Taste of Home Oatmeal Dinner Rolls

Ok, this isn't exactly the type of recipe I would normally use in this blog, but, hey, oatmeal counts as a healthy 'good for you' ingredient, right?  When I was asked to make some rolls to take to a funeral luncheon the other day, I thought it would be a great opportunity to share one of my all time favorite recipes- Here is the online Taste of Home recipe for  Oatmeal Dinner Rolls
     Hubby and I first tasted these at a potluck dinner party while we were living in Germany a few years ago.  It was love at first bite!  I had been making another roll recipe for years- in fact, had even become fairly well known for my rolls.  But, these oatmeal rolls just blew both of us away.  They are SOOO good!  I begged the recipe from my good friend Liz and these rolls are now my personal choice over my old standby 'Cloud Light Crescent Rolls'.  (The crescents are the rolls on my header.  I will post that recipe next time I make them.) Of course, the family still insists I make the crescent rolls  for holiday dinners- they are emphatic about them being TRADITION! (Can you hear the fiddle and Tevye singing??)  :)
       Anyway, here is the recipe Liz gave me- the proportions are a little larger than the online recipe:

Oatmeal Dinner Rolls

Ingredients 

• 2 1/2 cups boiling water
• 2 cup quick-cooking oats [do not substitute 'Old Fashioned Oats', it doesn't work. Bet you can guess how come I know that!  LOL]
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 5 1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

• In a saucepan, bring water to a boil; add oats, sugar, salt and butter. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; cool to lukewarm.(110 degrees)
• In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the oat mixture and 2 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Continue adding enough of remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down; allow to rest for 10 minutes. Shape into 20 balls. Place in two greased 9-in. round baking pans. [I usually put them in a 9x13 baking pan] Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
• Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire racks. 
•  Yield: 20 rolls

Sausage Seasoning

Do you love the flavor of sausage but not all that fat?  Have I got a secret for you!  I found this Sausage Seasoning recipe a zillion years ago in a cookbook that is now out of print. Her original recipe made an entire cup but, I don't use it fast enough to make that much, so I cut it down by a third.  I most often use it to flavor ground beef or turkey but have also used it in unflavored TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein) with good success.  Its just a nice little seasoning mix to have tucked away in your spice drawer. I generally use it to taste but about 1 tsp per pound of ground meat would be a good starting point.

Sausage Seasoning
adapted from The Gluten Book by Le Arta Moulton

1 Tbsp Rosemary, ground 
4  heaping Tbsp Sage, ground 
2 heaping Tbsp Salt
1 heaping Tbsp Marjoram-
(mathematically it comes out to 1 T + 1/3 tsp.. 'heaping' works for me)
1 heaping Tbsp Basil                         "
1 heaping Tbsp Cayenne                   "

1 heaping Tbsp Garlic Salt                "
For a more spicy flavor add a
shake or two of dried red pepper chillies, powdered.

Combine all ingredients.
Yield approx 1/3 cup.

Fast and Low Cal- Does it Get any Better?

I've been wanting to try this recipe for awhile now.  It appeals to me because it has just a few ingredients that I usually have on hand and doesn't require a lot of pre-planning like most marinades.  (I love meals I can throw together quickly because I'm really not the organized type.)  And, I get to use fresh herbs from my garden!  I love that!  Sure do hope this turns out to be a keeper.  :)

Quick and Low-Cal Grilled Bistro Chicken Recipe #152742

by Redneck Epicurean

25 min | 5 min prep

SERVES 4

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise [I used 1/4 c mayonnaise and 1/4 c water]
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves [I used 1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped]
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves [I used 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme]
• 1/2 teaspoon  garlic salt
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 lb.)[I used thighs]

1. Stir together all the herbs, mayo, and lemon juice. Brush on the chicken.
2. Light your grill about 20 minutes before grilling the chicken. Allow the chicken to soak up the first brushing.
3. Place on the grill and cook until done, continuing to brush the mixture on the chicken until done.

© 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com

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Verdict: Bill and I both really enjoyed this chicken.  It had a very subtle, almost delicate, flavor of lemon and herbs and was very moist.  I think maybe next time I might use more of the fresh herbs to heighten the flavor a little bit.  And, just for fun, I'll probably add a little lemon zest. 

Time for Comida ! (or the way to Hubby's heart!)

For dinner tonight we're trying a Black Bean Chicken Casserole from Taste of Home.  Normally, I'm not a huge Mexican food fan (can you say GRINGO?!) but Bill loves it and black beans are my favorite legume.  So..I decided I would trust the recipe reviews, take a chance, and do a little 'walkin' on the wild side' with this recipe.. LOL  Actually, since the only spicy ingredient is 1/2 cup of salsa, I think I'm probably pretty safe. This one goes together fast and, I have to say, it sure does smell good in our kitchen right now. With a nice tossed salad on the side and little bit of sour cream garnish.. should be quite tasty.
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Verdict:  YUM-MO as Rachel would say.  I loved it!  Bill liked it too.. once he had doctored it up with a bit more heat, that is.  :)  He added some jalapeno rings on top for a little extra garnish.  But, the flavors really were a delightful blend. This one is definitely going on our 'make often' list.   

