CHOCOLATE OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER BLUEBERRY BARS

We just completed the oatmeal challenge here at OUR KrAzY kitchen and I had made these bars for a baking challenge over at Tuesdays with Dorie during January. They turned out really scrumptious.

CHOCOLATE OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER BLUEBERRY BARS

CHOCOLATE OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER BLUEBERRY BARS
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking flour
1 teaspoon salt + pinch salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 JUMBO eggs
3 cups old fashion oats
1 1/2 + 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 + 1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts
1 /2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup dried blueberries
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons peanut butter
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
• Sift together the flour, soda, teaspoon of salt and cinnamon.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter.
• Add the brown sugar and blend well.
• Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each one.
• Add vanilla and blend until light & fluffy.
• Add flour mixture and blend until smooth.
• Gently mix in oatmeal and 2/3 cup peanuts.
• Set aside 2 cups of mixture.
• Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 well greased baking dish.
• Scatter the blueberries randomly over the top of the oatmeal mixture.
• In a double boiler mix together the sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter and chocolate chips until melted and well blended.
• Stir in vanilla, raisins and remaining peanuts.
• Spread over the oatmeal layer.
• Working in small amounts flatten oat oatmeal dough and top chocolate mixture.
• With well greased fingers press gently on the top oatmeal dough to spread it out evenly over the chocolate layer.
• Bake 30 minutes.
• Cool completely before cutting.
  

I'm also offering these recipes for the oatmeal theme:

• Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
  
• Chocolate Oatmeal Logs
• Chocolate Oatmeal Raisin Bars

On a personal note I would like to point out SnoWhite from Finding Joy in My Kitchen. She has 32 different and yummy oatmeal recipes for you to choose from. Head on over and check out her impressive list of oatmeal recipes. I made the oatmeal waffles this morning myself and was very surprised by them. They were really yummy!

FEATURE #2

Beginning in February, What Did you Bake Today? will be changing names. Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Housewife will still be your host for Lovin' from your Oven!

Kristen did a random number generator and our featured January blogger is Juls from Jul's Kitchen with Jamie Oliver's Oat & Raisin Cookies. They sure do look good! Kristen will be featuring Juls in an upcoming post here and on her personal blog, Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker.

We would like to invite Juls to be a guest host here at OUR KrAzY kitchen. Please email me from the sidebar so we can schedule a date.

We are looking forward to your recipes... Who will be featured next month?

Tamy @ 3 Sides of Crazy Menu Plans

Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie

	DATE	BREAKFAST	DINNER	DESSERTS
	MON2/1		Carrot & Ham Soup
	TUE 2/2		Linguine with Fresh Tomato Sauce & Garlic Basil Toast
	WED2/3		Melon Salad with Sweet Sesame Dressing
	THU2/4		Garlic Soup with Tomato Garlic Toast
	FRI 2/5		Sausage Rolls
	SAT 2/6	Cinnamon Banana French Toast	Chicken Cordon Bleu Crisps & Hot Wilted Greens
	SUN 2/7	Oven Pancake	Mexican Dip, Cheesy BLT bites & Mini Reubens	Chocolate Pistachio Hearts

Martha@Menagerie Menu Plans

I'm using a little bit different style of menu planning for the next few weeks giving each night a sort of theme to make things simple and super easy. Each week I can just copy the plan, change a few of the dishes and viola, done! This might be a good way to go for those of you who don't plan menus but have wanted to start.

Mmmm, fresh from the oven!

Saturday - Homemade soup and bread baking day - Kids cook night

Sunday - Grillin' and chillin' - Steaks, baked potatoes and veggies

Monday - Sandwich night - Steak fajitas (using Sunday's leftovers)

Tuesday - Pasta night (using homemade sauce and meatballs from freezer), salad, garlic bread

Wednesday - Pizza night ($4.99 large pizzas - can't beat the price!), Greek salad

Thursday - Breakfast for dinner - Biscuits and sausage gravy

Friday - Try a new recipe night!

Caprese Salad - Simple Saturday

Caprese Salad is a very simple but amazingly delicious Italian dish, a must try if you've never had it!

Start with Fresh Mozzarella cheese (I used mozzarella rolled with prosciutto for a little extra pizazz), slice cheese and tomatoes alternating, add some fresh basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil, add a little salt and pepper to taste. Serve with at room temperature with some fresh, preferably warm Italian bread - Delizioso!

