Grandma Holmes's Oatmeal Cookies

These no-bake oatmeal cookies are fairly common. The cookies are routinely brought along to potlucks or other events requiring something easy to make and easy to eat. This recipe is especially good when you want cookies on a hot summer day but you don't want to use the oven. The recipe makes about 60 cookies, which is great for feeding a crowd. I recently made these cookies for a family get together and the cookies were quite popular. Although not as popular as my sister-in-law Laura's peach cobbler, so I may need to make that cobbler for a future blog post.

There are variations to the recipe. As noted on Grandma Holmes's recipe card below, you can use chocolate or peanut butter. Or, I bet you could easily make a peanut butter chocolate cookie by using half of the chocolate and half of the peanut butter. I went with a chocolate cookie because some family members have peanut allergies. I also substituted an extra cup of oatmeal instead of the coconut. The recipe card calls for oleo (more commonly called margarine these days), but I used real butter. I think that you could add in other items, like nuts or dried fruit, but just reduce the amount of oatmeal by the amount you substitute in. Whatever ingredients you decide to use, these cookies are delicious treats.

Grandma Holmes's Oatmeal Cookies 

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter
• 2 squares baker's chocolate or 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 cups oatmeal

Boil the sugar, butter, chocolate (or peanut butter) and milk for three minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the stovetop. Stir in the vanilla and oatmeal. Spoon out onto wax paper, using the spoons to shape and pack the cookies. Allow the cookies to set for several hours or overnight, if possible. Enjoy!

Stroopwafel

While flying to Seattle in April, MDS and I enjoyed the stroopwafel provided by United. The flight attendant suggested that we set the cookie over the cup of hot coffee to allow the caramel in the middle to melt a bit. Oh my were the warm stroopwafel delicious. I had not seen these cookies before, but I thought that they looked a lot like two pizzelles with some caramel sandwiched in the middle. I knew that I could make these cookies at home.

Stroopwafels are from the Netherlands. Just as I thought, the cookies themselves are made on an iron press, just like pizzelles. The filling in the middle is caramel, so I used the slow-cooker method to make dulce de leche (a type of caramel) to use as the filling. There are other ways to make caramel sauce, but the method explained below does not require much work and the result is delicious.

I made this batch for my niece Amanda's 10th birthday party. In the picture, the stroopwafels make an appearance at the very bottom of the picture. Everyone in the picture is focused on Amanda and her awsome cake made by her brother Ryan. Rather than use full size pizzelle, which would work just fine, I used a cookie cutter to make smaller bite-sized sized cookies from the pizzelles when they were fresh off the iron and still quite soft. I used a simple circle for these pizzelles, but you could use any shape cookie cutter. Or, just use the full-sized pizzelles.

Stroopwafels 

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• One batch of pizzelles

Remove the paper label from the can of sweetened condensed milk. Place the unopened can in a slow cooker on its side for more even cooking. Fill the slow-cooker to completely cover the can and then  one more inch of water. Turn slow cooker on to low and allow to cook for 8 hours. Turn the slow cooker off and allow the can to fully cool to room temperature before opening the can. You can submerge the can in cold water to help it cool faster. After opening the can, store the caramel in a glass container. It will last several weeks in the refrigerator.

Carefully place a spoonful of the caramel on a pizzelle and spread if needed. Place a second on top and press together. I found that the pizzelles broke if I pushed too hard, so be gentle. Enjoy!

Cannoli

Grandma used to make cannoli for special occasions. Cannoli make an appearance in one of my favorite movie lines of all time: "Leave the gun, take the cannoli" as seen in the clip from the Godfather below.

I love cannoli, but I have never actually made them. I was always intimidated by the need to deep fry the shells. But, if you buy pre-made cannoli shells, making cannoli is easy and allows you to make them to suit your own tastes. I bought mini cannoli shells instead of the regular larger size because they are easier to eat.

In order to fill the cannoli shells, I found a new use for my cookie press. Using one of the decorator tips that came along with the cookie press kit, it was very easy to fill the shells. I used mini chocolate chips, maraschino cherries and pistachio nuts for these cannoli. You could use other fruits, like candied orange, or any other toppings. The nice thing about making your own cannoli is that there is unlimited customization options.

Cannoli 

• Cannoli shells
• 16 oz. chilled and drained ricotta cheese
• 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• dash cinnamon
• optional: mini Chocolate chips, maraschino cherries, pistachio nuts

Combine the chilled, drained ricotta cheese and confectioners sugar. Mix well. Add in vanilla and cinnamon. The optional ingredients can be added into the cannoli cream or can be reserved to put on the ends of the cannoli. Refrigerate the cannoli cream for a few hours. Fill the cannoli shells with the cannoli cream. Place chocolate chips, nuts or cherries on the ends. Enjoy!

Lemon Ice

This Lemon Ice is a good cold treat on a hot August day. I found this recipe in Mom's recipe box. Although I don't recall her making this recipe, I do recall having these types of ice treats in the summer. And, this recipe is very similar to Italian Ice, which I do recall enjoying every summer. I especially love Mario's Italian Ice on Taylor Street, right behind my high school. Mario's closed over the winter, so every year when Mario's reopened, I knew that it was summer.

