crowd pleaser

Slow Cooker Maple Spiced Steel Cut Oats and Quinoa

November 21, 2016 by Asharae Leave a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving Week! Anyone traveling this week? Or welcoming family into your home? Anyone preparing to feed lots of friends and family? If you’re in need of a super simple homemade breakfast option for feeding lots of people this week, I’ve got the perfect recipe for you. And if you’re making this recipe for just one or two, I’ve got instructions for freezing any leftovers to have later!

This Maple Spiced Oats and Quinoa dish is healthy-ish, hearty, so delicious and can be customized to suit each person you’ll be hosting this Thanksgiving. When you’re worried about getting the turkey in the oven, all the pies made on time, and getting Grandma’s stuffing just right, you really don’t need to be thinking about anything complicated for breakfast! Just get up early and throw all these ingredients in your slow cooker (try doubling it and adding some time if you have more than 8 of guests.) You can set out lots of topping options so everyone can customize their own bowl, and this dish is hearty enough that it’ll give everyone energy to help out with all your Thanksgiving dinner prep!

This recipe is adapted from two I found online – this Pumpkin Overnight Oats recipe from Well Plated and this Slow Cooker Overnight Quinoa and Oats by Chelsea’s Messy Apron. Feel free to adapt and adjust to fit your preferences!

Slow Cooker Maple Spiced Steel Cut Oats and Quinoa

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs 10 mins

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 c steel cut oats (do not use old fashioned or quick cook oats)
1/2 c quinoa rinsed (or purchase pre-rinsed)
3-4 c water depending on how thick you want your oatmeal to be
2 c milk
2 Tbs chia seeds
2 Tbs ground flaxseed
1/4 c brown sugar
2 Tbs maple syrup
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs cinammon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice

Garnishes

Sliced almonds
Dried cranberries
Additional brown sugar
Chopped apples
Additional cinnamon nutmeg, or allspice

Instructions

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
Rinse quinoa well, using a fine mesh sieve. (Skip this step if you bought pre-rinsed quinoa)
Combine all ingredients except garnishes in slow cooker, stir well to combine.
Set on high for 2-3 hours, stirring after an hour and a half so you know how much longer to cook it. This will depend on how hot your slow cooker gets. (See note below.)
Oats are finished when they reach the consistency you desire - I like mine to still be slightly chewy, so I cooked mine for just over 2 hours.
Turn off heat and serve topped with dried cranberries, sliced almonds, extra brown sugar, or whatever you like!

Notes

The recipe I adapted this from said to cook it on low for 7 hours or high for 4, but mine would have been burnt to a crisp if I let it go that long. Use your best judgement depending on how quickly your particular slow cooker operates.

If you want to make this recipe to save for later, use a muffin tin to divide the remaining cooked oats and quinoa. Let cool completely on the counter, then place in the freezer for a few hours. Remove oats from muffin tin once frozen, store in a freezer safe ziplock bag, and keep in freezer until ready to eat. Reheat in microwave, top with garnishes, and enjoy!

Double Chocolate Heath Brownies

May 13, 2016 by Asharae 8 Comments

I learned something new recently. Brownies are just about as easy to make from scratch as they are from a box. I had no idea. I feel like this is a life lesson I’ve somehow been missing out on. So now, I pass along this lesson to you – make brownies from scratch and you’ll be happier for it.

The great thing about starting from scratch is you can customize your brownies to include anything you want. Like peanut butter with your brownies? Add peanut butter chips instead of the Heath and chocolate chips I included below! Want to add a caramel drizzle sauce to the top? Go for it. Dreaming up some other delicious brownie creation? Try it out and see what happens!

Lately I’ve been sort of obsessed with including Heath chips in my baking (remember these salted brown butter Heath and chocolate chip cookies? Mmmm. Yep. Me too.) But if you don’t have any Heath chips on-hand and are dying for some brownies, just replace them with some extra chocolate chips! I’m sure they’ll still be fabulous.

Double Chocolate Heath Brownies

Inspired by Broma Bakery

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Servings 9 -16 servings

Ingredients

12 Tbs unsalted butter
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/2 c Heath chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
In a large microwave safe bowl melt the butter.
Stir sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt in with the melted butter.
Fold in cocoa powder and flour until just combined and large lumps are gone. Try not to over-mix.
Fold in chocolate chips and heath chips, pour into 8x8 pan, bake for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely (if you can manage to wait that long!)