Speaking of Italian delights, I have a surprise for all of you. We have a new once a month recipe day beginning next week ...

"Cooking the Italian Way" will be hosted by the multi-talented Joanne of Eats Well With Others! Joanne will be posting "Cooking The Italian Way" the first Saturday of every month right here at Our Krazy Kitchen! What a special treat!

OATMEAL ROUNDUP!!

By strange coincidence, January is National Oatmeal month. Cross my heart, I didn't know when I chose oatmeal as our mystery ingredient challenge. It just seemed like a good thing for the cold Januaries that many of us are experiencing.

I have an Oatmeal Sandwich Bread over at my blog today. For here, I thought I'd post a mock pecan pie made with no nuts and lots of oatmeal. It's frugal, easy peasy and for anyone allergic to nuts, they can appreciate an almost pecan pie.

Oatmeal Pie (mock pecan):

2/3 c. uncooked oatmeal (quick)

2/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. dark Karo syrup
1 stick butter (melted)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pie shell
Mix all ingredients and pour into uncooked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

For all of your information, this Friday feature is changing its name and will be henceforth known as "Lovin' from the Oven."

Now for the important part, what wonderful oatmeal dishes do you have to share?

ROMANCE ala Year on the Grill

Ladies, you will think I am kidding... But I am as serious as could be. First, let me tell you about "romantic". Romantic has NOTHING to do with what you think is romantic. Being romantic has to do with what your partner thinks is romantic. The whole hearts, flowers, teddy bears and candlelit dinners is what you (or possibly Madison Avenue) think is romantic. We get it, Valentine's Day is your special day, and you have expectations. Flowers at a minimum and diamonds as a goal.

For guys, we are wired a bit different.

But the good news for you ladies is that the Superbowl is coming up in just 10 days. For many guys, that is our special day. You get a chance to establish your love and devotion to your personal knuckle dragging neanderthal by doing something he thinks is romantic prior to Valentines Day. There is nothing you could do (foodwise) that would be more likely to get you that diamond pendant on YOUR special day than making something uniquely romantic (to guys) for OUR special day.

So, I am going to deviate from my normal I CAN COOK THAT posting. Instead, I want to post a... YOU CAN COOK THAT recipe for the single most romantic menu item you can make for that man of yours and his special day...

MOINK BALLS

Moink Balls are legendary among BBQ aficionados. So legendary that they have their own listing on WikQUEpedia! Click on that link to learn the history and suggested options for making the Moink. Originated on the BBQ GRAIL website, and adored Internationally, it is the perfect appetizer.

Now, Technically, Moink Balls need to be grilled or smoked. I understand that most of you do not cook outdoors, and that is a shame. So, I will show you the many that I grilled in the snow and cold. But also, I have an easy way to make them in the oven...

Here we go...

Mise en Place the ingredients

1 pound of bacon (cut in half)
1 bag of frozen all beef meatballs
BBQ sauce
toothpicks or skewers

Now ladies, you read right, the man who makes his own puff pastry is telling you to go out and buy a bag of meatballs. They come precooked, all you have to do is heat and serve.

MOINK Balls are made by taking a 1/2 ounce beef meatball, wrapped in 1/2 strip of bacon secured with a toothpick. The bacon wrapped meatball is then seasoned with a rub of your choice and smoked low and slow for about 90 minutes or until the bacon just gets crisp. The decision to sauce or glaze the MOINK Balls is up to the chef. The original MOINK Ball was served with a Raspberry Balsamic Glaze.

It is best if you grill them.

Even in the cold.

Even in the snow.

Authenticity counts.

Man up ladies and start the grill, your diamond pendant is at stake here. Slap on a coat and hat and be happy in your work.

But just in case you prefer not to grill, I have an option for baking in a standard oven (my apologies to the International MOINK Ball Appreciation Society).

Set your oven at 350 degrees.

Add a bit of sauce and bake away. It should take about 30 minutes for em to cook.

Everyone LOVES Moink Balls


Make em for the big game... Your men folk will be grateful, and ...

YOU CAN COOK THAT!!!

Come take a look at my site today. I will have plenty to post about all the different Cajun food options you might consider ONCE YOU AGREE TO MAKE MOINK BALLS... See you all next Thursday!

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL.

