Delicious oatmeal bread and oatmeal cookies

My kids get very excited whenever oatmeal is in a recipe. They take it as a given that the end result will be delicious.

Oatmeal Bread (More With Less Cookbook p. 60; contributed by Ella Rohrer and Carol Ann Maust)

Makes 2 loaves
Bake at 350 F
30-40 minutes

Combine in a large bowl:
1 c. quick oats
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T salt
2 T butter/margarine

Pour over:
2 c. boiling water (that is, you pour the boiling water over the dry ingredients)

Stir in to combine.

Dissolve:
1 pkg dry yeast (or 2+1/2 tsp) in
1/2 c. warm water

When batter is cooled to lukewarm, add yeast.

Stir in:
5 c. white flour

When dough is stiff enough to handle, turn onto floured board and knead 5-10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down and let rise again. Shape into 2 loaves and place in greased 9x5x3 pans. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes. Cool on rack, brushing loaves with margarine for a soft crust.

Oatmeal Cookie Mix (More with Less cookbook, p. 286; contributed by Hilda Janzen)
Put through a coarse sieve:
3 cups white sugar
3 cups brown sugart
6 cups sifted flour
4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons soda
2 teaspoons baking powder

Cut in:
4 cups shortening

Add:
12 cups rolled oats

Mix well. Store in a cool place.

To make cookies:
Combine in a bowl:
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups oatmeal cookie mix

Mix well. Drop teaspoonsful onto a greased baking sheet, flatten with fork, and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

*** I made this mix this morning, but I did not add shortening to the master mix, because I was worried about long-term cold storage for such a big batch of mix (it yields 26 cups!). Instead, I mixed the dry ingredients and the oatmeal and quickly divided it into 12 zip-top bags, approximately 1 and a half cups of mix per bag.   The reason I say "quickly" is because the oatmeal and other dry ingredients tend to separate from each other, so if you let it settle you'll get some bags of mostly oatmeal and others of mostly flour and sugar. 

Then, when it comes time to make the cookies, I add 1/3 cup of shortening, butter, margarine, or lard (any kind of baking fat!!), 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla.  This makes 2 dozen cookies at a time, which is just perfect in my opinion, because I don't really expect them to last!! 

Please try the bread, you'll be delighted at how easy it is to make and how delicious it tastes, then let me know what you think!