Mom's recipe calls for using ice cube trays as a mold. Then, the resulting lemon ice cubes could be used in a drink, which I am sure would be delicious. But, with my automatic ice cube maker, I don't own ice cube trays, so I poured the entire recipe into a bowl and froze it as a whole. Then, I used a spoon to scrape out the lemon ice into a small bowl for serving. Either way you choose to enjoy this recipe, I highly recommend on a 90 degree August day.

Lemon Ice 

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• Juice of 3 lemons (about 10 Tbsp.)
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 package unflavored gelatin

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Boil 4 cups water and sugar together for five minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Add softened gelatin to the syrup and stir until dissolved. Place in ice cube trays and freeze until firm (about 3 hours). Enjoy!

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

For MDS's 39th (again) Birthday, I made this delicious cake and frosting. I was glad MDS chose this combo. I usually pick chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. The chocolate cake with chocolate frosting combo is excellent. Both recipes came from Mom's recipe box. Making cake and frosting from scratch is easy enough that there really is no need to rely on the boxed mixes. The cake is called Hershey's Prize Chocolate Cake, so she must have gotten it from the back of Hershey's cocoa powder box back in the day. The recipe calls for making a round layer cake, but I made a pan cake instead. It took a little longer to bake, but like most cake recipes, you can use whatever pan works for you by adjusting the baking time.

The frosting recipe seems to be a basic chocolate buttercream recipe. I often struggle with making frosting, but I have found that if I use my electric mixer, I get better results with smoother and fluffier frosting. As for the "39" candles that you see in the photo. we plan to stay 39 forever, so we will keep using those candles until nothing is left.

Hershey's Prize Chocolate Cake 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 cup milk

Generously grease the pans. Cream butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs. Combine soda, cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add alternately with milk to butter. Blend well. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Frost and enjoy!

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting 

• 2 2/3 cup confectioner sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 4-5 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Combine confectioner sugar and cocoa. Cream butter with one half of the cocoa mixture in a bowl. Add remaining cocoa alternating with milk. Beat to spreading consistency. Blend in vanilla. Use to frost cake. Enjoy!

Rum Chocolate Pie

This pie is a terrific summer dessert. First, it is served chilled. Second, depending on the crust you use, there is no need to use the oven. Third, the pie contains rum, which also seems to be a summertime drink. And, finally, it is outrageously delicious. So give this pie a try, you won't regret it.

When I made this pie, I used a graham cracker crust instead of a baked pastry crust because I did not want to turn on the oven. I think it could also be good with a chocolate cookie crust. There are three layers in the pie. The first layer is a custard layer. Although it takes some effort to make the custard layer, it is worth it. The second layer is a basic whipped cream layer. And the top layer is a chocolate whipped cream layer. Each layer is delicious, but it is the blend of all three layers that make this pie great.

Rum Chocolate Pie 

• 1 cup milk
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. unflavored gelatine, softened in 2 Tbsp. water
• 4 Tbsp. rum
• 1 9" pie crust, baked and cooled
• 1/2 pound milk chocolate
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Heat milk and nutmeg on low. Beat the egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar and salt until light. Pour the hot milk over the egg yolks, stirring well. Return to stovetop, heat on low and stir until thick. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin. Place the pan on ice and cool the mixture. Add 3 tablespoons of room. When mixture thickens, fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour into the pie shell.

Place the chocolate and water on low heat. Stir until the chocolate melts. Cool slightly. Add half the whipped cream and the remaining rum. To the remaining whipped cream add the vanilla and tablespoon of sugar. Spread the whipped cream over the pie. Cover the cream layer with the chocolate mixture. Chill for several hours. Enjoy!

Curry Barley Salad

This recipe is one of my own. I came across a dish like this salad in the basement cafeteria at Macy's on State Street in Chicago (formerly known as Marshall Fields). This cafeteria has been serving lunch for years to many downtown workers and tourists alike. It is a bit of a hidden gem in the Loop. One day, I was getting lunch with some co-workers and I came across this salad from the many options at the salad bar. I loved it and decided that I had to recreate it. I first made it for an Easter celebration a few years back, and I have made it several times since then.

The nice thing about this recipe is that the amount of the various ingredients you use is very flexible. MDS does not like cheese, so I always set aside some with the feta for him. When I made this batch, I had forgotten to add the raisins. I was able to add them into the leftovers, but I love the raisins, so don't make the same mistake that I did. I highly recommend making this dish a day in advance and allowing it to chill in the refrigerator so the flavors can blend. I get the barley and the curry sauce  from Trader Joe's and they come in the approximate sizes noted below. You could also make your own curry sauce, using plain greek yogurt and curry powder or some other variation. Because it is a salad, there is no need to worry about precise measurements, just add to taste.

Curry Barley Salad 

• 1 cup barley, uncooked 
• 11 ounces curry sauce
• 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 pound broccoli, chopped
• 6 ounces feta cheese
• 1 cup raisins
• Ground black pepper, to taste

Cook the barley based on the package directions. After draining excess water from the barley, add in the curry sauce, garbanzo beans, red onion, broccoli, feta cheese, raisins and pepper. Stir until the ingredients are mixed well. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Enjoy!