New link

Okay, not totally sure how this all actually works but my blog has a new address.  All this info has been transferred over to the new site which is (somehow) being hosted by my oldest son’s business, TheTechShpere.  So, that address (hopefully easier to remember except DO also remember it’s .org!!  http://www.playinginthekitchen.org   go check it out, its all there!  And you can now share recipes you like on social media!

See you there!!!

I’m baa-a-ack!!

Well, after having a near panic attack at my continued inability to post on this blog (and I’ve got recipe requests piling up!) I FINALLY am able to be back on here posting.  Why?  Because thankfully the world is full of all kinds of people who enjoy all kinds of different things.  My oldest son, Daniel, doesn’t enjoy knitting or gardening or drawing (all things I love) HOWEVER he does love computers, and anything to do with them.  Yeah, he said he could fix it, I scoffed, and yet, here I am and there he is (quite pleased with himself).  I’m back, issue fixed!  So, in the midst of a recipe blog, a quick little shout out to my computer geekoid boy, thank you!!!!

Baked Rhubarb Dessert

My Mom sent me this recipe a couple years ago and it is much loved in our family.  I usually double it (to make 8 servings) and put it in a cake pan.

Baked Rhubarb Dessert

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup flour 1 c. water
5-1/2 Tbs butter melted 1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 cup cut up rhubarb

whipped cream (or vanilla ice cream)

1. Mix brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter together. Put half of the mixture in a 9″ pie pan and press down. Spread rhubarb on top.

2. In a saucepan mix sugar, cornstarch, and water and cook until clear and thickened. Add vanilla. Pour over rhubarb. Cover with remaining half of the oats mixture. bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 min. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Servings: 4

 

 

Amish Baked Oatmeal

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I LOVE having this stuff on hand for breakfasts (and snacks)!!!  My Mom got us hooked on this as she makes it often, too. It is tasty, pretty good for you, and I make it in a 10x14x2 pan so I get plenty.  For the ingredients, the regular recipe is for a 9×13 pan so I will put the measurements I use for my 10×14 in parenthesis.  Also, I’ve played around with the add ins, just using what I have.  Chopped fresh apples are tasty, and this morning I really went crazy and added 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 a bag of chocolate chips, a big handful of dried cranberries and about 1/3 cup sliced almonds; its been in 10 min and already smelling yummy!  Okay, the recipe:

AMISH BAKED OATMEAL
3/4 (1) cup oil or melted butter or a combination of both
1 1/2 (2) cups brown sugar
1/4 (1/3) cup honey
3 (4) eggs
3/4 (1) teaspoon salt
3 (4) teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 (2) cups milk
4 1/2 (6) cups oats
3 (4) teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 (2/3) cup applesauce (I use unsweetened)
1/2 (2/3) cup chopped nuts
1/2 (2/3) cup raisins or other dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease a 9×13 (10×14) pan.  Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to thoroughly combine.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 35 to 40 min. or until lightly browned.

To serve, cut into squares.  Some of my gang likes to eat it like a crumbly cake on a plate, others crumble it into a bowl and pour a little milk (or eggnog!!!) on top.

Menus, Groceries….you know, behind the scenes

The purpose of this blog is to post recipes that are tried and true in this family.  That said, I’m posting today with kind of a behind the scenes view of my kitchen….you know, the planning stage…..more specifically, making menus and buying groceries.  This is an area where I’m actually VERY organized (and those of you who know me, know that organization is NOT my forte!)  I could go on and on about it (and if there’s interest, I will do other posts along these lines in the future), however, lately there have been MAJOR changes in our life and today I happened across a WONDERFUL blog that I’m just starting to dig around in, but already I’m in love!  It’s WholesomeMommy (and there’s a link in my side bar under blogs I follow).  More specifically, I’m reading a series of posts entitled Oh SNAP! REAL food on a Food Stamp budget.  Now, I am currently NOT on food stamps, however with my SuperHero retiring from the Air Force and starting to go to school, moving to Maine, etc., our life is being whirled and twirled and we’re still waiting for things to settle.  We’ve got money coming in FINALLY (that military hurry up and wait does NOT end when you retire from the military!) so we’re trying to play catch up as well as trying to adjust to a new income and new cost of living.  Lots of things which simply mean that I’m relearning where to buy, what to buy, etc.  We’ve gone from bi-monthly pay to monthly pay, so I’m trying to figure the best way to purchase….for the month, or continue with bi-monthly and set money aside?  We don’t have a lot of “wriggle room” really and prices are VERY different between Utah and here.  I don’t have a garden here either/yet.  So, all that to say, I’m learning the best way to shop and cook in my new home in my new life.  If I can figure out how, I will post my blank grocery list as that is something I’m still using and has been requested several times.

