Basic Breakfast Granola

In my quest to start eating breakfast (I've always been a non-breakfast eater), I'm trying out some different cereal and granola recipes. Here is my verison of a Basic Breakfast Granola - my family loves it and so do I:


Basic Breakfast Granola

--3 cupd regular rolled oats
--1 cup shredded unpeeled apple (I use apples from my backyard)
--1/2 cup wheat germ
--1/4 cup honey (from a local beekeeper)
--1/4 cup water
--1 tsp ground cinnamon
--1 tsp Vanilla
--Nonstick spray coating

In a large bowl combine oats, apple, and wheat germ; mix well. In a small saucepan stir together honey, water, and cinnamon. Heat to boiling; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour over oat mixture and mix well.

Spray a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with nonstick spray coating. Spread oat mixture evenly in pan. Bake in a 325 degrees oven about 45 minutes or till golden brown, stirring occasionally. Spread onto parchment paper to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. (8 servings)

Blackberry Cobbler

Well, I'm finally coming to the end of blackberry season in Kentucky. I have both tame and wild blackberries (the wild ones are tastier, but the tame ones are larger), so I've been making blackberry jam for the winter - and for Christmas gifts. For something different from jam, here's my recipe for Blackberry Cobbler:

BLACKBERRY COBBLER

Filling:
--5 to 6 cups of blackberries
--3 TBSP whole-wheat flour
--1 cup sugar
--3/4 tsp salt
--3 TBSP lowfat butter

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Gently toss in the blackberries, and then pile it all into a buttered baking dish. Chop the butter into small pieces and sprinkle them over the fruit.

Topping:
--1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
--1/4 cup sugar
--1 tsp baking powder
--1/2 tsp salt
--1 stick lowfat butter
--1/4 cup skim milk
--1 egg

Preheat oven to 425F. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and then cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add the milk and egg to the flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Drop the mixture over the fruit, spoonful by spoonful, leaving openings around each part of the batter. Place in the oven with a sheet pan underneath the dish (to catch juices). Bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until juices are bubbling and crust is golden.

Eat plain or with ice cream or frozen yogurt. Enjoy!

The SITS Recipe Contest

This is the recipe I'm entering for The Secrets in the Sauce Recipe contest. Even though I posted this recipe last week, I'm adding it here for the contest. Wish me luck!



PORK CHOP & SCALLOPED POTATO BAKE




--4 pork chops
--2 TBSP oil
--1 onion, sliced
--3 TBSP butter
--3 TBSP flour
--1 tsp salt
--1/4 tsp pepper
--1 cup milk
--1 cup chicken broth
--4 potatoes, pared & thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan. Layer potato slices into bottom of pan.

In another skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Remove chops from skillet, then add onion rings and saute until tender. Remove onions and layer on top of potatoes.

Return skillet to stove and melt butter; stir in flour, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add milk and broth slowly. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat.

Pour sauce evenly over potatoes and onions. Top with chops. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 1 hour. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until chops and potatoes are tender. Enjoy!

Banana Bread

Against my better judgement, I bought my youngest daughter some bananas at the grocery store last week. We have been avoiding bananas because they aren't local and they cost so much to transport. But she was complaining that she missed her bananas, so I caved in and bought some.

As always with bananas, the ripened quicker than she could eat them, so I ended up with 2 very ripe bananas. What do you do with really ripe bananas? Why make banana bread, of course!




Easy Banana Bread

--2 to 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
--1/3 cup butter
--3/4 cup sugar
--1 egg, beaten
--1 tsp vanilla
--1 tsp baking soda
--pinch of salt
--1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large mixing bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Add butter to bananas and blend thoroughly. Add sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt; mix well. Slowly add flour until it is all incorporated into banana mixture. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for one hours. Enjoy.

Banana bread makes a wonderful breakfast food.

Pork Chop & Scalloped Potato Bake

Here is a new recipe I tried this weekend and my family gobbled it up! What could be better than pork chops and potatoes?!




PORK CHOP & SCALLOPED POTATO BAKE

--4 pork chops
--2 TBSP oil
--1 onion, sliced
--3 TBSP butter
--3 TBSP flour
--1 tsp salt
--1/4 tsp pepper
--1 cup milk
--1 cup chicken broth
--4 potatoes, pared & thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan. Layer potato slices into bottom of pan.

In another skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Remove chops from skillet, then add onion rings and saute until tender. Remove onions and layer on top of potatoes.

Return skillet to stove and melt butter; stir in flour, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add milk and broth slowly. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat.

Pour sauce evenly over potatoes and onions. Top with chops. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 1 hour. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until chops and potatoes are tender. Enjoy!

Honey Oatmeal Wheat Bread

Today I want to share with you a new recipe I found for Honey Oatmeal Wheat Bread. This recipe is from the blog, 5 Minutes For Going Green.



Honey Oatmeal Wheet Bread
--3 cups boiling water
--1 1/2 cups oatmeal
--3/4 cup warm water (at least 110 degrees)
--3 pkgs of yeast
--1/2 cup honey or brown sugar (I used brown sugar)
--1/3 cup canola oil
--2 tsp salt
--3 to 4 cups whole wheat flour
--4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

Pour boiling water over oatmeal in a large mixing bowl. Cool to lukewarm (this may take a couple of hours, so plan accordingly).

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until foamy (about 10 minutes). Add yeast to oatmeal mixture. Add honey or brown sugar and oil. Blend well. Add salt. Add whole wheat flour, stirring well after each addition. Gradually add 4 cups all-purpose flour to form a soft dough (I reserve the extra 1 cup for kneading).

Now, this is where I deviate from the recipe. The original recipe states to turn dough onto floured board and knead 5 to 10 minutes. Being the lazy baker that I am, I leave the dough in a huge mixing bowl and knead it in the bowl, usually sitting in front of the TV! I can tell no difference in the bread when it is kneaded either way, so now I always use the lazy method!

Place dough in a greased bowl, and cover with a damp towel. Let it rise until double in size. Punch down dough and form into 2 or 3 loaves. (This recipe makes 2 regular size loaves, or 3 smaller ones.) Let rise again for about 20 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Put on cooling rack to cool.

This is one of the most delicious breads I have ever made! I have been making 2 loaves a week for the past month and my family never gets tired of it.

Grilled Crispy Potato Wedges

Of all the root crops, potatoes are my family's favorite. In honor of the first potato harvest of the year - in my backyard, of course - I'm sharing my recipe for Grilled Cripsy Potato Wedges. It's quick, easy and my family loves them!


GRILLED CRISPY POTATO WEDGES

--3 or 4 large baking potatoes potatoes (depending on your family size)
--1/2 cup Dijon mustard
--2 TBSP olive oil
--1 TBSP fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
--coarse salt to tast
--freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bake or microwave the potatoes until almost cooked, approximately 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or 6 to 8 minutes in the microwave. Cut the partially cooked potatoes length-wise into wedges.

In a bowl mix together the mustard, olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Coat the wedges with the mustard mix.

Preheat a grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grill surface. Add potatoes to grill and cover. Check every 5 minutes, turning the wedges to brown on all sides. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until crispy.