Overnight Steel Cut Oatmeal

This is more of a process than a recipe.  And here's the process:

First you need a crockpot.

If you don't have a crockpot let me know and I will begin to pray for your soul.  How can a person survive this treacherous life without a crockpot?  I shudder to think of it! 

Next you need a glass bowl.

I'm sure you have one of those.  If you don't, no amount of prayer can help.  That situation would be considered beyond help!  The glass bowl needs to be able to fit inside your crockpot with enough room around the edges to add water.

So, here's whatcha do:

Place the glass bowl in the crockpot.

Place 4 c. water, 1 c. steel cut oats and a pinch salt inside glass bowl.

These measurements make four nice size servings. 

Add enough water to crockpot to reach about 1/2 way up the inner bowl.

Basically, we've now created a double boiler using our crockpot.  How cool is that!

The inner bowl might float a little bit, but don't worry, the lid will push it back down.

Speaking of the lid, put it on the crockpot.  Plug it in.  That part is important.  You must plug it in.  And you must turn it onto low.  Then walk away, put on your pj's, wash your face, brush your teeth, say your prayers, eat a cookie, brush your teeth again, and go to bed.  (That's my nightly routine, just in case you're wondering!)

You will wake up in the morning to the creamiest bowl of oatmeal that you ever have imagined.

I put it in the crockpot at about 9:30 pm and served to the teen son at about 5:30 am.  Then I put the lid back on it and had a bowl myself around 8:00 am.  Then I put the lid back on it again and The Spy had a bowl around 9:00 am.  I tell you this not because I think you're fascinated by our morning routine, but rather so you'll know it stays warm and well in the crockpot if you eat breakfast in shifts like us Andersons. 

Now, things are about to get even better:

Sprinkle on some brown sugar and chopped walnuts or pecans.  You can also add blueberries or really anything that floats your boat.  But we're not done.  Oh no we're not.

Pour on a little bit of milk.  Or heavy cream if you don't care about heart health.  I use milk because I treasure my ticker.  Mix it all up and gobble it down!

That's all folks!  How easy is that?  If you've never tried steel cut oats, you simply must.  They are so much better than regular oats, and so very good for you.  You can buy them so cheap at a store like Henry's, or at any grocery store, but they're a lot more expensive at the grocery store.

If you don't live near a Henry's Marketplace I will pray for your soul.  I love and adore Henry's.  That's the place where I buy all my spices in bulk.  It's so much cheaper than buying them in those little containers at the grocery store.  I also buy all my nuts in bulk at Henry's.  And their produce rocks!  Steel Cut Oats at Henry's are only about .79 cents per pound.  And a pound makes a whole lotta oatmeal.  A whole lotta!

Steel Cut Oats are one of the healthiest and least expensive breakfasts you can eat.  The Spy Who Loves Me and the teen son love this stuff!  The teen daughter not so much.  She likes the little unhealthy packets of instant oatmeal that are loaded with sugar.  But she's a skinny little thing so we let it slide.

If you love your family, and I know you do, make this for them.  And they're sure to love you right back!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

French Toast Casserole

• 1 loaf (10 ounces) French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (10 cups)
• 8 eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, optional
  
  TOPPING:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Maple syrup, optional

• Place bread cubes in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt if desired. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
• Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Dot with butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top.
• Cover and bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with maple syrup if desired. Yield: 12 servings.

From whence it came:  Here is another wonderful recipe from wonderful Susie Cazanave.   I blogged about Susie not too long ago and told you all how marvelous she is and how blessed I am to have her as a friend.  Her French Toast Casserole is almost as marvelous as she is, but not quite!  I love you Susie!

Why it's blogable:  First of all, it's really good!  Secondly, I love recipes that you can make ahead of time and then just pop in the oven.  Another great thing about this recipe is that it's very inexpensive to make.  Yum-e, easy, cheap!  A great combo!

A little tip:  Make sure you cook this long enough so the egg is cooked all the way and it's not runny.  I cooked it in a glass dish and followed the directions exactly and mine turned out just right!

Click here to get the printable:
French Toast Casserole

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Eggs in a Muffin Tin

1 loaf of white bread (24 slices)

1 dozen eggs

3/4 cup milk

Shredded cheese

Spray the bottom of the muffin tins with Pam, or use variation below.  Using the ring of a glass cup (3 ½ inch diameter works best), cut the bread using the cup like a cookie cutter. Mold the bread firmly to the bottom and sides of the tin, buttered side down, if you're using butter. Mix the eggs and milk together.  Season egg mixture with salt and pepper to your liking.  Fill the muffin tin until it’s ¾ full. (The eggs will expand during cooking). Top with cheese.  You can add anything else you like to the egg mixture: sausage, bacon, green onions, green chilies, etc.  Bake at 350 until eggs looked cooked. Check around 20 minutes.  Makes 24 egg muffins.

