Granola

Preheat oven to 300.

In a big bowl combine:
12 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 TB cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
1-2 cups chopped nuts, sesame seeds

In saucepan on stove combine until smooth:
1 cup oil (coconut or canola--or half and half)
1 1/4 cup honey (I do a little less)
1 TB vanilla

Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread on 2 cookie sheets and stir every 20 minutes until desired crispness (45-60 minutes). Once cool, add 1-2 cups raisins if desired (I've decided to keep them out and whoever likes them can add them to their own bowl). Store in airtight container in pantry.

Peppermint Eggnog

This is heavenly.

A Pie to Try: Pumpkin Cream

I do not like pumpkin pie, so I want to try this one.
We tried it 2011; Shannon and I like the pumpkin cheesecake better.

Chocolate Mousse Pie

Mr. Brady made 2010--most popular pie

1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup white sugar
4 TB water
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
3 eggs, separating whites from yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TB white sugar

2 TB cocoa powder
2 TB powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

Sprinkle the gelatin on top of 2 tablespoons water. Separate the eggs.

In a small saucepan, heat chocolate, 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons water; stir constantly. until melted. Add softened gelatin to the saucepan, and heat until completely dissolved. Remove pan from heat, and gradually beat in egg yolks. Return to pan to heat. Cook until mixture thickens slightly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool slightly.

While chocolate mixture is cooling, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar, and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold whipped egg whites into chocolate mixture. Whip 1/2 cup cream until stiff, and fold into chocolate mixture. Spoon into pie crust. Chill.

To Make Topping: Add cocoa and confectioners' sugar to 1 cup whipping cream. Chill mixture 30 minutes, then whip until stiff. Stir in vanilla. Top the pie with this chocolate whipped cream. Chill several hours or overnight until set. Filling with be a little soft.

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

Yummy crunch and almond flavor. Crust is like cake.

We left off the top sugar last time we made it--it was still great!

Cranberry Nut Bread

(Mom made 2010--sweet and nutty)

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ cup shortening (or butter)
1 tsp. grated orange or lemon peel
¾ cup orange juice
1 egg, beaten well
1 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
½ cup chopped nuts

Mix dry ingredients and then cut in shortening/butter. Combine peel, juice and egg in a separate bowl, mix in dry ingredients, just to moisten. Fold in berries and nuts. Put in greased 9x5x3 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 60 min.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

Here

Tortillas

Original recipe from a true cook here. I do it slightly differently.

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt (or more for me, which is strange because I like less salt than everyone else, usually)

2/3 cup warm water
2 TB oil

This is where Emily's instructions are detailed and helpful, and where I get lazy. First, I mix the flours and salt together with a whisk or spoon, then add the warm water and oil, and stir and then ultimately ditch the spoon and get my hand into it to combine the dry and wet ingredients. If there is still flour at the bottom of the bowl I add a small amount of water (I usually do add more) until all the flour is used up. Divide the dough into 8 balls. Put a wet paper towel over the bowl and let sit for 30 min. (or skip this step if you're in a hurry like I usually am).

Roll out the tortillas and cook on medium heat (this is a doubled batch, obviously, in the picture).

Magic Cookie Bars

Originally called the unimaginative "Oatmeal Chocolate Bars," these have been renamed by Mr. Brady, who says that these bar cookies will be the death of him--they're that good. I think we almost unanimously prefer less of the chocolate mixture, so really, we should double the cookie mixture (keeping the chocolate the same) and use two cookie sheets. Also, as good as they are right out of the oven (vanilla ice cream on top????), they are best when completely cool.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam.

1 cup shortening (I mess around with this, sometimes using less than 1 cup butter or "I Can't Believe..." but have always found shortening does make the best consistency bar)
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour (I sometimes do some whole wheat for more umph)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 1/2 cup oats

Combine shortening and eggs and sugars. Mix dry ingredients separately and then combine. Yada yada. Spread evenly on cookie sheet, leaving out about 1 cup to sprinkle/drop on top.

Melt in a saucepan:
12 oz. chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 TB butter
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla (add after everything is smooth)

Spread chocolate topping over bars. Bake at 350 for 20 min.

Macaroni and Cheese

My kids call this "the white kind" and don't even like the boxed kind anymore. (I used whole wheat flour in this batch.)



Cook according to package:
2 cups uncooked elbow noodles

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 3 qt. saucepan. Add and whisk:
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

When bubbly and mixed, add:
2 cups milk

When hot but not to boiling, take off heat and add:
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Combine hot (drained) cooked noodles with cheese sauce. The original recipe says to bake after this at 350, but my kids like it better not baked.

