Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake

This is one of those old-fashioned vintage recipes, said to be from the 1940's; I love recipes like that. This is the one your grandmother used to make, and said to be an original recipe developed for Quaker Oats.

Tender, moist and delicious, it is a one pan cake, great for after-school snacks, or anytime you want an easy dessert. No fuss or muss, I love it!

RECIPE
Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
8 tbls unsalted butter, very soft
1 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

For the Topping:
6 tbls unsalted butter, very soft
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tbls milk
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Method

Combine oats, boiling water, and milk; let sit 20 minutes. Adjust oven rack to upper and lower middle position and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease,or spray with baking spray, a 9 x 9 -inch pan.

Add salt, butter, sugar, and vanilla to oat mixture and stir to combine. Stir in eggs and coconut. Add flour, baking soda, and cinnamon to bowl, then stir until completely combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake on middle rack until just set, about 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

While cake is baking, mix topping in same unwashed bowl: toss butter, brown sugar, milk, coconut, and nuts to form moist crumbs.

As soon as cake is baked, remove from oven and spread topping over the top. Return pan to oven and increase heat to broil. Briefly heat until topping melts and coconut is lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool.

You can also see this recipe at Meal Plan Monday

Also seen on Weekend Potluck

Enjoy,
Mary

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Jellies and Shrubs - March Challenge

Mango, Szechuan Peppercorn, Kaffir Lime Leaf Shrub - Tami Young - see recipe below

A group of us are participating in the Food In Jars Mastery Challenge hosted by Marisa at Food in Jars and the March challenge was JELLY OR SHRUBS. Wait? What? What the heck is a shrub?

According to Rodales's Organic Life shrubs are "Derived from the Arabic sharab, meaning “drink,” a shrub is a zingy libation of fruit and sugar steeped in vinegar. People have enjoyed versions of these concoctions the world over—from colonial America, where sailors used them to prevent scurvy, to modern Asia, where people sip drinking vinegars as a health tonic. The shrub was one of America’s first drinks, kept without chilling and imbibed by settlers as an alternative to water, which was often unsafe. Popular through the 18th and 19th centuries, shrubs fell out of fashion after modern refrigeration eliminated the need for shelf-stable beverages."

The Huffington Post even had an article on "How to Make a Shrub aka The Secret to Cocktails That Taste Like Summer."  "Shrubs started as a household practicality. Back before refrigeration, fresh fruit would spoil quickly, but you could extend its life by piling it into a big crock with some sugar. The juice that came off the fruit was redolent with the bright flavor of the fruits in the crock, and after a few weeks it would ferment into vinegar."

So off we set to make either jelly or shrubs. While most chose to make jelly, a few brave souls tried making shrubs and are now all fans of this fruit, sugar and vinegar beverage.

See our results and recipes here:

Balsamic Vinegar Jelly with Onions Seeds - Sue Harris -
Jams 'n' Pans
Recipe

Cantaloupe, Orange and Coriander Shrub - Pamela Gram -
The Pitt Stop BBQ, LLC
Recipe

Cherry Jelly - Lynn Vining -
Southern with a Twist
Recipe

Chocolate Coffee Cake with Cocoa Crumble

Who doesn't want chocolate for breakfast? Well this coffee cake gives you a great reason to enjoy chocolate for breakfast because it's a coffee cake! Topped with a cocoa crumble, this coffee cake is sure to become a family favorite.

When serving, drizzle the top with some chocolate syrup or glaze, if desired, to really put it over the top.

Marinated Grilled Pork Chops

One of the very first farms I ever visited when I began my quest for local, pasture raised meats and products from small, local family farms was Sunny Cedars Farm. It was an eye-opening experience, and I've been friends with the farm owners ever since.

Pigs raised humanely on pasture with no antibiotics or added growth hormones is most definitely not the white meat. These pork chops are a rosy red color, tender and delicious.

If you ever have a chance, do yourself a favor and seek out a local farm to buy your meat from ... I think you'll be very happy you did.