yummo granola

homemade granola is a staple in my pantry. every week or two, i make up a new batch of granola to have on hand. here's why: it's delicious. while the nutritional value of homemade granola definitely makes a case for itself, the taste alone is motivation enough for me to make it. yummo granola is yummy as a snack, with milk or soy milk like cold cereal, in cookies and muffins, or with berries and yogurt in a parfait. it takes less than ten minutes to toss it together and stick it in the oven, so it definitely qualifies as cheap, easy and quick. it is a yummy treat that will please the most discerning palates. (and by discerning palate, i mean those pesky picky kiddos.) pull up the barstools and let the little people help you make this!

yummo granola
recipe an old family fave

6 cups oats
1 cup nuts, chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flaxseeds
3/4 cup coconut
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup honey
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup craisins

Mix together: oats, nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, coconut, cinnamon, salt and sugar in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix: honey, vanilla and oil. stir together and spread on a large cookie sheet with sides. (aka jellyroll pan.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring halfway. Stir in raisins and craisins. Store in an airtight container. (I use an old gallon ice cream bucket, and this recipe fills it.)

*i like a blend of walnuts, slivered almonds and pecans. this is my favorite recipe for granola because it stays soft. i have a crunchy granola recipe i love. if you want that one, comment me and i'll put it up too. google and you'll come up with a gazillion recipes for crunchy granola. it's chewy granola that is hard to find.

crepes and cream with berries

because sometimes you need a reason to wake up in the morning. (and you have a fridgeful of berries thank you sams club.) serve with a side of cheesy eggs and some oj. make sure you whip up some fresh sweetened whipped cream and serve with loads of fresh berries.

sweet crepes
recipe from Taste of Home

4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

in large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter, flour sugar and salt until smooth.
heat a medium-sized skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. grease pan with a small amount of butter or oil applied with a brush or paper towel. using a serving spoon or small ladle, spoon about 3 tablespoons crepe batter into hot pan, tilting the pan so that bottom surface is evenly coated. cook over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes on a side, or until golden brown. serve immediately.

*i did it this way (yes the hard way) for years before i treated myself to this. so no complaining about not having a crepe maker.
yummy with any fruit, berries and lots of other stuff: mangoes, bananas and peanut butter, bananas and nutella, just nutella, strawberries and nutella, chocolate syrup, pastry cream, ok, yes, everything is more delicious wrapped in a crepe.
if you have time to refrigerate your batter for an hour (or overnight) you will have an easier time working with it.

scotcheroos

there are just some recipes that you know you will put on lifelong rotation once you taste them. these "candy bars," scotcheroos, were that recipe for me. i tasted them in college when a roommate whipped them up and i've been making them ever since. i've run into this same recipe many times, and met and made lots of diehard fans. scotcheroos are easy to make and are always a hit. they are really rich and sweet and over the top!

scotcheroos

recipe from jodi (the old roommate)

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

6 cups crispy rice cereal

1/2 (11.5 oz) package milk chocolate chips

1/2 (11.5 oz) package butterscotch chips

combine corn syrup and sugar in a large stockpot. bring to a boil and let boil for one minute. remove from heat. stir in peanut butter and rice cereal. press into a greased 9x13 pan. combine milk chocolate and butterscotch chips in a large pyrex measuring cup. microwave at 50% power for one minute and stir. microwave at 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring after each increment until chips are melted together. when it is almost melted, there will still be a few semi-solid chips. just keep stirring, don't cook again. stir until smooth and pour over pressed cereal. cool until the chocolate is solid. (in the summer i refrigerate them to cool.)

*i much prefer milk chocolate chips to semi sweet chocolate chips in these bars. i also toss in an extra handful of butterscotch chips instead of milk chips. my ratio is more like 40% milk chocolate chips 60% butterscotch.

homemade blueberry cheesecake ice cream

after making this once a couple of weeks ago, i felt like i couldn't breathe until i had another bowl of it. i'm on my second batch now, and a major addiction is underway. this recipe does have egg yolk, but you cook it like a custard, so don't be afraid. i have a serious egg yolk aversion (ew! runny yellow yolks chasing me! the nightmares!) and if i love this stuff, you will too. i like a bit more sugar, and lots more cream, than the gals and cooking light, (of course more than cooking light!) homemade blueberry cheesecake ice cream. (running to my freezer to scoop another bowl. the addiction, o, you will see.)

homemade blueberry cheesecake ice cream
recipe from cooking light, posted by our best bites, adapted by rachelle

1 1/4 cups sugar
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 egg yolks
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups half and half
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup water
1 graham cracker crust

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until smooth. Combine milk and half-and-half in a medium, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Gradually add half of hot milk mixture to cheese mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan. Cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°, stirring constantly. Place pan in an ice-filled bowl. Cool completely, stirring occasionally.
Combine blueberries, powdered sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and cool completely.
Stir blueberry mixture into milk mixture. Chill mixture overnight or in freezer for one hour. Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. In the last 2 minutes of freezing, add graham cracker crust, broken into large pieces. Let it mix through, then spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze for 1 hour or until firm. (I prefer it frozen overnight.)

* you can go crazy with the dairy. you can do 2 cups milk, 1 cup half and half, or 2 cups cream 1 cup milk, whatever. get nuts with your combos. just use enough butterfat to not have icy ice cream. so don't get too crazy with the milk. go crazy with the cream.

chile cucumber crab salad

this salad is suprisingly delicious. the flavors are light and work well together. the assembly is simple. it's a great light summer lunch, yet is suprisingly filling. i recreated this recipe from a salad at our local sushi resauraunt (which is suprisingly delicious, considering it is a sushi restaurant in mexico.) don't tell dino, but here's the dish!

chile cucumber crab salad
an original recipe by rachelle, inspired by dino

2 Tablespoons soy sauce
juice from 1 lime
1/2 cucumber, deseeded, sliced
1/3 cup imitation crab, diced
3/4 teaspoon red chile powder
(if you have access to coarse grind/sugar/salt mix chile powder, like lucas or tepin, use only 1/2 teaspoon ground powder and 1 teaspoon coarse grind.)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

pour soy sauce and lime juice in a serving bowl. layer sliced cucumber, then crab. sprinkle with chili powder, then sesame seeds. serve immediately. stir well to enjoy.

calypso salmon salad: grilled salmon salad with tropical fruit salsa, pineapple mango vinaigrette and cinnamon sugar croutons

this is a delicious light summer dinner. it's got a big name, but really this salad is very simple and comes together in minutes. if you prepare the fruit salsa early in the day, you can have this on the table in under 20 minutes. (and it's only 20 minutes because of the bake time for the croutons. literally this would take 10 minutes.) it's sooo yummy. the creation story: i was making salmon fillets and wanted a fruit salsa with them , then i started getting the idea of morphing it into a salad instead, and came up with a sweet-tangy dressing. the cinnamon sugar croutons put it over-the-top! lots of the components have a sweet flavor to them- but the sweet really pops on top of the bitter greens with the salmon. it's a delicious combination. be sure to work quickly, or your family will eat all the croutons up by dinnertime! (been there.)

calypso salmon salad: grilled salmon salad with tropical fruit salsa, pineapple-mango vinaigrette and cinnamon sugar croutons

an original recipe by rachelle

4 salmon fillets, seasoned (see bottom for tips)

salad greens for four

1 recipe tropical fruit salsa

1 recipe pineapple mango vinaigrette

1 recipe cinnamon sugar croutons

tropical fruit salsa:

1 cup pineapple, diced

1/2 cup mango, diced

1/2 banana, diced

1/3 cup red onion, diced

2 Tablespoons coconut

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon apricot jam

2 Tablespoons lemon or lime juice

combine all and stir well. refrigerate until ready to make vinaigrette.

pineapple mango vinaigrette:

