Chocolate Oatmeal

It's been a while, hasn't it...

The last couple years have been full of new recipes, but no new posts.  Someone told me that the posts are boring without pictures, so I stopped posting.  My goal was to take pictures along the way.  But seriously...by the time you cook the meal, you're hungry and just want to eat it. Besides, I'm not the best food photographer.

So here is the first of a few new ones.  I may not always have pictures, but when I can I will.

This definitely tastes better than it looks.

Mix together in a bowl:

5 cups water
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder (I used Special Dark)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 cups oats (1 cup if using steel cut)

Whisk the ingredients together.  Using a crockpot liner or not, spray the inside or inside of bag with cooking spray.  This helps keep the oats from burning to the side and getting a bitter taste.  Pour mixture into the crockpot and cook for 8 hours on low.

In the morning, stir the oatmeal and add 1/2 cup hot water if the oatmeal is too thick.  This oatmeal does not come out super sweet, so the topping choices are endless.

Chocolate chips
Strawberries
Bananas
Pecans
Coconut
Any other item you love with chocolate...

This recipe will feed approximately 4 people. 

Pumpkin Soup

2 tsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 rib celery chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic

Put ingredients in a soup pan or stock pot and saute until the veggies are tender.

Add 4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth and 4 cups of cubed fresh pumpkin or other squash of your choice with 1/4 tsp of dried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh thyme. Increase heat to high until soup boils. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and cover for about 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

Using an immersion or standard blender, blend until smooth. Return to pan, salt and pepper to taste and serve.

If you like to spice things up, add some red pepper flakes before boiling. It is also good with a few croutons and some shredded cheese thrown on the top.

Leftover Factor:  This soup is wonderful to freeze for lunches or a quick dinner. It loses no flavor in the freezer at all.

Chicken & Stuffing in the Crock Pot

This easy crockpot chicken breast recipe is made with Swiss cheese, cream of mushroom soups, stuffing mix, butter and cream of chicken soup.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves, without skin

• 4 slices Swiss cheese

• 1 can (10 1/2 ounce) condensed cream of chicken soup

• 1 can (10 1/2 ounce) condensed cream of mushroom soup

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1/4 cup milk

• 3 to 4 cups Herb Stuffing Mix

• 1/2 cup melted butter

• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper; place chicken breasts crock pot. Pour chicken broth over chicken breasts. Put one slice of Swiss cheese on each breast. Combine both cans of soup and milk. Cover chicken breasts with soup mixture. Sprinkle stuffing mix over all. Drizzle melted butter on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Pumpkin Glazed Apricot Sweet Potatoes

4-6 Sweet Potatoes diced or sliced
1/2 cup butter
Pumpkin Pie Seasoning
Dash of Salt

Cook covered in large pan until potatoes begin to get tender.

1/2 cup of chopped dried or fresh apricots
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 butter

Add apricots and pecans into the pan of potatoes with additional butter and cook until potatoes are tender enough to eat.

1/4 cup maple or pumpkin syrup

Add syrup over potatoes and stir occassionally until the potatoes are covered and the syrup has reduced down to a glaze. Serve warm or cold and enjoy.

Kool-Aid Pie

Kool-Aid that will make you look like a queen in the kitchen. And before you turn your nose up at it, you have to try it.

2 packages of kool-aid or 1 tub of Crystal Light (add 1/2 cup sugar if you use the unsweetened kool-aid)
2 bricks of cream cheese
2 tubs of whipped cream (I use sugar free or light)
1 pie crust (I use a chocolate graham or crushed oreo depending on the flavor)

Whip together all the ingredients and put in the pie crust (already baked if using regular).  Leave in the fridge for an hour and serve. I like to garnish mine with Lindt truffles, chocolate drizzle, chocolate chips or chocolate shavings.

Simple and delish!

Creamy Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Soup

This is truly an original but was so good.

1 package bacon - chopped, cooked and drained
2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 leek - chopped and cleaned
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1 small can mushrooms
1 can chicken or 2 cups cooked chicken
1 can cream of corn
6 baker potatoes
Salt & pepper to taste

Bake potatoes in the microwave, slice, set aside until cool.

Combine leeks, garlic and a small amount of broth in a soup pot. Cook until leeks are bright and tender. Add all remaining ingredients, including potatoes that have been peeled and cubed. Cook on medium heat until bubbling. Stir often. Reduce heat to simmer, stirring often for 45-60 minutes. Serve with dallop of sour cream and/or shredded cheese.

Granny Burger

Last week, we set off on a trek to Niagara Falls and back. We saw a lot of beautiful places and ate some amazing food. Now begins the task of duplicating and altering to be absolutely perfect. First up, a Granny Burger that I had at the Hard Rock Cafe in Canada.

This will look like a lot of steps, but actually very simple.

First, create your burger. What I was served was a simple beef burger without any ordinary taste. I chose to add my usual line up of burger flavor with pepper, garlic powder, worchstershire sauce and cumin. Make the burgers, throw on the grill and move on to the rest of the meal.

I threw a red onion in a pan to saute, but grilling the onion would work. Saute or grill the onion to your taste.

In a small bowl, mix together equal parts yellow mustard and maple syrup. Once mixed, pop in the fridge until you are ready for it.

Here's where Granny comes in the picture. Thinly slice a Granny Smith apple, do not peel.

Of course, it would not be a burger without bacon. Cook up 2 slices of bacon per burger while your onions are still cooking.

Ok, we must now assemble this fabulous burger:

1 Toasted Bun with your amazing maple mustard mix slathered on both insides
Several thin slices of Granny Smith apple
Grilled or sauted red onion
Drape with a slice of Provolone Cheese
Top with two slices of bacon and top bun.
Eat and be amazed!

This is sweet and savory in every bite!