Granola Bars

After much testing I think that we finally have a "Granola Bar". Adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted from King Arthur Flour. Makes about 30 servings, 228 calories per serving.

3 1/3 cups oats
1/3 cup demerara cane sugar
2/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup flaxseed, ground
1/2 cup craisins
3 cups almonds, chopped*
2/3 cup almond butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an cookie sheet with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or almond butter and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

If you want more control over portion size take a cookie cutter and scoop 1/3 cup of the granola into it. Press down the mixture until it is packed, remove the cookie cutter and repeat.

Bake the bars for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack.

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried pples or even chocolate chips. My mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1 cup dried cherries, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes.

Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

Jamie found this recipe and she adapted it to our diet.  I found it very tasty and would definitely make it again whether I was on a diet or not.  She prefers her soup to not be smooth so after pureeing the soup she adds two more cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes.

1 tablespoon I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz each) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves, cilantro leaves or Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1 teaspoon Splenda
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

In 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until onion is crisp-tender.

Stir in tomatoes, broth, 1 tablespoon of the basil, the sugar and pepper flakes. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat; pour mixture into large heatproof bowl; cool slightly, about 15 minutes.

In blender, place half of the mixture. Cover; blend until pureed. Return to saucepan. Repeat with remaining mixture. Heat over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon basil.

Ground Beef Spins

A recipe that Mom used to make when we were kids.

1 pound hamburger
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/3 cup celery, diced
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup bullion
1 can Crescent rolls or biscuit dough

Cook onions and celery with seasoned meat until meat is brown.  Stir in 2 tablespoons flour into 1/2 cup boullion* and then add to meat.  Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.  Roll biscuit dough to 1/4" thick in a rectangular shape.  Spread with ground beef mixture and roll up lengthwise.  Cut in 1" pieces.  Bake at 450 for 15 to 20 minutes.Serve with gravy made in the pan the meat was cooked in.

*1 bullion cube to 1 cup boiling water

Eggwiches

Mom and I have been cooking up a storm and then freezing it.  I found this recipe on Once A Month Mom and we

12 English Muffins, toasted

1 Dozen Eggs, scrambled
12 Cheddar Cheese Slices
12 Deli Ham Slices
butter (optional, smear the toasted muffins)

Scramble eggs; while eggs are cooking, split and toast muffins (adding smear of butter if you wish). Once eggs are cooked, set up an assembly line of muffins, eggs, cheese and ham; assemble and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze wrapped eggwiches in freezer bags or freezer boxes. To serve nuke for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Makes 12.

The beauty of the eggwich recipe above is that it is basic; you can spruce it up however you'd like with different cheeses, meats, veggies, and spices.

Razzleberry Pie

This recipe came from Becky with a few alterations. Maybe when she received this recipe it was for fresh berries but I had frozen berries and needed to change things up a bit. You could use any berries that you have, I used raspberries, marionberries and boysenberries.

5 cups water
3 1/3 cup sugar
2 cups blackberries
7/8 cup water
2/3 cup cornstarch
3 cups boysenberries
3 cups blackberries
2 cups raspberries

Combine water and sugar; bring to boil. Add blackberries; bring back to boil. Combine cornstarch and water; add to berry mixture and cook until thick. Fold in boysenberries and raspberries (DO NOT COOK). Cool and pour into 9" unbaked pie crust. Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Makes 4 pies.

Make ahead
After putting into crust, do not cut vents and freeze overnight. Wrap in cellophane and foil.

To cook, cut slits for vents, cover with foil and bake at 450 for 15 minutes; reduce to 375 bake 15 minutes more. Uncover and continue baking for 55 to 60 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is Mom's recipe.  For some reason her cookies always look better than mine, I usually just have a pool across the cookie sheet.  I will have to give these a try at home.

1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Cream shortening and sugars.  Add eggs.  Mix water, soda, salt and vanilla together, then add to sugar and egg mixture.  Add flour mixing thoroughly.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

Peanut Butter Cookies

This is one of my favorite cookie recipes from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Thoroughly cream butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.  Sift together dry ingredients; blend into creamed mixture.  Shape in 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Crisscross with fork tines.  Bake at 375 degrees fro 10 to 12 minutes.  Cool slightly; remove from pan.

Strawberries and Candied Nut Salad

Lettuce Greens - your favorite
Strawberries - quartered
Poppy Seed Dressing
1 1/2 cup Nuts - your choice, I used almonds but I have had walnuts before
1/2 cup sugar

Pour sugar into a medium saucepan with a thick bottom. Have nuts nearby, ready to quickly add to the pan at the right time. Cook sugar on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon as soon as the sugar begins to melt. Keep stirring until all the sugar has melted and the color is a medium amber. Add the nuts to the pan, quickly stirring and coating each piece with the sugar mixture.

When the nuts are coated with the sugar mixture, spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use two forks to separate the nuts from each other, working very quickly. Let cool completely.

I served this salad with everything in separate bowls so they could make it to their liking but if you know everyone will love it mix everything together.

Dipped Oreo Cookies

My family must have a thing for Oreos and mint. I have always loved Oreos and I remember my Grandma Birrell always had them in her cookie jar when we went to visit. I found the idea for this on How Does She and Jamie made them just like the post said. They were so delicious that I thought I would make some for my neighbors. I wanted to make them without the sticks so I tried a skewer to dip them and then I would pull the skewer out and cover the small hole with the white candy but it just took too long. I played around some more and this is my favorite look.