Variation:  I buttered the bread on one side rather than spraying the pan with Pam.  They didn't stick and they tasted so good!  Also, I cut the recipe in half and made only a dozen.

From whence it came:  Someone who I love more than cupcakes gave this terrific recipe to me.  Susie Cazanave is the gal and she is just as good as it gets when it comes to people.  Susie is so sweet and kind and thoughtful and fun.  And she is truly one of the most genuine people I have ever known.  And popular!  She is so very popular!  She is loved by everyone.  Everyone loves and adores Susie, but not as much as me.  I love her the most!  She is one special lady, and this is one special recipe!

Why it's blogable:  I tried this recipe out this morning for a little ladies breakfast and it was a hit.  I was nervous to try a new recipe on company, but I knew Susie wouldn't lead me astray, and I was right!  I think buttering the bread gave them a great flavor and also made the edges nice and crispy.  I added chopped green onions but there are so many yum-e things you could add.  Use your imagination.  Make them for your family.  My teen son and teen daughter both loved them!  This is a winner guys, pinky swear!

Click here to get the printable:

Eggs in a Muffin Tin

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Breakfast...or dinner...Scramble

5 medium sized red potatoes, cut into cubes
1 lb. bacon, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
10 eggs
1 c. grated cheddar cheese

Place potatoes into microwave container with an inch or so of water and cook in microwave for 10 minutes until soft.  While potatoes are cooking, fry bacon in frying pan.  When bacon is crispy, remove from pan and drain grease.

Place onions and bell peppers in frying pan and saute until tender.  Add cooked potatoes and sprinkle with Montreal Steak Seasoning or salt and pepper.  Cook until potatoes are slightly brown.

Add beaten eggs to potato mixture and when eggs are almost fully cooked, add bacon.  Stir until eggs are done and top with cheddar cheese.  (Feeds five.)

From whence it came:  Me!  This one came from me!  I've been making this for my family for many years, and they all really like it!  I know it's not super original, but it is super yum-e!

Why it's blogable:  This is a hearty, although not necessarily heart healthy, breakfast or dinner.  Tonight we had this for dinner and everyone at the table was all smiles.  I served it with cinnamon toast and I was a hero!  I should have and normally would have also served it with fresh fruit, but we're getting ready to go on vacation and I'm not buying groceries before we go, so we are fruitless.  We probably eat this recipe more for dinner than we do for breakfast, mostly because I don't always have time to make a big breakfast, and as far as dinners go, it's a pretty easy one.  Today I was sitting at the beach, with my toes in the sand, and a diet coke in my hand, and I was thinking about what in the world I would stir up once I got home.  On the way home I realized I had everything I needed for this yum-e scramble, so I got busy and made Breaker...or Dinfast.  Call it what you want, us Andersons call it good!

Oh, and just so you know, The Spy Who Loves Me LOVES having breakfast for dinner.  If I'm in the mood to make The Spy happy, I make breakfast for dinner.  It's a sure fire way to put a smile on The Spy's face.  If, however, The Spy is on my nerves, which does happen occasionally, I make spaghetti.  The Spy is not a huge fan of Spaghetti.  Making Spaghetti when The Spy is on my nerves is my passive aggressive way of saying, "I have one nerve left, and you are standing on it!"  I have a few passive aggressive ways of dealing with The Spy, but I can't tell you what they are because then The Spy might realize that these little things aren't an accident, they are my way of avoiding sitting on the couch of a therapist.  And they work!  I have yet to plop my buns on a therapeutic couch.  OK, since you're begging, I'll tell you how I passively aggressively deal with The Spy.  But you have to promise not to tell him.

First of all, you should know that passive aggressive behavior runs in my family.  I learned it from my mom, who is seriously the nicest person you would ever want to meet.  My mom would never ever hurt a fly.  Well, that's not exactly true.  One day she fed a fly...actually more like a gnat...to my dad in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  It was a brilliant move, if I do say so myself.  My dad was on my mom's nerves one day and while she was making him a PB&J for lunch, a poor little innocent gnat happened to be buzzing around the kitchen.  My mom, in all her brilliance, put a piece of bread in each hand and clapped them together, capturing that gnat right in the middle.  Then she sliced that sandwich in half and handed it to my dad, probably with a smile on her face.  I know many of you don't know my mom, and I guarantee those who do will be shocked to know about this incident.  My mom is as nice as they come, but even she has her limits.  She is my hero, and my mentor, especially when it comes to the art of being passive aggressive.

