Lovely Boatmeal

(Baked + Oatmeal = Boatmeal) Makes 4 servings or 3 if you're a hungry breakfaster like me. Easily doubled. And has nothing to do with boats. 

 2 cups uncooked oats 
1/2 cup packed brown sugar 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 tsp cinnamon 
1/4 cup melted butter 
2 eggs 
3/4 cup milk 
1/2 cup dried cranberries, raisins, or other fruit. 

Mix all together put in lightly greased 9x9 inch dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes (at 30 minutes, mine was still jiggly in the middle (aren't we all!) but at 40 minutes it was set.) Heat additional milk and spoon over each serving. (So the recipe says to heat milk, but I just poured milk out of the jug into my bowl, and the oats heated up the milk just fine.) 

(Update: I made this again this morning (6.3.2009), left out one egg and the melted butter accidentally, and it had a faster cooking time (about 30 minutes total) and tasted just as fantastic. Just wanted to throw that out there ...) 

Thanks, Bonnie, for the recipe! I've been wanting to try a baked oatmeal for a while, but I was scared ... after all, oatmeal itself is ... well, mushy, tasteless, and pretty gross (I feel like I can say that because I eat oatmeal at least 3 times a week). The thought of adding baking powder and eggs to that mushy tastelessness makes me shiver even now. But I did it. It tasted really good. Could be the half cup of sugar or the warm milk ... not sure exactly. But now I have a new favorite. It's just that ... I have to plan at least 30 minutes ahead. Could be tough. Today's Boatmeal comes after last night's Inaugural Tuesday Night Summer Potluck That Might Be On The Occasional Wednesday (Mexican theme). We've considered having Mexican-themed potlucks every week (I know I'D be ok with that, but not sure about everyone else.) Do you have any other ideas? The following have been suggested already: mediterranean 
medieval times (what?!?) 
around the world 
favorite childhood dishes 
green stuff or red stuff 

 Throw it out there, good neighbor. Rock my boat(meal).

Answer: What is "your granny"?

Question: This is the person you would "jump up and slap" when you have a slice of this delightfulness.

For real.

Granny's Pound Cake

from Southern Living, November 2005

1 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. shortening

2 1/2 c. sugar

5 eggs

3 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 c. milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and shortening at medium speed with electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition just until the yellow appears.

Stir together flour and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla just until blended. Pour batter into a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cook in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pan, cook completely on wire rack. Dust cake evenly with powdered sugar.

Makes 1 cake (as many servings as you want ... probably 12ish)

Really, all I can say about this cake is that you must make it. It's as simple as that. Don't you dare read the ingredients and think anything other than, "Do I have all of these right now?" Beats a store-bought cake any day, and it's the most moist, tasty thing EVER. With summer coming and lots of fruit on the vine/tree/bush that's ripe for the taking, you've got to make this for dessert one weekend and top it with blueberries or peaches or strawberries.

It really will make you want to jump up and slap someone. If it's your granny, just make sure she won't slap you back (I believe mine might ... she's spunky for an 85 year old).

PS. I've had a not-so-secret secret-desire to appear on the show Jeopardy ever since I was twelve. I think I could do it, though I am afraid that I'd win so much money that I wouldn't know what to do with it ...

