18

Jan

Overnight Oats


 Good morning!

Doesn’t this just look like a bowl of sunshine?

I’ve gotta tell you, I do love oatmeal. Overnight oats is fairly new to me…I’ve made it a bunch of times, but cold oats take some getting used to. This recipe, however, is fabulous…I adapted it from Kath Eats Real Food and changed it for my own liking. She uses yogurt in hers (rather than lots of milk), and I prefer the pudding-like consistency. There’s cherry, coconut, and a nutty mixture of flavors that make for creamy, dreamy happiness. You put your oats and liquids in a bowl and let it sit in the fridge overnight; in the morning, you add any crunchy toppings (to prevent sogginess), stir, and enjoy! No cooking, no burning your tongue, and super quick! When I want to just stay in bed all morning, this is something I can look forward to…mornings are not my best time of day.

Overnight Oats
(adapted from KERF)
*makes 2 servings (or one large)
1/2 cup whole oats
1/2 cup milk (I used almond)
1 yogurt cup (I used cherry vanilla)
1TB ground flax or 2 t chia seeds (optional)
1 TB shredded coconut
2 TB chopped pecans

In a small bowl, combine oats, milk, and yogurt. Place in fridge overnight (an hour minimum, but 7 hours allows the oats to soak up the liquids better).

In the morning, top with flax seed, coconut, and pecans. Stir. Enjoy!

Easy, right?

Enjoy your Wednesday!!

Happy eating! Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL 1 Comment

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11

Jan

Coconut Macaroons

Several months back…

The friends came over. The recipe had five simple ingredients. The heat turned the egg white beating into an hour of arm-straining pain.

I’ve made macaroons, but these were special. We had great conversation and passed the bowl around when our arms got tired. Of course, it we didn’t strain for perfectly peaked egg whites while sitting in a lawn chair in 107 degree weather, I’m sure it would’ve gone by in 10 minutes flat.

Here is Ina Garten’s recipe (Barefoot Contessa). It is awesome. I will not even dare change it, except I do like a little drizzled chocolate on top. Enjoy it. Forgive me that there is not one single photo or our creations…we devoured them much too quickly. Here’s one of Food & Us’:

Coconut Macaroons Ina Garten’s   

Ingredients

  • 14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
  • 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
Drop the batter onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper using a tablespoon. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Eat, lovelies, eat!

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL

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04

Jul

Lemon Chess Bars

So I’ve had this crazy idea that I would publish 100 recipes in this blog before Matt & my third anniversary trip. Well, it’s crunch time because July 12th is right around the corner!

In a crunch, my grandmother would make this dessert. She took it to church group functions (Chicken Foot games, ESL classes), luncheons with her fellow retired teachers, and–if we were lucky–would whip it up because one of her grandkids begged her. I thank God for her daily, and this was one of those recipes she taught me to make in her kitchen, me standing on a stepstool to see over the counter. When my dearest girlfriends hosted a bridal shower before Matt & my nuptuals, they has the sweetest idea of enclosing recipe cards in the invitations, to be filled out by all of the guests and given to me at the shower. Guess which one my grandmother wrote out? This one! And now I’ll share the love with you.

It’s actually a combination of two of her recipes, chess cake and lemon bars, creamy tart lemon encased in a buttery yellow cake. I’ve modified this to cut out a bit of the fat, but the flavors are still there. If you like lemon, sweet and perfect Southern picnic food, this one’s for you.

Lemon Chess Bars
*makes 18 medium bars*
Ingredients:
Yellow cake mix
5 TB margarine, softened
1 egg + 2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
3 cups powdered sugar + more for dusting
8 oz low fat cream cheese, softened


step one: Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, margarine and one egg. Using hands, form into a soft dough. Spray a 9X13 inch pan with nonstick spray. Pat the dough flatly into the bottom of the pan, covering pan evenly. Sprinkle coconut evenly on top of dough, for added flavor.


step two: Rinse out and dry the bowl for reuse. Combine 2 eggs, lemon juice and zest, powdered sugar, and cream cheese. Using a large spoon or whisk, stir until mixture is smooth with very few bumps (a few are okay). Pour mixture on top of the dough in the pan.


step three: Bake for 30 minutes, or until center of lemon bars are firm (not jiggly). Edges will be slightly brown. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Eat and treat!


These bars can be left out overnight, but they’re best when put in the fridge. The lemon taste intensifies as they get colder!


So there you have it, a fun summer treat. And I think I have 15 more recipes to show this week, before we leave on Sunday. Wish me luck!

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

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