Granola

Nothing like homemade granola.  This recipe is really good and can be diversified by adding different items to mix it up.  We eat this for breakfast like cereal with milk.  It can also be made into a parfait with yogurt and berries on top.  I make the entire recipe amount and put into two gallon sized bags.

Ingredients:

DRY
10 C rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 C raw sunflower seeds
1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C sesame seeds
1/2 C powdered  milk
2 TBS cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

WET
1 TBS vanilla
1/2 C oil
1/2 C water
1 C to 1 1/3 C honey or syrup (I always use 1 C honey)

DIRECTIONS

1 Combine dry ingredients into a large bowl. 

2.  Mix liquids in a saucepan just till warm. 

3.  Pour liquid over dry ingredients and stir well. 

4.  Spoon onto 4 large baking sheets, putting 1/4 of the mixture onto each tray.  It needs to be spread out into a thin layer. I usually just use two baking trays and repeat the process, refilling the two trays after the first batch is done. Every time I stir the granola, I switch the racks the trays are baking on to even out the baking time of each tray.

5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes.  You need to check it often, as after 30 minutes of baking, the granola may burn depending on your oven.  You really need to keep your eye on the granola though so its not overcooked.  I like it very golden brown so its crunchy, but not burned.  If its not cooked as long, it won't be as crunchy, but still taste just as great. 

6.  When cooled, as an option you can add in any other items your heart desires such as: 2 C chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts), craisins, raisins or banana chips if desired.  I guess you could also go dessert style and add in chocolate chips or M&Ms too. 


Photo Source from here.  Recipe source from my MIL Karen. 

Authentic Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe came from here over at To Die For Recipes.  I renamed the soup for my own memory sake.  This soup was really good, pretty healthy and easy to make.  My 4 year old loved it too, which says a lot being as he doesn't love soup.  ;)

Rachelle from To Die For Recipes had some good tips and said it best so I will quote her:  "You can use any kind of cheese you have one hand, and you can also use store bought chips if you prefer. I like to cut my corn tortillas into strips, place them on a baking sheet, and bake them at 425 degrees until they are crisp and golden. Salt and pepper this dish to taste, as everyone has different seasoning preferences."  The only thing I did differently from Rachelle was use shredded rotisserie chicken from Costco.  It was so easy and amazing.  


3 tbsp. oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes, not drained
1/2 tsp cumin
4 c. chicken broth
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
salt and pepper
5 corn tortillas
1 avocado, pitted and cubed
1/2 c. cheese

In a large pot over medium heat, warm 1 tbs. oil. Add sliced onion, garlic, cilantro and saute just until golden brown, about 10 minutes. In a blender, combine sauteed mixture and tomatoes and blend until smooth. In the same pot, over medium high heat, warm another tbs. oil. Add tomato mixture and cumin. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and darkened, 5-6 minutes. Add chicken stock, cover partially and simmer, stirring occasionally, until soup is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add shredded chicken. While soup is simmering, heat 1 tbs. oil in frying pan over medium high heat. Drop tortilla strips and fry until crisp and brown. Set aside. Between four bowls, evely divide tortilla strips, sprinkle some grated cheese and ladle soup into bowls. Top with avocado and a squeeze of lime and more cheese if desired.

Harvest Grain 'N' Nut Pancakes

We love pancakes around this place!  I have had good results using this recipe for both pancakes and waffles.  See notes below for lots of other info, including how many this recipe serves!!

1 1/2 C old-fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 C buttermilk
1 C milk
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 C sugar (I omit this)
3 TBS chopped nuts (optional)


1.  Grind the oats in a blender or food processor until fine.  In a large bowl, combine ground oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

2.  In another bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, oil, egg and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.  Mix wet ingredients into dry with a few swift strokes.  Stir in nuts if desired.


3.  Lightly oil a skillet or griddle and preheat to a medium heat.  Ladle 1/3 cup of the batter onto the hot skillet; cook pancakes for 1-2 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  Top with additional nuts and syrup.


A note about the flours........I have found that recipes for pancakes using strictly whole wheat flour taste good, but very.....wheaty. ;)  Recipes using strictly oat flour are way more dense and flat than I would prefer.  Butttt.....this combination of both wheat and oat flour seem to be the best of both worlds.   It does take extra work to make these pancakes because you have to blend the oats up to make oat flour.  I like to double or triple the recipe, storing all of the dry ingredients in a gallon Ziplock bag.  Its then just like using Bisquick-just measure out the amount you want and add the wet ingredients.  Makes it go much faster and then you don't need to be making oat flour every single time you want these pancakes.



Also, I rarely have buttermilk so I generally use whatever milk I have on-hand.  I have used whole and 2%, but I plan on trying out skim milk next time.  I am sure all would be great.  The buttermilk does give it a great flavor though.  I have tried making my own buttermilk (putting 1 TBS lemon juice or vinegar in 1 C milk, letting sit 5 minutes), but I only notice a flavor change when using real buttermilk from the store.



***LAST, this recipe makes a lot.  Like 16 waffles a lot.  I generally half the recipe below to cook for my family of 4 eaters and put the rest in the fridge for another day.  My kids will eat leftover pancakes/waffles so for us its not a big deal to have a few extras.





