Vanilla Blueberry Oatmeal

This is my new favorite way to make a big batch of oatmeal for my family - way faster than doing them in the microwave. It's a great basic recipe and you can alter the fruit you put in as well as the flavor of creamer. Also, I never have refrigerated creamer, just the powder kind. And I don't measure that, I just stir some in until I think it looks good.

Vanilla Blueberry Oatmeal
3 c. water
2 c. quick-cooking oats
1/2 -2/3 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (or any berry, bananas, peaches, etc)
2 T. plus 1-1/2 tsp. refrigerated French vanilla nondairy creamer

In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the oats, sugar and salt. Remove from heat; stir in blueberries and creamer. Yield: 4-5 servings.

Ginger Veggie Stir-Fry

We had fresh peas from the garden for this stir-fry and we even had fresh ginger! Wow!

No worries, this action shot is not of me. Steve made this stir-fry (I put him to work so we could eat at a reasonable time tonight) and he was worried I'd try to claim that hairy arm as my own. hahaha!

Ginger Veggie Stir-Fry

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 clove garlic, crushed

2 tsp chopped fresh ginger, divided

1/4 C vegetable oil, divided

1 small head broccoli, cut into florets

1/2 C snow peas

3/4 julienned carrots

1/2 C quartered mushrooms

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 1/2 Tbsp water

1/4 tsp onion powder (or 1/4 C chopped onion)

1/2 - 1 tsp salt*

In a large bowl, blend cornstarch, garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until cornstarch is dissolved. Mix in veggies, tossing to lightly coat.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Cook vegetables in oil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in soy sauce and water. Mix in onion powder, salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon ginger. Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender.

You can use whatever veggies you like and you can add chicken or tofu if you so desire.

*I have reduced the salt quite a lot - the original recipe called for 1/2 Tbsp and I thought it was rather on the salty side. So, you may want to play with the salt amount but since soy sauce is salty I think 1/2 - 1 tsp should be plenty...

Altered from Allrecipes.com

Grilled Ham with Fruit Sauce

This ham has a citrus sauce that uses lemon, orange, and grapefruit. Mom, not being a grapefruit lover, didn't care for the grapefruit flavor so next time we'll try it with two oranges instead. And I forgot to take a picture of the sauce that goes over the ham so you'll have to use your imagination...

Grilled Ham with Fruit Sauce

Peach Glaze

1 can (12oz) peaches, drained

2 Tbsp mustard

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

2 center-cut ham steaks (about 1 pound each)

Citrus-Ginger Sauce

1 lemon

1 orange

1 grapefruit

1 tsp olive oil

2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 C chicken broth

Glaze:

Place all glaze ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Cover each side of ham steaks with glaze and place in a resealable bag or tupperware (with any additional glaze) and refrigerate 4 hours.

Sauce:

Zest lemon entirely. Cut lemon, orange, and grapefruit in half. Scoop the meat out of the fruit and place in a small bowl with lemon zest. Squeeze any juice left in fruit peels over the fruit in the bowl.

Mix together the olive oil, ginger, garlic, green onion, and chicken broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the fruit mixture and cook for 1 minute more. Keep warm until ham is ready.

Meanwhile, grill ham over medium-hot for 10 minutes, turning once. Serve immediately with sauce.

Serves 4-6.

Adapted from The Tailgating Cookbook.

Caribbean Rice

This was a yummy rice dish. You're supposed to serve it cold but (this will surprise you...) I didn't read through the whole recipe in time to realize that. heh heh. That said, it was quite yummy hot.

Caribbean Rice

1 can (15 oz) coconut milk

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 clove garlic, minced

6 sprigs cilantro, leaves chopped, plus additional 1 Tbsp for garnish

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 C chicken broth

1 1/2 C rice

2 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into small pieces

1 can (14 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

Put the coconut milk, onion powder, garlic, cilantro from sprigs, ginger and salt in a blender and puree until just smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add the chicken broth and rice. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 15-20 minutes.

