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.  

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Baking has always been an amazing distraction for me. When I am stressed out or overwhelmed by a task, I stop what I'm doing and head straight to the kitchen to immerse myself in baking. It is a relaxing activity that instantly releases all my stress and worry. So when I sat down this morning to write 5 long and boring papers for my graduate school portfolio, I knew it wasn't going to be long before I was in the kitchen baking. I lasted about 2 hours LOL. Since Thanksgiving had just ended, I still had my mom's pecan pumpkin pie on my mind (and all the ingredients still in the kitchen). I decided on a chocolate pecan pie. I have always wanted to make one and thought that this was the perfect time to test out a recipe. This recipe is fantastic! Absolutely delish! and very easy to make 

Ingredients:

1 prepared frozen pie crust
1 cup dark corn syrup
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. kosher salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup of melted semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ¼ cups roughly chopped pecans, plus ½ cup halves

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350°  Whisk corn syrup, sugars, butter, vanilla, salt, chocolate and eggs in a bowl; fold in chopped pecans. Distribute filling evenly over dough; arrange pecan halves decoratively around the inside edge of the pie crust. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is set, about 1 hour. Let cool completely before serving.

Wedge Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing

LOVE this version of  wedge salad.  It combines sweet and salty together for the perfect combination of flavors.  Very easy to whip up and of course delicious!

Ingredients:

1 head of iceberg lettuce, core removed and quartered

1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup glazed pecans, chopped

1/2 cup blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

For dressing: 

1/2 avocado

1 cup ranch dressing

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation:

In a blender combine avocado, ranch dressing, milk and herbs.  Blend until smooth. 

To assemble salad place one quarter of lettuce head on a plate.  Sprinkle 1/4 of blue cheese over lettuce wedge.  Next pour on about 1/4 cup of prepared dressing.  Sprinkle 1/4 of the bacon crumbles, and 1/4 of the chopped pecans over the dressing.  Serve immediately.  

Fruit Cake Cookies

 

Another great Pinterest find.  Nanci actually found these while searching and deciding what type of cookie to make for this year's Cookie Swap with our friends.  She decided on another cookie so I decided to make these right away.  I have always loved candied cherries in cookies.  I think they are terrible on their own right out of the container but baked in a cookie, YUM!  This is a great recipe which is very similar to a shortbread cookie but not as crumbly.  They are slightly sweet and buttery and the added texture from the candied cherries and pecans is perfect!  The original recipe can be found at The Merry Gourmet

 

*note - it's really important to freeze the cookie dough overnight otherwise the dough will be too soft to slice into perfect neat slices.  If you don't care about having a sliced cookie then they taste just as good as drop cookies but I still suggest freezing or refrigerating the dough for at least a few hours so it's easier to handle.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups candied cherries
1 cup chopped pecans

Preparation:

Using a handheld mixer, cream together butter, powdered sugar, and egg. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and cream of tartar until well incorporated. Add in flour mixture to butter mixture slowly, blending after each addition until dough forms. Stir in remaining ingredients (candied cherries and pineapples, pecans).Turn dough out onto wax paper and divide into two equal parts. Roll each into a log, 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in wax paper and freeze until firm, approximately 1 hour.  Place oven rack in middle position and preheat to 375 degrees F. Slice each log into 1/4 inch thickness. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack until room temperature.

Autumn Chopped Salad

We are always looking for new salad ideas and this one was so perfect for this time of the year.  Absolutely delicious!  Susan made this for lunch the other day when we were eating outside in her Sukkah.  I LOVED the combination of the sweet and salty.  Even my husband who during the entire meal said that he wouldn't eat the salad because it had fruit and nuts in it ended up finishing the salad (eating directly out of the salad bowl, mind you) it was that good.  It's a must try! This recipe was found on Pinterest and it took me awhile to find the original source but I'm so glad I did because it's from a fantastic blog Espresso and Cream.  Check it out when you get a chance.

*Susan substituted bacon bits for the bacon to keep the salad kosher

Ingredients:

 6 to 8 cups of Chopped Romaine Lettuce
2 medium pears, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
*8 slices bacon, crisp and crumbled
4 to 6 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup Poppy Seed Dressing
1/3 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette

Directions:

In a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Mix poppy seed dressing with the balsamic vinaigrette. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, Toss and serve immediately!

Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts

Every year for Thanksgiving I always make a spiced nut mix to serve with drinks. Everyone always gobbles them up. No matter how much I make there are never any left! I am not sure why I only make them for Thanksgiving so when we were making our menu for Chanukah this year, Ellen asked if we could have them again. They are so easy to make I volunteered to make them again. I actually found this version in The Food Network magazine from Ina Garten who is one of my favorite Food Network stars.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil

3 Cups whole roasted unsalted cashews (14 oz.)

2 Cups whole walnut halves (7 oz.)

2 Cups whole pecan halves (7 oz.)

1/2 Cup whole almonds (3 oz.)

1/3 Cup pure maple syrup

1/4 Cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 T freshly squeezed orange juic

2 tsp. ground chipotle powder

4 T minced fresh rosemary leaves

kosher salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a sheet pan generously with vegetable oil. Combine the cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds, 2 T of the the vegetable oil, the maple syrup, brown sugar, orange juice and chipotle powder on the sheet pan; toss to coat. Add 2 T of the rosemary and 2 tsp of salt and toss again.

Spread the nuts in one layer. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring twice with a large metal spatula, until the nuts are glazed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 2 more tsp of salt and the remaining 2 T of rosemary. Toss well and set aside at room temperature stirring occasionally to prevent sticking as they cool. Taste for seasoning. Serve warm or cool completely and store in airtight containers at room temperature for up to one week.