Marination Celebration

Marinated Steak Salad from Elizabeth & Jesse W. Serves 10 Marinade: 1/2 C veg. oil 1/4 C soy sauce 1/4 C red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon minced garlic ( 1 clove) 2 lb flank steak Combine first six ingredients. Poke holes in steak with fork (so the marinade seeps in - yum) and place in large dish or plastic bag. Pour marinade over steak and marinate for 1-24 hours, turning every so often. Grill steaks to desired doneness and carve into thin slices across the grain (1/4" is good). Provide the following and have each person assemble steak salad as desired: salad greens craisins (do I need to give kudos since this is a registered trademark? Don't want to get sued over a blog posting) chopped pecans sauteed yellow onion (2 onions for 10 people is just about right) goat cheese (chevre) steak Newman's Own Light Balsamic Dressing (another trademark ... here's to you, Newman) We have lots of reasons to celebrate in our family right now. But first I would like a critique on my use of "marinate" and "marinade" ... you may not care, but I've been struggling for 30 minutes now trying to remember which one is the verb and which is the noun. I hope I correctly distinguished between marinate (the verb?!) and marinade (... noun?). Criticism welcome. Reason uno: my husband just finished his entire first year of PhD work. I honestly didn't know he had it in him to work this much. I've already given him my full year's quota of props. (I do, however, have some kudos leftover, so when I find out that you've done something great I'll give you some of those.) We had some of his classmates over on Tuesday night after their last class and served this salad. Reason dos: we've done our part to control the pet population by having Salem ... er ... snipped. Snippadee doodah. Just trying to make Bob Barker proud. (However, I am afraid this has set us back on the whole "gaining trust" thing ... nothing says "I love you" like subjecting your beloved pet to castration) Reason tres: the seeds we planted in the garden are actually coming up. Miracle of nature. I guess when I set my expectations low I leave lots of room for pleasant surprises. Reason cuatro: I live in a college town but don't have to take exams. Lovely. Reason cinco: I stepped outside this morning and saw that it was raining on one side of my house but not on the other. The side it was raining on was also the side the sun was coming up on, so the sun/rain/blue sky combination was fantastic. Reason seis: Have I already mentioned how excited I am to be going to Spain and France this summer?

Did you know you could use leftover french fries?

Tortilla Española (Spanish Tortilla) Serves 2-3 but easily expandable

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 medium or 1 large potato, peeled and cut in 1/4" cubes OR 1(ish) cups leftover french fries, chopped. 
4 eggs 
salt and pepper to taste 

Heat olive oil in small skillet (nonstick is best, FYI) over medium-high heat. Put potatoes in skillet - if using fresh potatoes, fry until soft and cooked through (maybe 10-15 minutes), stirring often. If using leftover fries, fry until heated and crispy (3-4 minutes?). 

While potatoes are cooking, beat eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Remove potatoes from heat and put in bowl with eggs. Mix well. Mixture should be thick. 

Reheat pan, adding more oil if necessary (oil should cover the bottom of the pan but you don't need too much). 

Pour egg-potato mixture into skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set and the middle isn't as runny. You can lift up one edge to look at the bottom - if it's brown, you're doing good.  If it's still runny, let it set for a few more minutes. 

Now for the fun part: Get a plate ready. Slide the tortilla onto the plate, turn the skillet upside down over the plate, and then flip the tortilla back onto the skillet. Put it back on the stove and cook for 5-8 minutes more or until the bottom is browned. Remove from heat, cut into wedges and serve for any meal (can be eaten straight up or in a sandwich ... er ... bocadillo ... that is a tasty way to eat any leftovers). Tada. Spanish tortilla.

I've also added black beans, parmesan cheese, spinach, garlic, and onion (not all at once though) ... just mix in whatever you want to when you add the potatoes to the eggs. I have big news. BIG news. My most favorite girl cousin on my mom's side is going to Spain. And I get to go with her. Olé. I may have cried a little bit when I heard the news. Just a bit. We're going to Paris too. Oui. More soon. On a "Cinco de Mayo" note ... I heard a radio announcer say "pick-oh day gal-oh" instead of "pico de gallo," and it hurt. It hurt real bad. If you're going to say it on air shouldn't you know? I mean, really.

the enchilada party in my tummy

aka, Chelsey's Chicken Enchiladas That Require Some Visualization

1 onion, chopped

1 small can green chilies

1 bottle green salsa

2 boxes cream cheese

1 small box heavy whipping cream

20 corn taco shells

1 8-oz. bag Mexican cheese

2-3 c. shredded chicken (de-bone leftover chicken, or shred a rotisserie chicken)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute onion in medium-sized pan.

Combine onion, green chilies, cream cheese, and chicken over medium heat until the cream cheese is melted.

Put mixture into taco shells, and put taco shells on their sides. Slide one shell another so they lay sideways in the pan (they will look like the tacos do when you buy them, all fitted together - just visualize it before you do it).

Pour 1/2 to 3/4 box of whipping cream over shells.

Pour entire bottle of salsa over shells.

Spread whole bag of cheese over shells.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese melts and casserole is heated through.