1/3 cup tropical fruit salsa

2 Tablespoons oil

1 Tablespoon orange juice

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

pinch sugar

dash salt and pepper

combine all in a mini prep food processor or blender. process until smooth.

cinnamon sugar croutons:

2 cups bread, cubed- big 1 inch square cubes

1/4 cup butter, melted

3 Tablespoons cinnamon sugar

on a cookie sheet, pour melted butter over bread cubes. toss until cubes are evenly coated. sprinkle cinnamon sugar over all, stirring and coating cubes evenly. use more or less cinnamon sugar, but be sure to coat all sides of the bread. bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring every 7 minutes or so.

*if your loved ones need a little "oomph" on their salad (big appetites,) add a layer of cooked brown rice, rye, barley, or quinoa under the salmon. it will give texture and a bit more heaviness if that is what you need for your family. also you can stretch the salmon this way-- only serve a half fillet and serve over the grains. i buy individually packaged frozen salmon fillets from costco and sams. sams are pre seasoned but have the skin on. i cook the salmon on my george foreman for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the skin from the bottom while nobody's looking. if i buy costco fillets, i season them liberally before grilling.

granny lanny's famous ginger crinkles

i would never have guessed that a ginger cookie would make my short list of favorite cookies. but anyone i've known who has ever tried these is instantly addicted. they are soft, full of flavor, with a little crunch from the sugar on top, they are just magnificent. granny lanny (aunt lanny) is famous for these cookies (and a few other gems. gems.) she is a fabulous cook and she has been gracious enough to share her famous ginger crinkle recipe. try it, trust me with the addiction. and trust my friends, who i know will comment, because the love of this cookie spreads to anyone who tastes it. prepare yourself.

granny lanny's famous ginger crinkles

recipe from lanny jones

8 cups flour

2 2/3 cups oil

4 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup molasses

8 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons ginger

enough cinnamon sugar to dip dough balls

granny lanny's instructions: mix all ingredients. roll in balls and dip in cinnamon sugar mixture.

a bit more help from me:

cream together oil, sugar, and molasses. beat in eggs one at a time. mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and ginger. add flour mixture into egg-sugar mixture. roll into walnut sized balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. place on a greased cookie sheet 2" apart. press tops of cookies down with the bottom of a glass. bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

*fyi, grannt lanny has a ginormous family and this recipe makes at least four times what most cookie recipes do. yesterday i made a quarter of this recipe and ended up with about 15 cookies.

to save you the math:

ginger crinkles, a quarter recipe

2 cups flour

1/2 cup oil, plus scant 2 Tablespoons

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup molasses

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ginger

foolproof whole wheat bread

this is a basic everyday sandwich bread recipe. make it without extras, and it is less than 6 ingredients. this is easy easy (again only one rise,) and very foolproof. it comes together in about an hour, including rising and baking! it has a great texture and tight crumb and slices easily without crumbling. the only advice i have if you are a beginning bread baker is: get your water temperature right. it should feel like a very warm bath, but not too hot. if you have a candy thermometer, check for about 100-110 degrees. this is the bread i make week in, week out, for toast and sandwiches, for everyday. try it with hard white wheat. i haven't bought a loaf of bread in years. (in the time it takes me to drive to the store, get the bread, and come home, it's been an hour anyway.) i'm a sucker for some bread-love-hot-outta-the-ove!

foolproof whole wheat bread

recipe from the bosch store

3 cups warm water

1 Tablespoon salt

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup honey

4 cups whole wheat flour to start, about 9 cups total (freshly ground if you're hardcore!)

