Oatmeal Fudge Bars

 

My niece, Carolyn is known for bringing these squares to family gatherings and one is lucky to get a piece, because they go fast! An oatmeal bar with a fudge filling that is hard to resist.

Ingredients:

chocolate fudge

• 1 can (10 oz / 300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

cake

• I cup butter, room temp
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups rolled oats

Method:

1. On medium/low heat, melt fudge ingredients, stirring as needed, until well combined. Set aside.
2. In large bowl of mixer, cream together butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs.
3. Gradually, stir in flour, baking soda and rolled oats. This will end up resembling a stiff cookie dough. For easier mixing you can use a hook attachment on the machine if you have it ... but it works fine by hand too.
4. Using a wet spatula or wet hands,  press 2/3 of the dough into a 9x13 inch greased pan. Glass or light colored aluminum is good. Keep 1/3 for top layer.
5. Spread with fudge filling.
6. Randomly scoop spoon fulls of the left over dough all over the top - like islands - allowing spots of the filling to show. (I add a few tablespoons of milk to this part of the dough to have an easier consistency to work with)
7. Bake at 350° F for 25 - 30 minutes. (Do not over bake - may appear a bit jiggly when you take it out of the oven) Let cool. Cut into 36 - 48 bars. Keeps well for days, refrigerated. Freezes well.

Hawaiin Style Farmer Sausage

Since I saw this recipe featured on Winkler Meats Instagram page this week, it seemed like a good time to dust it off and re-publish it.

We rather like farmer sausage around here and always have some on hand.  Farmer sausage is a smoked pork sausage; the smoky flavour is a great addition to soups and casseroles.  But if you aren't familiar with this particular sausage, I'm sure your favorite sausage would work with this dish as well.

• 1 ring farmer sausage (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 green pepper, cut in chunks
• 1 red pepper, cut in chunks
• 1 large can diced tomatoes (796 ml / 28 oz)
• 1 can pineapple chunks or tidbits (398 ml / 14 oz), drain and reserve juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

1.  Stir fry farmer sausage for several minutes.
2.  Add celery, onions, and peppers and cook until tendercrisp.
3. Add tomatoes, pineapple, seasonings, sugar and soy sauce.  Simmer 5 minutes.
4. Blend cornstarch with reserved pineapple juice. Add to simmering sausage dish and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Serve on a bed of rice.

Serves 6.

Porridge Pancakes

This family sized recipe makes about 16 hearty, oat filled pancakes named for their moist porridge texture within a pancake. We love them with cinnamon steamed apples on the side. This recipe works best if mixed the night before and refrigerated to cook in the morning, or mix during the day to cook for supper.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (quick cooking) rolled oats
• 3 cups buttermilk (or 2 cups milk and 1 cup yogurt)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Steamed apples

• 2 Gala apples, unpeeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:

1. Combine oats and buttermilk. Stir in oil and beaten eggs. 
2. Add combined dry ingredients. Refrigerate overnight or for several hours.
3. Cook on non-stick griddle between low and med heat. Adjust heat setting so that the pancakes do not brown too quickly. Cook first side for about 2-3 minutes, until tiny bubbles appear on top. Flip and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. * 
4. In the meantime, in medium pot, cook apple slices in butter until tender. A few minutes. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and keep hot on low heat. 

* tips: a square (stove top) griddle/and a scratch proof flipper is a great investment for cooking pancakes/hot cakes. Keep cooked pancakes warm on an oven proof serving plate in 200 F oven. Serve with butter, maple syrup and cinnamon apples.
Left over pancakes can be stored in sealed bag (refrigerator or freezer) and toasted.