Oreo mint cookies, you could use any flavor
Candy melts - I used Wilton White Candy Melts
Sprinkles

Melt the candy. I used a hot chocolate mug so that it would be deeper to dip the cookies. Dip cookie and add sprinkles.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I needed an excuse to make this recipe that I found on Your Homebased Mom and the BYU bowl game was the perfect fit. It was a hit but next time I am going to put it in the crockpot and stir the cheese in.

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 C of shredded or diced chicken
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup red hot sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot Wing sauce)
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
Frito corn chips Scoops or Tortilla Chips

Mix cream cheese, ranch dressing and red hot sauce together. Add in shredded chicken. Place mixture in a pie pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for another 10-15 minutes until nice and hot and bubbly.
Serve with Fritos or tortilla chips.

Reindeer Corn Cookie Bark

This recipe is from Your Homebased Mom and I thought that it would make a great visiting teaching gift. I had trouble finding reindeer corn but after a long search I found it at a candy counter. I didn't find the holiday Oreos and I was thinking that the mint ones might be really good but I chickened out since this was my first try. I used almond bark it was cheaper and I used the whole 1 lb. 8 oz. I made two batches so I just split the Oreos evenly between the two so that I wouldn't eat a third of the package myself and that would have been no problem for me.

14 whole Oreos, broken up

1 1/2 C pretzels, broken into pieces - I used the small stick pretzels
1 lb. white chocolate, almond bark or melts found in the bulk food section
1 C reindeer corn - 1/2 pound if you have to buy from the candy counter
red and green colored sprinkles

Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper. Spread broken cookies, pretzels and about 3/4 C of the candy corn onto the waxed paper. Place white chocolate in a container and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and then microwave for another 30 seconds until melted and smooth. White chocolate melts faster and burns easier than chocolate.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookie mixture, spreading with spatula if needed to coat evenly. Sprinkle remaining candy corn and colored sprinkles over the chocolate while it is still wet. Do not let it harden. Place cookie tray into refrigerator until set and firm. Remove and gently break bark into small pieces. Store in air tight container.

Nacho Casserole

My friend Ruth Nelson gave me this recipe. I make it with refried beans on half otherwise Kaitlin won't eat it.

1 lb. Hamburger
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 can refried beans (optional)
4 c. shredded cheese (you can use 2 1/2 c. of cheese, but if you like a lot of cheese use 4 cups)
1/2 c. chopped onions (optional)
1 can sliced olives
1 large bag of corn tortilla chips (Doritos Nacho cheese chips are the best)
1 container sour cream
1 container guacamole dip

Preheat oven to 350. Cook hamburger and chopped onions. Drain grease. Add taco mix and refried beans. Put a layer of chips in a 13x9-baking dish. Then a layer of hamburger mix, a layer of cheese, then sprinkle olives over cheese. repeat layers two more times. Put in oven uncovered and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with guacamole dip and sour cream.

Bread Sticks

1 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2- 4 c. flour

Soften yeast in warm water. Mix sugar, salt, and 3 1/2 c. flour together. Add softened yeast. Blend well, adding enough remaining flour to form soft dough. Knead 3 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Place dough on greased cookie sheet and press to outer edges. Top with spread (below); cut down middle and across; let rise until double. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Yield: 40 bread sticks.

Bread stick spread- Combine:
1/4 c. margarine, softened
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4c. Parmesan cheese

Apricot Chicken

Skinned chicken pieces
1 pt. apricot jam
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 pt. French dressing

Optional:
Green pepper
sliced carrot
chunk pineapple
Rice
Pasta

Mix together apricot jam. 1 package onion soup mix and 1 pint French dressing. Bring to a boil and pour over chicken already placed in baking dish. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350. and Serve with rice or pasta.

Chow Mein

2lb. pork steak
1 1/2 c. onion
1 1/2c. celery
1 Sm. can mushrooms
1 c. cold water
1 c. hot water
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 can Bean sprouts
1 Sm. can water chestnuts
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 Tbsp. cornstarch

Brown meat; add onions, celery, and mushrooms. Cook until onions turn yellow. Add salt, pepper, and hot water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Combine corn starch, cold water and soy sauce; add to meat mixture. Cook for 10 minutes. Just before serving add Bean sprouts and water chestnuts; heat until entire mixture is hot.

No Knead Wheat Dinner Rolls

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman website and once again added my own twists. You can just use a spoon to mix this but I was feeling lazy and just through everything into my KitchenAid mixer. This recipe made 48 rolls, next time I think I will cut it in half unless I am feeding the masses.


3/4 cup powdered milk
4 cups hot tap water
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups whole wheat flour
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages or 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
1 teaspoon (scant) baking soda
2 Tablespoons salt


Pour 4 cups of warm water into a stock pot or Dutch oven. Add powdered milk, sugar and oil. Stir to combine. Now, turn the burner on medium to medium-low and “scald” the mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool to a temperature of 90 - 110 degrees.

When the mixture is the right temperature add in 4 cups of wheat flour and the yeast. After the yeast and flour are nicely incorporated, add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir together and allow to sit, covered with a tea towel or lid, for an hour. After about an hour it should have almost doubled in size. If it hasn’t changed much, put it in a warm (but turned off ) oven for 45 minutes or so. When it had risen sufficiently add 1 more cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir (or knead just a bit) until combined.


