While we're all thinking of food... (Brewer: middle school, ice cream, top)

[msina]

4 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup margarine (I use smart balance as my DH is on a heart healthy diet mostly)
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups raisins

preheat oven to 325, lightly grease a 9x13 pan (I use the spray, like "Pam") mix all ingredients, press into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, cool in pan for ten minutes, cut into bars, cool completely in pan. they're optional but, I also add flax seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds, 1/3 cup each.

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by msina

4 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup margarine (I use smart balance as my DH is on a heart healthy diet mostly)
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups raisins

preheat oven to 325, lightly grease a 9x13 pan (I use the spray, like "Pam") mix all ingredients, press into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, cool in pan for ten minutes, cut into bars, cool completely in pan. they're optional but, I also add flax seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds, 1/3 cup each.

Thanks for the recipe, msina. Looks easy enough that I could make it. My oldest daughter (10 yo) has already eyed the recipe as I wrote it down on paper and is anxious to start baking it! I owe ya a rep!

[quiet walker]

Originally Posted by msina

4 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup flour...

Thanks for this - it will be put to good use! And a recipe that list ingredients that I would actually have in my house (or could borrow next door) is really appreciated.

Down here in Babylon on the Potomac, food has gotten far too complicated and weird. There is Starbucks of course (as is everywhere). Never went there as I couldn't figure out how to order a cup of coffee. They actually put out a booklet included with the newspaper, explaining all their products. But "grande" "triple late with extra whatever" I couldn't even figure out their booklet. Plus, if I did, I wouldn't pay $4 for a cup. Thank goodness for 7-11 and Dunkin Doughnuts!

The recipes in the food section of the paper - I just looked at one that had 24 ingredients, plus required the use of about $2500 worth of high end food preparation equipment (like we all have in our kitchen ) and the ingredients ??!

Eating out - now there are "small plates" that's all the rage. I think I have figured those out from magazine pictures. They're actually plates that are small and have tiny bits of food on them and since they are the "latest thing" they cost $35. Saw one in a magazine that had a tiny (maybe 1 cubic inch) piece of fish on top of a small green leaf, accompianed by 1 (yes 1) shred of yam and a little drizzle of something red. The magazine was all ga-ga about the chef's "presentation" Everywhere there are "tapas" (WTH?) "cerviche" and one that I can't recall at the moment but has to do with meat pulverized to goo (it's like "potene" but not "potene"). And everything now is "infused" If you ever had a cherry coke, it would now be a "cherry infused cola beverage" and would cost $14.

I'm sorry... rant over, and really MsIna thanks for the recipe which looks real good. This thought came to mind a few days ago when my cousin sent me what she thought was my grandmother's bean soup recipe. I wrote here awhile ago about Thanksgiving, maternal grandparents, their three daughters and the families that grew from here. Well during the rest of the year, whenever one of the three families had the special treat of a ham, the resulting bone would be conveyed to Nana who would work her magic and a few days later would somehow provide three large pots (one to each family) of the most amazingly good bean soup. (I took this for granted when I was a little kid )

Here's what my cousin and I think the recipe is. I just bought the dry beans but haven't tried it yet. I'm 1/2 way through other soups from the freezer to make room. When I make soup I make a lot There are not a lot of ingredients, we know what they are, and probably have everything except a ham bone. This is a "one family" size.

Bean Soup
Soak 1 lb beans overnight. (Navy beans)
Replace water to cover beans and hambone.
Cook 2 hours or until beans are mushy.
Add 3 medium potatoes; mash beans and potatoes after potatoes are cooked.
Add 1 cup chopped celery and 2 cloves minced garlic. Simmer one hour.
Take meat off bone and return meat to soup.
Add salt & pepper.
(Option — add noodles during last hour.)


I don't remember noodles, but that was a very long time ago. What struck me about this was the simple list of ingredients and equipment required and the wonderful result. From what I have learned in this forum Maine may be a place where these values would be found.

qw

[msina]

Thank you so much! I make bean soup from time to time. We don't normally have a hame bone around so I'll sometimes Dice some good salt pork fine and cook it till it's real brown and crisp. I remove the bits from the pan and, save them for a garnish. The resulting grease and stuff in the pan I use to saute the vegetables just a little before adding the stock. It gives a lot of flavor to the soup.

[Valerie C]

I decided to visit our neighbors to the east, and wandered to the Maine forum tonight... found this wonderful thread and want to thank all you folks for some fantastic recipes!! Pasties, Friendship Bread, and so much more... All I need now is a good Whoopie Pie recipe (hint hint) and then my DH from Biddeford will not complain of my City-Data addiction any more Thank you all

[msina]

Hi Val!! If you do a search for whoopie pies you'll find lots of wonderful recipes. Here's a link to a page with a really good one by Bewitched.

//www.city-data.com/forum/maine...ie-pies-2.html

[Valerie C]

Got it, and THANX msina

Thank goodness for copy and paste....

I may just have to make these for Super Bowl!!!

[quiet walker]

Originally Posted by msina

Thank you so much! I make bean soup from time to time. We don't normally have a hame bone around so I'll sometimes Dice some good salt pork fine and cook it till it's real brown and crisp...

That made me think, I can't remember when I last saw a ham bone. I had a dog, 80's early 90's and I was unable to get a bone for him from the meat counter (no more butchers) at the grocery store. Perhaps my memory from the 50's of a ham bone, is no longer something one might have.

[Bydand]

Some of the local grocery stores up here have Ham bones wrapped up and in the meat counter. The big places don't because they don't have a real live person cutting and wrapping the meat like the little guys do.

[elston]

Originally Posted by quiet walker

That made me think, I can't remember when I last saw a ham bone. I had a dog, 80's early 90's and I was unable to get a bone for him from the meat counter (no more butchers) at the grocery store. Perhaps my memory from the 50's of a ham bone, is no longer something one might have.

When I buy a ham to bake (shank portion) there is always a nice ham bone left after the meal to make soup with.

For the doggie I used to be able to buy soup bones in the supermarket, (Star Market) That was about 7 or 8 years ago. My Hannah loved me to freeze them and give her a frozen bone! Kept her busy for hours.