Transfer the rice to a large bowl. Add mangoes, black beans, and 1 Tbsp cilantro; mix gently. Cover and refrigerate until cooled. OR serve while hot. :)

Adapted from The Tailgating Cookbook.

Rosemary Chicken Panini

I planted rosemary in my herb garden this year so I'm searching for ways to use it. I love sandwiches and I love my panini maker so this was just great. This panini is a combination of a few recipes I found so there's not really anyone to site.

Rosemary Chicken Panini

1/4 C olive oil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

Black pepper, to taste

8 slices sourdough bread

1/2 C mayonnaise

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary (I used a heaping half teaspoon)

1 C shredded, cooked chicken breast

1 tomato, sliced

1/2 C shredded Italian blend cheese

Pour olive oil into a small bowl, add oregano and black pepper to taste; mix and set aside.

In another small bowl, mix mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary. Spread mayonnaise mixture on one side of each slice of bread.

Divide chicken between 4 slices of bread, then top with tomatoes, and cheese. Place the remaining bread slices on top to make a sandwich. Brush one side with the olive oil mixture and place sandwich on panini grill with the oil side down. Brush the top of the sandwich with olive oil and close panini grill. Grill for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is nicely browned. Repeat with all sandwiches.

Makes 4 sandwiches. Enjoy!

Polynesian Pork Ribs

O.k., I know we just had ribs, but I had to make room in the freezer, and ribs are big so they had to go. But anyway, Jeff and Amelia and I really liked them. Tiernan didn't seem too impressed, and of course Joshie steered clear of them. It calls for boneless ribs, but that's not what I had, and they were fine anyway. And it also called for a small onion, sliced, but I had some diced in the freezer, so I just used that, and I used less than it called for, as Jeff is not a fan of onions.

Polynesian Pork Ribs

Ribs:
2 lb pork ribs
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 C. onion, diced
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, undrained

Sauce:
3/4 C. ketchup
3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp grated ginger root

Spray 3-1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. place ribs, garlic and onion in sprayed slow cooker. Spoon about half of the pineapple with some of the juice over ribs. Reserve remaining pineapple and juice. Cover; cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.
About 35 minutes before serving, drain and discard cooking juices from slow cooker; wipe edge of slow cooker clean. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, ginger root and remaining pineapple with juice; mix well. Spoon or pour evenly over ribs. Increase heat setting to high; cover and cook an additional 25 to 30 minutes or until ribs are glazed.
Serves 6

From Pillsbury Christmas '07 cookbook

Creamy Artichoke & Mushroom Penne

Here's a yummy pasta dish. Mom asked if there was any that wasn't "stirred in as much" - you know, to avoid the mushrooms, but other than that I think it was well accepted. I didn't use the capers.

Creamy Artichoke & Mushroom Penne

12 ounces penne pasta

1/2 small onion, minced

1 garlic clove, crushed

3 Tbsp butter

1 (8oz) package mushrooms, sliced

1 (8.5oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 C whipping cream

2 Tbsp capers, drained

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 C shredded Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well.

While pasta is cooking, melt butter in large skillet. Add garlic and onion and cook over medium-high heat until tender. Add mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add artichokes and cook 2 minutes or until warmed through. Remove vegetables from skillet; set aside and keep warm.

Add whipping cream to skillet; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until cream is reduced by half. Add artichoke mixture, capers, salt, and pepper, stirring well. Add past and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley and stir until cheese melts and everything is mixed well.

Serves 6.

Adapted very slightly from Southern Living.

Baked Cinnamon French Toast

Tuesday being "breakfast for dinner night" we tried this tonight. It's a bit custardy (similar to French Toast Souffle) and The J prefers traditional French toast but he liked it enough to gobble half the pan down... I thought the blackberry jam was a delicious touch.

This picture was taken the right way and I fixed it in my computer but it's still showing up sideways... Sorry!

Baked Cinnamon French Toast

12 slices cinnamon bread

1/4 C butter or margarine, softened

9 eggs

1 C milk

1 C heavy cream

1 C sugar

4 1/2 tsp vanilla

Powdered sugar, if desired

Warmed blackberry preserves

Maple syrup

Line the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish with six slices of bread. Butter the remaining bread; place with butter side up over bread in pan. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla; mix well. Pour over bread; let stand for 15 minutes. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar, top with jam and syrup.

