Slow Cooker Oatmeal

I was raised on homemade oatmeal. Not little packets that you pour hot water on but slow cooked homemade oatmeal that my mother stirred for half an hour. I don't have the time or the patience for doing it that way but I do love the taste and texture of the original homemade oatmeal.

In order to get that flavor and texture and not have to spend my time standing at the stove, I bought a small slow cooker, 2 quart size. I get up early, put my 1/2 cup of oatmeal in for 2 servings with 2 cups of water. I turn the slow cooker on to high and in less than 2 hours, you have the creamy long cooked flavor that you only get from homemade oatmeal.

I did try making it overnight on low but I found that the oatmeal got dark around the edges and stuck to the slow cooker. Another option would be to get a timer to turn it on for you early in the morning so you don't have to get up to do it. At any rate, it is delicious and the texture is perfect.

I prefer to use steel cut oatmeal and Irish is particularly good but it is not necessary to accomplish the great texture. If you love homemade oatmeal, it is a simple as set it and forget it.

I did try it with slices of fresh granny smith apples and it was good but I am a purist I guess because I prefer it plain without the fruit. 

No Bake Holiday Treats: Stuffed Dates and Truffles

When you are in the mood for treats but not in the mood for baking, you need to have a few recipes for no bake treats. 

Dates are the perfect treat to serve at the holidays. They are naturally sweet and once the pit has been removed they can be stuffed with a variety of foods both savory and sweet. One easy way to serve dates is to stuff them with cream cheese and pecans.

Stuffed dates

12 pitted dates

2 ounces softened cream cheese

2 tablespoon of chopped pecans

1 tablespoon honey

Split the dates along one side to make a pocket for the filling. Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl. Spoon the cheese mixture into the dates and place on a tray to serve.

Truffles

Truffles are a favorite treat that is enjoyed year round but there are a variety of ways to make them special for the holidays.

Basic truffle recipe

½ cup of heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

8 ounces good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Place the heavy cream and the butter in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until melted. At this point you can add a flavoring. Two tablespoons of espresso for coffee or orange liqueur or one tablespoon of almond or mint flavoring are all great choices.

The balls can also be rolled in things such as crushed cookies or coconut. Crushed candy cane would be a nice choice with mint for the holidays. These are just a few of the possible combinations. Form into one inch balls and chill.

When you need some quick no bake treats for the holidays, these are just a few of the options that are available to you. For more recipes, check out the Food Network website.

More French Canadian Food

As I explained in my post about Cretons, my son recently brought me back some of my favorite French Canadian treats. Another one that he brought me back was Sucre a Crème. (we never called it sucre a la creme). I was hoping for some from the farmers market but he didn’t have time to go there so he bought me some from the local candy maker Laura Secord.
 
This is something that also brings back childhood memories. My Aunt Madeleine always had a container of this treat in her fridge and even though I didn't know what it was called in those days, I knew I loved it.


Sucre a crème translates as sugar with cream and that is pretty much what it is. 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of heavy cream cooked until it gets to the soft ball stage and then placed in a pan and chilled. 

Once it is hard it is cut into small squares and stored in the fridge. Basically it is brown sugar fudge and it is simple and very delicious.


The Laura Secord version is not bad but it doesn't compare to what my aunt used to make, but since my aunt is no longer with us, it is the best I can do until I hit the farmers market in June.

Let Me Introduce You to Cretons

If you are not French Canadian or at least of French Canadian extraction, chances are that you have no idea what cretons is. It is made with pork, spices (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice) and leaf lard. 
Every family has their special recipe. 

Getting leaf lard in the United States is not an easy thing. 

My mother tried to explain to our local slaughter house exactly what she was looking for and had no luck whatsoever. Evidently it is a particular fat on the kidneys of the pig.

Anyway the pork is boiled then run through the meat grinder with the leaf lard and the spices are then added. It should be creamy not like hamburger which I have seen some resemble. 

You place it in a small jar or container and keep it in the fridge, it can also be frozen. Basically what it most resembles is pate though it tastes quite different. It is not healthy but it is delicious served on toast in the morning or just on slices of crusty bread. 
For me, this is the food of my childhood and I love it.

What brought this on is that my son went up to Quebec for the winter carnival and asked me if I wanted him to bring back something. I gave him a list and on that list was cretons. He brought me back a small container. 

It is not anywhere as good as the one my aunts and my mother made but it is close enough to make me nostalgic for a time long ago.

In case you want a recipe, Emeril Lagasse , who is half French Canadian, has a recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cretons-breakfast-pork-spread-recipe.html

Another chicken salad

I roasted a large chicken with lemon pepper. We had already eaten two main meals from this chicken and I will make a nice chicken soup from the wing and bones but there was one full breast left and I wanted to make a chicken salad for myself for supper. 

Al only eats dark meat so he had another leftover that we had, beanies and weanies!!!

I removed about three quarters of the breast and chopped it into pieces. I had some chunky cranberry

sauce and decided to add it along with mayonnaise, walnuts, and some salt and pepper. I mixed it all up and ate it with my fork which you can see in the picture. Quite delicious if I have to say so myself. 

My motto, never waste and get at least 3 meals from one roasted chicken. 

Turkey soup The aftermath

I think everyone has probably overdosed on turkey by now. I used the Thanksgiving Day carcass to make a turkey soup on Thanksgiving Day night. I use a very simple recipe which is much like the one my mother always used. 

You need a large Dutch oven, at least 6 quarts. 

Put the carcass into the dutch oven. Cover with water or chicken stock. I used pan drippings, about 2 cups worth. Add two stalks of celery. 3 carrots, and one large onion.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put the cover on the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a 3 for an hour or two. 

Strain out everything but the stock, place in containers and freeze or use within 2 or 3 days. 

If you want to eat turkey soup right now, keep one container and add pulled turkey meat, cut up the veggies from the stainer, carrots, onions, and celery and add cooked rice or noodles. 

No Bake Treats for Christmas: Rum Balls

During the holidays, baking is often part of the preparation for the many parties and gatherings that we all attend. Sometimes, we are just so busy that actually baking is more than we can manage. 

Not to worry, there are quite a few no bake treats that are impressive enough to serve and bring to any event you want. 

My mother used to make rum balls. Now my daughter Kasey does thanks to her friend Deb Brown and her delicious and easy recipe. 

3¼ cups of ground vanilla wafers (a 12 ounce box)

1½  cup of ground walnuts (some recipes use pecans)

¾  cup powdered sugar

¼ cup Hershey cocoa powder

3 tablespoons corn syrup

½ cup good quality light rum or up to a cup if you like your booze

If you want a non-alcoholic version, substitute ½ cup of orange juice and 1 teaspoon of orange zest for the rum and use rum flavoring.  

Mix all the ingredients in large bowl then add corn syrup and rum, blend well. Shape into one inch ball. Roll the ball in powdered sugar or colored sugar. Store in an air tight container for at least a few days but up to a few weeks before serving. 

Re-roll in powdered sugar before serving.