Tasty Tuesday {Crockpot Oatmeal}

Are you cold yet?  It is especially cold here today after a system came in that included over an inch of rain (yay!) yesterday morning, followed by freezing temperatures, high winds and blowing snow.  The wind blew all night, and the high today is 28 degrees -- everything is frozen! 

One of my favorite things to make for a cold morning is Crockpot Oatmeal.  It is a great start for school mornings, since you prepare everything the night before, and it is ready when you wake up!

My family has never been a big fan of oatmeal, until I introduced this recipe.  The consistency is a bit different from instant oatmeal or stovetop oatmeal -- very creamy -- and when I add toasted pecans, everyone gobbles it up! 

I apologize in advance for the photo quality.  The photos look fine in my library and when I select them to upload, but when I upload them to blogger, there are lines and color distortions - not sure why, but I re-uploaded several of the photos more than once, and they would look different -- and wrong -- almost every time!  I didn't have time to re-upload every picture until each was right.

Here's what you need:

Steel cut oats (very important), water, milk, cinnamon sugar, brown sugar, butter and vanilla.

Place 1 c. steel cut oats in a bowl that will hold 4 1/2-5 cups of of liquid.  The bowl should also easily fit in your crockpot with the lid in place.

Add the other dry ingredients:  1/4 c. brown sugar, 2 T. cinnamon sugar, and 1 T. butter (cut into small pieces).  Stir gently to combine.

Add the liquid -- 4 c. water and 1/2 c. milk; stir to combine.  Stir in 1 t. vanilla.

Now, the fun part!  First, put about 1" of water in the crock pot.  Carefully place the bowl of oatmeal mixture inside the crock pot.  Gently pour additional water down the side of the crock pot, so that the water level is at about the same level as the oatmeal mixture.  This creates a water bath that will gently cook the oatmeal.

Put the lid on the crock pot and set it on "LOW" - cook for 6-8 hours. 

When you wake up in the morning this is what it will look like: 



I usually toast some pecans in the oven while everyone is getting ready, and crumble them on top.  Additional milk is optional.  Nothing like a piping hot bowl of oatmeal to start the day -- yum!

You could add fruit to the mixture before cooking, but we're not really fruit people.  You are what you eat, after all, and I guess we'd rather be nuts!

Here's the recipe:

Crockpot Oatmeal

1 c. steel cut oats

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 T. cinnamon sugar

1 T. butter cut into pieces

4 c. water

1/2 c. milk

1 t. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients, including butter in a bowl that will hold at least 4-5 c. liquid.  The bowl should also be able to easily fit in crock pot with the lid in place.  Add water and milk; stir.  Stir in vanilla.  Put about 1" of water in crock pot; gently place bowl of oatmeal mixture in crockpot.  Pour additional water into crockpot to the same level as oatmeal.  Put lid on crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

"My mom is your biggest fan" - {Meeting The Pioneer Woman}

A couple months ago, The Pioneer Woman, my favorite blogger/cookbook author, announced her Amarillo booksigning on Facebook.  Needless to say, I was floored, and immediately called my husband.

Me:  "Guess who's coming to Amarillo?!"

Dennis:  "Matthew McConnoughey?" (see this post)

Me:  "No....guess again!"

Dennis:  "Selena Gomez?" (not sure where that came from...)

Me:  "No...whose blog do I read EVERY day, and whose recipes do you love?"

 - PAUSE-

Dennis:  "Get OUT!"

Me:  "That's right, The Pioneer Woman!"

Dennis:  "Please don't do anything weird, okay?"

That afternoon, when the kids got in the car, I asked the same question..."Guess who's coming to Amarillo?"
Their first guess was Selena Gomez.  Again, not sure where that came from!

Rewind a few months back -  February, I think it was.  I sent an email to Ree Drummond -- The Pioneer Woman -- telling her she should do a booksigning in Amarillo, since I knew she had a great fan base around here.  I suggested things they could do while they were here, etc.  Now I know it wasn't my email, but was still so very excited that she decided to do a booksigning while in town for the World Championship Ranch  Rodeo.

Anyhow, November 13 could not come soon enough.  My sister, Judith, agreed to come with me, and we met some new friends while we were there.  We figured there would be a long line, so we decided to try to be there around 9 a.m. -- two hours before the signing.  Judith thought I was crazy, but when it was all said and done, we were both glad we arrived early.  Jack, Rachael and Avery also came along.  Jack had a basketball tournament that afternoon, and I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time to drive back to Hereford to get him to the tournament, so he had to tag along.  Rachael and Avery were excited to meet The Pioneer Woman.  Sam stayed with our sitter, and I know he was much happier at home than waiting in line!