Voila!

Serves 6.

Altered from a recipe in Quick Cooking.

Very Berry Cheesecake

Raspberry Cheesecake ice cream is Chad's favorite so when I saw this recipe on Allrecipes I thought I'd make it instead of a cake for his birthday. I even included my meager attempt at photographing it. Next time I won't do it on my cluttered avocado counters. Kelton rated it as "so good cake!"


Very Berry Cheesecake

40 vanilla wafers, crushed
6 T. butter, melted
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 T. flour
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. cottage cheese, creamed (or I think you could use ricotta and skip the creaming part)
1/4 c. juice (the recipe called for cherry brandy - I used a guava/raspberry one, or you could do o.j.)
3 eggs
3 1/2 c. berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, boysenberries, or chopped pitted cherries)
1 T. juice
1 T. sugar

Preheat the oven to 375. In a medium bowl, stir together vanilla wafer crumbs and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom and partway up the sides of an 8 inch springform pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the 3/4 c. sugar, flour and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Set aside. Place cottage cheese in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Stir into cream cheese mixture. stir in the juice. Beat in eggs on low speed just until combined (you do not want to incorporate too much air).

Place pan on a cookie sheet with sides. Pour half the cream cheese mixture into the pan. Spread 1 cu of the fruit on top. Pour in remaining cheese mixture and sprinkle 1/2 c. fruit on top of that.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until the center appears nearly set when shaken. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen sides. Cool completely on wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, or until ready to serve.

For topping, in a medium bowl combine remaining berries, juice and sugar. Cover and let the juices draw for up to 2 hours. Top each slice of cheesecake with berries.

Adobe Chicken Wraps

I got this recipe from a "dinner in 10 minutes" sort of deal but I made my own salsa verde and fresh guacamole to use which meant that it was dinner in a lot more than 10 minutes. Heh heh. It was worth the fresh salsa and guac though. I used shoepeg corn because it's a little better than regular canned corn and comes in a smaller can (and we have some picky corn connoisseurs here you know) but you can use regular canned corn just as well.

Salsa Verde:

Adobe Chicken Wraps:

Adobe Chicken Wraps

1 C shredded chicken

1/2 C salsa verde (or whatever kind of salsa you like)

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (7 oz) whole kernel corn niblets, drained

6 tortillas (regular or spinach)

1/3 C sour cream

1/3 C guacamole

1/2 C shredded Mexican blend cheese

Additional salsa, if desired

In a large skillet, combine chicken, 1/2 cup salsa, beans, and corn. Heat over medium heat until hot.

Spread each tortilla with sour cream, to taste. On top of that spread guacamole, to taste. Divide the chicken mixture between the tortillas, placing the filling near one side of the tortilla; top with cheese. Fold one end up and begin rolling with short side, like a burrito. Serve with additional salsa.

I served these with grilled veggies (carrots, potatoes, zucchini), and chips with remaining salsa and guacamole.

Grilled Veggies:

This recipe is adapted from Betty Crocker.

Shrimp Tempura

We had this shrimp tempura tonight for dinner and it was yumalicious! Needless to say, Tiernan loved it, as he is the shrimp lover! I served it with rice and the yumalicious sweet/sour sauce recipe from Carrie, and also the Japanese cucumber salad from the cookbook. I did have to add an additional 1/4 cup of water to the batter because it was way too thick at first. This would be good on veggies, too!

Shrimp Tempura

2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
Oil for deep frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup ice water plus additional as needed
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoon shortening
1 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in deep-fryer or large wok to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients, cutting in the shortening until evenly mixed. Add the egg and the ice water and mix well. Add additional water, if needed, until batter is a good dipping consistency.
One at a time, dip shrimp into the batter to coat. Carefully place a few shrimp at a time in the hot oil. Deep fry until golden brown on all sides, about 1 1/2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove from oil. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

Teriyaki Chicken

3-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
6 Tbsp. cider vinegar
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. pepper
5 tsp. cornstarch
5 tsp. cold water
Hot cooked rice

Place chicken in a 4-qt. slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours or until chicken juices run clear.
Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Transfer cooking juices to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with chicken and rice. Yield: 6 servings.