Ok….tried…..will wait for GeniusComputerGuy to get home from school and get him to figure it out for me.  😀

Old Fashioned Potato Bread

Okay, I have a confession to make…..apparently the bread recipe I’ve been using and the bread recipe previously posted on this blog are NOT the same!  I had my Old Fashioned Potato Bread recipe written out on notebook paper and it was well used and well loved.  Well, I cannot find that paper anywhere (and my cookbooks and recipes are currently in piles on the floor as my little bookshelf fell apart….particle board is no match for my recipe collection!). So I thought, no problem, its on my blog!  However, I discovered that the Mashed Potato Bread recipe isn’t the same.  Its similar, but not.  So here is the Old Fashioned Potato Bread recipe I prefer (and I read through and the only thing I do differently is that I scrub the potatoes and leave them whole with their skins on to cook.  I think by doing that I might be getting nutrients out of the skins too.  I don’t know for sure, its just how I do it.  Plus there’s less waste as just the very thin skin peels off after you boil them.  So give these a try.  Here’s the link!
Old Fashioned Potato Bread
This makes 2 loaves at a time.  The other recipe, as written, made 4.  I baked 2 and froze 2 after the first rise.

Mom’s Eggplant Parmigiana Express

Got this email from my Mom, so I’m including the whole thing because who doesn’t love notes from moms?

Good morning kids!
Amy called this morning requesting  this recipe, it’s one of our favorites, so I thought I’d send it to all of you to enjoy.
Love always,
xoxoxoxxoxo
Mom
 
EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA EXPRESS 
 
The usual procedure of sauteing eggplant in oil after dipping it in egg and bread crumbs, is time-consuming and messy.  Because each slice absorbs quite a lot of oil, it is also caloric.  here’s another lighter, faster approach that yields delicious results.
 
Preparation time 10 min.
Baking time 30 min.
Serves 6 to 8
preheat oven to 425F
 
1 medium-sized eggplant
 
Wash and trim eggplant.  If skin is tender, there’s no need to peel it.  Cut into 1/2″ slices.
 
1/4 C. low-fat mayonnaise (but not no-fat!)
1 C. Cracker or bread crumbs
1/3 C. freshly grated parmesan or cheddar cheese
 
Spread mayonnaise thinly on each side of eggplant slices and dredge in combined crumbs and cheese.  Arrange slices on un greased baking sheet and bake for about 15 min., or until browned and fork-tender.  Reduce oven temperature to 375F.
 
1 thin slice mozzarella cheese for each eggplant slice (I sometimes use shredded cheddar cheese if I don’t have mozzarella)
1 C. Quick Tomato Sauce (see below) I usually use spaghetti sauce.
1/4 C. freshly grated parmesan cheese
 
Layer eggplant in a casserole lightly sprayed with oil, top each slice with mozzarella cheese, and sprinkle with half the parmesan.  Spread some of the tomato sauce on each slice and pour the remainder over all, Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.  (This recipe calls for only 1 layer of eggplant, but I use more than one layer.) Bake at 375F for about 15 min.
 
QUICK TOMATO SAUCE
 
A quick tomato sauce can be made by diluting two 6-oz. cans of tomato past with wine or water to make a thick sauce.  Add 1/2 tsp. basil, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/8 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. brown sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.  If you have more than you need for this eggplant parmigiana express store remainder in refrigerator for later use.

Big Time BBQ Rub

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We bought a Big Green Egg (grill)a couple years ago and it came with a few recipes including this awesome rub. I’ve used it in hamburgers, on chicken, and pork, just to name a few. Delicious!