We were near the front of the line, and once the signing began, it wasn't long before it was our turn. 

Rachael walked right up to Mrs. Drummond and said, point blank,

"My Mom is your biggest fan!"

"I bet someone told you to say that," was Mrs. Drummond's response.

She signed the many books I brought, conversing as she signed each book.  She complimented the girls' outfits (thank you, Hannah Andersson!), and when she signed a "Charlie" book for my niece, Quincy, she said she would have to add that name to her list of names she liked for babies.  So sweet! 

Of course, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet Marlboro Man, and he was very nice -- and tall, too!

Thank goodness Judith brought her camera, because I could not find mine!  Thank you, dear sister, for the photos!

This was such a fun morning, and I have to say that I am an even bigger fan of The Pioneer Woman.  She is so nice and down-to-earth, as is her husband.  Great people!

I hope to be in more of a blogging mood over the holidays.  We've had a whirlwind fall, with so many activities and detours along the way.  I hope to fill you in soon.

Book Recommendation {One Thousand Gifts}

It's been a little over three months since my last post.  I took a little vacation from blogging, since my brood was home for the summer, and it seemed summer was busier than the school year.  We had a fun, fun summer!  I am sorry this post doesn't fall within my "Days" format....this is not a "Tasty Tuesday" post.  I will tell you more about our summer over the next few posts, hopefully in my blog format, but for now, I must give you a book recommendation. 

My sister, Johnna, gave me a wonderful (40th!) birthday gift -- a book called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.   I typically do not find time to read, and especially, finish books; by the time there is time, I am, sadly, sitting in a chair dozing off in front of Top Chef, or the like. 

I really wanted to read this book, so I decided to get up one hour earlier, read a chapter each day while I savored my coffee, and actually FINISH A BOOK! 

The first chapter in, I knew this would not be hard to do. 

Voskamp is a poetic, intellectual writer who focuses on the eucharist (THANKSGIVING!) as the theme of this particular writing.  She has a tragic past that centers around the loss of her toddler sister.  The first two chapters, for me, were tearfully read. 

We're talking buckets. 

One of my favorite excerpts from the book really struck a chord with me: 

"With memories of gravestones, of combing fingers through tangled hair, I wonder too...if the rent in the canvas of our life backdrop, the losses that puncture our world, our own emptiness, might actually become places to see.

To see through to God.

That that which tears open our souls, those holes that splatter our sight, may actually become the thin, open places to see through the mess of this place to the heart-aching beauty beyond.  To Him."

-- One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, p. 22.

As I read each day, my attitude toward God, life and my family changed completely.  It is easy to go through life being casually thankful.  This book teaches one how to make thanksgiving a central, genuine habit in your life.  And it will change your life for the better. 

Get it.  Read it.  Live it!  (And if you can't find it in the Amarillo area, it's because I have bought the local book stores out twice -- for copies to give to friends.  I have extras in my car and am happy to give you one -- just ask!)

So glad to be "back."  Here's to our blessings!

Wild Card Wednesday {Science Fair Fun}

I know...I know...just trying to keep it together in all of this end-of-school stuff!  Although I didn't post Meal Plan Monday on Monday, I did plan our meals this week.  Here's a quick review of what we are having:
Monday:  Hamburger Helper Cheesy Mac, Steamed Green Beans, Whole Wheat Bread
Tuesday:  Lemon Pepper Baked Chicken, Stuffing (Whole Wheat Stove Top!), Green Salad.
Wednesday:  Lasagna (carried over from a few weeks ago...didn't get to make it), Steamed Broccoli, Garlic Bread
Thursday:  Pizza - Marketside from Wal-Mart (moved to tonight...haircuts and recital are leaving us with limited time to cook and eat!)
Friday:  Grilled Sausage (Slovacek's - our favorite!), Smashed Potatoes, Green Salad
Saturday:  Tilapia with Herbs, Steamed Carrots with Brown Sugar, Green Salad, Whole Wheat Bread

And now we continue with our regular programming...

In April, Jack and Rachael participated in the school science fair.  I have been fascinated with this event since Jack started school at Saint Anthony's over five years ago (has it been THAT long?).  Growing up in the 70's and 80's, this was not an activity that the schools I attended offered.  In fact, the first time I had exposure to something even remotely similar to this was when I was in....should I admit this?.....GRADUATE school!  Yikes! 