We had this for dinner tonight since late schedule Sunday's are crock pot Sundays. I would add more cornstarch and water next time as the sauce really didn't thicken.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I made these last night. I was a little surprised that Amelia liked them as much as she did, but she had at least 4 helpings. Tiernan only sort of tried them. Jeff and I both really liked them.
You can, of course, adjust the garlic to your liking.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 C. milk - more or less, depending on how thick or thin you want them
1/2 C. sour cream
1/4 C. butter
4 cloves garlic (2 minced, 2 whole)
1 pinch ground white pepper
salt to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil; add potatoes and 2 whole cloves of garlic. Boil until potatoes are soft. Drain, and place in a large mixing bowl.
Combine the potatoes with sour cream, butter, minced garlic, white pepper and salt. Mix with an electric mixer or potato masher, adding milk as needed, to your desired consistency.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs

This is a GREAT recipe for ribs. Amelia chowed down on them....but that's not really a surprise. I cut the sauce in half, as I didn't have 4 lbs of ribs, and there was plenty of sauce, but it's goooood. I also didn't have ketchup (better get more before Tiernan finds out) so I used a ketchup substitute which is 1 C. tomato sauce, 1 tsp vinegar and 1 Tbsp sugar.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs

4 pounds pork ribs
salt and pepper to taste
2 C. ketchup
1 C. chili sauce
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
4 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot sauce (or more, to taste)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a shallow baking pan with cooking spray.
Season ribs with salt and pepper. Place in baking pan. Brown in oven 15 minutes. Turn over, and brown another 15 minutes; drain fat.
In a medium bowl, mix together the ketchup, chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, oregano and Worcestershire sauce. Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs, and turn to coat.
Cover, and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.

From: Allrecipes.com

Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Cheesy Toast Dippers

I tried this recipe (and got the photo) from http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/ and Jeremy and I both really liked it. I'd never cooked with leeks before and the ones I got were really big so I think I only used 1.5-2 leeks instead of 3 and I liked how it turned out. I didn't have a baguette so I just used regular toasted bread and with the butter and cheese it was delicious with the soup!

Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Cheesy Toast Dippers

6 slices bacon, crumbled
3 leeks, cleaned and sliced
6 or 7 potatoes, cubed
44 ounces chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup fat free half and half

In a large soup pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside, but keep the bacon fat in the pan. Saute the leeks in the bacon fat for about 6-8 minutes or until soft. Add potatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through and soft. Using a blender or food processor, puree half of the soup and add back into the remaining soup.* Add the half and half and mix until smooth. Use the bacon as a crispy topping.

For the cheesy toast dippers:
Slice a baguette into thin pieces and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with shredded cheese (I use cheddar) and sprinkle some dried parsley on top of the cheese. Place on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for just a few minutes or until the cheese is melted. Dip into the hot soup!

*I also thought it would be quicker to use a hand mixer and just mix the soup until it came to the consistency I liked. You'll just have to be careful not to scrape the bottom of your pan with the mixers!:)

Clafoutis

We tried this recipe for breakfast on Sunday. It was in the Friend magazine, and the boys were really excited to try it, but when I put a plate of it in front of them, they stared at it, as if I put a plate of flies in front of them. Neither of them touched it. Stinkers. But it's good, I promise! I made one plain, for my picky boys, and one w/ blackberries. It's a custardy type of dish that is apparently eaten as a dessert in France. The recipe says it's good cold or hot, but I like it better hot. Bon Apetit!

Clafoutis

4 eggs
2 C milk
1/3 C. flour
1/3 C. sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
1/2 C. fresh or frozen fruit of your choice (cherries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients except for fruit in a blender. Blend on low speed about 30 seconds until well mixed. Pour in a greased casserole or quiche dish. Sprinkle fruit on top. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until clafoutis is not very jiggly.