When it’s all mixed, you can put it in the fridge, covered, for up to two days before using the dough (which means you can go make the dough NOW if you’re using it tomorrow.) Or, if you make it the day of, you can just leave it on the counter until you need it. Keep in mind, though, that the dough will continue to rise (though more slowly in the fridge) so you’ll have to occasionally punch it down if it overflows. NOTE: If you do refrigerate the dough, be sure to remove it from the fridge an hour or two before you need it.

Butter 1 or 2 muffin pans. Form the rolls by pinching off a walnut sized piece of dough and rolling it into a little ball. Repeat and tuck three balls of dough into each buttered muffin cup. Continue until pan is full. Cover and allow to rise for about 1 to 2 hours.

Bake in a 400-degree oven until golden brown, about 17 to 20 minutes.

Monster Power Cookies

This is a hearty, protein packed cookie recipe from my friend Melody. We ate them on our Martin's Cove trek and they were delish!

6 eggs
2 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
2 Tsp. vanilla extract
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup butter
2 2/3 cups peanut butter
9 cups rolled oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets.

Cream butter and peanut butter together. Add the sugars and stir until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time, then add vanilla.

Mix oatmeal and baking soda separately, then stir into batter. Add chocolate and white chips last.

Drop by heaping tablespoon onto cookie sheets. May only fit 6-8 cookies per sheet. Bake for 13-16 minutes. Wrap well when cool.

Sweet Rolls

This is always the favorite when we have company or had a sleepover when the kids were little.

1/4 cup butter, melted
brown sugar
cinnamon

Make Quick! All Purpose Dough. Roll out dough. Spread butter onto dough. Sprinkle brown sugar onto dough and then sprinkle cinnamon. Roll up into a jelly roll and cut into 3/4 inch slices. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. Frost

Frosting
1/4 cup butter, melted
vanilla
milk
powdered sugar

Breakfast Cake

Everyone else calls this coffee cake but since I don't drink coffee the name is breakfast cake. The recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook which is about 29 years old.

1/4 cup salad oil
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
11/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Spicy Topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup broken nuts, optional

Combine salad oil, egg and milk. Sift together dry ingredients; add to milk mixture; mix well. Pour into greased 9x9x2-inch pan. Sprinkle with Spicy Topping. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 minutes.

Mary's Potato Salad

This is Beau's favorite! I got the recipe from Mary Shaner.

5 lbs red potatoes
1 dozen eggs
1 quart mayo
1 pkg ranch seasoning
2 small cans black olives

1. Cook potatoes until tender. Cook eggs to hard boiled stage.
2. Mix mayo and ranch.
3. Add cubed potatoes and sliced or chopped eggs. (keep 3-4 eggs out to put on top)
4. Sprinkle paprika and parsley flakes on top.

Gingerbread Men

My goal this holiday season is to be more prepared so that I can enjoy it more. One of the ways I have thought of is to prepare as much food before hand. So yes I only cooked six gingerbread men and the rest are in the freezer for future baking. I love a fresh baked cookie and that is why I have chosen to not bake them and then freeze them.

I was given this recipe from Cynthia, I worked with her at Bulloch Drug eons ago.

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Beat at slow speed until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Roll, cut and bake at 350 degrees for 6 - 8 minutes.

Homemade Noodles

I remember my mom making homemade noodles for soup and with the weather changing I thought that I would try them in chicken noodle soup. I found the recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book but I altered the recipe by adding 1/2 wheat flour.

1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Combine egg, milk and salt. Add enough flour to make stiff dough. (I used about 3/4 cup total) Roll very thin on floured surface; let stand 20 minutes. Roll up loosely; slice 1/4 inch wide; (I used a pizza cutter) unroll, spread out and let dry 2 hours. If desired, store in container until needed.

Drop into boiling coup or boiling, salted water and cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes. Makes 3 cups cooked noodles.

Hot Spiced Orange Drink

Found this recipe on Roots and Wings Co. and thought it would make a nice visiting teaching gift.

1 10 oz. jar Tang
2 oz. Lemonade Mix
2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground Cloves

Mix and store in a covered container.

Jar instructions:
Mix 2-4 teaspoons of Hot Spiced Orange Drink powder mix into 1 cup boiling water.

Pumpkin Pound Cake

I had left over pumpkin after making Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Turtle Bread and started a search to find a recipe to use up the rest. I came upon this new website, The Long Thread, with a recipe that I wanted to try. I tasted really yummy especially right out of the oven!

1 1/2 cups wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda, heaping
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 dashes ground allspice

2 dashes ground ginger

2 dashes ground cloves
1 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sugar

1 cup brown sugar
6 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour one large bundt pan or two loaf pans.

Mix together flours, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and cloves.

In another bowl combine butter, cream cheese, pumpkin, sugars and vanilla. Add eggs and flour, alternating 2 eggs and one cup of flour at a time.

Bake 60 to 75 minutes for the loaf pans and 1 1/2 hours for bundt pan. Will be done when top is crackled and golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool on wire rack before removing from pan.

Donna's Delicious Corn Bread

Steve and I met Donna last week, she was a school cafeteria cook in her former life, and she just kept feeding us all of these wonderful foods. We were able to wrangle this corn bread recipe from her and with a little help from me in starting a blog, Nana's Kitchen, I can see what else she has up her sleeve.

I did a little calculating to see which recipe for corn bread, Quaker's vs. Donna's, was better for me as far as calories. Quaker's calls for milk (1%) and oil, Donna's sour cream (fat free) and buttermilk and if you cut up the corn bread into 9 pieces Quaker corn bread is 200 calories and Donna's corn bread is 177 calories per serving. Donna you win!