1 1/4 Tablespoons instant yeast

optional:

1 Tablespoon dough enhancer (texture, longevity)

1 Tablespoon wheat gluten (rise, crumb)

1/4 cup instant dry milk (flavor)

1/4 cup potato flakes (texture)

place water, oil, honey, salt and 4 cups flour in mixing bowl of a Bosch or another strong mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix to a paste. Add yeast while mixing. On speed 1, add additional flour one cup at a time. Add flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, be careful not to add too much flour. Let knead for 8 minutes. Add dough enhancer and knead 1-2 more minutes. Take dough immediately from bowl and with greased hands, fill non-stick loaf pans 1/2 full with dough. Cover with plastic or saran wrap (to keep moist)(or oil tops and cover with dishtowel,) let rise until doubled (approx 1½ inches above top of pan.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. if you are freezing loaves for later, cut, wrap and freeze immediately after bread has cooled.

*add a teaspoon sugar to make honey flavor really pop. if you aren't using a dough enhancer, you can crush a vitamin c tablet and add into flour mixture to help bread keep longer. use this recipe as a jump off point. i have made yummy bread using just 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 oil, i have substituted honey, white sugar, brown sugar, molasses and all combinations, mixtures of white and wheat flours, applesauce for oil, lots of variations. you can use this dough for rolls, cinnamon rolls, hamburger buns, breadsticks, whatever. today i made some hamburger buns too. it's foolproof!

the trick to making hamburger buns is to roll out the dough pretty thick- maybe 1" or 1 1/4". then i cut the circles using a wide mouth mason jar lid. wet the tops with water and sprinkle on the sesame seeds. voila!
and i found a great link where she explains how to get good slices and what to do out of the oven (because i'm lazy, and this is exactly what i would tell you anyway. go here.)

yogo berry pops

these are essentially frozen berry yogurt smoothies with sugar. come on now, it's a treat. these are yummy and smooth and just right.

yogo berry pops

2 cups frozen berries (i like half blueberry/half strawberry.)
2 cups yogurt
1/2 cup sugar

mix together in blender until smooth. pour into popsicle molds and freeze. i like to use those little disposable 3 oz. bathroom cup size. if you are using disposable cups and sticks, wait an hour and a half and then push sticks into semi-frozen mixture in the cups. freeze solid and store in a ziptop bag. tear cup from popsicle when ready to eat.

pudding pops.

please try these in banana. try them in chocolate. try them in pistachio. try them in coconut. whatever you do, try them. oh, the pudding. oh, the smoothness. oh, so, easy. yum!

old fashioned pudding pops

1 3-ounce package instant pudding, in chocolate, banana, coconut or pistachio

2 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup sugar

mix together and pour into popsicle molds. if using disposable cup molds, freeze pudding pops for about an hour and a half, then insert popsicle sticks and freeze solid. store pops in a ziptop bag and tear cup to remove pop.

*yes you can use sugar free pudding and omit the sugar. decrease the milk to 2 cups. you can put the popsicle sticks in before freezing, because the pudding sets. the sugar free version has a bit of an icy texture, but are still good.

quick tip: schmeary spreadable butter

spreadable butter is something that you need almost daily. everything is better with a cold schmear of butter, and this way it will be ready-to-go straight out of the fridge, without buying those trans-fat tub-o-butter-wannabes. this is another of those super simple recipes that just may change your life. it has mine.

schmeary spreadable butter

recipe from jenny carlsen

1 cup canola oil

1 cup butter (two sticks! pic just shows one. do as i say, not as i photograph.)

1/2 teaspoon salt

in your blender, measure a cup of oil to the 1 cup line. add in two sticks of butter and a pinch of salt. (ok, you could omit the salt, but i am a saltaholic and unapologetic.)

pour into a butter dish or a 2 cup tupperware and refrigerate until set. store in fridge.

use for pancakes, muffins, toast, rolls, cooking, whatever!

