Baked Oatmeal Cups ~ Banana Chocolate Chip

We had two very ripe bananas in our fruit bowl that needed to be used over weekend but instead of making banana bread, as I usually do, I decided to try something new.

These Banana Chocolate Chip ~ Baked Oatmeal Cups are full of all sorts of healthy things so I thought they would make a good snack or maybe a handy grab~and~go breakfast, depending on whether or not we liked them of course. 

When it came down to the stir ins I could not decide between chocolate chips or homegrown blueberries so I asked Miss E. 

She chose Chocolate Chips ~ yum!

I have to admit I was a little surprised how flavorful, filling and nutritious these Baked Oatmeal Cups were and so easy to make. The really nice thing about them though is the flavor can be changed by simply using different spices and or adding a variety of fresh or dried fruit instead of chocolate chips. Quick, easy, nutritious and delicious. 

Happy Monday!

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Each little flower that opens, 

Each little bird that sings: { or ~ each little bee that stings }

He made their glowing colors,

He made their tiny wings.

Amen.

Have a Bright and Beautiful Day!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Most of the blueberries we have picked so far are now in the freezer however we always keep some out for snacking and baking.

After the last picking I tried a new recipe for this Blueberry Coffee Cake. The filling calls for blueberries, brown sugar and walnuts however I used pecans instead of walnuts. I also was a little short on the sour cream so I poured milk on top until the container was almost full. I stirred the sour cream and milk together until combined and added to the batter. The cake seemed to bake just fine and there were no noticeable issues with the texture so I would say my sour cream solution worked. Everything was good until it was time to put it all in the tube pan. As an aside, I made another change here and used my bundt pan instead of a tube pan as called for in the recipe. Not for any particular reason other than I just wanted to although I might try my tube pan next time. Anyway, there were actually supposed to be two layers of blueberry filling but I did not do a very good job of "eyeing" the first 1/3 of the batter so the next two layers of batter were pretty thin.  This resulted in one layer of mostly filling right in the middle. Thankfully that doesn't have anything to do with taste and if I didn't mention it it is doubtful anyone would have known or even cared for that matter.

We did like this Blueberry Coffee Cake and I will try it again this winter with our frozen blueberries.

Happy Saturday!

another Summer Salad

Warm weather calls for cool salads.

This is an old favorite recipe from my youngest sister { I think}. As I remember it, years ago she had "the girls"  { our Mom, middle sister and our kids } over for lunch and served this Barley Salad with grapes, celery and pecans. I believe she served it in cantaloupe halves which made it extra special and I have loved it ever since. The recipe calls for chicken and that is how she made it, however, I omitted the chicken and added cantaloupe chunks instead since I was serving it as a side with hamburgers. The next night we grilled some chicken breasts so I have been slicing leftover chicken to put on top for our lunches.  

Everyone thought this was a new salad since I haven't made it for awhile. As you can see by the old scrap of paper I wrote the recipe on there are no measurements, just a list of ingredients. Sometimes those are the best kind of recipes. And, as it turns out, the family loves it just like I do. I thought they would!

PS ~ I also added some of our fresh picked blueberries just for fun and they go well with this salad too.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

No Name Lake

We took a scenic drive out to the country to No Name Lake in Mollala for a waterskiing tournament on Sunday.  

This little private man made lake is tucked in the middle of farmland.

The tournament ended early so unfortunately it was over by the time we got there.  However,  they were already busy preparing for dinner, setting up for the band and waiting for more friends and family to arrive. It is always a good time.

The last of many RV's set up neatly along the bank.

Country roads to No Name lake and good friends all on a warm summer day. What could be better?

Happy Tuesday!

Summer Salads

These two salads are filed with my Summer Salad recipes and are a couple of our favorites. I consider them seasonal since I usually only make them during the summer months and occasionally for special events.

Cilantro Chicken Salad 

Fisherman's Wharf Salad { Tuna Avocado Salad } 

There is nothing better for lunch or dinner than an easy, fresh salad on a hot summer day.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fresh Blackberry Pie

Nothing beats a warm blackberry pie made with fresh picked berries.

This pie request was from the Hubs. It is one of his favorites.

Happy Thursday!

the farmer and his crops

The warm weather is really making things grow.

The blueberries are beginning to ripen. In fact, we pick a bowl every day to snack on. Actually the Hubs picks them for us because 1. they are under netting to keep the birds away and 2. they are right next to a bee hive and are swarming with yellow jackets. Needless to say, we are very grateful for the berries he picks! We do have a few blueberry bushes out of harms way which we can all pick from. We also have neighbors who have lots of blueberries and are not able to pick them this week so they said we were welcome to help ourselves. Of course we didn't want the blueberries to go to waste so the Hubs has gone over the last few days and picked at least 4 cups each time. They are so good we can't resist eating a handful { or a bowlful } ! I have been freezing the rest for later. 

The kiwi has been pruned back quite a bit the past few years so that the house could be painted and also for work on the yard. We are never sure if it will produce after such drastic trimmings however we found a few kiwis hidden behind the big leaves again this season. Yay!

The cucumbers are looking good. 

In fact, we have already picked several!

The pear tree has gone wild! There are so many pears this year that we are afraid the tree may fall over. The branches will need to be staked up soon to relieve some of the weight.

We also planted new pear tree a couple months ago and it already has a pear. Hopefully that means it will be happy there and produce bountiful crops. 

We have little pumpkins everywhere as well as zucchini. 

The sunflowers are so tall we decided to measure them and they are now 8 feet 6 inches tall! It is a bit tricky to get to them with the big row of tomatoes in front but thankfully there is a little path in the back. We did pick our first tomato today so it won't be long before we have buckets of them. I did not take pictures of the apple tree but it is loaded with apples so plenty for pie, dried apples, apple butter, and the list goes on. More warm weather in the forecast so that is good for the crops. 

Have a warm, wonderful Day!

The Bourbon & Bacon Baking Challenge

Last weekend we were invited to a Bourbon & Bacon party. It was a Bourbon tasting event complete with score cards as well as Bourbon fun facts and trivia. Most guests brought a bottle of Bourbon to include in the tasting so there was quite a variety. If Bourbon wasn't your thing there was also a non alcoholic tropical punch that was cool and refreshing. Guests could also bring appetizers and/or desserts to share and that was my favorite part. I had never cooked with Bourbon so I was excited to give it a try. 

First up, crockpot meatballs.

These spicy meatballs were quick and easy to make.

I also made Bacon & Tomato quinoa cups. 

These mini appetizers would be good to have on hand for a quick snack anytime.

The Bourbon Bacon Jam was really good and easy to make.

I served it with a variety of crackers however it would be good on toasted baguette bread too. 

Last but not least...Dessert!

Mini Cheesecake topped with bacon.

Yes, surprisingly it was delicious too.

A fun summer evening with family and friends and lots of really delicious, creative food made with bacon!

Happy Monday!