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn meal
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream, fat free
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 9 inch pan. Combine dry ingredients together. Mix all wet ingredients together, stir into dry just until dry ingredients are moist. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes or until light golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

The Pioneer Woman's Apple Cake in an Iron Skillet

Just because I have lost some weight doesn't mean that I am going to give up on the good things of life, dessert to be exact. I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman and it is wonderful with vanilla ice cream.

1 3/4 sticks butter

3/4 cup sugar

4 to 5 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into six equal slices

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 small apple, peeled cored and chopped finely

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a 9 to 10-inch skillet, add apple butter to the pan, then place apple slices, wedge side down, in the pan. Don’t pack them too tightly, but try not to leave overly large gaps. Allow this to cook over low/medium-low heat while you make the cake batter.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat applesauce and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Add sour cream and mix well. Gradually add flour mixture until just combined. Gently stir in chopped apple.

Remove skillet from heat. Spoon batter over the top, then spread gently so batter is evenly distributed. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and bubbly. Place a cookie sheet or aluminum foil under the skillet to catch any spills. Allow cake to sit in skillet for five minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Don’t worry if some of the topping isn’t perfect—it’ll taste perfect!

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Turtle Bread

Jen and Robert inspired our pumpkin carving party and I wanted to have treats that were around the theme so I went to a wonderful website that I found called Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. Every picture makes my mouth water and makes me want to run into the kitchen and be a chef.

Here are a list of changes I made either because I was lazy or I didn't plan properly -

• I didn't sift the dry ingredients
• I only had olive oil in the house so I used that
• Didn't have enough brown sugar for the pumpkin bread so topped it off with Baker's sugar
• Lyle's Golden Syrup - couldn't find it in my little neck of the woods so used Karo Syrup
• Mini loaf pans were too small so they overflowed

Despite all of the little changes the bread tasted great!!

Pumpkin Bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup pumpkin puree(plain, not the already made pumpkin pie kind)

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup canola oil

2 large eggs

¾ cup granulated sugar(Baker's sugar (superfine) recommended)

¾ cup light brown sugar, loosely packed

Caramel Cheesecake Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

¼ cup brown sugar, tightly packed

2 TBSP Lyle’s Golden Syrup

2 TBSP Caramel Sauce (store bought or homemade)

1 TBSP all-purpose flour

1 large egg

Topping:

Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)

Caramel Sauce (store bought or homemade)

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 325F.

Lightly grease and flour three mini loaf pans (3 ½ -x- 5 inch).

Using a stand mixer (or a medium bowl and electric beaters) with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, syrup and caramel sauce for about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add egg and beat for another minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl and add flour. Beat flour into mixture until fully incorporated. If using stand mixer, transfer cheesecake filling to a separate bowl. Set aside. If using the stand mixer, clean and dry the bowl to use again.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Using a stand mixer (or a medium bowl and electric beaters) with the paddle attachment, place pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and sugars into the bowl and beat for about 1 minute.Add flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix just until combined. This is a quick bread so you don’t want to over mix.

Pour half of the pumpkin bread batter evenly into the three prepared loaf pans (I find it best to use an ice cream scoop. I like to use 2 scoops for the bottom). Spread the batter out evenly.

Spoon cheesecake mixture on top of pumpkin batter layer, a little less than 2/3 of a cup.

Scoop the remaining batter on top of the cheesecake layer, again about 2 ice cream scoops worth.

If you don’t want to bother with the layering you can just spoon some pumpkin batter, then cheesecake, then pumpkin batter again and use a knife to make swirls in the bread. Tastes just as good.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Let breads cool completely before glazing.

Pour chocolate glaze over breads, about 1/3 cup each. Sprinkle pecans on top of the glaze. Followed by extra caramel sauce if desired (but really, why wouldn’t you want it ).

Chocolate Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

¼ cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

2-4 TBSP milk (depending on how thick you want your glaze)

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and 2 TBSP of milk until smooth and glossy. If you want a thinner glaze add more milk, 1 TBSP at a time.

Spicy Rice & Beef

Last night I prepared Organic Harvest Medley, a gourmet blend of four uniquely aromatic California rices, and it had absolutely no flavor. We had to use a lot of salt, pepper, almonds and green onions to be able to eat it and I had prepared extra for leftovers. I didn't want to waste it so I had to come up with a recipe to use up the remainder. Steve loved it so much he told me that I had to post it on the blog so that we could make it again.


1 quart Tomato Soup
1 pint Salsa
1 lb. Ground Beef
Salt
Pepper
Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
Rice, precooked


Combine tomato soup, salsa, uncooked ground beef, salt and pepper. Cook on high for 4 hours. Stir in rice and add cayenne pepper sauce to taste. Cook for an additional 1/2 hour or until warmed through.

Crockpot Chicken Stew

After two weddings in the family within a week I have been neglecting my house and everything else so I thought I would throw something in the crockpot to help with dinner. I didn't measure anything I just cut up what was in the house and threw it in.

Chicken, boneless breast

Celery

Onion

Carrots

Green Beans

Potatoes

Salt

Pepper

Poultry Seasoning

2 cans Chicken Broth

Cornstarch

Put everything except the cornstarch into the crockpot first thing in the morning and cook on low. One half hour before serving mix cornstarch and water together then stir into stew to thicken.

