Snelling Sessions

I'm sitting in Snelling (one of our dining halls) right now with a few precious friends from my small group. I'm on my computer because I'm supposed to be getting some homework done before my next class, but instead, I'm scrolling through Pinterest and my Google Reader blog list. And, obviously, writing a blog post.

I just added a recipe to my word document recipe list. The list is now 105 pages long. 105 pages. One. Hundered. And. Five. One. Zero. Five. That's a lot of recipes. I just wish I could bake all day every day. That's the only way I'll ever get through these recipes. But that's not exactly possible, so I suppose I'll just do what I can!

Anyway, I have a seriously good recipe for you today. I made this last Saturday morning. I expected it to be good, but it was even better than I expected. Though I sometimes find baked oatmeal to be dry and unappetizing, this one was anything but. It was moist, flavorful, and super filling. So here ya go!

Baked Oatmeal with Strawberries, Bananas, and Chocolate

Baked Oatmeal with Strawberries, Bananas, and Chocolate

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon Chinese five spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup walnut pieces, chopped

1 cup sliced strawberries

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups milk

1 large egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray the inside of a 10-1/2 by 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, Chinese five spice, salt, half the walnuts, half the strawberries and half the chocolate. (Save the other half of strawberries, walnuts and chocolate for the top of the oatmeal).

In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla extract.

Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Arrange the remaining strawberries, walnuts and chocolate on top. Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. Gently shimmy/shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set. For an extra      tasty top, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of extra brown sugar on top then place back in the oven under the broiler and broil for 20-30 seconds. Serve warm with an extra sprinkle of sugar or drizzle of maple syrup.

Baked Oatmeal and French Bread

This post involves a random combination of foods. I've been baking a lot lately, and I have a lot to post, so I figured I would combine foods and not have to post quite as many times.  Anyway, the first food on this post is baked oatmeal. I found this recipe and decided to try it for breakfast. I love oatmeal, and this one looked really delicious. I chose to add blueberries in the mix. Then, once I scooped my portion into my bowl, I added some bananas, too. Both fruits were great in it! Next time, I'll definitely be adding some raisins and nuts before I cook it. Here's the recipe...

Baked Oatmeal

1/2 C melted butter

1/2 C honey

2 eggs, beaten

3 C old fashioned oats

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C milk (I used almond)

1 C Fruit or nuts of choice

In a bowl mix together the butter, honey and eggs.  Add in the oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and the milk.  Mix and then fold in fruit of choice.

Bake in a lightly greased 8 x 8 pan at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.  May be served with milk and more fruit on top.

Next up...french bread. This was my first attempt at making bread, and it turned out REALLY good! I was so proud of it. Best of all, it didn't require nearly as much work as I thought it would. Also, it made a lot of bread, so I wrapped some up and put it in the freezer to eat another day. Here's the recipe for this one...

French Bread

5 1/2 – 6 cups all-purpose flour

2 packages of active dry yeast

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 cups warm water

1 egg white, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon water

1. In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour, the yeast and the salt. Add the 2 cups warm water to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes) Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl turning once to grease dough surface. Cover; let rise in a warm placeuntil double in size (about 1 hour).

3. Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease a baking sheet.

4. Roll each dough half into a 15x10 inch rectangle. Tightly roll up, starting from a long side; seal well. If desired, pinch and slightly pull ends to taper them. Place shaped dough, seam sides down, on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl stir egg white and the 1 tablespoon water. Brush some of the egg white mixture over loaf tops. Let rise until nearly double in size (35-45 minutes).

5. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Using a sharp knife, make three or four diagonal cuts about ¼ inch deep across each loaf top. Bake for 20 minutes. Brush again with some of the egg white mixture. Continue baking for 15-20 minutes more or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove loaves from baking sheet. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy.