Light Oat Bread

The Recipe: For 1.5 lb loaf

1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (only need 1 tsp here in the altitude)

Add ingredients to bread machine pan in order recommended by your manufacturer. Use regular light setting.

Ham and Bean Soup

It has been snowing here all weekend so we wanted something warm and so I took the left over ham from Christmas out of the freezer last night and soaked beans so that I could make this....













The Recipe:
1 lb. 15 bean soup package
Large hambone (I didn't have one so I just used their packet they insert with the bag of beans that gives it that flavor)
2 1/2 to 3 cups diced ham
1 med. onion, chopped
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 bay leaf
Pepper to taste
1 (16 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups water

Soak beans overnight, wash, drain. Add all above ingredients into a crockpot. Start on high for 1 hour and then 3 hours on low until beans are well done.


Notes: Sometimes I add carrots but I didn't have any (grocery shopping tomorrow) but I am sure there could be a lot of things you could do with this soup.

Comfort Food

We haven't had meatloaf in a long time and Michael requested and with it getting so cold this weekend it sounded like good comfort food. As a kid I never liked meatloaf....although I am sure my Mom made a good one I just had it in my mind that it probably had things I didn't like in it. And as a kid I was even more picky then I am now.

Meatloaf:
1 pound ground beef or turkey (I use turkey)
1 pound ground pork
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup of finely chopped onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped mixed peppers (red, yellow and green)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg - beaten slightly

Topping:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp prepared mustard
1/4 dash ground allspice
1 tsp hickory flavoring

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan or an 8x8.



• Take coarsely chopped onion, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes and put into food processor to get finely chopped and well blended. Mix the remaining meatloaf ingredients with the tomato mixture. Form into a loaf and put into a loaf or 8x8 pan.



• Mix all the topping ingredients and with a fork cover the meatloaf.



• Bake meat loaf in oven for 1 hour.

Food Blog Nominations

It is the time of year for the Food Blog Awards. Just linking them so you can go vote!

Pretty Christmas Table....

Michael took a couple pictures of our table on Christmas Eve