So, I promised to share one more way I passively, aggressively deal with The Spy when he is on my nerves.  Here it is...remember...it's a huge secret.  Raise your right hand and promise to never ever tell The Spy about my evil ways.  OK, now that I've brought you into the circle of trust, I'll tell you.  If The Spy happens to be on my nerves on Monday, which is laundry day, I fold a dark blue sock with a black sock, and then I put them in his sock drawer.  There, I said it!  And The Spy gets up very early in the morning, when the light isn't so good, and he doesn't have a clue that he's putting on two different colored socks.  Truth be told, he may never even realize it.  But that's not the point.  The point is that I know it, and it makes me grin...an evil, Grinch-like grin!  I know what you're thinking..."Pam is a passive aggressive genius!"  And you're right!

Are you worried that The Spy might find out my evil and twisted secrets?  Don't worry, he doesn't read this blog.  Which, now that I think about it, kind of ticks me off!  Actually, it really ticks me off!  Gotta run...I've got socks to fold and a batch of spaghetti that needs to be stirred up!

Here's the printable:
Breakfast...or dinner...Scramble

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 C. Oats
3/4 C. Whole Wheat Flour - I have used regular too
1/2 t. Salt
1 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Baking Soda
3/4 C. Mashed Banana - about 1 1/2
1 Egg
1/2 C. Buttermilk
2 T. Olive Oil
Add nuts or chocolate chips if desired

Cook on preheated grill that has been sprayed with Pam. (Don't you think I should be getting some sort of kickback for letting them use my name? I think so, too. I'll have to look into that soon!)

From whence it came: This is a very proud mommy moment for me folks. My married, cooking daughter gave me this recipe and it is really really good! She made these scrumptious pancakes for me and The Spy Who Loves Me this past weekend when we visited her and the sonny-in-law in their cute little apartment in Provo, UT. I'm so proud that this girl is cooking, I don't even have the words to tell you how proud I am. You just don't understand, this same girl could not make jello when she lived at home. One night, many moons ago, she decided to make Fettuccine and she nearly killed us all...just with the smell! We couldn't eat it, it was just so ugly and greasy and sad. I know what you're thinking, "Pam is not a very good mom if she wouldn't even just try to pretend to like the ugliest Fettuccine in the world." Well, maybe you're right, but I didn't have the number for poison control handy so we didn't dare risk it! Well, this wonderful daughter of mine has completely redeemed herself by becoming a really good cook! Like I said, it's a proud mommy moment for me!

Why it's blogable: I've had other banana pancakes that were OK, but these babies are well beyond OK. The banana flavor is mild and the oatmeal makes them chubby and fluffy, which is great if you're a pancake, not so great if you're a person. I would imagine if you eat too many of these you might be chubby and fluffy like the pancakes, but you won't eat too many, because they are very filling and satisfying! And they have oatmeal and bananas in them so I deem them healthy! (Don't write me a strongly worded letter telling me that they aren't very healthy once you drown them in butter and syrup. You will ruin my fun when I eat them and that would be mean!) Speaking of syrup, did I mention that my wonderful cooking daughter makes homemade syrup? Well, she does, and I am tickled pink over it. I love you, my darling cooking daughter, and I love your banana pancakes, too!

One more thing: I've told you before that The Spy Who Loves Me isn't really into fruity stuff. Well, he bent his no fruity stuff rule for these and he was happy that he did, so now you know they must be good! And they are!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Norwegian Pancakes

4 eggs
½ c. warm water
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. melted butter
1 ¼ c. flour
1 c. milk

Toppings: powdered sugar, butter, jam, syrup, or fruit topping

Butter a sauté pan or griddle. Beat eggs, water, and vanilla. Beat in sugar; then butter, flour, and milk, beating after each addition. Heat pan to medium; then pour batter by scoopfuls onto griddle (or single scoop for sauté or crepe pan). Turn quickly and do not overcook. Stack the crepe-like pancakes and keep in warm place until serving. Serve, buttered and rolled with toppings like a crepe--or serve flat and sprinkled with powdered sugar, allowing individual choice of toppings.

From whence it came: You know how sometimes you get those "junk" emails and they are just so annoying? Well, this terrific recipe came in one of those so called "junk" emails, but let me tell ya, this recipe is NOT JUNK!

Why it's blogable: These pancakes are really more like crepes, very flat, and VERY delicious! The married daughter is not the biggest fan of pancakes, but she really likes these flat pannies! That's what we call them, flat pannies. The Spy Who Loves Me and the teen son are also crazy about these, but I'm sad to admit that the teen daughter doesn't love them as much as the rest of us. What does she know anyway? There is not a single healthy thing about these pancakes, unless you count emotional health, because you will feel so happy after you make these.

