Category — Uncategorized

O.k., so I have a question for you.

Do you buy, and use, these?

Hmm. Well, so did I. But, I always felt a little funny about it. I mean, it’s just oatmeal, which is cheap and easy to make. And, when I checked the ingredients there was that heinous “artificial flavors,” which could mean . . . well, anything, right?

So, I quit buying it one week and just decided to make it from scratch. No big deal. Except. Sort of a big deal. Minus the “sort of” part.

What I mean to say is this: my kids didn’t like it. And I didn’t like making it. It’s actually really convenient to, you know, rip open the bag, pour the stuff in a bowl, dump in some water, nuke it for a while, stir and eat. Instead, I was measuring this and adding that and, well, jeez, what a pain in the behind.

Plus, instant oatmeal is more of a powdered oatmeal than the stuff we buy in the big round cardboard container. Which means instant oatmeal is softer and less chewy that non-instant oatmeal. Those of us who have always eaten instant oatmeal will make the other stuff and assume it’s undercooked. People who love chewy oatmeal will tell you that instant oatmeal is “icky” and paste-like and proclaim themselves oatmeal snobs.

The problem, of course, is that my kids like oatmeal paste and since none of the nutrients are lost in any version (whole, steel cut, rolled, quick cook, and powdered/instant oats all have the same thing inside) I’m going for something that my kids will eat.

So, I went back to buying instant oatmeal. And I was happy again. Except. It kept bugging me. I was paying for the convenience and in the meantime feeding my kids “artificial I don’t know whats” and “caramel coloring.”

And then, I found this recipe. Basically, you premix the oatmeal and the (not artificial) flavorings, put it in a bag, and you know, open the bag, pour the stuff in a bowl, dump in some water, nuke it for a while, stir and eat. Brilliant! And, when I’m feeling really froggy I’ll portion it into small snack sized bags so it’s all premeasured.

How smart is that?! And, since I’m really lucky, sometimes, my completely competent teenager can even manage to, you know, open the bag, pour the stuff in a bowl, dump in some water, nuke it for a while, stir and eat . . . all by herself!

Of course, my slightly autistic ten year old, and her younger 7 year old sister have no problems making it either. I tell you this because I feel it is very important information for those of us who are stay in bed Moms to know.

To deal with the consistency issue I toss the whole batch in the food processor or blender to break it down into smaller pieces. If you like a chewier oatmeal, you can completely skip this part.

Oh, and guess what?! It tastes as good - if not better - than the stuff from the store, since it’s got all the goodies mixed in. Which means . . . my kids like it! Hooray!

Here are some pictures from a new batch together I put together for the kids - since they are now home all day, every day, oh my goodness when-does-summer-camp-start? Actually, I’m just kidding, I’m one of those weird Moms that actually looks forward to having their kids home all summer.

And this summer, we’ll be eating oatmeal by the pool . . . well, until summer camp starts anyhow. So, perhaps you should make a batch and see what you think.

Homemade “Instant” Oatmeal Mix

Adapted from Recipezaar

6 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped dried fruit, optional

In a large bowl, combine the ingredients. If you prefer a smoother, less chewy oatmeal grind the mixture in a blender or food processor until the oatmeal is cut into smaller pieces. The longer you allow the oatmeal to process, the smoother the oatmeal will be. Leaving some larger pieces will give it some texture.

Store in an airtight container, or a zippered bag in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.

I like to leave the dried fruit out of the mix and just add in the fruit by the bowl. This way I can add apples to mine, raisins for Katie, blueberries for Babs, and leave it plain for Lilly. I just add a couple pieces of dried apple, cut into small pieces.

To prepare oatmeal: Shake mix well and measure 1/2 dry oatmeal into bowl, add 2/3 cups water, and microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Or on a stove top, in a saucepan, bring water to a boil; slowly stir in 1/2 cup mix.
Cook and stir over medium heat for 1 minute.

Here we have chewy oatmeal (with apples).

And here we have smooth oatmeal, plain.

You guys are great for not complaining about the delay in my post and pictures.  I was so frustrated last night!  How appropriate that today is the Ides of March, although it’s really going a lot better around here.

I have updated my Pi Day post, to include photos.  You can see them here.

Watch this spot later tonight or (maybe) tomorrow morning when I’ll tell you about teaching the girls what “Beware the Ides of March” means while we dined on Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza and had Orange Julius to drink.  We had a lot of fun with it and I don’t think they’ll forget anytime soon what the Ides of March are all about.  See you then!

Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza

Chinese New Year is about to Culminate with The Lantern Festival this Thursday, February 21st.  You can read a lot more about Chinese New Year over in my articles section, thanks to my friend, Sophia, who wrote several articles about CNY for my cookbook and website.

To acknowledge The Latern Festival in our home, I decided we we would try out a recipe that was a recent finalist in the 2007 Southern Living Cook-Off in the Quick and Easy category.  The recipe was submitted by Deborah Biggs of Omaha, Nebraska, and is titled “Szechuan Burgers With Cilantro Slaw”.

I made this a week last week at lunch time for Hubby and I.  I’ve made it twice since then.  And, today, when I went shopping, I bought the stuff to make them again.  Yeah, they’re that good.  If there was one thing I would change about this recipe . . . hmm, let’s see.  Oh, I know, I’d double the slaw, because it’s really awesome and I always run out.

The contest is a brand name contest, so several of the ingredients are, of course, listed as name brand choices.  I’ve changed the recipe in that I’m not listing the name brands.  Also, the original recipe calls for cucumber ranch dressing, and I’ve just been using regular ranch, since I’m too cheap to I didn’t want to buy TWO bottles of salad dressing for one recipe.  Oh yeah, and they are shaped like burgers, and they go on buns, but beyond that - not really a burger here.  They’re made from ground chicken.  Don’t care if they’re burger imposters.  Love ‘em!

This recipe didn’t win the contest, and I’m sorry for that.  Deborah, if it were up to me, you’d have taken a big fat blue ribbon! 

Another bonus to this recipe is that I was forced to try a new salad dressing (oh, poor, poor me!) - Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing - which is a Kraft product.  Can I just say - YUM!  There’s a great Japanese Steak House a couple of towns over from here that offers an unbeatable ginger dressing on their salad, and while Kraft’s version isn’t as good as Genji’s, it is a close second and it’s definitely going to be a regular purchase here.  Well, at least until I figure out how to make my own version taste just as good (so far no luck).

Well, onto the recipe.  The pictures were taken with the old camera, and just don’t do these bad boys justice.  Please do yourself a favor and try these out!

Szechuan Burgers With Cilantro Slaw

For Slaw:
1/3 cup ranch dressing
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
2 teaspoons orange juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 cup shredded coleslaw mix
1/2 cup diced green onions
1 tablespoon black sesame seed

For Burgers:
1-1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
1/4 cup Asian toasted sesame dressing
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon szechwan seasoning (a bottled spice blend)
6 sesame seed buns

Whisk together the first three ingredients and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a bowl.  Stir in coleslaw mix, green onions, and sesame seeds.  Cover and chill 30 minutes or up to two hours.  (Note:  I make this, and just let it refrigerate while I am making the burgers, this is long enough.)

Combine ground chicken, next 3 ingredients, and remaining salt in a large bowl until blended.  Shape into 6 (3/4 inch) patties.

Grill patties, covered with grill lid, over 300 to 350 degree medium heat for 5 minutes on each side or until done.  Grill hamburger buns, if desired.

Place one burger on top of each bun; top evenly with coleslaw mixture and bun tops.