Granola!

Merely a coincidence in light of yesterday's "Adventures in Oatmeal" but I just ran across a recipe for homemade granola from the blog Eat from Your Pantry!

I keep thinking of the yummy granola my mother made when I was a child. I loved it. I'd put it in a bowl with some milk and let it set for a few minutes while I got ready for school or work. I liked it a little softer than normal for some reason.

This should remind me to get her recipe and I'll try this one out in the meantime.

Adventures in oatmeal

Our road to eating oatmeal was long and rough this morning, but we got our oatmeal after all.

I got the wrong kind at the store the other day, for starters. I got the regular old-fashioned kind with the big oats instead of the quick-cooking old-fashioned kind with the smaller oats. I like the smaller oats better.

This morning I put a half a cup of oats and a cup of water in a bowl and put it in the microwave. My son was already crying for it even though I'd given him a handful of frosted flakes to keep him busy while his oatmeal cooked.

Finally it was done (it takes a few minutes with the regular kind) but when it finished I needed to cool it off for him quickly. I put it in the freezer and of course by now he was really upset and still crying.

I left it in there for about a minute and when I reached in there to pull it out I grabbed it wrong somehow because it landed on the FLOOR, BOTTOM SIDE UP.

Now I'm practically crying.

Thankfully there was a few bites left in the bowl (kind of sticky and mushy after being cooked in the microwave). I cleaned the mush up out of the floor and finally sat down with my son.

He was so thrilled to get it and practically inhaled it. Yay!

Of course he wanted some more. So I grabbed the oatmeal container, put a quarter of a cup of oats and a half a cup of water in the bowl. When I was putting the container up it slipped and dropped on the counter and dry oats went everywhere.

Good grief. One of THOSE days.

I somehow managed to get the oatmeal fixed quickly, cooled off and fed to the baby without any more mishaps and crying.

He's finally full and happy!

Great Aunt Nina's Noodles and Chicken

It's not from MY Great Aunt Nina (don't have one) but it's Great Aunt Nina's Noodles and Chicken recipe anyway. It comes from All Recipes this morning and I really have to try this.

Dana Smith, who submitted it, had this to say: "To a slow cooker chicken, I added an old family noodle recipe. If you want it to be more like a soup, add another quart of broth. This was a fixture at family reunions when I was a child, and the slow cooker makes it even easier."

Great Aunt Nina's Noodles and Chicken

• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 (4 pound) whole chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 2 quarts low salt chicken broth

1. Place the carrots, onions and celery in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the whole chicken on top of the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the white wine and sprinkle basil over the top. Cover and cook on Low setting for 8 to 10 hours.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, water, salt, shortening and flour to form a stiff dough. After I've mixed in as much flour as possible using a fork, I knead the dough with my hand in the bowl to incorporate as much flour as possible. Let the dough rest for a few minutes.
3. Roll the dough out on a well-greased board to 1/8 inch thickness. Use a pizza cutter or pie crust cutter to cut into strips about 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long. Dust lightly with flour, and leave to dry for a few hours while the chicken cooks.
4. When the chicken is done, remove the meat and vegetables to a platter. Transfer the juices to a large pot and stir in 2 quarts of chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add the noodles. Cook for about 10 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, remove the meat from the chicken and shred. Discard bones and skin. When the noodles are done, return the vegetables to the pot and add shredded chicken meat. Serve.

Rice with Goodies

This one from All Recipes sounds delicious! I might eliminate some of the ingredients just for the sake of ease, though.

Rice with Goodies

• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
• 3 slices bacon
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and diced
• 1 cup cooked, chopped turkey meat
• 1 teaspoon chicken soup base
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• ground black pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.
3. Mix the onion, celery, carrot, peas, mushrooms, almonds, raisins and apple into the skillet. Slowly cook and stir over medium heat until tender.
4. Mix in the turkey, chicken soup base, soy sauce, parsley and pepper. Mix in the rice. Serve hot.

Chicken Tacos

This recipe comes from All Recipes today, and sounds like something we've just got to try! It's got more ingredients than we would normally use but everything is pretty much already in the pantry anyway.


Chicken Tacos

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup lemonade
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
• 1 head lettuce, shredded
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) jar salsa
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, lemonade, olive oil, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, and bay leaf. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink, and juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in the oven or microwave until soft. When chicken is fully cooked, transfer to serving bowl. Place lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, and sour cream in serving dishes. Each person can create their own wrap, using their preferred ingredients.

Cheesy Pasta Casserole

Mmm, we're having Cheesy Pasta Casserole tonight! I got it from the Kraft Food and Family magazine that I subscribe to, free of charge of course!

The directions call for putting everything in the dish together and baking it, but I don't seem to have much success doing that. I'll cook everything on the stove top. When it's almost done I'll mix together with cheese in a baking dish and pop it in the oven for a few minutes.

Cheesy Pasta Casserole

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

4 cups cooked rotini pasta

1 pkg. (1 lb.) frozen Italian-style vegetable combination, thawed

1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

3/4 lb. (12 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

HEAT oven to 400ºF. Combine ingredients in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with foil.

BAKE 40 min. Let stand 5 min.; stir.

What I want tonight!

I've had a taste for my turkey and potato casserole for the last few days for some reason. I haven't wanted to turn the oven on, though, and I'm out of that basic staple that you should always have in your kitchen, cream of mushroom soup.

I am going out later and can stop by the store for a can of cream of mushroom soup. This can actually be cooked entirely on the stove top so that I don't have to heat the house up with the oven. It's warmed up here lately and the oven is still off limits.

Mmm, I'm looking forward to this!