Baked Oatmeal

Our last foray into warm, hearty oatmeal got us thinking.  What about another one for variety?

Baked Oatmeal: 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine (melted)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
3 cups oatmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk

Instructions:

Add sugar and eggs to melted butter
Add oatmeal, baking powder, salt, and milk to butter mixture.
Bake in greased bowl or pan at 350 for 1 hour.

Serves 6-8

Overnight Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Yesterday in Indiana, Hurricane Sandy gave us her last dregs in the form of icy pellets that made our Tuesday cold and miserable.  The only way to deal with this kind of shocking cold is to make shockingly warm food.  Accordingly, we turned up the fall music (try White Winter Hynmal by Fleet Foxes) and warmed the house with some tasty oatmeal.

Overnight Steel-Cut Oatmeal: 

Ingredients:

3/4 cups steel-cut oats
3 cups water

Instructions:

In a 1 1/2 to 3 quart slow cooker, combine oats and water. 
Cover and cook on low setting for 8-9 hours (overnight)
Stir well and scoop into serving bowls. 
Serve with milk, sugar, raisins, cinnamon, apple butter, pumpkin butter, or anything else that trips your fancy.

 Cold Morning? Vanquished.  

Cheesy Corn Bake

A classic Friday night staple--Like macaroni and cheese, only cheesier....

Cheesy Corn Bake

Ingredients:

1 can cream style corn
1 can whole corn
1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
2 cups raw macaroni
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Instructions:

Melt butter/margarine in 9x13 baking disk
Add macaroni and stir
Add rest of the ingredients
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes covered, then 30 minutes uncovered. 
Alternative: microwave 10 minutes on high, then bake 30 minutes uncovered.

Nancy's Potato Soup

There's nothing that get's us in the mood for soup more than a chilly fall day.

Nancy's Potato Soup 

Simmer together for one hour:

Ham bone/Ham pieces
1 onion
1/2 kettle water

 Add potatoes to the stock (enough for the number of people eating), salt, pepper, and worchestershire sauce. 
Cook until potatoes are tender. 
Add frozen green beans and cook some more.
Before serving add cheese and milk.

There's a reason this is approximate--you can't mess it up.  Super helpful if you're cooking for two or twelve. :)

--The Chefs

Pumpkin Waffles

Since we're on such a breakfast kick these days, it wouldn't be right to taunt you with apple syrup and waffles without sharing our delight in all things pumpkin--particularly these light and fluffly pumpkiny treats.  Remember the strawberries and cream for the waffles?  Try these pumpkin guys with a bit of apple syrup and some whipped cream and you'll wonder if you're eating desert or breakfast.  Sounds about perfect to us. 

Because we're indecisive and we like to recipe mix, we're sharing two recipes with you.  See what you think.

Pumpkin Waffles #1

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
4 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. 

Instructions:

Heat the waffle iron.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl and set aside. 
Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin, butter, and vanilla together in another large bowl until smooth.
While whisking, add the flour mixture and blend just until smooth.
Generously coat the waffle iron with vegetable oil and cook. 
Repeat and enjoy.

Pumpkin Waffles #2

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup unsweetened canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cups unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
dash of nutmeg
dash of cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

Now, not that you asked us for our opinion (and we do hope you'll try both recipes around), but we prefer recipe number one any day.  However, if you happen to be a normal kind of person who doesn't have little things like buttermilk floating around in your refrigerator, number two can be helpful.  

Enjoy, and happy fall!!!

-The cooks
 

Apple Spice Syrup

This is an old, but good, recipe for apple syrup--a nice change from "Mrs B.'s", especially this time of year when we start to crave all things fall and delicious.

Apple Spice Syrup

Ingredients

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 3/4 cups apple juice or cider

Directions

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, allspice, and nutmeg; mix well.
Add juice or cider.  Cook and Stir over medium heat until syrup is bubbly and slightly thickened. 

Yield: 1&3/4 cups

Farmstead Waffles

Come any given Saturday and you may find chef number 4 slaving away over the waffle irons, churning out these deliciously light and fluffly waffles.  Top them with some home grown strawberries a bit of cream, and you're really on your way...

Farmstead Waffles

Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter or marjorine (melted)
2 C Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 C Buttermilk
3 Large Eggs

Directions:

1. Heat waffle iron
2. Mix dry ingredients
3. Mix wet ingredients
4. Mix dry and wet together until just moist
5. Cook and enjoy!

Serves~6-8

Maiden Voyage

For our friends, family, and friends-yet-to-be,

Here is one comprehensive place to learn the secrets, tips, and little ways to make cooking easy and delightful. This is a safe place where we imagine that we live in a world where flipping omelets is as easy as Julia Child makes it seem, but where we also know that when the omelet crumbles we can just make scrambled eggs instead. 

Enjoy...

--The Fabulous Chefs