Spinach Swiss Quiche

Its Sunday again and that means something simple around our house.  I'm going to try another Taste of Home recipe which I am going to try to adapt to make it more 'Zone-ful'   Basically, I'm just going to make it without the crust and serve it with some whole wheat bread.  We have several crust-less quiche recipes that we enjoy so hopefully this will be added to the repertoire.  In honor of it being a SWISS quiche I thought I would post a pix of the Swiss Alps Bill took at Scout Camp while we were in Germany.  (Yes, those lucky boys got to go to Switzerland for their summer camp!)  Ok.. everybody in the mood to yodel?  Here is my adaptation- click on the title for a link to the original:

Spinach Swiss Quiche 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped ham
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt, pepper and paprika
• handful sliced almonds
•  sour cream

Directions

        * In a small skillet, cook the ham, onion and red pepper until vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in spinach.
         * Spray pie pan with Pam. Put ham and spinach mixture in pie pan.

• In a small bowl, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, Swiss cheese and seasonings; pour over spinach mixture.Sprinkle with almonds.
• Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
• Serve with sour cream. Yield: 6 servings.

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Verdict- This turned out to be about a 4 star.  Bill really liked it but I thought it was a bit bland.  I think next time I make it I will add a dash of cayenne pepper or hot sauce to give it a little kick.  Might also add a little basil.. But, it is a great basic recipe. You could throw lots of different veggies in it for variation.. mushroom, broccoli, peas etc.  Maybe change up the cheese as well. 

Friday at Home

I love Taste of Home but their recipes seldom fit into my Zone Diet menu.  This one is probably a stretch too but I was in the mood for a casserole and this seemed fairly close.  I also had some ham I needed to use up.  Same for the Cream of Mushroom soup- I was going to make my own (see the link) but, then, I realized I had one lone can in the pantry that was fast approaching too old.  So I used that instead.  But, NEXT time I am definitely going to try making my own.  I also typically don't use reduced fat products because we've found we usually don't like the taste of those products (or their prices!).  It seems like most 'reduced fat' items just throw in a bunch of sugar and chemicals to try to make it taste ok with the fat removed and who needs that??  Just give me the real thing and I'll take my chances!  Right.  Off my soapbox now.  Here's the recipe with my comments:

 Taste of Home Company Casserole 

Ingredients

• 1 package (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice mix
• 4 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained (I used fresh broccoli that I cut in small pieces then zapped in the microwave for 2 minutes.)
• 1-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast (I used thighs)
• 1 cup cubed fully cooked lean ham
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (regular cheddar)
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted (substitute 'make your own' condensed cream of mushroom soup)
• 2/3 cup reduced-fat plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise (regular mayonnaise)
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Prepare rice according to package directions, omitting the butter. In a 13-in. x 9-in baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer the rice, broccoli, chicken, ham, cheddar cheese and mushrooms.
• In a small bowl, combine the soup, yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard and curry powder. Spread evenly over top of casserole; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

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Verdict:  Well, Bill and I both gave it an 'o.k.' but nothing to write home about.  Frankly, it was more time and work than it was worth.  I'm not quite sure what the problem was- maybe the yogurt?  I suspect the person who submitted this recipe just substituted plain yogurt for sour cream (which would probably be delicious) but the tang-iness of the yogurt seemed to overwhelm the other flavors.  Anyway, you win some, you lose some.  This will not be on my 'make again' list.


    

Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, this doesn't exactly fit into the healthy, maintenance diet type recipe I've been posting on this blog, but, I had to make some cookies to take to a funeral luncheon today so..I decided I would share.   Just consider this a little 'food torture' moment.  LOL  (No, I didn't cheat and eat any)  These Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies are my very favorite of all chocolate chip cookie recipes I have tried.  I love the oatmeal in them.. makes me feel like they are the tiniest bit healthy I guess.  They are also part of my cooking heritage.  Aunt Ethel, my father's only sibling, shared this recipe with me when we visited them in 1975.  She was a fantastic cook, just like her mom, my Grandma Ellis.  I have been making these since Kelli was a baby so they've been in the family for awhile now.  

Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup shortening (I use butter)

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

12 ounces chocolate chips

2 cups oatmeal

-Cream together sugars and shortening.  Beat in eggs.

-Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla.  Mix well.

-Stir in chocolate chips and oatmeal.

-Drop by rounded teaspoons on ungreased baking sheet.

-Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

-Cool on wire racks and enjoy with a big glass of cold milk or some ice cream.