Friday, May 8, 2009

Baked Oatmeal

Yum!! Found this recipe here on $5 dinners. She served it with scrambled eggs for dinner, with planned leftovers for breakfast. I halved the recipe and baked it in an 8x8 pan for breakfast with some turkey bacon. Either way - it's good. Her recipe calls for fresh blueberries; I used chopped, frozen strawberries. You could also use apples, raisins, bananas, whatever. I think next time I might add some real maple flavor and just serve fruit on the side? Lots of options here...


INGREDIENTS

2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup sugar (Splenda at our house)
1 cup milk
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cup fresh/frozen fruit
Vanilla or plain yogurt, or cream, or milk (optional)


DIRECTIONS

In large mixing bowl, whisk 2 eggs, applesauce, sugar and milk. Once creamy, add oats, salt and baking powder and mix through.

Pour batter into greased 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle top with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. (Don’t wait too long, as you want to serve it warm!) If desired, top with yogurt, cream, or milk.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Homemade pizza crust

Yum! This recipe is from Betty Crocker's Big Red Cookbook; the greatest cookbook ever, in my opinion! Our favorite basic pizza is, of course, pepperoni. My personal fave is Honey Mustard Chicken pizza, made with homemade honey mustard. Zac made a Hot Wing pizza last time and loved it, but he also likes my Barbecue Chicken pizza. You really can't go wrong here....


INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) quick/rapid-rise yeast
3 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 cup warm water (120°-130°)


DIRECTIONS

Mix 1 cup of flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl. Add oil and warm water. Beat with mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently.

Stir in enough remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves sides of bowl. Knead (by hand or dough hook) for 5-8 minutes, till dough is soft and springy.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest/rise for 30 minutes. Pat into pans to form two crusts, thick or thin.

THIN CRUST: After shaping, pre-bake crust at 425° for 7-8 minutes. Top as desired and bake at 425° for 8-10 minutes, till cheese is browned.

THICK CRUST: After shaping, pre-bake crust at 375° on lower rack for 20-22 minutes. Top as desired and bake at 375° for about 20 minutes, till cheese is browned.