Maple Coconut Granola

I tried a new combination for granola and was very pleased.

Preheat oven to 300.

Mix up:
3 c oats
1 c unsweetened coconut
1 c nuts, chopped however small you want
1/4 c other mixins (I did a mixture of flax and quinoa--could do sesame seeds.)
1/2 tsp coarse salt (maybe less)
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Add and mix well:
1/4 c coconut oil (warm up so it's liquid)
1/2 c pure maple syrup

Spread out on a cookie sheet. Bake for 40 min., stirring 2 or 3 times (is stirring really necessary?)

Add raisins if desired (I like them fresh; they get bitter when toasted, I think).

Notes: Ali hates nuts, and Hans and Ali don't like the quinoa in it--it is a little bitter.

Apple Muffins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Makes 12 muffins.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter (or half butter, half oil)
¾ cup white sugar
2 eggs

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
2  cups chopped apples

Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let sit 5 min. before removing from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

This is almost exactly like Dad's coffeecake he used to make on Christmas morning. It makes for a fun birthday breakfast. Next time I'm halving it for my family in a smaller pan to have along with eggs. It's a lot of sugar!

This morning my kids asked first for the corners of this cake. I splurged big time the other day and bought this pan. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'm planning to try making many things in it, and it has so many edges that everyone will be happy.  I can make one run of meatless lasagna and the rest with meat, and make brownies, cakes, rolls, etc. I'm thinking it will be my favorite pan ever, and the large size should be extra awesome for our big family. Fingers crossed.


LINE THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN WITH PARCHMENT PAPER--YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!

Overnight Oatmeals

Blueberry Maple (4 servings)
1 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 cup milk or almond milk
1 cup Greek yogurt (I used Mountain High plain--not Greek--instead)
2 TB dried chia seeds
3 TB maple syrup (or less to taste)
1 cup blueberries
Let soak overnight and eat cold or warm (I like warm)

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal

This apple cinnamon oatmeal was awesome. I followed the recipe exactly, using unsweetened almond milk. Ours was done after 6 hours on low. There are other varieties at the bottom of the page to try!

Red Velvet Pancakes

2 cups  all-purpose flour  
1 cup  powdered sugar
1/2 cup  granulated sugar 
1/2 cup  unsweetened cocoa  
1 1/2 teaspoons  baking powder  
1/2 teaspoon  baking soda  
1/2 teaspoon  salt  

1 1/2 cups  buttermilk  
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons red liquid food coloring
mini chocolate chips (optional but I think it would be a great addition--can sprinkle them once the pancake is already poured)

Cook on 300-325 degree griddle and use butter to grease it each time. I burned my first pancake, so I lowered the griddle temp and thinned the batter a bit. Then it wouldn't stay together as well, so I added another egg. Basically, they cook differently than regular pancakes but they're fun. Serve with whipped cream!

Pumpkin Bagels with Pumpkin Cream Cheese

PUMPKIN BAGELS

Proof yeast in water for a few minutes:
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 1/2 tsp (2 packages) active dry yeast

Add and mix:
1 cup canned pumpkin (use a 15 oz. can and use the rest of the can for the cream cheese)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves

6 cups (or so) all purpose flour (add until dough is the right consistency)

Knead dough. Cover and let double in size.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and sprinkle cornmeal on a cookie sheet. Form 18 or so smooth dough balls on the counter and flatten them a bit. Let sit for 10 minutes, then poke a hole in them and flatten again to form bagel shape. Put water on to boil in a big pot (giving the dough a little more time to rest). When the water comes to a boil, cook the bagels in it 2-4 at a time, 45 seconds on each side. Take them out with a slotted spoon/spatula and transfer to cooling rack (so excess water can drain off) and then to cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE
This is a work in progress. I started with a yummy pumpkin dip, but it's pretty runny and makes a ton and is very pumpkin-y (so I had to open another can of pumpkin), so I'm going to try a little modification to make it even more like a cream cheese spread you could buy. Next time I'll try this:

Mix well:
5 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar (more if needed)
rest of the 15 oz. can of pumpkin
1 TB cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp each ginger, nutmeg, allspice

Blueberry Muffins

12 muffins. Preheat oven to 350.

1/4 cup butter, room temp.
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Fold in 2 cups blueberries (I often use frozen ones thawed)

Bake 20-25 minutes. Let cool in tin for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Plain Muffins

24 muffins. Preheat oven to 350.

1/4 cup butter, melted or softened
1/4 cup oil
1 heaping cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Bake for 20-25 min.

Craisin Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Makes 24. Spray muffin tins with vegetable coating, covering very well.
 

Whip until frothy:

4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup vegetable oil

Stir together and add to above mixture:
4 cups flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar (will try less next time)
 

Gently stir in 2 cups Craisins. Do not overmix.
Or, if your family is like mine, do half the batter without Craisins and half the batter with 1 cup Craisins.
 

Heap batter to top of cups. Bake 30 minutes or until muffins are light brown and a toothpick comes out just moist.

 

Overnight Oatmeal

No cooking--just mix the ingredients together and put in the fridge overnight and eat cold in the morning.

Stir together:
1/2 cup oats
2 T chopped nuts (I used sliced almonds)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
little vanilla
1 cup almond milk 

Fold in:
1 cup diced berries (I used frozen blueberries)

Refrigerate overnight, sleep and eat;)

Pumpkin Waffles and Apple Cider Syrup

Pumpkin Waffles (makes enough for my whole family)
Beat together:
3 eggs
1 pound can of pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water

Add:
2 1/2 cup flour (I did most w.w.)
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. each nutmeg & cinnamon

Beat all ingredients together. Spray waffle iron heavily with oil. Pour scoopfuls into waffle maker (1/2 cup batter for mine). Serve with whipping cream & cinnamon or apple cider syrup.



