Steel Cut Oats with Blueberries

My favorite breakfast is Steel Cut Oats with Blueberries.  They take awhile to cook, but I always cook a large pot and keep it in the fridge until it's gone.  I actually usually double the following recipe if I have storage room in the fridge:

Steel-Cut Oats with Blueberries
4 cups water or milk (I often do 1/2 water and 1/2 milk)
1 cup steel cut oats
Salt (I don't measure, but probably about 1/2 tsp.  To taste)
Brown sugar, nuts, etc. to taste

In a saucepan, boil the water/milk.  Add salt.  Add the oats and bring to a boil.  Stir while doing this.  When boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 30-45 minutes. Stir occasionally as it cooks. When the consistency you want, add brown sugar, nuts, raisins, etc to taste.   Divide into individual serving and storing bowls. Store any in fridge that you don't eat.  They are just as good heated in the microwave later and store for probably a couple of weeks.

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steaks

 The perfect comfort food:

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steaks
Patties:
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper

1 small onion, sliced

1 box mushrooms, sliced

Gravy:
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 package brown gravy mix
1 T. ketchup
1 T Dijon mustard

1 T. cornstarch

In a bowl, combine the patty ingredients.  Form into small patties about 3/4 inches thick.
Place the patties in the bottom of a sprayed crockpot.  Top with the sliced mushrooms and onions.
Whisk together the gravy ingredients (except the corn starch) and pour over the meat and vegetables.  Cook on low for about 5 hours.
Remove the patties.  Turn the cooker on high and whisk in the cornstarch.  Stir and cook until thick.  Put the patties back in the gravy.  Serve hot over mashed potatoes or rice.

Pie on Pi Day

Today is Pi Day 3.14.  It is always fun to celebrate Pi Day by eating pie.  This is the kind I made today.

So, while you're cooped up at home avoiding the virus, make a pie and celebrate pi day.  For recipe ideas, click here.

Ken's Breakfast Sandwich

Ken, who doesn't cook very much was intrigued with this breakfast sandwich he saw on a video on facebook.  While I was ill and he was doing all of the cooking, he gave it a try.  It was delicious- kind of a cross between french toast and scrambled eggs.  Since it didn't have a name, we named it Ken's Breakfast Sandwich.

Ken's Breakfast Sandwich

For each sandwich:

2 eggs, whipped with salt and pepper.  Ken likes to use garlic salt.

2 slices bread

1 slice bacon, halved and cooked (Ken likes to cook up a lb. of bacon all at once, then store it in the fridge for when we want it)

2 slices cheese of choice (provolone, cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack- whatever you prefer)

Spray a skillet or put in some oil or bacon grease.Turn on the stove.  In the cold skillet, pour the eggs and spread it around.  Put in a piece of bread and cover with the egg.    Do the same with the other piece of bread. With bottom ends together (shown) turn over the breads and coat the other side of the breads with the eggs.  When the egg is cooked, turn it back over.  Immediately top the each piece of bread with a slice of cheese and then the bacon.  When the egg that is now on the bottom is cooked,  Fold the sandwich together.  It cooks really fast- about like French toast.  It makes a really delicious breakfast sandwich.

Avocado Toast

Avocado Toast is all the rage right now.  I decided I needed to try it, so looked for recipes.  Oh my.  There are many, many different variations.  I decided to keep it simple and just add what sounded good to me.  It turned out great.  I especially liked when I added an egg on top for a delicious, nutritious breakfast.

Avocado Toast
1 ripe avocado, mashed
salt, pepper, and garlic salt, to taste
Tobasco, a few drops, to taste

1 slice toasted bread (preferably homemade)
1 egg, cooked sunny side up or over easy.

Mix the avocado and seasonings while the bread is toasting.  Top the toast with the avocado mix and then the egg.  Delicious!!!!

Homemade Bread Mixes

I make our bread, using this delicious recipe:

Relief Society Buttermilk Bread
Put in your bread maker or mixer bowl:
1 Tablespoon yeast
4- 4 1/2  cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup honey (spray your cup with cooking spray before measuring and the honey will slide right out)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk, warmed to baby bottle temperature ( you can use 1/4 cup powdered buttermilk and 2 cups warm water)
 Mix on manual.  Let the bread knead for about 5-8 minutes.  Remove from mixer and divide into two large or 4 small well sprayed loaf pans.  The dough will be very sticky.  Cover and let rise.  Bake at 375 for about 15-18 minutes for small loaves and about 20-25 for large loaves.    Butter the tops when you take it out of the oven.  Remove from pans and let cool on wire rack. 

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It is such a good recipe.  It always turns out delicious (unless I overrise it!)  It is very easy to make, but the last several months, I have made it even easier.  I make mixes of all the dry ingredients( including the 1/4 cup dry buttermilk powder)- making six at once.  I put them in gallon zip bags.  You can freeze them or store them on the shelf.
Then, when I want to make bread, I dump the mix in the Bosch mixer, add 2 cups of water, heated in the microwave for 1 minute, 1/4 cup of honey, and 2 Tablespoons of butter.  Mix it for 8 minutes with the bread attachment, divide it into two sprayed loaf pans, and let it rise.  Then bake it.  I can have delicious homemade bread in a jiffy.  I just wanted to share that trick with you.

Condensed Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

I saw this recipe online and found it intriguing: no eggs, no brown sugar, mostly sweetened with sweetened condensed milk.  I decided to give it a try.  The cookies were puffy (baking powder instead of soda) and soft and kind of cakey.  They look very light in color  because of no brown sugar, but they are done.  They were very quick to make and tasted yummy.  The recipe doesn't make a lot, so double it if you want more cookies.

Condensed Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Set oven 350
Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone sheets.
Mix together in your stand mixer the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the milk and vanilla and continue mixing  Stop the mixer and add the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix in slowly.  Add the chocolate chips.
Roll dough in 1 inch balls and place 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheet.  Flatten slightly.
Bake for about 10 minutes.

I baked some and froze the rest of the dough in balls on a cookie sheet.  After frozen, I put them in a zipper bag and put them in the freezer for a quick bake snack another time.  I do this just about every time I make cookies of any kind.  It is so convenient to have cookie dough all ready when you need to take a treat to someone, etc.