Jen's Chicken Tortilla Soup

For Lisa's wedding we left the corn out, used two cans of beans and used one 12.5 oz. can of chicken and we did not drain it. With our portions it made 3 quarts.

November 2 - Omitted the can of water and used the soup, salsa, corn, beans and 12.5 oz. can of chicken. Added crushed red pepper and 10 shakes of Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce. This made for a thicker and spicer soup. ~ Cheryl

1 (26 oz.) family size can Campbell's Chicken and Rice soup
1 (26 oz.) can of water
1 16 oz. jar of your favorite salsa
1 (15 1/4 oz.) can corn (undrained).....we left this out
1 can Texas Style Ranch Beans (undrained)
2-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced......we use canned chicken, the cannery chicken is perfect
Cilantro (if desired)

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and simmer.

Place the following items on the table for each person to add individually as they like:
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Tortilla chips
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole

Pastor Ryan’s Bloomin’ Bread

Thank you Pastor Ryan! The minute I saw the end result I knew that I had to try this recipe and now that I have I have all kinds of variations are running through my head so be prepared to see a new recipe posted.

4 cups bread flour (all purpose is okay, too)
1 cup water
1/2 cup melted butter with chopped herbs of choice (chives, rosemary,basil or thyme)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon active or instant yeast (if active, it would be best to sprinkle yeast over the water to let it start to work before mixing it in)

Combined all ingredients together in a stand mixer with a dough hook (it can be done by hand…it just takes longer). Mix together for about 10 minutes or until a successfully windowpane is achieved with the dough. This is where you can pull off a small chunk of the dough you’re kneading and stretch it gently to see if it is somewhat translucent. If you can do this without it tearing, it’s ready.

Once this elasticity has been achieved, the dough can sit out with plastic wrap over it for 1-4 hours to double in size. After it’s gotten bigger, it should be kneaded for a minute or two so that the yeast can redistribute.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut a large ‘X’ into the surface of the bread dough so it can bloom! Bake inside a covered cast iron pan, I didn't have a cast iron pan but it worked just fine as you can see from the picture, after coating the rounded dough with olive oil and sprinkling with kosher salt. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove lid to finish it off for another 15 to 30 minutes. (The bread can get brown on the bottom if it’s too close to the heating element; if that happens, just slice it off with a sharp knife.

Refrigerator French Bread

When Steve and I got married we received enough money to purchase an Oster Kitchen Center Food Preparation Appliance. It has since gone to appliance heaven but the recipe book lives on. This is one of my favorites because you can make it first thing in the morning and bake it anywhere from 2 to 24 hour later. It also works well if you need to take a meal into someone because it makes 2 loaves, one for your family and one for someone in need. Today I switched it up a little by replacing half of the flour with whole wheat.

2 1/4 cups water

2 tablespoons butter

6 1/2 cups flour - I used 3 cups whole wheat and 3 cups all-purpose flour

2 packages yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

vegetable oil or Pam

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

Heat water and butter to 120 degrees. In large mixer bowl combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and warm water mixture. Mix for 3 minutes. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Knead until smooth and satiny, about 4 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place 30 minutes. Punch down and divide into 2 equal parts. Roll each into a rectangle on lightly floured board. Roll each up tightly jelly-roll style, beginning with long side. Seal edges and ends well by rolling with hands. Place seam-down diagonally on greased baking sheet. Slash top of loaves diagonally at 2-inch intervals with a sharp knife. Brush with oil; cover. Refrigerate 2 to 24 hour. When ready to bake remove from refrigerator, uncover. Let stand 10 minutes. Brush breads with slightly beaten egg white and water. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Makes 2 loaves.

Whole Wheat 3 Chocolate Chip Cookies

My latest experiment. A tip that I have been doing since losing weight is to cook just the amount of cookies that I need and then I portion out the remainder of the dough onto a cookie sheet and throw it into the freezer. When frozen solid I put the cookie dough in a freezer bag and save in the freezer to when I want or need cookies. This way I don't have a whole cookie jar staring at me saying, "Eat me!" and I can bake just what is needed.

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add salt, baking soda and flour into butter mixture beating until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoon full on a cookie sheet and bake 8 - 10 minutes.

Apple Butter Tartlets

This one is for you Melody! At Enrichment Melody shared her Rustic Apple Butter Tart and inspired my version.

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 powdered sugar

apple butter

nuts - I used almonds but any kind will work

Mix butter, flour and powdered sugar together. Place papers in your mini muffin pan, easier clean up. Spoon 1 teaspoon of dough into each cup and press down. Bake for 15 minutes in a 325 degree oven.

Spoon apple butter over each crust to coat. Add chopped nuts to the top if desired. Return to the oven for 10 minutes or until apple butter is bubbly. Immediately remove from muffin papers to prevent sticking. Makes approximately 36 tartlets.

This recipe will also works well in an 8 x 8 pan or can be doubled for a 13 x 9 pan.

Melody's Apple Butter

We had Enrichment the other night and this is another recipe, original at the bottom of this post, that was shared. I have to admit that I made one recipe last night and there was so much cinnamon, 1/2 cup, in it that I couldn't taste anything else so I made a second batch and mixed the cinnamon batch in and now I can taste the apples. If I make it again I will start with a lot less spices and add to taste.

The good thing about having to make a second batch was that it let me try placing the apples and most of the juice in my crockpot last night and this morning when I got up they were ready to be blended and strained.

