Michael's Oatmeal Chocolate Milkshake

Ingredients:
Drumstick IceCream (can also use vanilla)
Chocolate Syrup (thank you Hershey's)
1/2 cup of oats
1 cup of milk

Use enough ice cream to fill-up the blender.  And be prepared to have a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie in a shake!  Thank you Michael for you debut!

Apple Crisp

modified from CPK Cookbook


Apple Crisp Topping
1/2 cup (1 stick ) unsalted butter, chilled
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting

Apple Mixture
I usually make this ahead during the fall and freeze it a wintery day
3 1/2 lbs granny smith apples (or really you  can use any apples you like)
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

STEP ONE: peel and core apples and cut them into 1/8th inch crescent shape slices.
STEP TWO: toss apple slices, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla extract
STEP THREE: make topping by generously dusting a surface with flour.  Put the butter on the flour-dusted surface, and cut butter in to small dices pieces and turn the pieces in the flour to coat them.
STEP FOUR: In a bowl toss the butter dice, brown sugar, slat and the 1 1/3 cups of flour; do not over blend.
STEP FIVE: transfer the apple mixture to a 2-quart rectangular glass baking dish
STEP SIX: grab a handful of the topping mixture and squeeze tightly to compress it into a solid clump; then hold compressed topping over the baking dish and crumble it by hand into small 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces strewn over the top of the apples.
STEP SEVEN: bake at 325 for about 2 hours (unless you precooked the apples).  If it browns before apples are soft cover with foil to prevent burning.  If you precooked apples - takes about 20 minutes to melt and brown the top.

Fresh Pear Sauce

Ingredients:

6 cups pears (peeled, cored, diced)
1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in medium saucepan.  Bring to boil.  Lower temperature to medium and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until fruit is tender.  Puree in blender.  Garnish with cinnamon.

Cheesy Biscuits

Johny's garlic spread & seasoning (Costco seasoning aisle)

2 cups of Bisquick
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or any other cheese combination you choose
(asiago is really good, so is half swiss half cheddar)
1/4 cup of grated shredded cheese

heat oven to 400 degrees
mix up into dough/balls
bake 8 to 10 minutes

melt 1 butter and brush on tops of cooked biscuits
brush on with the seasoning

Mary's Potato Soup with a Kick

My neighbor made me this soup after one of my angel baby events.  I made this once for Kim and she has been requesting it.  It's that time of year for soups! I love love love this soup recipe.  I was sure I had put it on the site - but nope - so here it is!  I'm cooking it tonight.

Stuff:
6 potatoes
     peeled and cubed or chunked (however you like your potatoes in a soup)
1 cup of water
 simmer until potatoes are tender
3 TBS Butter
medium onion
     saute onion
3 stalks of celery
     chopped up and added to the onion
2 cans of creamed corn
     stir into soup
3 cups of milk (can replace with 1/2 to 1 cup cream - I use my food storage milk & fat-free 1/2 and 1/2)
2 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon pepper
3 (or more) teaspoons old bay seasoning (square yellow tin)
1 - 2 teaspoons salt
to taste fresh or dried basil
*add broiled sausage slices or diced pieces if desired*
simmer for at least 20 minutes

Serve with Cheesy Bisquits

My Favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Totally lifted from all recipes from Nancy Fridirici.  It probably helped that I actually had softened butter this time instead of a half and half microwave version.  I added a wee bit more brown sugar than white, used milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet. Huge warning = get them off the pan while hot.  Even with Pam, these became one with the cookie sheet!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
2. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 11-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Healthy Bread version of the Artisan Bread

5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 T kosher salt
1 1/2 T yeast
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
4 cups lukewarm water

STEP ONE: mix all ingredients with a spoon
STEP TWO: cover and let rise on the counter for 2 hours
STEP THREE: form loaves of bread (I put mine on parchment paper)
STEP FOUR: let loaves rise for 90 minutes (I cover mine with a bread cloth)
STEP FIVE: brush tops of loaves with water
STEP SIX: sprinkle with flour or with mixed crushed seeds (thank you 9 grain mix from WinCo)
STEP SEVEN: slice art-sy lines in the dough tops
STEP EIGHT: bake on a pre-heated tray or stone
STEP NINE: add steam water in a pan underneath bread stone
STEP TEN: recipe says to bake for 30 - 35 minutes at 450 (I do 2/3 the time and then let sit still hot and cooking on the counter for a bit)

I haven't made this one as much so throw in comments if you find better ways to do it - it just takes a bit more work and ingredients than the white dough recipe.