Mummy Dogs

I used this roll recipe, sliced the hot dogs in half lengthwise (better hot dog to bread ratio in my opinion), rolled out the dough after the first rise, and used a pizza cutter to slice the mummy wrappings on either side of the hot dog before wrapping it up (sorry no picture of that). Baked them at 350 for about 16 min. Mustard eyes. I like to mix ketchup with mustard for a dipping sauce.

White Chocolate Caramel Pears

My friend Bookette makes yummy white chocolate caramel pears and apples. I say skip the apples and just make the pears. I'm not even a fan of white chocolate, but these are so good. Here's her recipe.

Pumpkin Bread

This is one of my earliest experiences of asking people for recipes. My mom's visiting teacher made this yummy bread for her when I was a teenager.

1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 2/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves (I like less)

Mix well:
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup pumpkin

Combine 2 mixtures. Place in greased loaf pan. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees. (3 mini-loaves take about 35-40 min).

I'm coming to grips with the idea that my oven might be a little off. I always have to take things out sooner than recipes say to. I need to test this bread after 75 min. in my oven.

Tin Foil Dinner Simplified

I want to add more photos to my recipes, but I'm not a photographer by any means and I'm not sure these pictures even look appetizing (especially since we were in the middle of eating it when I thought to take the picture :). But even Lincoln liked this very simple dish, so it's a keeper for us. I like it better than hamburgers and French fries (same ingredients, basically).

Simply chop up carrots, onions and potatoes and spread raw lean ground beef over the top (about 3 handfuls for a 13x9 dish). Salt and pepper the whole thing (adding any other seasonings you want--even an onion soup packet?), cover with foil and cook at 375 for an hour or less (until veggies are desired tenderness). Serve with ketchup.


(I mixed my diced onions with the raw meat and also added a touch of beef broth to the meat mixture in this photo. The result had more liquid than needed, so I don't think any extra liquid is required.)

Mom's Grilled Chicken Marinade

Nothing says a summer bbq feast better than this chicken with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, salad and watermelon (oh, and maybe strawberry shortcake for dessert).

I often only need half this amount:
12 oz. water
3 TB lemon juice
3 TB brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic
1 cup oil
1 cup soy sauce

Chocolate Eclair Pies

Tastes just like an eclair. Makes 2 pies. (I made it with homemade vanilla pudding once and it wasn't as sweet as it needed to be for this recipe--plus it was a lot more work!)

Preheat oven to 400.

Crust
Bring to a boil in a saucepan:
1 cup water
1 stick butter

Remove from heat and whisk in:
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Grease 2 9" pie pans and pour your crust into them, going up the sides and evenly across the bottom (if it's too runny to push up the sides, don't worry about it). Bake at 400 for 22-28 min. After baking, flatten crusts by pushing down on them with a bowl. Cool.

Filling
Mix together and chill in fridge:
5.1 oz. package instant vanilla pudding (I used banana cream pudding once too; yum)
3 cups milk

Add and mix well:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I use neufchatel)

Pour into cooled crusts. Top with sweetened whipped cream or Cool Whip. Pour chocolate sauce in a cool design over the top.

Butter Chicken

I don't like the name of this awesome stuff. It just seems to evoke the wrong things for me. Chicken rubbed with butter? In actuality, it's a creamy, tomatoey, savory chicken over rice. I put it in the crockpot while I went to church--chicken breasts on high for about 3 1/2 hours.

Vanilla Shakes

Yummy, simple shakes. I'm excited for the Fall holidays already, and it's only July!

My favorite milkshakes are simply vanilla ice cream blended with canned peaches.

Brazilian Lemonade

Here

Eskimo Cookies (no-bakes)

a childhood favorite--we made these in honor of Mr. Brady being in Alaska

1 1/2 cubes butter (I think less would be good next time)
3/4 cup sugar
3 TB cocoa
1 TB water
2 cups quick oats
1 tsp vanilla

Chill. Roll into balls, then roll the balls in powdered sugar.

Mississippi Mud Pie

There are only a few desserts that I use whipped topping for; this is one of them. My Brady thinks it's the best thing ever. I always think of this in the summertime (from Rebecca).

Preheat oven to 325.

Crust:
1 cup flour
1 cube butter (melted)
1 cup chopped nuts (I like pecans)
Mix and pat into 9x13 and bake for 20 min. Let cool.

