Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Fruit & Oatmeal Bars

Well we've not posted to this blog for a while ... life has a way of going in unexpected directions at times.  I decided that since I was going to be baking these today that I may as well throw up a blog post about them for everyone to share / enjoy.

How many times have you seen a recipe on an image shared on social media?  How many times have you wondered if it actually turns out well or not?  This recipe started out just that way, but in the form of cookies.  I'm not one that likes to drop cookies though.  I prefer to slice my baked goods into whatever size I prefer once it's done.  I've experimented with it in various ways since - there's a lot of room with this one for personalize it to your own tastes or ingredients available.


The original recipe is designed to be dairy free, gluten free, etc etc etc ... simply put, it's suitable for pretty much anyone!

Ingredients:

3 ripe mashed bananas
2 cups oats
1/2 cup raisins (though I tend to use more)
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup almond milk (whole or 2% milk will work fine too)
1 tsp cinnamon (or more if you prefer - like I do)
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Preparation:

Start with the bananas, applesauce, milk, cinnamon, raisins, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Mash the bananas with a hand masher, mixing the ingredients in the process. Once the bananas are thoroughly mashed, pour in your oats and mix well.  Spread your oat mixture evenly across a glass baking dish and bake for 23-25 minutes at 375 degrees.  Once removed from the oven, slice the bars and let cool for a few minutes.  Remove with a spatula and serve.

When finished you get an interesting mix of fruit and oats with a firm almost crunchy texture on top and a chewy texture on the bottom.  I think of them as my zero guilt way to snack on something awesome ... which is good because these don't have a tendency to last very long once they're done!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Apple / Cherry Oatmeal Crisp

Greetings fellow foodies!  I'm excited to be here sharing with you today!  My thanks to Crystal for inviting me to contribute to this blog (and for the flattery).

If you missed her last post introducing me, my name is Robert Partridge.  I obviously enjoy cooking & baking.  My food philosophy, if you will, is that I like foods that are easy to prepare.  I'm a huge fan of slow cookers and my toaster oven - I try to use them as often as possible.

I thought I'd start out by sharing a favorite desert in my house - Apple / Cherry Oatmeal Crisp - a small variation on an old favorite.  It's easy to prepare and disappears quickly!


Monday, May 12, 2014

Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are delicious, can be altered easily and stay soft for days.  They are easy and everyone will ask, "What is your secret?"  I promise you don't have to tell anyone.  The person that came up with these is a life saver and a genius because in a crunch these can be made quickly for those days when your kids need something to take into school or an event, they are great for the office, I've even made a variety and handed them out as Christmas Cookies.  My mom was the first person to introduce me to these cookies and it's been my favorite way to make cookies since.



Ingredients
1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well blended.
3.) Roll into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet.
4.) Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges start to brown.
5.) Remove from pan immediately and place on cooling rack.

You can change up this recipe easily.  Here are two more of my favorite varieties of this recipe, as I remember and try more I will update and add them to this post.

Chocolate Munchie Cookies:
Use Devils Food Cake Mix
Replace Chocolate chips with sugar.
Roll the balls of cookie dough in the sugar before baking.

Peanut Butter Cookies:
Replace chips with 1 cup peanut butter.


Sunday, April 27, 2014

Ice Cream in a Bag

I remember in Jr. High my Home Economics teacher had us make ice cream in a bag.  It was delicious but I could never remember the ingredients.  After doing some research I found a few variations of the recipe.

All the ones I found called for half and half, which I do not have in the house currently.  I did however have 2% milk.  So I decided to swap the half and half for milk.  No harm in experimenting.  What I got was a pleasant surprise.

You will need:
A towel
A gallon bag
A pint bag
Ice
Salt
2 Cups Milk
4 tbs of white sugar
1 tsp of Vanilla extract

Pour, sugar, vanilla, and milk into the pint bag and shake to mix the ingredients.  Fill the gallon bag with ice about half way and add 2 tbs of salt.  Put the pint bag inside the gallon bag and seal the gallon bag tight.  For 20 minutes just shake the gallon bag using the towel as a buffer between your hands and the cold.  Check periodically until the milk mixture is thick.
What I ended up with was a delicious light vanilla milk shake.  It may not be the thick & creamy ice cream I remember but it is a refreshing beverage.