Baked Oatmeal

My sister's kids really like oatmeal and she made this recipe for us when we stayed with her a while ago and I finally got the recipe from her. Ben loves this stuff. I think it is really good and I am not an oatmeal fan. Here is the recipe.

Baked Oatmeal

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups quick uncooked oats

Mix ingredients with hand mixer. Pour into lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake @ 350 for 25-30 minutes. Do not over brown.

Try it, it is good!!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake

Half of white cake, bake in 9x12 pan, use rest of batter for 10 cupcakes.

Center: 8oz. Philly Cream Cheese softened
Pint whipping cream
two cups powdered sugar

Topping: Cooled Strawberry Danish Dessert, in jello section on top shelf
Fresh Strawberries

Cook and cool cake,

mix whipping cream to stiff peaks and add powdered sugar and then softened cream cheese, mix thoroughly.

Spread on cooled cake.

Make ahead Danish dessert and cool, use two cup water recipe.
when completely cooled poor and spread carefully on top of cream cheese filling and gently spread to sides of pan to seal in cream cheese, top with sliced strawberries.

Homemade Pizza

This is Julie's recipe that we have tweaked a little.

It's sooooo yummy!

Step 1:

In a measuring cup put 1 Tb. active dry yeast. Add 1 Cup WARM water to it and sprinkle 1 tsp. sugar over it. Stir once and let sit while you do the next step (about 5 min.).

Step 2:

In a big bowl

2 cups flour (I usually have to add a little more later)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 - 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated is best, but the other kind works too)

Plus any other seasonings your family likes. (get creative!)

2 Tb. Oil (Olive Oil is preferred)

Step 3:

Pour yeast mixture in big bowl and stir it all until it forms a ball.

Kneed a few times.

Let sit for 15 min (if you have time :)

(I added ground Flax seed, just for fun)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Grease and flour the pan and roll or use your hands to press the dough out.

You can let it rise again for a thicker, fluffy crust. (if you have time)

Step 4:

Spread some pizza sauce or Alfredo sauce on top and add all your desired toppings!

Cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, ham, pineapple, olives, sausage, chicken, tomatoes, peppers or anything else you can think of. (look in the fridge and see what leftovers need to be used up!)

Bake 10-15 min.

(This is Chicken Alfredo Pizza)

Almond Spritz Cookies

Note:

This cookie dough is for a "spritz" or a cookie press.

You can defiantly make these cookies w/o one, but be aware that this dough is very, very firm. It is so firm that I have to use my hands to mix the last of the flour and the food coloring in.

So get those hands ready for a work out!!

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Cream together;

1 1/2 c. room-temp butter

1 c. sugar

In a separate bowl beat;

1 egg

2 TB milk

1 t. Vanilla

1/2 t. Almond extract

* You can try other flavors in place of the Almond

Add the creamed butter to the egg mixture and beat until well combined.

Add;

1 t. Baking Powder

4 c. Flour

Mix well (using your hands is fine)

Divide into however many different colors you want and add food coloring until you achieve your desired color.

Use a cookie press or roll out and use cookie cutters.

Bake for 8 min.

*when they are firm to the touch they are done. If they are brown they are over-cooked!

Chances are they are done even if they don't look it!

*You do not need to chill dough.

*the recipe says you don't need to grease the pan, I have found they bake the best on an air-bake pan or on a silicon baking sheet.

I thought it would be fun in everyone posted their favorite christmas time tradition or favorite christmas food. So if you have a favorite cookie or meal or whatever, let us know! Thanks!

Cake Balls

I found this recipe, tried it and it was Sooo good! Plus, it is super versatile and everything.


1 Cake mix
1 Can Frosting
Chocolate Coating


Bake cake mix according to directions on the box in any pan type. When Cake it done and still a little bit warm, Crumble it into a large bowl. Add the Can of Frosting and stir until mixed well. Form into 1 inch balls and then put in the freezer for about an hour or so to set. Freezing them make it much easier to dip in the chocolate. You can even put them in overnight it you need to.

Melt the chocolate over low heat until smooth.

With a toothpick, dip the cake balls into the chocolate then remove toothpick. Let set.

And thats it! There are so many different variation for this too. When I made it, I did Strawberry cake with Vanilla frosting and then dipped it in chocolate. Some other ideas are Spice cake and cream cheese frosting dipped in chocolate. Chocolate cake and frosting with Mint Chocolate coating. Pretty much anything you can come up with.

Hopefully that all makes sense and I hope you all enjoy!

Healthier pie crust

For a different but good pie crust use this one with oil instead of shortning, less fattening:

3 c. flour (white or wheat or both)
1 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1 c. canola oil (other oils would work, canola is more healthy)
4 T. cold milk
Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add oil and milk. Stir til mixed. You do not roll this, just pat into 9x13" pan or 3 small pie pans. Fill with pumpkin or fruit pie and cook as recipe directs.

This was great at Thanksgiving for pumpkin pie.