First layer:
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups whipped topping
Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold whipped topping in. Smooth over cooled crust.

Second layer:
1 small pkg. chocolate pudding
1 small pkg. vanilla pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
Mix and smooth over first layer.

Put a layer of whipped topping on top, garnish with nuts or shaved chocolate or toffee bits, etc. Chill until serving.

Strawberry Shortcake

This is currently my favorite cake for strawberry shortcake--it's not spongy and not biscuity.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 1/4 cups white flour (I do some whole wheat)
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 large eggs

Mix well. Greased 13x9 pan for 35-40 mins. or 9 inch rounds for 25-30 mins.

Sweeten and whip cream. Slice strawberries and if you like them juicy like I do, mash them with a pastry cutter. Top cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Vanilla ice cream optional.

Chinese Coleslaw (Cabbage Salad)

Salad Main:
1 large head green cabbage, shredded (heard napa cabbage is the best)
1/2-1 bunch green onions, sliced
2-3 cups chicken, diced (better grilled or cooked in the frying pan--in a pinch you can use canned)
Purple grapes (sliced in half) or mandarin oranges

Dressing:
1 cup oil (lately I use less because it separates and what comes out first is a lot of oil OR spray oil on each portion separately, omitting the oil from the main dressing)
1/4 cup sugar
3 TB soy sauce
2 TB rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. black pepper
2-3 pkgs. Ramen noodle seasonings

Toast these and keep separate for crunch until right before eating (can toast in microwave--stirring and watching closely):
3 pkgs. Ramen noodles, broken up before opening the packages
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds or cashews

(from Jenn)

Biscuits

This is the biscuit recipe I prefer. I do them as drop biscuits instead of rolling out the dough and cutting them out.

Molten Lava Cakes

My jeans are tight lately, so I'm on a bride diet so my dress will still fit me in less than a month.

Naturally, I've got chocolate on the brain, and I think a link to this recipe is called for, from my sis. This is where the picture at the top right of my header comes from.

P.S. I know it's completely against the concept of this dessert, but I like these better cold. Like the next day straight out of the fridge? Mmmmmmmm.

Some of My Favorite Shortcuts

I store the following things in the freezer in freezer bags:

*ground beef and sausage already browned and drained
*onions diced (flash freeze them). I love this because I only have to cry once when I chop a whole bag of onions! (Put on goggles to cut them, and it's even better for your eyes!)
*ham diced for soups, fried rice, etc.
*cheese grated with my food processor
*pizza toppings
*not quite done homemade rolls to throw in the oven and come out just like freshly made
*extra frosting
*my favorite cookies

Bran Muffins

-->

Mom used to make bran muffin batter and store it in the fridge. We would make our own individual muffins in the microwave (spray a microwaveable bowl and add batter; cook until no longer gooey on top) and then smother them with butter. I still prefer the microwave method to baking them in the oven.

1 ¼ cups flour (I use whole wheat)

½ cup sugar

1 TB baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 cups bran cereal (like All-Bran--twig-like, not flakes)

1 ¼ cups milk

1 egg

¼ cup oil

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine cereal and milk. Let stand about 5 minutes or until cereal softens. Add egg and oil. Beat well. Add flour mixture, stirring only until combined. To cook in the oven, grease muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

Tater Tot Casserole

This is my favorite dish made with mixed vegetables (rotating some canned mixed veggies from our food storage!). Not the healthiest stuff out there, but a nice comfort food and extremely easy. Everyone in our family except Cooper gave it a thumbs up!

1 lb. (or less) ground beef, browned and drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 package onion soup mix (about 6 tsp.)
2 cans mixed vegetables, undrained, OR frozen vegetables + 1 1/2 cups water

Mix together and put in greased 9x13 casserole dish. Put a layer of frozen tater tots on top. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour and 15 mins.

(from Camille)

Buttermilk Syrup

Affectionately known as "candy syrup" at our house.

1/2-1 cube butter (I have 2 recipes with differing amounts)
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 TB vinegar)
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. soda
Boil for 1-2 mins in a big saucepan. It will foam up pretty big.

Add 1/4 tsp. vanilla
Add maple flavoring if desired

Pancake Mix

We eat pancakes a lot at our house. We make different syrups, like a simple water, sugar and Mapleine one--"brown syrup," a buttermilk one--"candy syrup," applesauce, or sometimes a coconut one (add mashed bananas and your favorite nuts in with the pancake mix). I also like pureed canned peaches on them, with or without whipped cream on top! Probably the healthiest thing to put on pancakes is yogurt. My mom used to grate apples into the batter with cinnamon--wow, there is a lot you can do to spice up the regular pancake!

