Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal - Oatmeal Party Bar

When we have family get togethers it's usually early so we typically serve Brunch.  It seems though we ALWAYS serve the same things over and over again.  Bagels, lox, salads, french toast casserole etc.  So this time when I had my entire family over for Brunch to celebrate my daughter's 12th birthday I decided to add a new item - Oatmeal.  I know many family members like oatmeal including many of the kids but I  also know that everyone likes to eat oatmeal flavored their own way.   For example, my kids love brown sugar and maple syrup in their oatmeal but my Mom always flavors hers with a little salt and prefers it more savory.   So I set up a "bar" of flavoring ingredients which was also a great way to make use of the case of mason jars I just bought at target.   I made a double portion of slow cooker steel cut oatmeal (recipe below) and set up mason jars filled with different ingredients.  Brown sugar, coconut, nuts, maple syrup, dried fruit, cinnamon -  just to name a few.  I also had a jar with fresh blueberries (not shown).  The options are endless! This was a fun  addition to our family brunch menu.  The kids really loved making their own oatmeal as did the adults.  

Ingredients:

1 cup Steel Cut oats (not the quick cook)- Also known as Irish Oats.

1 1/2 cups low fat milk or Almond Milk

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a slow cooker add all ingredients and stir.  Set your slow cooker to the low and let cook for 3 hours.  Check oatmeal after 3 hours and give it a stir and a taste.  Oatmeal should be thick but spoonable.  When tasted it should have a lot of texture but be soft not be crunchy.   If you feel your oatmeal is too thick add a splash a milk and give it a good stir.  If you feel it's too runny let it cook for another 30 minutes and check again.  Every slow cooker is different so you will have to play around with your recipe to see how long it will take for you.  If you want to cook it longer you can also set your slow cooker to warm intend of low and let it go for 4-5 hours before checking.  

Homemade Granola

I have been dying to make my own granola ever since watching Ina Garten do it on the Food Network. The beauty of making homemade granola is that you can use whatever ingredients you have on hand. It was a snap to make and its a great healthy snack to have around the house. 
*Side note: The house smells amazing during baking.

Ingedients:
1 1/2 C. old fashioned oats
1 C. chopped hazelnuts
1 C. sliced almonds
1/2 C. sunflower seeds
1/2 C. dried cranberries
3 T. vegetable oil
3 T. honey
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine all ingredients and mix thouroughly. Pour out onto a silpat or foil lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until nicely browned. Turn and stir halfway through baking.

Cool completely and store in an air tight container.

Banana Almond Oatmeal Cookies

Banana recipe #4!  This is a really good one.  These cookies are totally delicous and easy to make.  They are very soft and cake like.  I was able to get them crispier by putting them in the toaster oven and toasting them for a few minutes after they completely cooled.  They were really yummy like that.  I also used slivered almonds instead of sliced almonds in the batter because that is what I had on hand but I think it would be better with the sliced almonds that way you don't get a big chunk of almond when you bite into the cookie.  I will definitely be making these again.

Ingredients:

2 over-ripe bananas
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1 stick butter (4 ounces), room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup of quick cook oatmeal
1/2 cup sliced almonds (I used slivered because that's what I had)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375º.  In a food processor, pulse the blanched almonds with 1/2 cup sugar until almonds are finely ground.  Cream butter with remaining 1/4 cup sugar.  Then add the ground almonds.  Whip until thoroughly mixed.  Beat in eggs, then add mashed bananas.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix the dry ingredients into the batter.  When the flour has been completely incorporated, stir in the oatmeal and sliced almonds.

Using two tablespoons, drop the batter onto parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.

Linked to Sweets for Saturday
Linked to Melt in your Mouth Monday

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are the best crunchy, chewy cookies I have ever tasted.  When I was in my twenties I collected cooking books and for some reason I wasn't really picky about what books I bought.  There was this really great clearance book store in manhattan that I would find all sorts of books for just a few dollars.  One day I saw a recipe book from the TV show "Friends".  I don't know why I bought it but I did.  This oatmeal cookie recipe is from that book.  It was called Pheobe's Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. 

Remember that epidsode when Pheobe told Rachel

 "There are three things that you should know about me:
one, my friends are the most important thing in my life,
two, I never lie, and
three, I make the best oatmeal raisin cookies in the world."

Well these are those cookies and even though I have no idea who actually came up with this recipe....it really is the best oatmeal cookie recipe I've ever tasted. I change the additions depending on what I have in the house and what my family wants.  This time I made them without raisins and with chocolate chips for my daughter Annie.  I love them best with dried cranberries, pecans and chocolate chips.

These cookies are super crunchy and filled with lots of good stuff. You can alter the additions to your taste. 12 Tbls (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 teas vanilla extract 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats 1 1/4 cups flour 3/4 teas baking powder 3/4 teas baking soda 1/4 teas salt 1 cup of dried cranberries or raisins 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts 1 cup of chocolate chips Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth. Stir together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the batter until just combined. Stir in the dried fruit, nuts and chocolate. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto 2 large baking sheets (no need to grease them), leaving 2 inches between each ball of dough. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for several minutes and then transfer them to a rack to c00l further.