Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This cookie is an old favorite and probably the first cookie I ever made on my own after I moved away from home. They can be fragile until cooled so handle with care; however, they must be removed from the cookie sheet quickly and carefully as they will stick.

• 1 stick butter
• 1 stick margarine
• 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons real vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups uncooked regular oats
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

  Preheat oven to 375°F. Cream together butter, margarine, and sugars.  

 Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat well. 

In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add to creamed butter mixture. Mix thoroughly to combine.



Thoroughly mix in oats. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes. These really are better still gooey. You might want to go ahead and pour a glass of milk while the cookies are sill warm. Enjoy!

4th of July Blueberry Buckle

Over the years I've tried my hand at many patriotic desserts using strawberries and blueberries.  This year I came up with a new one, and I hope it will become a favorite, too.  Hope you enjoy.

Blueberry Buckle

Crumble:

•      ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup old fashioned oats
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 Tablespoons butter,  cold & cut in small pieces 

Batter:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 Tablespoons butter, softened
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 

Filling:

•      4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice  

For Crumble:  Stir together first five ingredients. Using a fork cut in butter pieces. Set crumble mixture aside.

For Batter:  Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. In a mixing bowl combine butter and sugar. Mix with electric mixer. Add egg. Mix together well. To the sugar/butter mixture, add half of the flour mixture, then half the milk, then the remaining flour, and finally the rest of the milk. Mix well on medium speed after each addition. Stir in vanilla.  

For Filling:  Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl. 

Spray a deep dish glass pie pan with non-stick spray. Spread the batter in the bottom.  Add the filling mixture spreading gently to cover the batter.  Top with the crumble mixture.   

Bake at 350ºF for 40 to 45 minutes or until the Blueberry Buckle is browned on top and the filling just begins to bubble around the edges.  

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8.    

Some Comfort Food

Cheese and pasta are two essential comfort food ingredients. Traditional macaroni and cheese is one of the ultimate comfort foods of all time. I do a slight twist on a simple recipe here. I found that in using small shells instead of traditional macaroni shaped noodles, I can capture more cheese. The shells serve as mini pockets which attract a little pocketful of cheese in each bite. In starting with a basic white sauce, you can branch off and try many different kinds of cheese. I also like to use white cheddar, monterey jack, provolone, or some combination. You can't beat the slight bite of a sharp cheddar, though. Consider mixing it up to perfect your own unique flavor.
 

Shells 'n Cheddar

Shells:

• 6 quarts water
• 1 pound pasta shells
• extra virgin olive oil

Bring six quarts of water to a boil. Add a couple shakes of olive oil. Add shells.  Cook for 10 to 12 minutes until desired tenderness is reached. Drain pasta in a colander. 

Cheddar Sauce:

• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• black pepper
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

I start making the sauce when I put the water on to boil.  If I'm not interrupted this gives me enough time to finish the sauce by the time the pasta is ready.
 
Melt butter in large sauce pan over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over melted butter. Continue stirring for two to three  minutes until bubbles form and mixture turns slightly brown. Slowly add milk a few ounces at a time. Mixture will be lumpy if cold milk is added straight from the refrigerator. You can either pour it into a measuring cup and allow it to sit out for 10 to 15 minutes while you do other things or just microwave it for about a minute. Stir the mixture well until the milk absorbs into the flour mixture before adding more. Stir until all milk is added. Continue cooking mixture for about two minutes just until it starts to boil. Remove from heat. Add black pepper to taste. Add cheese, mixing well.

Combo:

Combine pasta and cheese in saucepan.  Heat to desired temperature.  Enjoy!!  

NOTE:  If you ever need a basic white sauce this makes a great one.  So instead of adding cheese, you can leave it like it is or add other great flavors for a completely different flavor or texture.

Slow Cooker Spinach Dip

When you need an appetizer but don't have a lot of hands-on time available, this is a great choice. Dump everything into the slow cooker and two hours later, you are ready to go. Here's what you need.

• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• 1 box or bag thawed frozen spinach
• salt & pepper to taste

Spray slow cooker with non-stick spray. Drain the spinach. You can squeeze the water out with a fork or use a small-holed colander or even blot paper towels onto the spinach. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Spoon into slow cooker. Heat on high for 2 hours.

Serve with crackers, hard pretzels, bread, or vegetables. This recipe can be doubled when needed depending on the size of your crowd. 

Michelle's Old Fashioned Yeast Rolls

This is my holiday go-to roll recipe.  I've been making them for about twenty years.  They are tried and true and enjoyed by all.  They are great the first day you make them for a holiday sit down meal with ham or turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and the whole works.  The are equally enjoyed on the second day topped with slices of ham or turkey for a quick breakfast or lunch.  I wish to give you a warning, though, when I leave them out in plain sight they tend to disappear much faster.  If you want to make them last, hide them.  I hope you and yours enjoy the recipe.  Thank you, Jerri, for requesting the recipe!

