Soft-Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

 Soft-Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Ingredients 

• ▢2 cups old-fashioned oats
• ▢2/3 cup oat flour finely ground oats
• ▢1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢1 teaspoon salt
• ▢2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• ▢1/2 cup honey
• ▢2/3 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
• ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢3 large egg
• ▢
• ▢1/2 cup dark chocolate chips coarsely chopped

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang (these will be nearly impossible to get out otherwise).
• To make oat flour, place old-fashioned or quick oats in a blender and pulse until they resemble flour. Measure after blending to make sure you have the right amount.
• Combine the ingredients except for the dark chocolate chips in a large bowl and stir until smooth and well combined. Coarsely chop the dark chocolate chips and add to the batter. Stir to combine. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
• Bake 23–26 minutes or until set at the edges (it will look slightly wet in the center, but as long as it doesn’t jiggle, it’s done. The bars will firm up as they cool; be careful to not over bake).

 

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (50g)

• 2 pounds mixed mushrooms such as button, cremini, portabello, or shiitake (1kg), sliced

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 8 ounces; 225g)

• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons flour (45g)

• 1 cup milk (235ml)

• 5 cups (1.2L) chicken stock

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until tender. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are well-browned, about 12 minutes total. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add flour and stir. Slowly stir in 1 cup of broth at a time, mixing well. Add bay leaf, pepper, salt and thyme, then bring to a bare simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

2. Remove bay leaves . Blend soup with an immersion blender until it's a mostly smooth consistency, leaving some small chunks of mushroom. Stir in cream and milk. Taste and add salt, as needed.

Zupas BBQ Chicken Salad

 

Chicken Salad Sandwiches With Apples and Craisins

Chicken Salad Sandwiches With Apples and Craisins

Ingredients

Salad

• 4 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken 
• 1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries
• 2 cup finely diced apples 
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions 

Dressing

• 3/4 cup mayo
• 6 tablespoons sour cream
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
• Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Scrape every bit of dressing on top and toss well. Taste and adjust to personal preference.
• Serve on toasted bread or croissants.

Brown Gravy Recipe

Brown Gravy Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tsp better than bouillon
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2-3 drops Kitchen Bouquet browning and seasoning sauce optional.
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon cold unsalted butter
• Drippings from meat

Instructions

• Add the chicken broth, beef broth, beef bouillon, onion and garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce to a medium saucepan. Using fine mesh strainer, strain in drippings from meat, to taste.
• Stir to combine.
• Optional: If a darker color is desired, add 2-3 drops of Kitchen Bouquet browning and seasoning sauce. (Gravy Master works well too.)
• Combine the cold water and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
• Bring gravy to a boil. Whisk in cornstarch mixture. Allow gravy to thicken, then decrease to medium-low.
• Let it gently simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until your desired thickness and concentration is obtained.
• Remove from heat. Swirl in one tablespoon cold butter just before serving. This adds a silky, velvety finish.

Notes

• This recipe yields 1 + 1/4 cups without drippings

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time3hours hours

Cook Time22minutes minutes

Total Time3hours hours 22minutes minutes

Servings24 rolls

Ingredients

For the dough

• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 can pumpkin puree
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2, .25 oz. packages active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
• 8 cups flour, plus more as needed for surface and rolling

For the filling

• 1 cup softened butter, unsalted
• 1 ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

For the frosting

• ⅔ cup butter, unsalted
• 16 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

• Warm butter and milk in microwave until just warm - not hot. 
• In the bowl of a stand mixer dough attachment, add milk, butter and yeast. Let proof. Combine the pumpkin, both sugars and salt. Add eggs until combined.
• Add 1 cup of bread flour on medium speed. Continue to add flour and knead just until the dough is pulling away from the sides of your mixer, but is tacky (not sticky) to the touch.
• Allow dough to rise for  1 ½ hours - 2 hours. The dough should almost double in size.
• During this time, make the brown butter for the cream cheese frosting by heating it on pan on medium high until it foams and then brown bits gather on the bottom of the pan. Place the brown butter in the fridge so the butter can cool and solidify. This will take ~1-2 hours to solidify.
• Line a 18x26" cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine the ingredients together for the filling in a medium sized mixing bowl until smooth.
• Roll out the dough. Turn out the dough onto a well floured work surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, spread the brown sugar filling all over the dough. Leave a small margin on the edges so you can roll, but I pretty much spread it all the way to the edge!
• Roll the dough up tightly the long way, slice with a sharp knife and arrange the rolls in the prepared cookie sheet. Cover with kitchen towel and allow to rise again for 30 minutes - 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Bake for 20-22 minutes or until cinnamon rolls are lightly browned on top and just done inside. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes while you make the frosting.
• Using a hand held mixer or the stand mixer, beat the prepared brown butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add the cream cheese and combine again until smooth. Add in the remaining ingredients and beat until creamy. Spread the frosting over warm rolls and enjoy!