Homemade Granola

Crunchy Granola

1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. water
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
8 c. oats
1 c. pecans
1 c. almonds
1 c. dried fruit (optional)

Preheat oven 275 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine brown sugar and water. Microwave for 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla and salt. In large bowl combine oats, nuts and warm sugar mixture. Mix well. Spread onto cookie sheets and bake for 45 - 60 minutes or until golden brown. Check frequently and turn half way through. When cooled add dried fruit if desired. Enjoy over yogurt, milk or on its own. Enjoy! (Note, it will harden once it has cooled.)

(I don't always add all the sugar and sometimes add in Steel cut oats and/or wheat germ for some extra healthy crunch, but this is one of the healthiest recipes for granola that I've found.)

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

So these are healthier than they sound and really taste like an Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie!

makes 12 muffins

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose)

1 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk (any kind will do)

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Add oats to a bowl and add 1/2 cup of milk. Let soak for 5-10 minutes, while you prepare the first few steps of the muffins.

In a large bowl, combine egg and brown sugar and whisk until smooth and caramel in color. Add in vanilla and butter, whisking well. Try to smooth the batter as much as possible – there still may be some small butter chunks. Add flour, oat mixture, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix. Add remaining milk and combine until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.

Line a muffin tin with lines and pour about 1/4 cup batter into each line. Sprinkle the tops with raw turbinado sugar. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve with butter!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Peanut Butter Pancakes

Made these this morning....oh, my goodness!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Peanut Butter Pancakes

pancakes adapted from cooks.com

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, well beaten

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons peanut butter, melted

3 tablespoons chocolate chips

Stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and oil. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in melted peanut butter. Cook on preheated pan until bubbles form and edges start to dry. Drop in chocolate chips. Flip and cook until lightly browned.

Original Receipe found here

Egg Souffle

My aunts recipe!

I am trying soon with wheat bread instead of white-hopefully it will taste just as yummy!

Egg Souffle

-grease 9x13 baking dish
-10 slices of bread-crusts removed, spread with margarine (i usually skip that step to save fat and calories). cut into cubes
- 1/2 lb of sharp cheddar cheese grated
-6 eggs
-3 cups milk
-1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp of dry mustard

sprinkle 1/2 bread cubes in bottom of dish, cover w/half cheese. layer again. mix eggs and milk together, salt and mustard as well. pour over. refrigerate 8 hours or all night. sprinkle w/paprika before baking

bake 1hr and 30 minutes in 275-300 degree over.
(keep an eye for browning and don't move when baking!)

-you can add sausage, bacon, mushrooms, whatever to the layers

ENJOY!!

Clone of a Cinnabon

Clone of a Cinnabon.

So I found this a while back and LOVED it! Its a bit of work, but well worth it. I even have my mom hooked and she requested that I posted it here, since she uses recipes on our site too!:)

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Visit the Original recipe here.

Pancakes

Here is my basic pancake recipe. For the seven of us, I usually triple it. They are great to freeze for later too! Oh and if I triple it, I use 2 cups of white and 1 cup of wheat, instead of 3 white flour. Then I can rationalize that they are healthy. :)

Pancakes
By: Betty Crocker!

1 egg
1 cup flour
3/4 cup like
1 T brown sugar
2 T oil
3 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

mix in bowl, tada!

YUM! We love blueberry and chocolate chips ones!

Blueberry Sausage Breakfast Cake

Here is another wonderful use of blueberries. I did however use maple sausage and we learned that you can definitely cut back on the sugar. It was really sweet, and a little less sweet would have been better. The sauce at the end isn't necessary, but if you take a lot of the sugar out of the cake, it might work.

BLUEBERRY-SAUSAGE BREAKFAST CAKE

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 (8 oz.) container dairy sour cream or low-fat sour cream
1 lb. bulk pork sausage, cooked and well drained
1 c. blueberries
1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)
Blueberry sauce

In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside. In a large mixer bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until fluffy. Add sugars and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Add flour mixture and sour cream to egg mixture alternately beating after each addition just until combined. Fold in sausage and berries.
Pour batter into an ungreased 13x9x2 baking pan. Spread batter evenly in pan; sprinkle pecans on top. (At this point, you can cover and chill overnight. In the morning, bake as directed.) Bake in a 350 oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm with blueberry sauce. Chill leftover cake and sauce. (Chilled blueberry pie filling can be used also.)
BLUEBERRY SAUCE:
In a medium saucepan combine: 2 tbsp. cornstarch
Add: 2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Stir in:
Cool slightly. Makes 2 cups sauce. Makes 12 to 15 servings.

Find original recipe here.