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 package dry yeast
• ½ cup water
• 2 eggs
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups water

Combine first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix for 2 minutes on low speed with electric mixer. Set aside this yeast mixture.

Combine flour with remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix 3 minutes with a heavy duty electric mixer (dough hook attachment works best) at medium speed. Your dough at this stage will be thick and somewhat lumpy.

 

Add yeast mixture and mix 3 more minutes at medium speed.  Roll into an oval shape with your hands and place in a clean well-oiled bowl.  It should look about like this now. 




Cover  with a cloth and let rise in a warm place (85°F), free from drafts, about 3 hours or until dough has doubled in size.  I often leave the bowl of dough under a kitchen light - like the one over the stove or one over the counter.  This will usually give the dough just enough extra heat.

 

Punch dough down.  Cover with a fitted lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  On occasion I have rushed this process, but they are better if you wait.  Just mix up the dough one evening, and put it in the refrigerator until morning or later afternoon when you are ready to shape the rolls.  With lightly floured hands, shape dough into 2-inch balls.  I dump about half a cup of flour or so onto the dough.  Then I pinch off pieces of dough and dip the dough and my hands into the flour as I shape the rolls - just enough to keep the dough smooth and sticky-free.

 

Place rolls in 3 greased 9-inch round pans.  I prefer glass ones.  Let dough rise in a warm place (85°F), free from drafts, about 2 hours or until rolls double in size.  Bake rolls at 400°F for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

You can rub butter over the tops of hot rolls straight from the oven if you like.  I also have a recipe for cinnamon rolls using this dough.  Check back later for that one.

Makes about 2 ½ dozen.

Blueberry Morning Cake

Last weekend I made this cake for the women’s retreat.  Several people asked about the recipe so I am including it here.

This is a great cake to make especially as blueberries come into season, but frozen blueberries also work quite well.  It is pretty easy to make and works equally for a brunch or lunch dish as well as for dessert.  To make this for a 9x12 inch pan, I use 1 ½ times the ingredients.  You could also bake this in a loaf pan or in a round cake pan and cut wedges.  It is a very versatile recipe.  I hope you all enjoy it.

Blueberry Morning Cake

Cake: 

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups blueberries

Topping:

• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup margarine

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, oil, and egg.  Mix well.  Stir in the blueberries.  Pour into prepared pan.

For the topping combine ⅓ cup flour, ½ cup sugar, and ¾ teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl.  Cut in the margarine until crumbly.  Sprinkle over cake.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool.  Enjoy.

This cake slices nicely if allowed to cool thoroughly first.

Grains of Life - Joy

I am going to tackle another topic on this blog that relates to grains.  This one is called the Grains of Life.  In the future you will be able to spot all of the Grains of Life posts under the Grains of Life label.  Please check back.  I look forward to your feedback as we sift through together.

Since I began planning this blog last Fall, I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about grains of various kinds:  food grains, the grain of fabric, the grain of wood, etc.  The word grain has a lot of definitions.  One of the definitions for grain is "an essential quality or characteristic."  I am going to use this definition in looking at the Grains of Life as they relate to the Christian life.

For several months I spent time preparing for a women's retreat on the topic of joy that was held last weekend.  Joy is one of the fruits of the spirit that Paul talks about in the book of Galatians.  As Christians our lives should reflect the fruit of the spirit.  In Christ we have every reason to be joyful.  By this I don't mean a false sense of joy where we just fake it to the rest of the world and everything appears peachy.  I mean genuine joy in life and in living it regardless of our immediate circumstances from day to day.

It's the kind of joy that we can live out even when we are experiencing difficulties.  It's what we have in Christ despite the difficulties of life whatever they may be.  There's joy in knowing that we do not walk this road alone.  Jesus is there every step with us, and he's given us people around us to share in the journey.

Anyone can experience joy when things are going along well or they're going just the way we want.  Having joy when things are not going well is another story.  Having joy when you didn't get your way or when you've lost a loved one or when you didn't get the promotion you wanted or when you don't happen to feel particularly happy for whatever reason...now that's saying something.  Christ in us gives us this joy.  Just knowing that nothing is going on in your life that your Creator doesn't know about is comforting.  He truly doesn't allow anything that he does not and can not and will not equip us to be able to handle in one way or another.

This kind of joy gives us confidence, not in ourselves but in our Savior and His plans.  Jeremiah gets it when he writes, "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him" (Jeremiah 17:7).  Our confidence comes from our trust in our God and His plans, not from ourselves or our ability outside of our Lord.

Joy is one of the one of the essential qualities or characteristics or grains, if you will, of the Christian life.  A joy-filled life is a testimony to our Lord's sustaining power no matter the circumstances.