Click here for photo source.  Recipe source: Allrecipes.  I got this recipe so long ago, I don't have an exact link for it.  :/

Chicken and Ham Creamy Parmesan Lasagna

  Meg did it again over at Food Tastic Sisters!  This dish was delicious!  I used leftover frozen smoked ham from Easter.  The smoky flavor was incredible.  I also put in extra asparagus.  So good! 

Ingredients:

2 C. Chicken Broth

1/2 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper

3 1/4 C. Skim Milk (I used 2%)

1/3 C. + 1 tbsp. Flour

1 1/2 C. freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/4 C. chopped parsley

12 no-cook lasagna noodles,divided

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and chopped up, divided (I've used rotisserie chicken in the past, but that increases the sodium, FYI)

8 oz. ham, divided

1 cup thinly chopped asparagus, divided

1 cup Pepper Jack cheese, divided (I used mozzarella cuz its all I had)

 

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

 

2.  Place broth and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a large pot over medium high heat.  Bring to a boil.

 

3.   In a blender, combine flour, milk and remaining pepper together.  Mix thoroughly.

 

5.   Add milk mixture to broth in pan.  Stir CONSTANTLY over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil.  Let cook for ONE minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  

 

6.  Add 1 C. Parmesan cheese.  Add parsley and stir until cheese melts.

 

7.  You can use one 9x13 pan or two 8x8 pans.  Be sure to spray PAM on your pans.  Spread a little sauce over the bottom of the pan(s).  Layer the "oven ready" noodles over sauce.  Layer the Asparagus, Chicken, Ham & Pepper Jack over the noodles.  Noodles again.  Spoon a little more sauce over the noodles.  Add some chicken, ham, asparagus and pepper jack cheese.Then noodles and sauce, again.  Last layer of Chicken, Ham, Asparagus and Pepper jack.  Follow up with the final layer of noodles.
 

8.  Add a pinch of fresh parsley (if you still have some left over) and the rest of the Parmesan cheese on top.  Cover with foil that's been sprayed with Pam as well.  Cook for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let it cool for about 10-15 min.  It allows the lasagna to set up.  Then, serve alongside a hearty salad or veggie of your choice.

 

 

Thanks Meg!  Go Here for the original link at Food Tastic Sisters.  She shows step by step pictures. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Herb & Cheese Baked Chicken

I snagged this recipe from my super duper good friend Meg's cooking blog over at Food-Tastic-Sisters.  I love her cooking blog because she puts individual pictures up of every step of the recipe. They all look amazing!  There are so many recipes of hers I want to try.  Go take a look, you won't regret it! :) 


The only thing I would do differently next time is not use the Dijon mustard on the chicken I am serving to my kids.  They both didn't like the tangy flavor, which was a total bummer.  On the other hand, my husband and I both loved it! 

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 1 1/4 cups Panko breadcrumbs (must be Panko!!)

1/3 C. grated Parmesan cheese (a FAT handful)

2 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley

1 tbsp. chopped rosemary

1 tbsp chopped thyme

1 tbsp. chopped sage

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast (only 3 are pictured)

Olive oil, for drizzling

salt & pepper

about 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

**Meg says for best results use FRESH herbs.  I am sure she is 100% correct; however, I only had dried herbs and it still tasted pretty yummy.  I just decreased the amount by half for the dried herbs.  :) 

 

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2.  Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat.  When butter gets bubbly, add minced garlic and cook for two minutes stirring constantly.  It will brown up beautifully. 

3.  Pour the Panko bread crumbs into a dish (I used a casserole pan).  Pour the butter over the bread crumbs.  Stir and let cool.

4.  Add the cheese and all the FRESH herbs.  Mix well.

5.  Place the chicken on parchment paper.  Rub a little olive oil on both sides.  Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. 

6.  Add a little squirt of Dijon mustard to each chicken breast.  Spread the mustard, covering only ONE side. 

7.  Then take chicken, mustard side down, and press into the breadcrumb mixture.  Repeat for all pieces of chicken.  The breadcrumbs should only cover ONE side.  Once covered, I realized  the hefty amount of breadcrumbs that were left over.  So, I took an additional 3-4 tbsp of the breadcrumbs and placed it on top of the chicken.  Then, gently patted it down.  Cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until juices run clear. 

 

Meg says (and I agree) that it was tangy, garlicky and crunchy.
The panko breadcrumbs hold their crispy texture and add a nice crunch to the tender chicken.  She paired the meal with Curried Cauliflower Soup (which can be found on her recipe blog, see link above). 

 

 

Source:Food Tastic Sisters

Better Than Crack Brownies

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was really blessed to have a lot of meals brought in after I had my 3rd baby 7 weeks ago.  One sweet girl Kari brought me these brownies.  I am hoping to find a good, fudgy brownie recipe to be the base (other than a boxed mix).  If you have any ideas, let me know, but I plan on trying the oooey gooey brownie recipe as the base the next time I make these (see link below). 

 

 

 

Better-Than-Crack Brownies

1 batch brownies (boxed mix or oooey gooey brownies)

1/2 cup salted peanuts (if don’t have salted, add sea salt)

1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups (I used peanut butter chocolate chips)

1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal

 

 

 

Mix brownies according to directions, and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

 

Remove and top with peanuts and peanut butter cups, and bake for 4-6 minutes more.

 

While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal.

 

Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over top.

 

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

 

 

Picture and Recipe Source: How Sweet It Is.  Click link for the direct site.  I plan on following her blog from now on!