Early Edition: Almond Joy Oatmeal

Now that the weather is cooling off, I'm starting to eat more oatmeal for breakfast.  I love oatmeal, but during the summer I usually prefer cereal with cold milk to beat the heat.  I'm excited to be breaking out the Quaker again, though, and I've been finding a lot of oatmeal recipe ideas from some of the blogs I follow.

During the week, I normally have my oatmeal with 1/2 a banana, some peanut butter, chia seeds, and lately, pumpkin puree.  But weekends are for being decadent, right?  So this weekend I decided to surprise MG with oatmeal based on one of his favorite candies: Almond Joy.

Using some great inspiration from Chocolate Covered Katie (check her out!) on how to turn oatmeal into a delicious morning sweet treat, here's what I came up with:

Makes 1 serving

1/2 cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1/2 cup almond or skim milk
1/2 cup water
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 banana, cut up
1 tbsp slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
1 tbsp shaved coconut flakes
1/2 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp chia seeds
sweetener to taste (1 packet of stevia in mine, 2 tsp brown sugar in MGs)

The night before:
Mix the oats, milk, water, cocoa powder, extracts and banana in a bowl.  Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight.

When you wake up:
Remove the plastic wrap and microwave the bowls for about 3 - 3.5 minutes (keep an eye on them so the oatmeal doesn't overflow!)  Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a small skillet over medium heat.  When the oatmeal is hot and thickened, add sweetener, if desired.  Finally, top with the almonds, coconut, chocolate chips and chia seeds.

Enjoy a delicious coconutty, chocolately morning!

One satisfied customer.

Home, Sweet Home

Hey there! It's been a while, I know. We got back from Ohio much later than expected on Monday night due to the rain in D.C. and last night was my first choir rehearsal of the new season, so I haven't had time to sit down and write anything. Lots to share, though!

We had an outstanding time in Columbus. I grew up there and went to 3 of my 4 years of college at Ohio State, so I always enjoy coming back and visiting. MG had only been there once before, for a 24-hour whirlwind tour last fall, so I wanted to make sure I took him to as many of my favorite places as we could manage.

Since we left right after work on Friday, we hadn't eaten dinner when we arrived. After a quick stop at our friend's house to drop off our bags, we headed out to meet up with another friend at Dirty Frank's Hotdog Palace. Dirty Frank's is relatively new, but a big hit in Columbus. I'd been there once before and I couldn't wait to take MG. They have a very extensive list of hotdogs on the menu and are vegetarian and vegan-friendly. We had a hard time choosing from all the options, but in the end we shared a vegetarian Seoul Dog (kim chee and sriracha on a Tofurky dog), a vegetarian Sauerkraut Dog (sauerkraut, spicy brown mustard and onions on a vegetarian polish sausage) and a Chili Dog with vegetarian coney sauce, onions, yellow mustard and sharp cheddar on a Tofurky dog.

Great Lakes Brewing Company Oktoberfest on tap!

 

Our selections, with an order of tater tots to share.

The fun decor - a Thin Lizzy painting.

 

Saturday morning we got up and had a quick, delicious breakfast of peanut butter toast, fruit and coffee before heading off to the game. We also had a feline visitor to keep us company as we breakfasted.

On the way to the stadium we stopped at a local coffeeshop for some coffees and a chocolate chip scone for MG (I did have a bite and it was pretty freakin' good).

 

We finally made it! I love the Horseshoe.

After an incredibly hot (95 degrees) football game (OSU - 42, Akron - zip! hehe), we met up with my dad and his wife for dinner at a favorite restaurant of theirs - Bon Vie Bistro.

I started with a nice side salad with chopped egg.

For my entree, grilled salmon with brown basmati rice, steamed veggies and a soy-ginger butter sauce on the side.

Sunday, my mom drove down from Akron and met up with us at Block's Bagels, a Columbus institution. My mom picked up a dozen assorted and a black and white cookie to take back up to Akron.

Lox on one half, whitefish salad on the other. Pickle on the side!

It rained a whole lot on Sunday, so we decided to make a nice, relaxing dinner at home with our friend that was hosting us.

We started with some Ethiopian collard green phyllo pockets, prepared by our friend's mom who is a professional caterer, artist and all around amazing person.

We grilled some lamb kebabs with a mint-rosemary marinade.

A nice bottle of red.

 

A whole mess of grilled and roasted veggies!

