy, but they were crunchy! Who knew?

Date Spice Sweet Shortbread:

Cream together
1 cup butter (2 sticks, softened at room temperature is easiest)

Add:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all that together, then add:

2 cups flour

and then

2/3 cup chopped dates

Pat dough together if necessary (depends what temperature your butter was at when you started) then roll out to about 1/4" inch thick, cut into shapes (I just used a round cutter, with the dates in it, you need something with a sharp edge). Cutting into squares with a knife also works fine - keep the shapes small, as the cookies are rich and delicate.

Place on an ungreased cookies sheets

Bake for 20 minutes at 350° F - let cool or remove with a spatula - they are fragile when first out of the oven.

Then enjoy!

[Karen]

Simple frosting:

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter, softened - room temp is fine
1 box Confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

a glass water or milk - you'll add a tablespoon or so at a time.

Into a big bowl (mixer or food processor), cream the butter - just beat it all up. Add the vanilla, about half the box of confectioner's sugar, and a blurp of water. Beat that all in on high, then keep adding more sugar and water until you get about the right consistency - if it gets too stiff, add a bit more water, etc.

Makes enough for one layer cake and sides, how many cupcakes depending on how thick you put it on! It will harden/dry out just on the surface and keep at room temp for a while - overnight or until he cupcakes or cake is all gone - never kept any around long enough to test how many days!

[pomtzu]

A favorite of mine - great for summertime dinners, BBQs, or just any old time. Simple to make and super yummy!



3 Bean Salad

1 can (15 oz) drained cut green beans
" " " wax (yellow) beans
" " " kidney beans

1 bell pepper - chopped
1 onion - chopped
1/2 t celery seed
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t salt (optional)
3/4 C sugar
1/3 C salad/vegetable oil
2/3 C vinegar

Place beans, pepper and onion in bowl. Mix seasonings, oil and vinegar. Pour over beans and marinate over night.


This is just the basic recipe - you can add other kinds of beans to it such as butter beans, black beans, or other veggies such as shaved carrots or finely diced celery. You may need to make up more of the marinade if you add more ingredients too - depending on how much of the extras that you add.

ENJOY!

[mon]

This is an old Canadian recipe from the prairies. It's easy and excellent. Please make sure to butter the pan well. preheat oven to 350

Butter Tart Slices

1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
2 tbsp. icing sugar
Mix and press in 8x8 inch pan

Topping

1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup raisins
1 tbsp. vinegar
2 eggs
Mix together and pour over base. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 mins.