Interestingly enough, my experience preparing my one and only poster for an abstract presented at an international science meeting, inspired Jack and Rachael's first school project display in 2008.  Here's a picture of it:

Needless to say, the poster was a bit stark compared to other entries; the kids and I learned a lot from that first science fair, and with each fair, improved in their choice of experiment, presentation and backdrop.  Here's a little walk down memory lane since then:

2009 (disclaimer:  I was 8 months pregnant when these posters were prepared!)

2010

This year, Rachael selected a project to observe the life cycle of a butterfly.  We purchased a kit from Hobby Lobby that included a habitat and certificate with a code to order the larva online.  The project went flawlessly, and all 5 larvae hatched into butterflies.  It was a fun project for the whole family as we observed the transformation of the small bug-looking larva into fuzzier caterpillars, migration to the top of the larvae habitat to form chrysalis (or cocoon) and finally the emergence of the painted lady butterflies.  Rachael won first place with her project as well as a certificate for the appearance of her exhibit.  I knew my scrapbooking supplies would come in handy -- yet again!

Jack selected a water filtering project -- again, a kit purchased from Hobby Lobby was a great help!  He mixed "dirty" water using oil and dirt, and tested the effectiveness of gravel, sand and carbon filters.  It was amazing how the filthy, muddy water filtered through all of the filters to become fairly clean, clear water.  Jack got sick the week of the science fair, but got out of bed for his presentation, and he, too won first place (a tie!).  We had lots of fun with his title, considering he attends a Catholic school!  He also received a certificate for his display.

This was the first year that either child won first place, and the first year for them to receive display awards.  I am so glad that they continue to gain this experience in planning, executing and presenting their experiments.

On a completely different subject, please pray for all those affected by the recent tornadoes, floods, and fires.  Each morning as a I turn on the news my heart is saddened by the strife being experienced by those affected by these natural disasters.  I know that God is good, and I pray that He will continue to hold all those affected in His loving arms of comfort and peace.

Fun Friday {Mickey Mouse Pancakes}

Wow -- another crazy busy week.  I did no meal planning mostly due to the inability to plan because I wasn't sure if we would have hot water for a big part of the week.  In the process of putting in a sprinkler system, we learned that there were issues with our gas line that resulted in the decision to convert to electric for both hot water and heat in our home.  We finally got everything converted (additional electrical work had to be done) and I am back in business!  Meals were limited to what could be cooked with minimal dishes and we ate with paper goods all week.  And this all happened at the beginning of our "end of school madness" -- rehearsals, recitals, etc. 

What do you cook when you are in a pinch and need some good comfort food?  In our house it is "breakfast for dinner!"  The kids love this meal, especially when I make their favorite Mickey Mouse pancakes.  There is no recipe for this...but I wanted to share how I make them and what they look like.  The kids like to help in their preparation, and I almost always have the ingredients on hand. 

I start with a basic pancake mix, like Pioneer, or as of late, I have found a wonderful chocolate pancake mix at Wal-Mart.  The jury's still out on the chocolate mix (shown in this post), but the whole family likes a basic pancake mix, like Pioneer.  I mix it according to the package directions and add about 1/2 t. vanilla.  After ladling the batter onto the griddle, I sprinkle mini chocolate chips evenly across each pancake.  You could add the chips to the batter before ladling, but I find that they often sink to the bottom of the batter bowl and result in unevenly distributed chocolate chips, and we can't have that!

To make Mickey Mouse pancakes, I ladle enough batter to make a 4-5" diameter pancake (for the face) and two 1 1/2" diameter pancakes (for the ears), for each serving.  Once the pancakes are done, I arrange them on a plate like this and work in an assembly line: 

Now it's time to create a frame for Mickey's face.  I use canned whipped light cream and "pipe" two dots for the eyes, one dot for the nose, and a curved line for a smile.

Next, add regular size chocolate chips for the eyes and smile.  Don't worry, the nose will come soon!

Now the finishing touch:  a marachino cherry for the nose:

Four Mickeys in a row:

Now if you want to have a little more fun with this (and we always do!), once the plates are delivered to the table, we serve scrambled eggs and bacon family style.  Here is Mickey with some scrambled egg "hair":

And here he is with a bacon "bowtie":

Yum!  Mickey isn't looking so good at this point, so I think it is time to eat!

Plates:  French Countryside by Mikasa, Flatware:  Butler's Pantry by Lenox; Placemats:  Pimpernel.

At Christmas time, I like to improvise and make Santa pancakes like this:

This is a photo from my camera phone, so please excuse the poor quality!

Have a lovely Friday, and go make some Mickey Mouse pancakes -- they are sure to bring a smile!

Speaking of smiles, hop on over to Allison's blog and comment -- she's donating $1 to Operation Smile AND Smile Train for every comment to any of her posts between now and June 24.  You can read more here.