Get ready for Valentine's Day with classic Mousse au Chocolat recipe

Today, I'm sharing another recipe from my Joy of Desserts archives. It's Julia Child's Mousse au Chocolat or Chocolate Mousse. It's all over the Internet, including on well-respected sites, likely a recipe used by the publisher for press releases and other promotions, so I'm saving you the Google search. ;-)

Even David Lebovitz who lives that sweet life in Paris says "her recipe is a classic...."

Chocolate mousse is a perfect dessert for anytime of the year, and it can be so easily adapted to any occasion such as adding heart sprinkles on top, or serving in heart shaped ramekins for Valentine's Day. When Spring comes along, switch the decoration to sugar daisies or pastel sugar glitter. It's just that easy.

Share your own delicious dessert recipes below. It's time to Save Room for DESSERT!

Bon appetit,

Joy of Desserts


Julia Child's Classic Chocolate Mousse

8 oz sweet or semi sweet baking chocolate, melted with
1/4 cup strong coffee
3 oz unsalted butter (6 Tb)
3 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream (make sure it's the heavy variety)
3 egg whites
1/4 cup instant (finely ground) sugar
whipped cream (not so optional)

Beat the soft butter into the smoothly melted chocolate. One by one, beat in the egg yolks.
Beat the cream over ice until it leaves light traces on the surface.
Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. While beating, sprinkle in the sugar by spoonfuls and continue beating until stiff shining peaks are formed.
Scrape the chocolate mixture down the side of the egg-white bowl, and delicately fold in the whipped cream.
Turn the mousse into attractive serving bowls. Cover and chill several hours. You may wish to decorate the mousse with swirls of whipped cream, or to pass whipped cream separately.

From: The Way to Cook by Julia Child
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
ISBN: 0-394-53264-3

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Sunny Chicken with Shallots, Artichokes & Mushrooms

This dish came about when both the boys were sleeping (a rare occasion), I was by myself in the house (ditto) and I remembered one lonely chicken breast in the freezer. I took the opportunity to experiment, and decided if the boys didn’t like it when they woke up, they could just eat pasta.

Sunny Chicken with Shallots, Artichokes & Mushrooms

Makes 4 servings

1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 potato, diced

kosher salt

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced

6 cremini mushrooms, sliced

½ can artichoke hearts, drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen green beans

juice from ½ lemon

buttered egg noodles

I heated the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat, and sautéed the shallot. I added the potato and stirred, then covered the pan so the potato would steam a bit and cook faster. I don’t mind a browned potato, but I did stir them every once in a while. Meanwhile, I (carefully) diced the frozen chicken breast, then added it to the pan, salted and stirred everything and covered it again so the chicken would thaw.

When the chicken was about halfway cooked, I removed the lid and sautéed everything more, then added the mushrooms and artichoke hearts. I added the corn and green beans, and squeezed half a lemon over everything. I stirred and replaced the lid again. When the corn and beans were heated through, I turned off the heat and waited for my egg noodles to finish. (should have started them just a bit earlier)

This was a good dinner, and fairly quick at just over ½ hour. Everything came from the pantry or freezer, and it ended up making 4 healthy servings, even without the noodles. (I bet you never thought a single chicken breast could feed a family of four!) The lemon and artichoke hearts gave everything a little bit of brightness, just a hint of flavor without overpowering.

I didn’t add spices other than salt this time, but I would be open to suggestions! What would you have done with these ingredients?

Be sure to visit me at The Bad Girl's Kitchen for more fabulous recipes!

Salmon Fillets with Creamy Horseradish Sauce

Salmon Fillets with Creamy Horseradish Sauce (This was supposed to be grilled but I baked it in the oven.)

SAUCE **pareve means not dairy nor meat

• ¾ cup sour cream (or you can use **pareve milk heated and thickened with cornstarch, adding salt, pepper and dill weed to tasted – cool and use as sour cream) (I used Tofutti sour cream which is non dairy)
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsps. prepared horseradish (I used white)
• 2 tbsps. chopped fresh or dried basil
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice, fresh or bottled
• 1 tsp. soy sauce

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.

SALMON

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 3 tbsps. vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. prepared horseradish
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. coarsely ground pepper
• 6 1-inch-thick salmon fillets

Spray baking pan with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk oil, horseradish, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper in another bowl. Brush oil mixture over both sides of the salmon fillets. Bake the salmon until just opaque in the center, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the salmon to plates. Serve with sauce. (I baked it for about ten minutes a side in the oven).

Makes 6 servings. This was super delicious. I was concerned the horseradish would give it a harsh taste but it was just right mixed with the rest of the ingredients. I recommend this one.

