Banana Berry Oatmeal in the Oven

Christmas morning (ok every morning) is crazy around here.  I made this oatmeal casserole because it is quick and easy to put together and it can easily be reheated so we can eat as we are hungry.  I have also made this on Sunday and reheated throughout the week for a delicious breakfast.  The chocolate chips and bananas make this a hit at my house!

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Quick Oats
• 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup Raspberries (or sliced strawberries)
• 2 Cups of Milk (I used 1%)
• 1/3 Cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 Egg
• 3 Tablespoons of Butter (melted)
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 Ripe Banana

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.  In a bowl combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, half of the raspberries, and half of the chocolate chips.  Pour that mixture into the baking dish.  Then arrange the remaining berries and chocolate chips on top.  Slice the banana and place it on top of the oatmeal.  In a bowl, whisk together egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla.  Pour mixture over top of fruit and oats.

Shake the baking dish side to side to help the liquid settle and cover all of oats.  Bake for 30 minutes.

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Christmas Fills our House with JOY

This year I decided that the mantel needed a little change.  I always ooh and ahh over Christmas decorations I see in magazines and on Pinterest, but year after year I have been getting out our decorations and putting them in almost the same exact spot every year.  This year I decided I was going to do it different and that I wasn't going to spend a lot of money even though I was changing it up.

The only new decoration is the JOY, it was so simple to make and it cost less that $5.  The other items are decorations that I would have normally put somewhere else.  I am very happy with the way it turned out!

Materials:

• Wooden Letter "J"
• Wooden Letter "Y"
• Grapevine Wreath
• Paint- I used one called Apple Spice

You can use any size letters.  I used 10" letters and an 8" Wreath

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Snowman Tower of Gifts

Every once in while I am able to take my time and wrap a couple of gifts in a unique way.  My husband was the lucky one to receive this one.  It was very easy.  I didn't have any plain white paper so I just used regular wrapping paper flipped the other way.  I used a hat and scarf from the closet, but you could easily buy new and make them part of the gift.  

Materials

• Black Paper
• Orange Paper
• 3 Different Sized Boxes
• Wrapping Paper
• Hat and Scarf

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Chevron Monogram Binder Covers- Great for Teachers!

Chevron is the hottest print tight now, and lucky for you, I have a whole bunch of monogram prints! These are great to use as covers and are the perfect touch to spice up your organizational binders. Just right click on the images below and then save to your computer. Print them out as a full page photo (do not click "fit to frame") and insert into the clear cover on your binder! If you use a notebook/planner system like Circa, these make great covers behind the clear cover also.

Honey's Dutch Apple Pie

I spent some time hanging out in the kitchen with my Mother-in-law this morning.  She was making a Dutch Apple Pie.  I am watched  her very closely because I have never had success with making my own pie crust.  She made it look so simple!  I am sure that you will notice that in the ingredient list there is no honey.  It is named after my mother-in-law.  My kids have always called her "Honey."  My oldest started it and it has stuck for almost 7 years.

Ingredients for Pie Crust:

• 1.5 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 Cup Vegetable Shortening
• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 4-5 Tablespoons Ice Water

First combine flour and salt.  Then cut in the butter and shortening with a pastry knife or two forks until a crumbly mixture forms.

Add in 4-5 tablespoons of ice water until dough forms.  Next roll into large ball.

Place ball of dough in between floured sheets of wax paper and roll out to desired size.  Remember to go from the middle out until the crust is about 1/8" thick.

Place in pie dish and lightly press down.  Pinch edges to form decorative crust.  Place in freezer for about an hour or until ready to use.  Or you can bake it immediately you are using it for a cream pie.  To use for Cream Pie, preheat oven to 425 and bake for 7-9 minutes.

Ingredients for Pie Filling:

• 5 1/2 cups peeled and sliced Apples
• 1/2 cup Grandulated Sugar
• 1/4 Brown Sugar (packed)
• 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg

Peel apples and cut slices into uniform sized slices.  Add lemon juice as you go and toss with apples to make sure that they don't turn brown.  Add sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and nutmeg.  Toss to evenly coat apples and then pour into pie crust.

Ingredients for Crumb Topping:

3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar (packed)

1/3 Cup Butter (at room temp)

The crumb topping is my favorite.  Mix together with a fork the butter, flour, brown sugar, and sugar until crumbly mixture forms.

Next sprinkle the topping on the pie crumbling as you cover it.

Bake pie for 50 minutes at 375