6 pounds tart Apples
96 oz. Unsweetened Apple Juice
3/4 cup Lemon Juice
3 cups Brown Sugar

6 cups Sugar
2 - 4 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons Cloves
1 1/2 teapoons Allspice
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Wash apples and then quarter them only removing any bad spots. That means that you thrown the cores and seeds into the pot as well. Cover with juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 2 hours. Place your apples in a blender and then through mesh sieve. Now place apples and juices back into the pot. Add lemon juice and all sugar and spices. Bring to a slow boil then reduce heat to low. Let it cook on the stove for up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally to reduce and get a wonderful thick butter. Can pour into sterile jars and process for 25 minutes. Makes 8 pint jars.

MELODY BARRIE’S APPLE BUTTER 2 WAYS
~In the crock pot:
5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped
4 C sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ Teaspoons Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place apples in a slow cooker. Combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt; pour over apples and mix well. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 9-11 hours or until thickened and dark brown, stirring occasionally (stir more frequently as it thickens to prevent sticking). Uncover and cook on low 1 hour longer. If desired, stir with a wire whisk until smooth or use a stick blender on low. Spoon into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Cover and refrigerate or freeze.

~On the stove, my favorite!
Enough tart apples to fill a 20 quart Heavy stock pot at least half full
Enough apple cider or apple juice to cover the apples
1 ½ C. Lemon Juice
10 – 12 C Sugar, depending how sweet you like it. Up to 1/3 can be brown sugar
½ -3/4 C Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Cloves
1 Tablespoon Allspice
1 Tablespoon Nutmeg
1 tsp. Salt

Wash apples and then quarter them. Cover with juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 2 hours. Strain and force apples through a strainer (like one used for pasta) then force through mesh sieve. Now place apples and juices back into the pot. Add lemon juice and all sugar and spices. Bring to a slow boil then reduce heat to low. Let it cook on the stove for up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally to reduce and get a wonderful thick butter. Can pour into sterile jars and process for 25 minutes.

Carolyn's Homemade Tomato Soup

I found another tomato soup that I love! At the end of this post you will see the orginal recipe but I just don't have a pot large enough to make this whole batch so I cut it down to one quarter and it worked out fantastic. Of course there won't be enough to bottle after we eat it for dinner but I can make another batch now that I know what I am doing and buy myself a bigger pot. Below is my version -

6 pounds tomatoes
4 stalks celery with leaves
1 1/2 onion
1 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
6 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 heaping teaspoon pepper

6 tablespoons sugar

Cut vegetables up into large chunks and put into a large pot. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour. Then blend it in a blender and strain thoroughly. Next combine butter and flour over low heat until the mixture is smooth. Then add the strained tomato mixture to the butter/flour mixture. Stir in the salt, pepper and sugar.

CAROLYN’S HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP

½ bushel tomatoes (approximately 26 pounds)

One bunch of celery

4 – 6 onions

4 green peppers

2 red peppers

Cut all vegetable up and put into a large pot. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour. Then blend it in a blender and strain thoroughly. Next combine ¾ pound butter and 1 cup flour over low heat until the mixture is smooth. Then add the strained tomato mixture to the butter/flour mixture.

¼ cup salt

1 ½ tablespoons pepper

1 ½ cup sugar

Pour into quart jars and process for thirty minutes. Makes approximately 7 quarts

Crockpot Beef Stew

Steve has wanted me to make a stew using the vegetables out of the garden. I thought I would check out A Year of Slow Cooking to see what recipes she had for stew. I took her Traditional Beef Stew CrockPot Recipe altered it to what I had on hand.

2lbs beef stew meat
1 onion
handful of baby tomatoes - ran these through the blender / no chunky tomatoes at our house
carrots
green beans
2 cups water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 t kosher salt
1 t black pepper
1 t seasoning blend (whatever you have on hand for bbqing, stir-frying, etc.)
1 t Worcestershire sauce
cornstarch
cold water

Wash and chop all vegetables. Put them into the crockpot. Put the meat into the crock. Add dry seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Dissolve bouillon cubes in the water and pour into crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours. About a half hour before stew is done mix cornstarch and water together and stir into stew to thicken, replace lid until ready to serve. The more cornstarch added the thicker the gravy.

CrockPot Peach Cobbler

I found this recipe on A Year of Slow Cooking and thought it worked wonderfully. This recipe has me wondering about how we make cobbler in a dutch oven and I am going to have to try those ideas and let you know how they work. One thing that I would for sure do differently is to spray my crockpot with Pam before putting in the ingredients.

2 - 15 oz. can peaches with the juice - I used two pints of peaches I had bottled this year
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice

I used my 3.5-quart crockpot that I have had for 28 years and it still keeps on cooking. Got to love it baby!!!

Pour the canned peaches into the bottom of the crock. In a separate bowl, melt the butter, then add the dry ingredients and vanilla. Stir with a fork to combine. The topping will be crumbly. Pour mixture on top of peaches. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. The pie is done when it has begun to brown on the edges and the fruit is bubbly and looks like the juice has caramelized a bit.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Everything is an experiment around our house any more. A little over a month ago I had bananas in my house for company and they didn't get finished off. Steve and I were still on our diet and bananas were not on the list of approved foods to eat at that time so I put the bananas in the freeze. I just left them as they were, brown, and put them in the freezer. Today I pulled them out and made banana bread, it worked out really well. Below you will see a banana bread recipe that I have modified to be a little healthier, I substituted applesauce for shortening and milk, used whole wheat flour and used brown sugar for half of the sugar called for in the recipe. I really enjoyed it but you can definitely tell that it is made with whole wheat flour.