Meal Plan Monday {Week of May 9}

Meal Plan Monday is BACK - out of great necessity.  My life is so much easier when I know what I'm making for dinner and the grocery shopping is done at the beginning of the week.  I have been in a bit of a meal idea slump for a while, but I'm hoping planning this week will help.  We did manage to grill three times last week -- steak, fajitas, and chicken breasts -- the last few days have been nice with little wind.  Here's what's for dinner this week:

Monday - Baked Chicken, Steamed English Peas, Angel Hair with Olive Oil and Lemon Pepper
Tuesday - Breakfast Bake (this is an old stand-by that I make often -- I use low fat crescent rolls, skim milk and 2% cheeses to lighten it up), Fruit
Wednesday - Homemade Pioneer Woman's Pizza Crust recipe (for ours:  Tomato Basil Pizza, Cheese Pizza and Canadian Bacon/Pepperoni)
Thursday - Baked Tilapia, Steamed Carrots with Brown Sugar,
Friday -  Green Enchiladas*, Green Salad, Black Beans
Saturday - Lasagna*, Steamed Broccoli, Garlic Bread

* Green Enchilada Casserole

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 t. salt
1 t. oregano
1 t. garlic powder
1 can cream of celery soup
1 c. chopped green chiles
12 flour tortillas, cut into small pieces
1 c. grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large saute pan, brown meat with onion and spices.  Add soup and chiles and mix well.  Cover the bottom of a greased 9x13 dish with a layer of tortilla pieces.  Spread about 1/3 of meat mixture over tortilla pieces.  Cover with another layer of  tortilla slices, then meat mixture.  Repeat, ending with meat mixture.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over meat mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes.  (NOTE:  I plan to "lighten" this recipe by using low fat/whole wheat tortillas, 2% cheese, and, if I can find it, low fat soup.  The cream of celery soup is important to the flavor -- and I haven't tried finding it in a low fat version)

* Here's how I make my Lasagna....

1/2 # lean ground beef
1/2 # Italian sausage
1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes (usually diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano)
1-16 oz. container ricotta cheese
3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 t. dried parsley
3 c. shredded mozarella cheese
9-12 no cook lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large saute pan, brown ground beef and Italian sausage; drain.  Add spaghetti sauce and diced tomatoes and heat through.  In a bowl, combine egg, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and parsley.  Place 3-4 lasagna noodles in bottom of a greased 9x13 dish; do not overlap.  Spread one-third of sauce mixture over noodles.  Spoon about one third of ricotta cheese mixture over sauce mixture.  Sprinkle 1 c. mozarella cheese.  Layer (in same order) 3-4 more lasagna noodles, sauce mixture, cheese mixture and cheese.  Repeat, ending with mozarella cheese.  Cover with foil  (make sure there is a gap between the foil and the cheese so that the foil does not touch the cheese) and bake 1 hour.  Remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.  

Sane Saturday {Catching Up!)

Still here!

Super busy! 

I started this post as a "Fun Friday" post, but you can see where that ended up...so here I am on Saturday.  In an effort to "keep my sanity," as I work at our business today while the laundry breeds exponentially at home, I have decided to finish this post today!

We celebrated Rachael's First Communion last weekend.

Following Mass, the local family gathered at our home for a dinner.  We even brought the good china out!  Here is Rachael with her cake -- do you recognize the cake? 

In the past few weeks, we have also gotten to help Uncle Chris and Aunt Judith work baby lambs.  My years of helping Dad sort cattle came in handy when it came time to separate the mamas from the babies, though these babies are very nimble and can jump right through your arms.  The kids really enjoyed holding the baby lambs, and we were covered from head to toe in dirt when we were done.

Jack was Uncle Chris's assistant.  I am sure you can guess what procedure is happening here.  Just think "lamb nuts."

Sam even got in on the action.  He was constantly trying to catch a lamb.  Poor baby lamb (and see Mama to the right...she was very concerned!).

In the past couple of weeks, we've also

1. Gotten braces and head gear (Jack)
2.  Gotten glasses (Rachael)
3.  Had a warehouse sale (Dennis and Co.)
4.  Completed teaching the third in a series of donated cake decorating lessons (Moi)
5.  Been babysitting the washer because the knob is broken...I have to turn it when it stops up to 5 times per load to keep the cycle going.  We will soon remedy the situation, and I can't wait to tell you about it!  (Moi, again)
5.  Done absolutely no meal planning -- sorry about that....has affected my sanity, for sure!  (Yours truly, again!)

I'll be back soon with more regular posting.  In the meantime, Happy Mother's Day!