We've been steaming steel-cut oats in the roaster overnight, waking up to scrumptious warm oats in the morning. The method is simple:
1. Set two cups of steel-cut oats (not rolled) in a bowl and add 6-7 cups of water (the discrepancy in water amount is because I add more water if it will be cooking for more hours). Set the bowl in a slow cooker or roaster and pour water around the bowl- enough so that it reaches about halfway up the outside of the bowl of oats. Turn the slow cooker on low and go to bed.
I do two bowls in a roaster and that feeds 8-10 of us for breakfast. You can do one bowl in a slow cooker if you're feeding fewer people.
BUT...
You can get two breakfasts out of the oats if you make extra. After everyone's had their fill, I set aside a cup of the cooked oats to make Oatmeal Scones for the next day's breakfast.
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I make a glaze with powdered sugar and something- either vanilla, milk, lemon juice, lime juice, cinnamon, or in this case, orange juice.
Oatmeal Scones Jenny Sanders
Serves 8-12
2 T butter 2 T honey 1 cup cooked oatmeal 2/3 cup milk (I use almond milk successfully) 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour 4 t baking powder 1/2 t salt Melt the butter and honey together, and mix into the cool, cooked oatmeal. Mix in the milk, half at a time. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the oatmeal. The mixture is quite moist, but if it can't hold its shape at all, add more flour. Roll/pat into a circle (as above) or scoop into balls and flatten to 1" with dampened hands. Bake on greased cookie sheets at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
I know you can buy a can of whack crescents (the kind you whack on the counter ;) ), but these are really, really worth the little bit of effort. Plus, my hubby's food allergies keep him from eating anything that has to be whacked on a counter before baking. This recipe more than makes up for the inconvenience, though.
From my friend Amy, who is expecting her number 8!
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Amy's Butter Crescents
Makes 16 rolls.
1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup butter 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 Tablespoon yeast 1/2 cup warm water 1 egg 4 cups all purpose flour In a saucepan, heat milk until bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Add butter, sugar, and salt, and stir off heat until combined. Cool to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in warm water; let stand until foamy. Beat yeast and egg into milk mixture. Mix in 2 cups of flour until thick. Mix enough flour until dough pulls away from sides of pan. Knead very gently until smooth and elastic, 2-3 minutes. Place dough in a large greased bowl and cover loosely. Let rise 1 hour, then punch down and divide in two. Let divided dough rest 10 minutes. Roll dough into an circle and then cut (like a pizza) into 8 wedges. Roll up from the wide edge first, then form into a crescent. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover rolls and let them rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes.
What to do with those post-Christmas discounted Andes Mints? This recipe disappears quickly and has no enemies amongst our friends and family.
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Andes Mint Cookies
Makes 4 dozen
2 packages Andes Mints (28 ct. each), unwrapped 3/4 c butter 1 1/2 c packed brown sugar 2 T water 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 large eggs 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour 1 1/4 t baking soda
In a saucepan, heat butter, sugar, and water. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and stir until all chips are melted. Pour into a mixing bowl and let cool for ten minutes. Beat in eggs at high speed. Add flour and baking soda and beat until blended. Chill dough for one hour.
Line baking sheets with parchment. Roll balls into 1" diameter balls and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Place unwrapped mint on top of warm cookie as soon as you remove it from the oven. After the mints have softened, spread them over the cookies. Let chocolate set at room temperature.
These freeze beautifully.