For additional recipes go to Sweet and Savory and Comfy Cook

Alton Brown's Red Beans and Rice - I CAN COOK THAT!

RED BEANS AND RICE... Hey, I CAN COOK THAT...

Oh, BTW, hi again, Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. The resident cook in training, famous for three puffed pastry postings in a row. 3 puffed pastry, Brussels Sprouts and now I'm goin' Cajun... Today is an exciting day for me. The suburbs of Kansas City is hip and happening in a far out way, last night, my neighborhood celebrated "Mardi Gras in the Cul de Sac"! Counting drinks, 13 menu items, to feed 10 people... Laissez les bons temps rouler indeed! I got to spend the day cooking, have fun with my friends, and my proposal to take part in the 24,24,24 FOODBUZZ challenge was accepted. I want to thank the girls from Our Krazy Kitchen for letting me take an extra day beyond my normal Thursday to tell you all about my first ALTON BROWN RECIPE!

Hopefully, you all know Alton Brown. Alton is host of "GOOD EATS" on the FOOD NETWORK. I have two shows that I never miss (thanks to DVRs), and "GOOD EATS" is one of them. A cross between Julia Child and Mr. Wizard, Mr. Brown educates me (I need that), and is very entertaining!

"GOOD EATS" recently featured a recipe for that quintessential Cajun dish, RED BEANS AND RICE! No Mardi Gras celebration (nor Superbowl party (as I write this, the New Orleans Saints are one game away from the big show... go Saints)) would be complete without red beans and rice...

Here's the recipe courtesy of the Food Network...

For red beans:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium green bell peppers, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces pickled pork, cut into 1-inch pieces, recipe follows
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 quarts water
• 1 pound red kidney beans, rinsed and picked of debris

For rice:

• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Place the vegetable oil in a 7-quart Dutch oven and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, salt and pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and celery are semi-translucent and the bell peppers are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the pickled pork, bay leaves, thyme, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, water and beans to the pot and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture comes to a boil, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat slightly to maintain a steady simmer and continue to cook for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the beans are tender and the sauce is thickened to your liking. If you prefer an even creamier texture, mash some of the beans with a potato masher.

Prepare rice during the last 30 minutes of cooking the beans. Place the water into an electric kettle and bring to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil place the butter into a 3-quart saucepan, set over medium heat. Once the butter begins to bubble, add the rice and stir to combine. Add the salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Carefully pour the water over the rice and stir to combine. Decrease the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the beans over the rice.

I actually made a version of dirty rice. Dirty rice has nothing to do with the cleanliness of (or lack of) your kitchen, it is rice made with a flavored liquid and bits of meat to give it a dark color and additional flavor. I substituted 1 and 1/2 cups of water with the flavored stock from the cooking beans and pork. I also took one of the pieces of pork and diced it up as fine as I could. I added this to the 1 and 1/2 cups of water and cooked the rice with these extra flavoring agents... My rice was indeed, GOOD EATS, and went well with the Red Beans and Pork!

Pickled Pork:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard seed
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon celery seed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 8 ounces ice
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh boneless pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes

Combine all of the ingredients except the ice and the pork in a 2-quart non-reactive saucepan, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and maintain a simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the ice and stir. Place the pork into a 1-gallon zip top bag and add the cooled pickling liquid. Remove as much air as possible; seal the bag and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 days, turning the bag occasionally. Use within 2 weeks or remove from the pork from the brine and freeze.

The dish is not very pleasing colorwise nor in texture. It's beans and gravy after all. BUT, OMG... The pickled pork is so tender, the beans have all those flavoring accents and spices. If you toss on some extra goodies, like some slices of Andouille sausage grilled up and added as accents certainly makes the dish look more appealing. But, once you dig into the dish, all problems with the looks are instantly gone. It is simply that good. My first Alton Brown recipe, and I couldn't be more thrilled! I CAN COOK THAT!

Now, being from Kansas, I don't have access to very many authentic Cajun items. Fortunately, the good folks from Cajun Grocer: Authentic Cajun Products have all the mail order products, recipes and ideas for hosting your own AUTHENTIC Cajun party... even in the Cul de Sacs of Kansas. I got a batch of Andouille sausage, as well as a king cake from them. Even Alligator tail meat (made a great etouffee)!

Come take a look at my site today. I will have plenty to post about all the different foods... Everything that worked great (and maybe a couple that I need to revisit later). See you all Thursday!

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL.