Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

1 cup shortening

3 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp soda

3 cups flour

3 cups oatmeal

Cream shortening, sugar and eggs. Add remaining ingredients. Roll into small balls and flatten on cookie sheet. Bake at 350*F. When cool, put 2 cookies together with filling.

Filling:

2 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla

4 Tbsp milk

4 cups icing sugar

1 cup Crisco

Beat egg whites until foamy. Add vanilla, milk and 2 cups icing sugar. Beat thoroughly and add remaining icing sugar and Crisco. Beat until smooth and fluffy.

(I realize that this isn't the most detailed recipe ever, but I just copied it the way it's written. I recommend not over-baking the cookies.)

Butternut Squash and Sage Soup

This soup sort of evolved out of several different recipes so you might need to tweak amounts.

1 med. butternut squash, peeled and cubed

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 small onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Add just enough chicken broth (or water and bouillon - I used the Helmuth's chicken soup base) to cover the vegetables and simmer until they are soft.

Meanwhile, over med-low heat, saute 4ish Tbsp roughly chopped fresh sage in 3-4 Tbsp butter, just until the butter begins to brown. In another skillet (or the microwave) fry 3-4 strips of bacon. Drain on paper towel and chop into bacon bits. (I prefer to chop them with my kitchen scissors when they are raw and then fry them up.) Set the bacon aside.

Add butter and sage to cooked vegetables, along with 1/4-1/2 tsp pepper and salt to taste. (It might be better to add the salt at the end?)

Puree in your blender, taking the usual precautions with hot soup. :) Return to the pot and add 1/4 - 1/2 cup plain yogurt, and milk to make the soup the consistency you like. Stir in the bacon bits and serve with some fresh bread. Mmmmmm.

Deb's Blueberry Brown Sugar Cookies

This summer the kids and I joined the in-laws and their friends at a cabin for a few days. Deb had brought these, and I have to admit, at first glance I thought they looked terrible. I started nibbling on one and was amazed. I couldn't pinpoint what the familiar taste was, but now I know it is blueberry cobbler. Little, yummy, doughy, cinnamon-y, sugary bites of blueberry cobbler. (I am especially thinking of Kim when I say that.)
A couple of things:
1) I made these with whole wheat pastry flour and I think they are very, very nearly as good as the original.
2) I made them with frozen blueberries, and while the berries were very hard to incorporate into the dough, it turned out okay. Experiment with another method other than adding them in at the end.
3)Don't forget the all-important, long-standing, ultimate cookie rule of leaving them just a tad on the doughy side.

1 C butter, softened (please don't bother wasting your time with margarine)
1 1/2 C brown sugar (I cut back on this just a bit)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp milk + more if needed
1 1/2 C fresh blueberries

Beat butter and sugar until smooth, then add egg and vanilla. Mix well.
Mix in dry ingredients until dough comes together. Add milk a little at a time until dough is no longer crumbly.
Fold in blueberries gently (this is the part I'm not sure about. I think you should mix them with the flour first perhaps).
Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F.
Roll dough into balls and bake 10-12 minutes but not too long!

Thanks, Deb! :-)

Potatos, Peas & Mint Salad

1 1/4 pounds baby red potatoes (I just use regular red potatoes)

• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped mint leaves
• 3/4 tsp coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Scrub the potatoes and remove any eyes. Cut into half-inch cubes. Cover with water and cook just until they lose any crunchiness. Drain and set aside. Cook the peas and save the liquid. Mash the peas with a fork, or use a food processor if you wish. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil (I like to use half EVOO and half lemon-infused olive oil) and 1/4 cup of the liquid. Toss potatoes with pea mixture and remaining ingredients. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil.

It may sound scary, but it's amazing! I like it best when it's slightly warm, but it's good cold too. Be warned that it only keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days. Here's where I got it.

Ice Cream Cake

The Cake

Make Wacky Cake, and divide batter into two greased and floured 9" round cake pans. Bake (duh), then remove from pans and cool on rack. Wrap cakes in plastic wrap and freeze for several hours or overnight.

The Ice Cream
Choose your ice cream. I chose a delicious coconut gelato, and I think it was one of those 1.5-quart containers. You know, the kind where you feel a little ripped off. Using one of the cake pans you used for the cake, take some more plastic wrap and put it inside the pan. Then take your chosen ice cream, which is now slightly softened, and press it all into the pan. I'm guessing you could fit up to 2 quarts into a pan like that. Cover with the plastic wrap and freeze for a couple of hours.

The Frosting

Put into small saucepan:

5 Tbsp flour

1 cup milk

Stir constantly over medium heat until you have a think paste. Let cool to room temperature.

Add:

1 tsp vanilla

Stir, baby.

Cream together:

1 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar (not powdered/icing/confectioners sugar!)

When this mixture is light and fluffy, add the other mixture and whip it into a delightful frosting.

Here's the original recipe for the icing. Of course, you can never go wrong with Anna Mae's(ing) Icing either.

All of the following must be done quickly: Put one round of cake on whatever serving vessel you have. The ice cream goes on next, and then the other cake. Drown that cake in frosting (quickly!). I toasted some unsweetened coconut flakes in the toaster oven until they were slightly browned and then sprinkled them all over the cake. Freeze again. I didn't cover the cake from when I put it together in the afternoon until we ate it in the evening, and it didn't hurt it at all. It served about 15 adults and 13 kiddos and there was a chunk leftover. Good stuff.

I can't wait to try more flavor combos, like peanut butter ice cream with this. And Rhonda and Robyn, I know you make ice cream cakes, so you should post what you do too.

Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce

¾ cups Fresh Basil Leaves
½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
3 Tablespoons Pine Nuts
2 cloves Garlic, Peeled
Salt And Pepper, to taste
⅓ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cups Heavy Cream (I used half and half)
2 Tablespoons Butter
¼ cups Grated Parmesan (additional - I forgot and left this out)
12 ounces, weight Pasta (cavitappi)
2 whole Tomatoes, Diced
Cook pasta until al dente.

Add basil leaves, 1/2 cup Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, and salt and pepper to a food processor or blender. Turn machine on, then drizzle in olive oil while it mixes. Continue blending until combined, adding additional olive oil if needed. Set aside.

Heat cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add pesto and stir.

Drain pasta and place in a serving bowl. Pour pesto cream over the top. Toss to combine. Add diced tomatoes and toss quickly. Serve immediately.

My notes: I made this as our main dish, but it would be so good as a side with a grilled chicken breast... or really good with anything else. This is SO good. Make it. Make it today.

Nova Scotia Oatcakes

I had never heard of oatcakes before I lived in Halifax. Almost every coffee shop serves them here, and at first I was a little skeptical. They seemed pretty bland and boring. Once I got my mind past the fact that they are not cookies, well, it was true love. They are the perfect dunking biscuit, especially with your coffee or tea mid-afternoon. There are also savory versions, but I prefer this one, which is just a little sweet. My favourite oatcake is the one that the Second Cup downtown serves (the Bedford Second Cup's are different). I prefer more oats, less "dough" surrounding the oats. This recipe has a lot of dough, but I kept adding more oats until my dough was quite stiff and you could see more oats and less dough. This recipe reminds me more of the Mrs. P's Bakery oatcakes (for those of you who know what those are).
Please leave comments if you try these!!!


Beat together:

1/2 C butter
1/2 C shortening
1/4 C white sugar
1/4 C brown sugar

Put 3 Tbsp boiling water in a cup and dissolve 1/2 tsp baking soda in the water.
Pour over butter mixture and beat well.

Add:
1 1/2 C flour (part whole wheat if you want)
1 1/2 C rolled oats (I probably ended up using about 2 1/2 C but just keep adding more until it's the balance of dough vs. oats that you want. It's not picky.)
1/4 tsp salt

Roll into balls and shape and flatten with hands until they are perfectly round with no rough edges (if your dough ends up stiff you can roll them out and use a cookie cutter).
Bake in preheated oven at 375F for about 8 minutes or until the edges are golden.
*Note to my sisters: this is one biscuit that I don't leave underbaked. They are for dunking anyway so go ahead and dry them out a bit, just not too much! :-)

**This recipe makes about 12 medium oatcakes.

Five-Spice Noodle Bowls

(adapted from Clean Eating March 2011)

2 tsp sesame oil
1 white onion, very thinly sliced
2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
4 C low-sodium beef broth
3 C baby bok choy, chopped
8 oz brown rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in hot water and drained
8 oz beef, trimmed of fat and very thinly sliced (best to do this while partially frozen for thinner pieces)
4 green onions, thinly sliced (seems to be a common theme here)
tons of cilantro (especially for Rhonda)
soy sauce to taste
sambal oelek to taste (aka Rooster Sauce) - or another hot chile sauce
fresh limes, sliced

In a large pot, heat oil and cook onions, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add five-spice powder, cooking and stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add meat and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add bok choy. (Don't worry about your meat not being done. It is very thin and you don't want it tough)

Cook until bok choy reaches desired level of crunchiness. :-)
Right before serving, add noodles.

Garnish with cilantro, lime, green onions and hot chile.

This is so easy and so tasty. My kids loved it, without the hot sauce of course.
This is something you probably have to plan ahead for to pick up the ingredients, but it is worth it!
Delish.

Asian Chicken Salad (or wraps!)

(I had to hurry and finish eating this so I could post the recipe!)

leftover shredded chicken
nappa cabbage, sliced very thin
green onions
cucumber
shredded carrots
fish sauce
soy sauce
lime juice (fresh, don't use bottled - yuck)
fresh mint or basil or cilantro, or a combination of any or all!
dash of olive oil

almonds or peanuts to garnish
wraps if you so desire!
canned oranges and crunchy noodles would be nice too (I didn't use them)

For those of you that are counting calories, this has approx. 100 cal/cup

French Bread

• 1 1/4 cups water (70 to 80 degrees F)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 
  
• GLAZE:
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 
  
• Mix water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit til bubbly. Combine yeast mixture with salt and flour. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 10-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal. Sprinkle a greased baking sheet with cornmeal; place loaves seam side down on prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes. Whisk egg and water; brush over loaves. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

My notes: I usually just make one big loaf, either long or round. I rarely use cornmeal on the bottom, although it's good. I've used 1/2 whole wheat flour and it's just as delicious. 

Double Orange Scones

1 C all purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp grated orange peel
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C cold butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
1/3 C milk
1/2 C chopped mandarin oranges, well drained
additional sugar

Orange butter (note: I have not tried this part)
1/2 C butter, softened
2 Tbsp orange marmalade
Beat until fluffy and serve on warm scones.

Scones: Combine dry ingredients and orange peel. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Combine the egg and milk; add to crumb mixture. Stir in the oranges just until moist.

Knead gently, using more milk or flour as needed (I had to add a bit more milk). Pat into 2 6-in. circles; sprinkle with additional sugar and cut into eight wedges (or one big circle for larger scones). Separate wedges gently and place on greased baking sheet.

Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

(Steel-cut) Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 C rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1/3 C steel-cut oats (not cooked)
3/4 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 C butter
1/3 C granulated sugar
1/4 C packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 C raisins or dried fruit of your choice

Bake at 375F for 10 minutes
*I think you can cut down on the sugar, or leave the white sugar out. They're really sweet.
Pretty basic recipe...I think the main difference is the steel cut oats - really a nice crunch in them.