Welcome to My Kitchen

Harvest is in full swing throughout much of the Inland Northwest. This means many folks are preparing harvest lunches. In light of this, we chose to make Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies in one of the Go! Odessa Recreation's summer cooking classes.

The class meets in the commercial kitchen of the Odessa Chamber of commerce in the community center. Thank you Odessa Chamber for making it possible to offer this activity for Odessa youth.

The children were divided into two groups to measure, mix, cook and form the cookies. We learned that careful measuring is important, how to safely operate the stove and clean up the kitchen when we are done. We also learned a little trick to compensate for adding too much oatmeal to the mixture.

Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

2 cups granulated sugar

8 Tbsp (1 stick) margarine

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup baking cocoa

3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal, uncooked

In a large saucepan, combine sugar and cocoa, mixing well to combine (this helps the cocoa absorb liquid better). Add margarine and milk.

Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil (when lots of bubbles are coming to the surface), stirring frequently. Continue boiling for 3 minutes, also stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and stir in oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons onto waxed paper. Let stand until firm and cooled. Store tightly covered with waxed paper separating the layers. Yield: about 3 dozen cookies.

Note: If mixture is too dry from excess oatmeal, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time, until mixture holds together. Also, margarine is a better choice than butter in this recipe because it holds its shape better in the heat. You can also make this recipe using old-fashioned oatmeal, but you'll need to let the mixture sit in the pan for 5 minutes before forming the cookies.

Did you know you can make your own quick-cooking oatmeal? Just whirl regular oatmeal, 1 cup at a time, in a blender for 15-30 seconds.

No-bake cookies can also use peanut butter for part of the fat in the recipe. Chocolate No-Bake Cookies is a recipe I received from Isabella Moles several years ago. These cookies are almost like candy, but they do melt a bit quicker than the traditional recipe.

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup margarine

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1/2 cup milk

2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine sugar, salt and cocoa in a large saucepan. Add margarine and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Boil 2 minutes stirring often.

Stir in oatmeal, peanut butter and vanilla. Drop by the spoonful onto waxed paper. Let stand until firm and cooled.

Store cooled cookies tightly covered with waxed paper between layers. Yield: about 30 cookies.

Late evening meals are the norm for many folks during harvest. Hot days make a cool salad appealing. Chicken salad is a favorite of many. Crowd-Pleasing Chicken Salad, attributed to Jackie Anderson of Richfield, Utah and included in 1999's The Best of Country Cooking published by Reiman Publications, is a filling, but not heavy, complete meal.

Use a slow cooker to cook the chicken. If you have a safe covered area, place the slow-cooker outside to keep your kitchen cooler.

Crowd-Pleasing Chicken Salad

3 cups cubed, cooked chicken

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 tsp salt

Dash ground black pepper

2 cups cooked rice

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple tidbits, drained

1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds, optional

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients, Fold in the rice, celery, green pepper, onion, pineapple, water chestnuts and cheese. Add almonds just before serving.

Serve over cantaloupe slices or chopped lettuce or use as a sandwich filling. Yield: about 8 servings.

Note: Chopped peanuts may be used in place of the sliced almonds. Substituting chopped pretzels will add crunch if you are avoiding nuts.

Beef roast is another item that cooks nicely in a slow cooker. Whether you are making the roast for a special dinner or preparing for harvest lunch sandwiches, cold leftover beef is a prime ingredient in Apple Luncheon Salad. This recipe is easy to double or triple for a crowd. Also, cold, cooked ham may be substituted for the beef.

Apple Luncheon Salad

3 cups diced red apples

1 cup julienned cooked roast beef

1 cup thinly sliced celery

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt (omit if using ham)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Chopped lettuce

In a large bowl combine the first five ingredients. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients, except lettuce. Mix well and pour over salad ingredients. Toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Serve over chopped lettuce. Yield 4-6 servings.

Note: 1 cup of sliced strawberries is really good added to the beef mixture.

– What are your favorite harvest-season, summer-survival recipes? Kids, have your parents take your picture with something you have cooked. Share them with your fellow readers by sending them to Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa WA 99159, emailing them to therecord@odessaoffice.com or dropping them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Water, everything needs water. Water is best used by plants when applied in the evening or very early morning.