What to do with 'em: We just like to put powdered sugar on them, roll them up and then drizzle maple syrup over them. Sometimes we put homemade strawberry freezer jam on them and that's yum-e, too! They are also great with fresh berries and whipping cream. I know some people like to put Nutella on them, but I just don't get Nutella. I am crazy about chocolate, but I draw the line at Nutella. If you like it, give it a try.

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

4 eggs, separated
2 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
2 T. honey
2 t. baking powder
1 t. soda
1 t. salt
2 T. oil

Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat egg yolks with buttermilk. Add all other ingredients (except egg whites) and beat until smooth. Gently fold in beaten egg whites. Fry on hot griddle that has been sprayed with Pam or brushed with butter. Makes 18 pancakes.

From whence it came: This recipe was published in a church cookbook by another wonderful sister-in-law of mine, Lori Fronk. Lori is a mom of four grown up and very smart boys and a great cook, and this recipe of hers is a home run. I grew up without any sisters, just two pesky brothers, and it's been a great blessing in my life to have sisters through marriage. Lori is The Spy Who Loves Me's sister and a saint for putting up with him when they were kids. I love Lori, and you will love her pancakes!

Why it's blogable: This recipe is much healthier than the buttermilk pancake recipe I posted a while back, and just as yum-e. My teen girl normally won't touch anything labeled "whole wheat", but she loves these pancakes. If you're a Weight Watcher, these pancakes are just two points each. I've done the math, I promise it's true. You might as well know right here and now that I am a Weight Watcher who has fallen off the wagon, more than once. If I went to some sort of 12 step WW program I'd have to stand up and say something like this..."My name is Pam and it's been three minutes since I've had my last cookie." And even that might not be true, it more likely would have only been two minutes.

Don't be shy: I know this recipe requires you to separate eggs and then beat those egg whites until stiff, but don't let that simple step stop you from blessing your life with these great pannies. (That's what us Andersons like to call them.) Check out this video on how to separate eggs if you don't already know how. It's kinda fun. Try it! It's not difficult to beat egg whites. Just put them in a glass bowl and crank up your hand mixer to the highest speed. Let your kids do it. My teen boy loves to help make these babies. In no time at all you will have stiff peaks. You can do it! I know you can! Be gentle when you fold them into the other ingredients. Just mix them in by hand, slowly, and don't beat all the air out of them.

I hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Huevos Ree-os

I tried out a new breakfast recipe on the teen son this week and he loved it so I thought I'd be a nice girl and share the link with y'all. (In fact, he loved it so much that he's taking all the ingredients on his scout campout this weekend so he can recreate it using a camp stove. I prefer it in a clean kitchen with not a bug in site, but that's just me.) No need to repost the recipe here since The Pioneer Woman has step by step instructions on her fabulous website. Just click here: Huevos Ree-os ... but please don't start stalking her blog instead of mine! I'm OK with you stalking both, she is very cute and her recipes are good, but please don't jump ship on me. Remember, my blog wants to be the most famous cooking blog in the world!

FYI: I'm not a fan of eggs, but I had a bite and it was actually pretty good! I used pepperjack cheese and I broke the yoke because us Andersons don't like runny eggs.

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Cheese Strata

Mix:
6 eggs
3 c. milk
½ t. salt

Add in:
1 t. prepared mustard
1 lb. Cooked bacon, crumbled
9 slices old dry bread, cubed
½ lb. Cheddar cheese, grated
½ lb. Jack cheese, grated
1 bunch green onions, sliced

Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake 40 minutes in preheated 450-degree oven.

From whence it came: A wonderful gal name Luana Vogelsang published this recipe in a church cookbook years ago, and the Anderson clan has been thankful ever since. Luana is someone you could chat with all day long. Huge heart, fun lady! Thanks for sharing this one, Luana! It's a doozy!

Why it's blogable: Just make it once and you'll see why. First of all, it's just so mouthwatering yum-e. Us Andersons eat it every single solitary Christmas morning. Yes we do! Not only is it delish, you make it the day before and then all you do the day of is pop it in the oven. It's the perfect holiday breakfast, which is why I'm posting it right before Easter. It is one of our favorite traditions. (Most of our traditions involve food, sadly enough!)

FYI: The original recipe called for 2 pounds of cheese and 1/2 pound bacon. I changed it to 1 pound of cheese and a whole pound of bacon. Oh yeah, and the original recipe also called for mushrooms, but us Andersons don't eat anything that involves the word "mush" so I never add 'em. Go ahead if you want to...live dangerously! My teen son loves this recipe so much, that when I asked what he wanted for his birthday breakfast last year, he picked this. Speaking of the teen son, he is a lover of all things bacon. A few years ago he told me he was going to get rich by inventing a bacon scented air freshener. The kid has bacon issues!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Click here to get the printable:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/34085924/Cheese-Strata