Apple Cider Syrup
Combine all in saucepan and boil 1 minute while stirring:
3/4 cup sugar
2 TB cornstarch
1 TB fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh apple cider (or juice would work)

Remove from heat and add:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter

Store leftovers in the refrigerator; use within a week or two.

Egg, Ham & Quinoa Muffins

When my friend Natalie makes a new recipe for her family, she asks them to give her a thumbs up or thumbs down about it. And she chooses to not be offended if they give her the thumbs down. This recipe got two neutral thumbs and the rest thumbs up from my family, so I'll be making it again.

Preheat oven to 350. 2 muffin tins--use 16 cupcake liners and spray them. The muffin tins are not fun to clean if you don't use liners!

Mix together: 

12 eggs, whisked
1 cup cubed ham (you could add sausage, chopped bacon or leave out the meat completely if you wish)
1/2 cup green onions, sliced (you can also add more veggies if you want)
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (or less cheese next time)
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Then add:
1 cup cooked quinoa* (you can add more quinoa if desired--up to 2 cups)

Place 1/4 cup of the egg mixture into each of the 16 cupcake liners. Bake for 25 minutes or more (until the centers are cooked through and the tops are slightly golden brown). My family likes them on the crispy side, like 40 minutes. Apparently these freeze well too--warm in the microwave to reheat.

*How to cook quinoa fast: cook 1/2 cup of raw quinoa in 1 cup of water. Let cook on the stove to steam for 10-15 minutes or until they are tender. Remove the quinoa from the heat and let cool.

Breakfast Cake

I love breakfast foods and feel bad when my kids eat cold cereal, but my usual rotation of warm yumminess was seeming old to me. So I made a zucchini bread and a pumpkin bread a little healthier (whole wheat flour and less sugar) and baked them in 13x9 pans for breakfast cake. Easier than doing muffins, I figure, though you do have to get up early enough to get it in the oven so it can come out nice and warm at the right time. This isn't health food by any stretch of the imagination (there is still plenty of sugar and oil) but it can't be much different than syrup on pancakes and waffles.


Zucchini Breakfast Cake
We grated the zucchini from our garden and froze it in 3 cup portions for this recipe, and then used 5 cup containers to make individual mixes of the dry ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9 glass pan.

3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour (or half wheat/half white)
1 1/3 cups sugar (lately I've been doing only 1 cup sugar)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 TB ground cinnamon
1 TB vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup oil (or half oil, half applesauce)
3 cups grated zucchini

Mix well, combining dry ingredients together first. Put in greased pan. Bake for 45-50 min. (until knife inserted comes out clean).



Pumpkin Breakfast Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 13x9 glass pan.

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour  (or half wheat/half white)
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves
4 eggs
1 cup oil (or half oil, half applesauce)
2 cups pumpkin

Mix well, combining dry ingredients together first. Put in greased pan. Bake for 45-50 min. (until knife inserted comes out clean).

B*squick Mix for Pancakes, Waffles and Biscuits

I have another recipe for biscuits on here, but when I'm going all for flavor, this one is really yummy (this one's from Maree).

B*squick Mix
4 cups flour
2 TB baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Cut in shortening with pastry cutter.

Pancakes: 2 cups mix with 1 cup milk and 2 eggs.

Waffles: 2 cups mix with 1 1/3 cup milk, 1 egg and 2 TB oil.

Biscuits: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stir 2 1/4 cups mix with 2/3 cup milk. Turn out on surface sprinkled with extra mix. Knead 10 times. Roll out 1/2 inch thick. Cut with 2 1/2 inch cutter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, close together so they have to expand upward. Bake 8-10 min or until golden brown. Makes 9 biscuits.
(Maree has a cool trick for biscuits. Roll it out thinner than it states and then fold the dough in half. Roll it out slightly, and then cut with biscuit cutter. There will be a perfect crease in the center of your biscuit for adding butter, honey or whatever after baking!)

Crepes--if only I were the patient type

Mr. Brady is a crepe maker; I am not. He throws ingredients in the blender from memory and has the patience to flip over each paper-thin one. The kids love them! They sprinkle powdered sugar and drizzle lemon juice on them. Um, I'd rather have a thick pancake with homemade syrup. BUT, there are two crepe fillings that I absolutely adore, so if Mr. Brady will make the crepes, I'll happily make a sweet or savory one: berry cream filling and curry chicken filling.


Berry Cream Crepe Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 TB lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Berries of choice

Beat the first ingredients with a mixer until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Fill and roll your crepes up and put the berries on top.



Curry Chicken Crepe Filling:


1/4 cup butter (I used olive oil last time)
1 1/4 cups diced celery
1 cup diced onion
2 TB flour
3/4 tsp curry powder
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup sliced black olives
2 1/2 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 cup milk

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Melt butter; saute celery and onion in a big skillet. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat until bubbly and smooth. I like the cheese added very last--kind of melting just on the top of the filling--the original recipe says to sprinkle the cheese on top of the rolled up crepe. Fill up your crepes and put them in a 9x13 baking dish at 400 degrees for about 12 min. I love these--especially the slight crunch of the celery in there!

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.

Bran Muffins

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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.

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)