Parsnips, turnips, sweet potato, onion, beets, brussels sprouts and asparagus.

I was a little stuffed after this meal.

MG enjoys an after dinner tea from a traditional Argentinian matte cup.

After we digested a bit, we headed to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. Which is freaking AMAZING. It's by far the best ice cream I've ever had, and I make it a point to get it whenever I'm in Columbus. I also discovered that they will ship it to you at a cost, which is dangerous information for my weight and my checking account balance.

I got a small with half a scoop each of Queen City Cayenne (chocolate with a hit of cayenne) and Salty Caramel.  MG had Queen City Cayenne and Rockmill Golden Ale and Apricots. Everything was ridiculously delicious and creamy and decadent. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

Monday we had a late afternoon flight home, so after a fantastic 6 mile run along the new Alum Creek Trail we headed up to meet our friend for lunch at Easton, a massive shopping area not too far from the airport. We had originally planned to eat at Northstar Cafe, a favorite spot of mine for vegetarian and local fare, including the best veggie burger I have ever eaten. But it was closed for the holiday! Disappointing. Luckily, there was a Turkish restaurant not too far away, so we didn't stay hungry for long.

We ate up these dolmades before I remembered to take a picture.

I went with a salad with feta, olives, tomatoes and cucumber, with lemon vinaigrette on the side.

And a falafel appetizer with tahini sauce!

Fantastic and filling.

Turkish coffee for dessert.

After lunch we shopped for a few hours and stopped at Cup of Joe for one last coffee before heading over to the airport. All in all it was a wonderful and delicious weekend. I miss Ohio already, but luckily there are too many awesome people there for me to stay away too long. :)

The Boy Bakes: Pie!

To fill the Miami-sized hole in this blog, I'm filling in for Esther this weekend.

Now it is time for one of my favorite baking activities, pie baking. I think it’s also the favorite one that I share with others. There is something therapeutic about making a pie. Not even eating it (though that’s pretty good too), measures up. While convalescing from my recent wisdom tooth surgery, I made a pie for Esther as a thank you for driving me home and putting up with me over the weekend. The pie was also a test run for an entry in the DC State Fair pie competition at Columbia Heights Day.

Didn’t know that DC had a state fair? We may not be a state, with all the fair powers that come along with it, but last year the first DC State Fair was held at Columbia Heights Day. As you may know from a previous post, I entered a raspberry rhubarb pie. It didn’t win, but that only meant I got to enjoy the leftovers. This year, I decided to do something a bit more seasonal.

In researching what exactly would be in season, naturally, I came across peaches. To find something to pair them with, I chose blackberries and added lime for a citrus tang. Adding some spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) lent a good depth of flavor. This pie was a little tart, so I will follow Esther’s suggestion and taste the berries before using them to decide on sugar. My recipe is adapted from a peach strawberry pie, so the measurements for the sugar and spices in the filling are flexible. If the mix looks watery before you put it in the pie crust, add more flour and tapioca pearls.

Peach Blackberry Lime Pie

2 pounds (about 3-4) peaches
1 pint (or a small grocery container) of blackberries
Juice and zest of 1 lime
½-¾ cup granulated sugar
⅓-½ cup all purpose flour
1-2 tbsp quick acting tapioca pearls (the secret to preventing a pie filling from oozing everywhere)
⅛ tsp salt
⅛-¼ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 tbsp unsalted butter, cut up
1 egg, well-beaten (optional, see note)
milk (optional, see note)
2 pie crust halves (I use this recipe from Simply Recipes (the Pate Brisee), but with a bit more water)

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Prepare a large pot and boil water in it over high heat. Also prepare an ice bath by putting ice cubes in a large mixing bowl. Boil the peaches for 1 minute (a little longer is fine), drop into the ice bath. Peel the skin off the peaches and slice into a mixing bowl.

Add all other ingredients into the mixing bowl, and mix until combined. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to let the tapioca start working. While the mixture is resting, take out your prepared pie crusts.

Roll out the bottom crust and place it in your pie tin. Be sure to allow an inch of crust to go over the edge. Poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork (another piemaking trick for you - this prevents the crust from bubbling up while it’s baking). Add filling and dot with about a tablespoon of butter. Roll out the second crust and place on top. Pinch the edges to seal the crust. Cut slits in it with a sharp knife and brush the top with milk or a well-beaten egg (see note).

