What's Growing in the Desert?

Yes, you can grow a garden in the desert! If you missed out on Mike's gardening class, check out his blog at http://agavelandscapes.blogspot.com/ . I've got my containers. I just need to order my worms! Thanks, Mike for all the great tips. Mike's contact info is on his blog. Feel free to contact him with questions.

Oh, Oats!

We had a fun class about using oats in your everyday life. They are great for breakfast, snack, dinner and of course, dessert!

Whole grain oats come in 4 different forms:

• Groats (whole grain)
• Steel Cut (whole grain that has been cut)
• Rolled (whole grain that's been steamed and then flattened)
• Quick Oats (whole grain that been steamed and then flattened even more so it'll cook faster)

I like to use quick oats for oatmeal for my kids. It's very economical (around 5 cents a serving). You can add just about anything to it. My kids like the following combinations:

• Maple syrup and brown sugar
• Fresh fruit or Freeze-dried fruit (strawberries, peaches, blueberries,etc.)
• Rehydrated dried apples with cinnamon and brown sugar

My husband and I like to eat Coach's oats (http://www.coachsoats.com/). They are toasted and cracked groats. You can buy them at Costco for about $6.36 a bag. I think I figured it to be about 11 cents per serving.

You can also use quick oats in your favorite hamburger, meatball or meatloaf recipes. Everydayfoodstorage.net has a great recipe for sweet and sour meatballs.

Patty gave me a bunch of great recipes, even one you can use in your 72 hour kit. I'm trying to figure out how to scan them and put them in my post so I won't have to retype them.

Tami's Granola

I've adapted this recipe from one that my friend Cheryl gave me. This is how my family likes it, but you can play with it. You can add milled flax seed, wheat germ, sesame seeds, etc to the dry ingredients. I have played with the amount of oil and honey. I sometimes use as little as 1/2 c. of oil and 3/4 c. honey. It's up to you! This make about 1.5 plastic cereal containers full.

Combine the following in a large bowl:

10 c. oats (I like rolled, but you can use quick as well)

1 c. sunflower seeds (raw, unsalted is best)

1 1/2 c. nuts, chopped (I use a mixture of walnuts and sliced almonds, but you can use anything)

2 c. coconut (unsweetened, but I've used sweetened as well)

I sometimes add milled flax seed or wheat germ

Heat the following in a pan until hot, not boiling:

3/4 c. oil

1 c. honey

2/3 c. water

2 t. vanilla

Stir in 2/3 of this at a time into the dry ingredients and stir. Put on 3-4 cookie sheets. Bake at 200 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Stir halfway through. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Cheryl's Gruffins

I have a dear friend, Cheryl, who taught me so very much about food storage. I wish I still lived next door to her. She is so wonderful. This is her recipe for gruffins. I'll be posting more muffin mixes of hers soon.

Mix and put in ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator:

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. granola

3 T. powdered milk

1/2 t. salt

4 t. baking powder

1/2 c. brown sugar

To use add:

2 eggs

1/3 c. oil

1 c. water

Grease a muffin pan and fill 2/3 full. I like to sprinkle the muffins with a cinnamon topping (2 T. Brown sugar and 1/2 t. cinnamon mixed together). Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.

These are so filling!! My family LOVES them! You can even use any granola that gets too brown because you forgot it was in the oven-- ask me how I know! :-)

Oatmeal on the Go Bars

This recipe is from everydayfoodstorage.net. My kids love these! I use cut up dehydrated apples that I've rehydrated instead of raisins. Also, I mixed all the dry ingredients together the night before, put it in a ziploc bag and then just add the wet ingredients in the morning. It was a huge time saver!

These are just that-- a way to take oatmeal on the go. If you don't have asandwich maker, you can make these as muffins and freeze them.

1-3/4 c. Quick Mix (or Bisquick)

3/4 c. Quick oats

1/4 c. Sugar

1/4 c. Brown Sugar

1 egg (or 2 T Dehydrated Egg + 1/4 c. Water)

3 T. Powdered Milk + 1 C. water

1 C. Raisins (or other dehydrated fruit, I let mine rehydrate in the water I need for the powdered milk)

2 t. Cinnamon

Mix ingredients together until moist. Fill sandwich make or muffin pans 2/3 full and bake for 2 minutes in a sandwich maker or 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven for regular muffins.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Heat the following in a pan until combined:

1 c. Peanut Butter

3/4 c. honey

1/2 t. vanilla

Stir in the following:

3 c. oats

1/2 c. raisins or mini chocolate chips

Press the mixture into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cut and cool. Store in an airtight container.

(I think these taste as good as the ones you get at the store. I also like that I can decide how big to cut them. My kids rarely finish an entire store bought granola bar.)

Michelle's No Bake Cookies

2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of milk
3 cups of quick oats
3 T. cocoa
1/4 lb. of butter (1 cube)
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar, cocoa, milk, and butter in a sauce pan. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla, oats, and peanut butter. Mix well and drop on waxed paper and chill.

(These are a family favorite! They are so good and will not last long at your house!)

Christine's Oatmeal Cookies

1 c shortening
1 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1.5 c flour (whole wheat)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
3 c oats
2 tsp cinnamon
2 c raisins (soak raisins in warm water and vanilla to sweeten)

Bake 375 for 8-10 min.

(These are so yummy and the whole wheat flour, oats and raisins make them healthy!)

Kim's Oatmeal Lace Cookies

This recipe has been handed down in Kim's mother's family for generations. The earliest memory (about 5) she has of it is visiting her great-grandmother in SLC and her serving this cookie with milk.

OATMEAL LACE COOKIES

1/2 c. flour
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. old fashioned oats
2 tbsp. cream
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/3 c. melted butter
1 tbsp. vanilla

Sift into bowl flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Add the oats, cream, corn syrup, butter and vanilla. Mix together until well blended. Drop onto ungreased baking sheet 4 inches apart, using a small teaspoon. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes (lightly browned).

Theresa's Caramel Oatmeal Squares

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 1/2 c. quick oats

1/2 t. soda

1/4 t. salt

1 1/8 c. butter

small jar of caramel ice cream topping

12 oz. Chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients except caramel and chocolate chips. Take 1/2 of the mix and press into a 9x13 ungreased pan. Bake 15 min at 350 degrees. Sprinkle chocolate chips over crust then drizzle caramel over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining mix over top and bake 15 min. Let cool before cutting.

(Theresa brought these to enrichment and they were spectacular!!!)

Apple Streusal

1. Pour 1 can apple pie filling into a pie pan

2. Melt 1/2 c. margarine and combine with the following dry ingredients:

• 1/2 c. oats
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1 T. cinnamon

3. Sprinkle dry mixture on top of the pie filling.

4. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

5. Drizzle with caramel topping or icing and serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream (or both!).