Chewy Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Grandpa loves these chewy cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare two bowls.

In the first bowl mix the following:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

In the second bowl cream the following:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

Stir the following into the butter mixture:

3  cups oats 

1 1/2 cups raisins

Then stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture being careful not to overmix.  Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop drop the cookie dough onto a baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.  I found it best to flatten the balls.  Bake about 12 minutes until golden but not crisp.  

Mange avec appétit.

Breakfast of Champions

I'm NOT a cold cereal person.  Never have been.  To my mom's chagrin, growing up, I would rarely eat a bowl of cereal.  On the rare occasion, I would get myself a small bowl of dry cereal and eat it with no milk.  Thankfully, I haven't passed this gene on to my crew, as they love milk and cereal, just as much as their Daddy.  Costco loves us too, since the cart is usually overflowing each visit with multiple cereal boxes.

I'm always on the hunt for other easy breakfast options.  I came across this recipe in a Martha Stewart Magazine a couple of months ago.  Quinoa has become a staple in our pantry, especially since I found a huge bag of it at Costco that lasts us for months.

Quinoa

This week, the weather here in Calgary has truly turned into Fall.  The leaves are blowing, and it is raining, almost snowing.  This Breakfast Quinoa recipe is an alternative to warm oatmeal porridge.  The kids and Mommy are loving the warm breakfast and it is helping to keep our tummies warm on our walk to school.


Breakfast Quinoa


Makes 2 cups

2 cups milk, plus more for serving
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 Tbs brown-sugar, plus more for serving
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
1 cup fresh bluberries, plus more for serving

1. Bring milk to a boil in a small sauce-pan.  Add quinoa, and return to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until ¾ of the milk has been absorbed about 15 minutes.
2. Stir in sugar and cinnamon.  Cook, covered, until almost all the milk has been absorbed, about 8 minutes.  Stir in blueberries, and cook for 30 seconds.  Serve with additional milk, sugar, cinnammon and blueberries.

Why did I title this post Breakfast of Champions?  Our daddy is a champion, in more ways than one.  He NEVER misses a breakfast and he is a huge fan of cereal.  In fact, he has two special cereal bowls that he eats out of every morning.  If heading to work, he will pack cereal to go, using one of Reegs sippy cups to transport his milk.  He says the milk never leaks and he doesn't really care what people think of the sippy cup in his lunch box, he's proud to be a Daddy.  Here is one of our 'Daddy' adventures this summer, Kev's 1/2 Ironman Triathlon.

Make a picture slideshow

Love Twin B
xoxoxoxoxo

Baked Apple Dumplings/Quenelles de pomme

Black dog Grandma (aka Grandmaman) loves recipes with apples, especially when the temperature begins to drop, you begin to feel the chill in the air, the leaves on the trees blaze with autumn colours and as the apples begin to drop, Chicken Little calls "The sky is falling".  The best thing about this recipe is that it was a hit with Papa. Serve warm with cider sauce and  ice cream.

The best apples for this recipe are Golden Delicious, Braeburn or Gala (sweet and moderately firm).

Makes 8 dumplings

Apples halved, cored and filled with the butter mixture

Dough

2 1/2 cups flour

3 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

10 tbsp. ( 1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled

5 tbsp. vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled

3/4 c. cold buttermilk

Process flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor until combined.  Scatter butter and shortening over flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand.  Transfer to bowl.  Stir in buttermilk until dough forms.  (I used buttermilk powder added to the dry mixture and then water.)  Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly until dough is cohesive.  Press dough into 8 by 4 inch rectangle.  Cut in half, wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.  (I refrigerated overnight.)

Apple Dumplings

6 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

3 tbsp. golden raisins, chopped

4 Golden Delicious apples

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.  In second bowl, combine butter, raisins, and 3 tsp. cinnamon sugar mixture.  Peel apples and halve through equator.  Remove core (use melon baller), taking care not to pierce the bottom of the apple halves. and pack butter mixture into each apple half.

On lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into 12 inch square.  Cut each 12 inch square into four 6 inch squares.  Working 1 at a time, lightly brush edges of dough square with egg whites and place apple, cut side up, in center of each square.  Gather dough one corner at a time on top of apple, overlap edges and crimp to seal. Cut a vent hole in the top of each dumpling.

Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Arrange dumplings on prepared baking sheet, brush tops with egg whites, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.  

Bake until dough is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes.  Serve with Cider Sauce.

Sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and ready for the oven

Cider Sauce

To make this sauce up to two days in advance, reduce the cider mixture until it measures 1 1/2 cups, then refrigerate.  When you're ready to serve, return the mixture to simmer and whisk in the butter and lemon juice off heat.

1 cup apple cider (I used apple juice.)

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Bring apple cider, water, sugar, and cinnamon to simmer in saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes.  Off heat, whisk in butter and lemon juice.  Drizzle over dumplings to serve.

Warm and ready for the cider sauce