First note: I got this recipe from my co-worker Chelsey. Because of this, I might have to award her "Employee of the Month" and post her picture in the store. I'm not kidding.

Second note: Mom came to visit last week for 3 1/2 days. It was so much fun to have her here ... she's one of my favorite people (I'm not just saying that because she's my mom) and she bought me at least 20 blocks of cheese because it was on sale (I kept trying to let her let me pay for it, but she wouldn't. Ahh, moms ...)

Third note: I made this recipe and it made enough for 2 casseroles. We creatively fit the taco shells in a 9x9 square pan and a 9x11 oval pan (some maneuvering was required). Just keep that in mind ... give the second pan of enchiladas away or freeze them to use later (I think that might work ... actually, if you do freeze a pan, will you let me know how it works?)

Fourth note: I omitted the heavy cream and substituted a mondo-sized can of green enchilada sauce for both the cream and the salsa. It was the cheaper option, but it was SO good I may just keep making it that way.

Fifth note: I got to see another of my favorite people this weekend - Chrissy, my college roommate of four years who put up with a lot of weirdness from me and still calls me friend. I'm so lucky.

Sixth (and last) note: My husband and I adopted a dog on Saturday. His name is Salem (meaning "peace" and also a nod to our former city of Winston-Salem, NC). He might be 6 months old (or maybe 4 years); the lady we got him from had no idea because he showed up on her doorstep a week ago. He's got such a soft coat and one of his eyes is half blue. That's right ... one of his eyes is brown, and the other is half brown/half blue. It's really fantastic.

Update

I have found the dress.

Not only is it black (criterion #1), it is very comfortable (and strapless to boot). It is lovely, versatile (I could wear it with Chacos or heels ... though I don't own any heels ...), and timeless. Turns out, it was free (even better than criterion #5). My friend Cindi is letting me borrow it as my summer occasion dress.

I might need you to invite me to your summer occasion now, just so that I can wear it.

I will reciprocate an invitation to something, I promise. It might be the Festival to Honor the Planting of the Onions, but it'll be an invitation ...

PS. Now that I have the dress, I just need to find something for these ...

(I wear size 8. Just in case you cared)

I Dare You

This is Mom's staple potato casserole recipe ... happens to be my favorite potato casserole recipe ... no one complains, EVER, about this one ... so go ahead, throw away your other potato casserole recipes. I dare you.

6-8 red potatoes, quartered (or use what you have and quarter them) 1/4 cup butter 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 can cream of mushroom (or chicken, or celery) soup 8 oz. sour cream (or plain nonfat yogurt) 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 1/4 cup herb seasoned dressing mix 1/4 cup butter Boil potatoes until tender. Cool. Mix melted 1/4 cup butter, salt, pepper, soup, and sour cream. Add potatoes and cheese to mixture. Mix well but try not to mash the potatoes. Put in greased dish. Mix 1/4 cup melted butter and dressing mix. Spread on top of potato mixture. Sprinkle paprika over it all to make it look pretty. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and done.

Easter Menu rundown (serves 15 or so):

Crock-pot ham provided by Cindi

Roasted chicken provided by Katie

Green bean casserole provided by Andrea

Potato casserole provided by me

Spinach-strawberry-feta-sugared walnut-homemade vinaigrette salad provided by Mary

Grape salad with pecans provided by Lisa (I'll post that recipe when I get my hands on it)

Fluffy Rolls provided by Katie

Volleyball provided by the gang and the Corporate Research Center's sand volleyball court

Chocolate Ostrich Egg filled with Peanut Butter provided by Mrs. Robinson (here's to you!)

3 Visiting Brothers provided by Cedarville University

1 Friend provided by Dublin

Post-Volleyball Non-Awkward Silence provided by Exhaustion

"Dylan and Meredith's Coconut Cake" provided by me (I'll post that one too)

Banana-pineapple 3-layer cake with cream cheese frosting provided by Andrea

I sometimes bemoan the fact that I don't know many people in this town, but the truth is that the people I do know are really amazing. So here's to you, Settlers-playing, school-going, random-job, ultimate-frisbee friends ... you're swell. You're like a good potato casserole - I'm going to keep you around.