Put the pie tin/plate on a baking sheet and bake at 425F for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, drop the heat to 325F and bake for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. Cool on a rack and eat warm, chill it for the next day, cut it up and freeze it for later or take it to work let your coworkers enjoy.

Note: Brushing the crust with milk or egg is optional, but will result in a more golden crust.

Recipe Request (and Reader Survey): Oatmeal Cream Pies

First off, random observation: 3 years ago today I was sitting for the first day of the bar exam. So for all you bar takers out there, one day down! Hang in there!

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.  I've received a reader request for the Oatmeal Cream Pie recipe that I wrote about last week...remember the tower of creamy goodness? Well, here at Cookies and Kale I aim to please, so today I bring you that recipe.

I was super excited when MG said he wanted homemade oatmeal cream pies for his birthday, because they are one of my FAVORITE childhood sweet treats. I was never a huge fan of Twinkies or Ho-Hos, but Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies...ooh boy. As a kid, our elementary school lunches always came with a "hot pack" and a "cold pack" - the hot pack was an aluminum tray with a foil lid, and contained, well, the hot portion of the meal. (My personal favorites were spaghetti and turkey with mashed potatoes.  Quite the gourmande I was).  The cold pack contained our sporks (did anyone else play a game where you turned your spork over and your "age" was whatever number was on the back? Anyone?) and a piece of fruit or the occasional dessert. The desserts varied, but what I remember most clearly were the individually wrapped oatmeal cream pies. I was trying to think of another quintessential dessert from my childhood that evokes the same kind of happy delicious memories and I can't really.

Several weeks ago, a coworker left a box of them out for the taking.  I try to limit my sweets intake, and I really try to limit my overly processed store-bought sweets intake (because I'd rather indulge in something homemade and special), but, secret confession: I took one and have it stashed in my desk for a special occasion. Like, you know, a Wednesday afternoon. I'm waiting until the right moment to eat it, since I don't plan on buying a whole box, well, ever, so who knows when I'll have one again.

My stash.

Anyways, if you are a Little Debbie lover like me, this DIY version is sure to please. As I noted before, the cookies aren't quite as sweet, but the cream sure is. Be careful, or you may eat the whole bowl before any of it makes it into the sandwiches. And, as we all learned last week, wax paper, people! Once the pies are done, put them in a single layer - no overlapping edges - and place wax or parchment paper between each layer. Unless you want to make an oatmeal cream pie cake, in which case, stack away!

In exchange for the recipe however, a reader survey!! I want to know what your favorite dessert snack was as a child. Post your responses in the comments! And, save an oatmeal cream pie for me :)

The legendary tower of gooeyness.

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

From Nosh With Me via The Craving Chronicles

Yield: 18 oatmeal cream pies

For the cookies:

1 cup margarine

3/4 cup brown sugar (I used light, and it was just fine)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cup rolled oats (I used old fashioned, but the original recipe says that quick oats will work too)

For the cream filling:

2 tsp very hot water

1/4 tsp salt

1 7-ounce jar of marshmallow creme

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

First, the cookies.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the margarine, brown and white sugar, molasses, vanilla extract and eggs.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet, 1/3 at a time, mixing fully before adding more.  Add the oats and mix (you'll probably want to switch to a spatula or spoon at this point, the dough will be thick).

Using a 1 tbsp cookie scoop (or a spoon, but the scoop works better), drop the dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet*, leaving 3 inches between each ball of dough.  Bake 10-12 minutes, reversing and switching the cookie sheet positions halfway through baking.  The cookies are done when they are slightly browned around the edges, but still moist and chewy in the middle.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to cooling racks to finish cooling.

Meanwhile, make the cream filling.  Add the salt to the very hot water, dissolve, and then allow to cool.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the marshmallow creme, shortening, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Mix with a hand mixer on high until nice and fluffy.  Add the cooled salt water and mix well.  Lick excess cream off mixers (optional).

Finally: cream pie assembly!  When the cookies are totally cool, use a rubber spatula to spread the cream filling on one cookie and then top with another.  Note: these cookies are very soft and the cream is very sticky, so be gentle.

Plate (waxpaperwaxpaperwaxpaper), serve and enjoy!

*The original recipe says to use an ungreased cookie sheet, so I did, but my cookies really stuck to the pan and some broke apart in my efforts to unstick them.  If I make them again, I'm definitely going to use parchment paper.