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 eggs

2 cups mashed bananas

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1 tablespoon flax seed (optional)

In mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; set aside.

In mixer bowl cream sugar and applesauce. Add eggs, one at a time beating until smooth. Add flour mixture and mashed bananas alternately to creamed mixture, beating until smooth after each addition. Gently fold in the chopped nuts and flax seed.

Turn batter into 2 lightly greased loaf pans. Bake in 350 degree oven for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool thoroughly on wire rack.

This recipe also makes 5 small loaf pans. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.

End of Summer Harvest Soup

I found this recipe on A Year of Slow Cooking and on $5 dinners. I loved it because almost everything came out of my garden. I made a couple of changes and it turned out really good and the best part was that when I got home from working all day, it was the first day of the month, I didn't have to think about "What's for dinner?" it was done. Next time I make this I will add more squash and maybe some carrots.

4 cups chicken broth (vegetable stock is fine!)

1 cup water

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 zucchini, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (I had red and yellow)

2 cups green beans

Handful of fresh basil and parsley from the garden

1/3 cup dry Great Northern beans - Cannellini beans were recommended but Albertsons didn't have them

1/2 cup pasta (to add 20 minutes before serving)

salt and pepper to taste

garnish with Parmesan and Romano cheeses - didn't use this but might next time

Wash squashes well and slice in rounds. Place into slow cooker with diced onion, green beans and tomato wedges. Rinse your beans in hot water, and add to cooker. Add broth, herbs, and water. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans have reached desired tenderness. 20 minutes before serving stir in raw pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan and Romano cheese.

Salsa

Mom has always had the best tasting salsa and when I was visiting a couple of weeks ago I had her teach me how to make it. It was so easy tomatoes, vinegar and Mrs. Wages Salsa Mix. I just couldn't leave it as simple as that and I know that Steve likes food that he can chew so I added a few extra items and he loves it!

6 lbs. fresh tomatoes - I pureed mine because my family hates tomato chunks

2 large onions, chopped coarsely - approximately 5 cups

2 cans whole kernel corn

3 (15 oz.) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (4 oz.) package Mrs. Wages Medium Salsa Mix - I found this at Wal-Mart

1/2 cup white or cider vinegar

Wash fresh tomatoes. Scald 3 minutes in boiling water. Dip into cold water. Cut out cores, remove skins and chop coarsely.

Combine tomatoes, vinegar, onions, corn, beans and salsa mix in a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Pour hot salsa into clean, sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Cap each jar when filled. Process 40 minutes* in boiling water bath. This recipe made 10 pint jars.

* Processing time listed is for altitudes less than 1000 feet. At altitudes of 1000 feet or more increase processing time 1 minute for each 1000 feet of altitude.

Crockpot Granola

I found this recipe on A Year of Slow Cooking and wanted to give it a try. I knew that I would be home most of the morning but had to run an errand and thought I would only be a few minutes but that turned into 45 minutes so when I got home my granola was a little more done in some places than in others but it tastes so yummy! I am attempting another batch today and changing the recipe up just a little to work for me and that is the recipe that I have put below.

5 cups oats

1/2 cup steel cut oats - I put this in just because they were in the house, can be omitted

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 T flax seeds

1 1/2 cups almonds - I didn't cut them up because we like to eat them just the way they are

1 cup Craisins - it was what I have in the house but you could use any dried fruit

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut - I put this in for Steve but he better not get used to it, can be omitted

Put all the dry ingredients into your crockpot. You'll need at least a 4 quart crockpot (I own two crockpots and I used the smaller one last time and it was hard for me really stir it and so I am using the bigger one today and it works a lot better).

Melt the butter in the microwave, add the honey and applesauce. Pour over dry ingredients and toss well.

Cover but vent with a chopstick or wooden spoon, this is so that the moisture escapes and the granola dries out. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, stirring every so often until a golden brown. If you can smell the granola cooking, go stir or it will burn if you don't keep an eye on it.

Dump out on some parchment paper and let cool. Eat with milk like cereal, warmed with milk like oatmeal, or as is. Seal well in an air-tight container or in a Ziploc. Granola freezes well.

In my search to learn more about homemade granola I ran across an article in the USA Weekend that listed other ingredients that could be add to the basic granola recipe.

1. Classic Granola Extra Ingredients: 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, 1/3 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/3 cup dark or golden raisins Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon You can replace the 1/4 cup of honey with 2 Tbs. each of maple syrup and molasses.

2. Crunchy Granola Extra Ingredients: 1/4 cup slivered almonds, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 2 Tbs. sesame seeds, 6 Tbs. currants Flavoring: none

3. Granola with Tropical Flavoring Add the coconut along with the cashews and banana chips. Extra Ingredients: 1/4 cup chopped roasted unsalted cashews, 1/4 cup chopped banana chips, 1/4 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/4 cup chopped dried pineapple Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

4. Granola with Cherries and Almonds Extra Ingredients: 1/3 cup sliced almonds, 1/3 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/3 cup dried cherries Flavoring: 3/4 tsp. almond extract

5. Trail Mix Granola Extra Ingredients: 1/4 cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts, 1/4 cup sweetened flake coconut, 1/4 cup dark or golden raisins, 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips* Flavoring: none *Stir chips into the granola only after it has completely cooled.

