GRANOLA

GRANOLA

When I couldn't find a granola in the store that I liked, I decided to create my own. Am I glad I did! I thought it would be tricky and difficult. But, not only is this an easy recipe, it tastes SO much better than anything from the store! This is much more economical and delicious. Try this and see for yourself. You'll never buy granola again.

For a printable version of this recipe without photos click here.

Ingredients:

4 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup puffed rice cereal

½ cup sliced almonds

½ cup chopped cashews or pecans or walnuts

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup oil

1 cup dried fruit (dried apricots, apples or cranberries)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ cup honey

pinch of salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.

Pour the uncooked oats, dry cereal and sugar into a large bowl. Add the cinnamon, nuts and salt, mix well.

Pour oil into the measuring cup. Spread it around the cereal mix. Pour honey into the same cup and the oil left in the cup will help get the honey out of the cup. Add the vanilla to the bowl and toss everything together until evenly coated. You may need to break up any clumps of honey with your fingers.

Pour everything out into a large cookie sheet with a lip. You may need to do this in more than one batch.

As you can see, I put a sheet of parchment paper down first. This is because I'm lazy and don't like to clean sticky cookie sheets. If you have not tried using parchment paper when you bake, TRY IT! It makes everything so much easier.

Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, carefully turning it to reveal the other side. Continue baking for another 15 minutes until it turns a golden brown.

When it is finished cooking, allow to cool slightly. Add the fruit and stir to combine.

Store in an air tight container. Makes 6 to 7 cups.

Try this and modify it to your taste. Add different nuts or seeds, use your favorite fruit or leave it out. How did you make this your own? Leave a comment below and let me know! Thanks for stopping by!

EASY CRUNCHY GRANOLA

MUSHROOM QUICHE

Light and savory Mushroom Quiche. Not just for special occasions, easy to make and versatile enough for everyday. The basic quiche recipe remains constant, but you can add your own twist to it. This time, I had lots of mushrooms so that's what I made. Next time, who knows? Maybe asparagus...

To make shopping easier, use my handy printed shopping list. Click on the Shopping List tab above and you can print the pdf document.

For a printable version of this recipe without photos, click here.

QUICHE with HAM and MUSHROOMS

QUICHE with HAM & MUSHROOMS

Here's another way to use your leftover baked ham. If you don't want to use ham, just leave it out. It will still taste delicious. This recipe makes two 9-inch pies. As long as I'm going to the trouble of making something I know I like, I like to make extra for another meal or to share.

If you have not attempted a quiche before because you thought it was tricky or too difficult, you will be surprised at how simple this dish really is. Just get everything together before you start and follow the steps and you will enjoy your own homemade quiche today. I like to pair it with a fruit salad and a croissant for lunch. You can enjoy this for breakfast too. It's even good cold!

To make shopping easier, use my handy printed shopping list. Click on the Shopping List tab above and you can print the pdf document.

For a printable version of this recipe without photos, click here.

YOGURT PARFAIT

"Oh, I could eat that!" I heard as I was about to snap this photo. Music to my ears! You too can enjoy this light and easy breakfast parfait. You can use any fruit, cereal and yogurt combination you like. These are easily made ahead of time and can be served to your guests before or even after the main course of omelettes, pancakes, fritattas, waffles or what ever you choose to serve that morning.

Finally! It's strawberry season and we can all enjoy this luscious red berry! For this breakfast parfait, I put a spoonful of raspberry preserves in the bottom of the glass. On top of that I layered plain yogurt, my favorite granola cereal, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas and so on. I topped it with a dollop of yogurt, a whole strawberry and some orange zest.

And when I turned my attention to the computer to write this blog post, I heard "Wow, that was great! Is there any more?"

Put one together for yourself and let me know which ingredients you used. I'd love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below. Enjoy!

CORNED BEEF HASH & EGGS

Oh man! This is a great way to enjoy corned beef leftovers! I confess, I have never made corned beef hash. Like me, you may not know how a recipe will turn out, especially if you have never tried it. I am always optimistic at the outset and sometimes it turns out well and sometimes it doesn't. Since corned beef hash is such a great way to use up leftovers I really wanted to see if I could make it and here it is!

And yes, that is a homemade buttermilk biscuit you see on the plate in the photo above. Yes, it was tasty, and if I had the perfect recipe, I would share it with you. My mom made the world's best biscuits and I have been on a long quest to re-create that tender morsel of perfection. I'll let you know when I get there...

Now back to these lovely leftovers: this recipe is flexible and that means you can add more and different ingredients or cook your eggs separately or spice it up or tone it down to your liking.

For a printable version without photos, click here.

PANCAKE TUESDAY!

That's right! It's Pancake Tuesday!

     According to Wikipedia, among Anglicans, Lutherans, some other Protestant denominations, including ethnic British communities in Canada, as well a few Catholics, this day is known as Pancake Tuesday, as it is customary to eat pancakes. Pancakes and doughnuts are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foodstuffs such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: In many cultures, this means no meat, dairy, or eggs.

     On Pancake Day, pancake races are held in villages and towns across the United Kingdom. The tradition is said to have originated when a housewife from Olney was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing for the service. She raced out of the house to church while still carrying her frying pan and pancake. It remains a relatively common festive tradition in the UK, particularly in England even today, is the pancake race whereby participants race through the streets whilst tossing pancakes into the air, catching them in the pan whilst running.

     Since 1950 the people of Liberal, Kansas, and Olney have held the "International Pancake Day" race between the two towns. The two towns' competitors race along an agreed-upon measured course. The competitors' times are compared and an overall winner is declared.

Whether you enjoy a short stack at your favorite breakfast place or cook 'em up at home, have some light, fluffy, delicious pancakes today! Here is a simple recipe for no-fail pancakes you can make from scratch. As with most recipes, you can modify this to your liking. Add some fresh fruit, use whole wheat flour instead of white, use buttermilk instead of regular milk, make them thinner or thicker, larger or smaller, whatever you prefer.

For a printable version of this recipe without photos, click here.