Welcome to My Kitchen

First on the menu this week is a correction. I omitted part of a sentence in the cooking instructions for Roasted Brussels Sprouts. The third paragraph of instructions for the recipe should read as follows:

Place in oven and bake 15 minutes, turn sprouts with spatula and bake 15 minutes more. Sprouts should be browned and very dark on the edges.

I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused.

Start your day with Amish Baked Oatmeal, a recipe submitted by Kathie Donahue. This breakfast recipe fills a 13 x 9 inch pan, and extra portions may be frozen for later use.

Amish Baked Oatmeal

3 cups rolled oats

1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter or, 1/2 cup applesauce

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, apricots, dates or other favorite dried fruit)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, beat together milk, eggs, butter or applesauce and vanilla. Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold in dried fruit.

Spread mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake 30 to 40 minutes until top is golden brown. Serve hot with milk or cool and cut into squares. Wrap separately in waxed paper and freeze for up to 3 months.

To serve after freezing, microwave a few minutes until hot and serve with milk poured over it. These may also be eaten cold, as a snack. They are similar to a granola bar. Yield: 12-15 servings.

Note: the recipe did not say to grease the pan, but I did. I used butter, and dates for the dried fruit, increasing to about 1/2 cup.

My suggestion for keeping the squares in the freezer is to place the waxed paper wrapped bars inside a zip closure bag or other airtight container.

Karen Brooks brought a delicious hamburger pie to a recent quilting event. It garnered numerous requests for the recipe. Easy Hamburger Cheese Pie fills a 9 inch pie dish, but Karen increased the ingredients to fill a 9 x13 inch baking dish. This is a perfect size for potluck meals and large gatherings, so I am printing the 9 x13 size here. If you would like the pie dish size, please stop by The Odessa Record office and pick up a copy.

Easy Hamburger Cheese Pie

2 or 3 unbaked, prepared pie shells

3 pounds lean ground beef

2 cups milk

2 cups mayonnaise

8 eggs

3 Tbsp corn starch

3 bags (about 6 cups) chopped or shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese

1 onion, chopped

Salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with pastry shells. Set aside.

Brown ground beef, drain off fat and set aside. In a large bowl, blend together, milk, mayonnaise, eggs and corn starch. Stir in meat, cheese, onion, salt and pepper. Turn mixture into pastry lined pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 12-15 servings.

Karen reports that this casserole may be frozen before or after cooking. Thaw and bake, or if cooked, may be reheated in the microwave. Ham or chicken may be substituted for the ground beef, and Egg Beaters, lite-mayonnaise and nonfat milk may be used.

Karen did not specify how much salt and pepper, but the pie size just calls for a dash of each. I used 1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper and sprinkled the top with smoked paprika to give it a salty flavor without adding extra salt.

I am planning to grow kale this year and have been collecting recipes using kale. The curly and colorful leaves of kale plants can make a beautiful addition to flowerbeds and make a tasty addition to your menus. Spicy Tuscan Soup is a recipe I found on http://www.tastykitchen.com and it is similar to an Olive Garden soup I have enjoyed.

Spicy Tuscan Soup

1 pound Spicy Breakfast Sausage

1 medium red onion, diced

2 slices bacon, diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 medium potatoes

1 quart warm water

3 cubes chicken bouillon

1/4 bunch kale, roughly chopped (2-3 leaves)

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Crumble sausage into a large Dutch oven and heat over medium high heat until cooked through. Drain and set sausage aside.

Add onions and bacon to Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are clear, Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute.

Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Add warm water, bouillon cubes and potatoes to the Dutch oven and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are almost done. Add remaining ingredients as well as the sausage and simmer 5 more minutes. Let cool slightly and serve with warm garlic breadsticks, crusty bread or rolls. Yield: about 6 servings.

I put a German twist in this recipe by using German sausage. I also added a cup of diced carrots along with the red onion.

Don’t waste the rest of that bunch of kale. Save two tablespoons of the sausage fat, or use 2 tablespoons olive oil to make Fried Kale.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Coarsely chop kale, removing the thick stems. When oil is hot, slowly push kale from cutting board into pan. It will shrink slightly and crisp quickly, stirring a bit until all is crisped.

Use Fried Kale as a garnish for soups, stews, add to omelets and tacos, sprinkle on pizzas. Fried Kale may be frozen for later use.

Our next column will feature springtime slow-cooker recipes, easy to prepare and forget about until dinner time so you can keep gardening or quilting until the last minute.

Share your favorite slow-cooker recipes and kale recipes by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Start your broccoli, cabbage and Brussels Spouts seeds now.