6. Orange-Berry Granola with Pecans Extra Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped pecans,1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup dried blueberries Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest

7. Pear Granola with Hazelnuts and Vanilla Extra Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, 1/4 cup chopped dried cherries, 1/4 cup chopped dried pears Flavoring: 1 tsp. vanilla extract

8. Orange-Flavored Granola with Pistachios, Mangos and Dates Extra Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped roasted pistachios, 1/4 cup chopped dates, 1/4 cup chopped dried mangos Flavoring: 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest and 1/4 tsp. allspice

Marinated Tomatoes with Pasta

When I got married many eons ago I was given a cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens Pasta, and this recipe is on the cover and it looks so yummy! This recipe is really great with those fresh out of the garden tomatoes.

4 medium Tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup snipped Parsley
2 tablespoons Olive Oil or Cooking Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Basil, crushed
Dash Pepper
8 ounces Fettuccine

Toss together the chopped tomatoes, snipped parsley, oil, garlic, basil and pepper; cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Cook fettuccine in boiling salted water till al dente; drain. Gently toss tomato mixture with fettuccine till well combined.

Bacon Mac

Found this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine. Christopher loved it so I guess I will be making this again.

3 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
12 ounces penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (I used medium)
1/4 cup sliced green onions (I omitted)
1 teaspoon hot sauce ( I used Frank's Hot Sauce and just a couple of dashes)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled (I cheated and used the already cooked bacon)
Cooking spray

Preheat broiler.

Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until al dente; drain. (The whole grain pasta cooked for 11 minutes)

Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155 degrees. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2-quart broiler-safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese. Broil 7 minutes.

Zucchini Bread

Mom got this recipe from her friend Gayle that she used to work with. I really enjoyed it the last time she made it but I thought that I would change a few ingredients and make it a little healthier. I have put the changes next to the regular item so you can make you own choice of how you want to make this recipe. 132 calories based on 12 slices per loaf and made with applesauce and no raisins or flax seed.  You save 80 calories per slice by changing the oil to no sugar added applesauce so you have to decide if you want the carbs or the fat.

Combine:
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
1 cup Oil - Applesauce

Add:
2 cups peeled and grated Zucchini
1 tablespoon vanilla

Add:
3 cups Flour - 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour / 1 cup White Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 tablespoon Cinnamon

Add:
½ cup Raisins – optional
1 tablespoon flax seed

Pour into 2 greased or sprayed loaf pans ½ full. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 – 60 minutes or until done. Remove from pan to cool.

Can be made in 5 small greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Mom isn't sure where she got this recipe but it sure is good.

1 pkg. Yellow Cake Mix - no butter
1 pkg. Lemon Instant Pudding
4 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds
1/2 cup Oil
1 cup Water
4 Eggs
Powdered Sugar

Grease and flour bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cake cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan and let it completely cool. Dust with powdered sugar.

Low Fat Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

I was a little leery of these pancakes because of the ingredients, but they are actually really good! I found this recipe online at www.answerfitness.com.

½ C Egg Whites (about 4 eggs)

½ C Oats

½ C Low-fat Cottage Cheese

1/8 tsp Baking Powder

Fresh fruit as topping

Mix it all together and cook like normal pancake...It's a lumpy texture but for a healthy pancake I thought they were great!

Here is the nutrition facts: Makes 2 Servings (Three ¼ cup pancakes with ¼ cup strawberries)

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 254.5
Total Fat: 3.3 g
Saturated Fat: 0.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 1.0 g
Cholesterol: 2.3 mg
Sodium: 280.0 mg
Potassium: 297.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 33.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.3 g
Sugars: 2.5 g
Protein: 21.3 g

Vitamin A 0.9 %
Vitamin B-12 5.9 %
Vitamin B-6 5.0 %
Vitamin C 37.9 %
Vitamin D 0.0 %
Vitamin E 2.4 %
Calcium 9.1 %
Copper 14.4 %
Folate 9.5 %
Iron 13.2 %
Magnesium 19.5 %
Manganese 104.0 %
Niacin 3.5 %
Pantothenic Acid 7.1 %
Phosphorus 29.7 %
Riboflavin 9.9 %
Selenium 7.8 %
Thiamin 21.4 %
Zinc 12.2 %

Brea's Delicious Peanut Butter Cookies

I got this recipe from my friend Breanna Brown out here in Pittsburgh. I had tried hers when she made them but wanted to see if I could do it because cookies are not my thing, they always end up flat or burnt. But these were way simple and they were delish!

¾ C Peanut Butter

½ C Shortening

1 ½ C Packed Brown Sugar

3 T Milk

1 ½ T Vanilla

1 Beaten Egg

1 ¾ C Flour

¼ tsp Salt (rounded)

¾ tsp Baking Soda

Cream first 5 ingredients. Add beaten egg.

In seperate bowl, combine flour, salt and soda.

Mix both bowls together.

(I like to add Mini Reese's Pieces in to the mixture)

Make the criss-cross shape on top the cookie.

Bake on non-greased cookie sheet for 7-8 minutes @ 375 degrees.

Oatmeal Pancakes

I have been trying to eat a little more healthy but I wanted a pancake and this was a recipe that I found on the web. It called for oat flour but I didn't have any so I used white flour. The second time I made these I used whole wheat flour, both were good. I also put chopped almonds and dried fruit in them.

3/4 cup Oatmeal
3/4 cup Flour
1 cup Milk
2 Eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

No Bake Cookies

I found this recipe on All Recipes for Jamie and she said that tasted really good.

1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.