Salted Brown Butter Heath Chip Cookies

March 10, 2016 by Asharae 5 Comments

Over the past couple years I have decided that cooking and baking for other people is one of my love languages. There’s something so rewarding about seeing the people you love enjoy something you created for them. It’s worth it just knowing that I can bring a little dose of joy to someone else’s day through what I make in the kitchen.

Our small group friends are some of my favorites to cook and bake for. We’re a random assortment of seven very different couples that have somehow found ourselves gathering once a week to share life, open up about our struggles, and walk with one another through the good and the hard parts of our stories. Some of us have been together as a group for nearly three years, and a few of us go all the way back to our freshman year of college. It’s been pretty extraordinary to see one another through so many seasons of life, and I feel like we’re really just getting started.

One of my favorite recipes to make for our small group is one for chocolate chip cookies that I shared a couple years ago. Everyone loves a good chocolate chip cookie. Tim and I were recently at the grocery store though when he came across these Hershey’s Heath Baking Bits in the baking aisle. One thing was certain – something needed to be done with them. That’s where this recipe comes into play. This is a slight (and debatably more delicious) variation on my go-to recipe for salted brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Both recipes are worth a try! You won’t regret it.

Salted Brown Butter Heath Chip Cookies

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 ¾ sticks
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup Heath chips
Kosher salt for garnish

Instructions

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Continue to heat as butter starts to bubble - the bubbling sounds will get louder as the butter heats up. Stir constantly, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a spatula as you go. Keep a close eye on it as it will change color quickly. Once the butter turns a nice dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, remove it from the heat. Transfer butter to a heat-proof bowl and let cool. You may place it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to speed up the process.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine flour and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
Once butter is cooled, but not hardened, place in the bowl of a stand mixer, along with both sugars, salt, and vanilla. Using the paddle attachment, mix until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
Add egg and egg yolk and mix until combined.
Mix in flour mixture until just combined.
Stir in chocolate chips and Heath chips with a spoon or spatula.
Scoop 2 Tbs of dough at a time onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You'll need to do at least two separate batches in the oven. Should make about 24 cookies.
Bake for 9-12 minutes, till the edges just start to brown. Remove from oven, sprinkle with additional salt, and let cool a few minutes before removing from the pan.

This post is not sponsored in any way, but does include affiliate links. That means I make a small commission off any purchase you make through that link, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support of This Wild Season!

Recipe Roundup for the Super Bowl

February 4, 2016 by Asharae Leave a Comment

The Big Game is this weekend and guess what? Our Panthers are playing!! We are so excited to cheer them on with friends on Sunday!

Now, if it weren’t for our team being in the game, I’d usually say the Super Bowl is all about the food and the commercials – am I right? I mean, I love a good football game, but I just miiiight just love good snacks even more.

Below I’ve collected some of my favorite EASY recipes for serving to friends and family. Whether you’re cheering on the Panthers or the Broncos this weekend, or you’re just joining in for the food, these easy recipes are sure to make your Super Bowl experience much more delicious!

Slow Cooker Chili – When cooking for a big group of people (or even a small one) I love making something that requires little effort, but has a big payoff. This chili recipe is perfect for serving a large crowd easily! You can substitute ground turkey, or even leave out the meat entirely for a vegetarian option. You just throw everything in the crock pot in the morning and it’ll be ready by game time!

Slow Cooker Corn Dip – This corn dip is currently one of my favorite recipes to make for friends because it always gets rave reviews. My favorite thing is catching someone camped out by the food with their plate of chips, eating straight from the crock pot. This dip is super easy and completely delicious. If you have a smaller slow cooker it’s perfect for this recipe. You can always double or triple the batch and use a regular-sized slow cooker if you’re really serving a huge group of friends!

Guacamole – What’s a Super Bowl party without guacamole?? Need I say more?

Blood Orange Strawberry Limeade – If you need a break from soda and beer at your Super Bowl get together, this is a refreshing alternative. Blood oranges are in season right now, so it’s the perfect time to pick a few up and make this delicious limeade. Make it the night before or in the afternoon before the game and refrigerate it till you’re ready to serve.

Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies – These cookies. Just make them. You’ll thank me later.