Mix:
10 cups flour (I do half or all whole wheat flour--you can also add wheat germ or other grains)
2 1/2 cups instant dry milk powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup bkg. pwdr.
2 TB salt
Mix with wire whisk and store in airtight container.

Pancakes:
3 cups mix
2 eggs
1/8-1/4 cup oil
1 1/2-2 cups water (to desired consistency)

Refried Bean Chip Dip

I throw this together to eat with tortilla chips:

1 can refried beans
1 scoop of sour cream
taco seasoning to taste
handful of grated cheddar cheese

Stir together and heat until warm. When I don't have my kiddoes around I dice tomatoes and green onions in it too. I made it today with fat free refried beans and light sour cream--I love it!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cake

This is a very moist, chocolately cake without being plain chocolate cake. It's so yummy warm that it doesn't need a frosting at all. Whipped cream is always a great garnish, but it's not necessary.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour boiling water over oats; let sit 10 minutes.
1 3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup quick oats

Add sugars and butter and stir until butter melts.
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cube butter

Add 2 eggs and mix well.

Combine the dry ingredients and add them.
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 TB cocoa

Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips
Pour into greased 9x13.

Sprinkle on top:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Bake for about 35 minutes.

Marcy's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies--my cookie staple!

This makes a huge batch (6 dozen). I bake them all and freeze leftovers. We use them for school lunches.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together:
1 lb. (4 cubes) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 cups packed brown sugar (lately I like 1 1/2 cups)
3 eggs
2 TB vanilla

Add and mix well:
3 cups white flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Add and mix well:
1 1/2 cups oats (I prefer regular rather than quick)
2-4 cups chocolate chips, any variety

Roll into balls on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes (yes, set the timer, Karin!).

Pita Bread

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. dry active yeast

3 cups flour OR 2 cups white flour and 1 cup whole wheat
1 tsp salt
1 TB olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (use a pizza stone if available). Combine water, sugar and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes. Combine flour, salt and oil, and mix with yeast mixture. Knead. Separate dough into 8-12 equal parts. Cover with damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Roll out each ball to a 6-7 inch circle, place on pizza stone and bake for 4 minutes. Immediately transfer to airtight container to keep soft.

4 Mini-loaves of Yummy Bread

(taken from my favorite roll recipe--my goal here was to design an offering for neighbors that wasn't as time consuming as rolls)

2 cups warm water
2 TB yeast (I use SAF from Macey's)
1/2 cup sugar
Let that stand for 15-20 mins.

Add to it:
5+ cups of flour (I like 3 cups whole wheat and the rest white)
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
2 tsp. salt

Knead and add more flour as needed. If using a mixer, add flour until it no longer sticks to the sides.

Let raise, covered, in bowl. Divide equally in 4 mini-loaf pans. Let raise again. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Chicken Taco Pie

Update for myself: Mr. Brady prefers chicken enchiladas where you broil them at the last minute to give them a crispy shell--he's not a fan of the soggy nature of this dish (but I like both kinds).

I used to make chicken enchiladas, but this dish has kind of taken its place (originally from Jane).

1 cup chopped onion
1 TB oil
3 cups (or less) cubed cooked chicken
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 TB taco seasoning
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Some mild salsa to taste or 1 can diced green chiles
1 1/2 cups sour cream

8 tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese


Saute onion in oil. Add chicken and everything else down through the sour cream; heat until warm and smooth.

Spray a 2-3 quart casserole dish and cover the bottom with 4 torn up tortillas. Spread half the chicken mixture on top. Tear up the last 4 tortillas over that, and cover with remaining filling. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly. Makes 6-8 servings.

This version was made with homemade wheat flour tortillas:

Healthier Snickerdoodles

My mom went through a phase of using great northern beans in desserts; I decided to give it a try with the cookies my kids (lately) like best. When I revealed to my oldest (after she had eaten one) that they had beans in them instead of so much butter and that made them healthier, she asked if that meant she could take 2 in her lunch instead of 1. So I think they passed the test! I also lowered the sugar content by 1/2 cup.

1 cup sugar
1 cube butter, softened
1 cup (about 1 can) mashed great northern beans
2 large eggs
1 cup white flour
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar + 1 tsp. baking soda (or 3 tsp. baking powder)
1/4 tsp. salt

Form into balls and roll into the following mixture (I tried some without rolling them in sugar and they were good too):
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.