Big Time BBQ Rub
1/2 c salt
1/2 c Turbinado sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 Tbsp granulated onion
2 Tbs ground black pepper
2 tsp cayenne
2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs granulated garlic
2 Tbs paprika
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbs thyme leaves

Combine all mix well, and store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Spice Challah

I made this recipe a few years ago.  I had learned this wonderful baking thing called Challah.  I tried a few different challah recipes, and OH YUM!!  And they’re pretty too, and it’s just fun to say that you’re making challah (with a phlegmy ‘ch’ sound that comes from the back of your throat in more of a raspy ‘kk’ sound).  So I had a can of pumpkin, I wanted to bake something special for a friend, therefore Pumpkin Spice Challah was in order.  I planned on just making 2 loaves, one for her and one for me, BUT I dumped the whole 15oz can of pumpkin in, which is approximately 2 cups of pumpkin, and therefore I had to double everything else and make 4 loaves.  That’s okay too, because we have a neighbor on the other side of the woods behind us that all my boys have met and liked, and I haven’t met yet, so now we’ll keep 2 loaves ourselves (1 1/2 currently at 8:44 am) and share 2 loaves!  I don’t remember where I found this recipe; I couldn’t find it on the internet (trust me, I looked, cuz there’s lots to type out, so I was going to either cut and paste or send you on another internet field trip.)
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Pumpkin Spice Challah

1 env. yeast
4-5 c white flour
2/3 c warm water
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/4 c olive oil + 1 Tbs for wash
2 lg eggs beaten + 1 eggyolk for wash
1 cup pumpkin puree (half a small can!!!)

Combine yeast with 2/3 cup flour and all the water.  Whisk gently until well combined and leave in a warm spot to proof.  It should be foamy in 10-15 minutes.  Pour into a mixer bowl, add sugar, salt, oil and egg and beat until incorporated (about 1 min).  Add pumpkin and spices and mix.  Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides.   (At this point I dumped the dough onto a floured countertop, kneading it the rest of the way by hand.) Add 1/4 of flour at a time until dough is springy but not sticky.  Continue to knead 5-10 minutes longer.

Roll into a ball and place in a greased bowl.  Cover with plastic and let rise until doubled (1 – 1 1/2 hours).  Punch down dough, reroll , place back into re-greased bowl to rise for another hour (Oh yeah, did I remember to say this is kind of a lengthy process?)

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Cut in half, and work with half at a time.  The original recipe said to divide each half into 6 pieces, and form those pieces into long ropes and braid (always working from left, bring outer “rope” over 2, under 1, and over 2).  I divide it into 5 pieces and just did (again working from left) over, under, over, under.  You could even do a simple 3-rope braid too, but it looks fancier with more ropes.  😀  Pinch to seal both ends and tuck the pinches under just a bit.

Place parchment paper on 2 regular or 1 large cookie sheet.  Place loaves on sheets, leaving room for them to rise both up and out.

Beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tbs oil and brush gently over braids.  Top with oiled plastic wrap and let rise 40 min. to double.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Once braids have risen, brush again with egg wash, then bake for 40-45 minutes.  You will not believe how delicious your house will smell when these are cooked!!  😀

This morning I sliced some up and made French toast for my SuperHero and oldest boy before they headed off to their respective schools.  2 younger homeschoolers and I have opted for eating buttered slices of this deliciousness!!

Pegi’s Cinnamon Rolls ala Alicia’s Bread Recipe

My friend Alicia, who swears she cannot make bread, shared her “no fail” bread recipe, which I shared here the other day. Then my friend Pegi adapted it to this wonderful cinnamon roll recipe which goes a little quicker than usual recipes and tastes just as good. For my addition to this great recipe…..for the cinnamon-and-sugar sprinkling, I mix together dry pudding mix, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Yum!!! And I use lots to make it really gooey and tasty!!

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6 cup flour
2 T yeast
6 T wheat gluten
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups VERY hot water
2 T vegetable oil (butter does not do that great)
2 t salt

Mix it all up in your standing mixer. Mix until it is mixed, lol. Let it rest five minutes and then knead it for about 2 minutes in the mixer, of course. Let it rise 30 minutes, punch it down and divide in half.
Then roll it out to a rectangle, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon, sprinkle with brown sugar, and sprinkle with raisins. Roll it up and pinch it shut then cut in halves until you get to 12. Put in pie plates six to a pan OR put all 12 in a 9 x 13 pan.
Let them rise in a warm oven for about 30 minutes, the bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. You can make a glaze of a little powdered sugar and water with some maple flavoring and put it on them when they are hot.
This recipe makes 24 so you can share with your neighbors!
If you’d rather do without the oil, check out this post on flax seed