*in the summertime you may want to try a little less oil if your butter is melting too quickly at the dinner table. also feel free to make a smaller amount to try. just use even amounts of butter and oil. whatever kind of oil does it for you is fine.

grilled chicken panini with sundried tomato sauce

this is a yummy sandwich recipe to make with the rosemary focaccia recipe i posted last week. (you can use any crusty or artisian bread: french, ciabatta) i put this together one late late night for a last minute dinner. you don't need a panini press, you can press the sandwich using a countertop (george foreman!) grill, or on a stovetop griddle or pan with a weight (heavy skillet, clean brick, 5 pound can of peaches) on top. my hub, a man of few words, had much to say about this sandwich. something about the combination of sundried tomatoes and the rosemary focaccia really did it for him. i found him after dinner using leftover focaccia to clean out the food processor bowl of any remaining specks of the sundried tomato sauce. these panini are simple to make and turn out really delicious.

grilled chicken panini with sundried tomato sauce
an original recipe by rachelle

2 chicken breasts
salt, pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 slices rosemary focaccia
1/4 cup lettuce
1/4 cup mozzarella

sundried tomato sauce

2 Tablespoons mayonaise
12 sundried tomatoes, packed in oil
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

pound chicken breasts to an even thickness. (just use something heavy to pound down that one end, in a ziplock bag to contain any renegade ckn juice.) season chicken liberally with salt, pepper, lemon juice and oil. preheat countertop grill. cook chicken. (my george foreman takes about 8 minutes, but feel free to cook chicken on an outside grill or even in a skillet in a little butter.) set chicken aside.
to make sundried tomato sauce, (which i wanted to call sundried tomato mayo but it is way more tomato-ey than mayo-ey so i went with sauce-)
place garlic in a food processor, process until minced. add mayonnaise and salt and pepper and process. add tomatoes, process to a nice chunky texture. set aside.
cut focaccia in half and place cheese on bottom slice. layer on a chicken breast, lettuce and a plop of sundried tomato sauce. top with bread slice and make the other sandwich. set in preheated grill and grill for about 4 minutes, until bread has a nice crisp texture and cheese is melted.

*i realize that normally you butter or oil the bread for panini, but i don't for this recipe because of how much oil is already on the focaccia. if you are using another style artisian bread, butter or oil outsides of bread that will come in contact with the hot grill. this will give you those gorgeous grill marks and that yummy crunch. also try substituting any meltable white cheese: muenster, provolone, jarlsburg.

fiesta wraps

this is another of my favorite easy meals. it's cheap, filling, yummy and colorful. there is almost no active prep time. it's all waiting. if you have a pressure cooker, this can be a last minute meal. without a pressure cooker, you can either plan ahead or use canned beans. if you have any leftovers, they translate well into this salad the next day.

fiesta wraps

(black bean and rice wraps)

black beans, prepared

rice, prepared

tortillas

avocado, cubed

tomato, diced

onion, diced

cheddar cheese

sour cream

salsa

limes

prepare black beans: i use a pressure cooker: 2 cups dry beans, water to cover by a couple of inches, salt, minced onion, garlic. pressure on high for 30 minutes and release pressure. if you have to use a can of beans, heat them on the stove and fix them up: add minced onion, chicken boullion, or salt. whatever you like, season them and heat them up.

prepare rice: white or brown. i like white for this. loving my rice cooker. if you don't have one, it's so worth the $20 for perfect rice every time, without babysitting or worrying about it boiling over.

warm tortillas and chop onion, tomato and avocado while beans and rice cook. put out little bowls of salsa, cheese, sour cream and limes.

let everybody pile up the wraps the way they like 'em!

*this is best with yummy tortillas: i like to use those uncooked tortillas from costco that you cook yourself. (or homemade.) and to all my tortilla loving friends: do yourself a favor and buy one of those tortilla keepers. they are so great for keeping your tortillas warm for meals like this.

perfect plain pancakes

this is a recipe you probably got from your grandma. i've made these so much i don't look anymore- a spoonful of this, a cupful of that. it's the most basic and delicious recipe of all. just the right amounts of everything. just perfect. perfect plain pancakes.

perfect plain pancakes

recipe from hillbilly housewife

1 cup flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

2 Tablespoons oil

in a mix and pour bowl, stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. combine egg, milk and oil in another bowl. add egg/milk mixture into flour mixture all at once. stir until just blended- the batter will be lumpy- leave it. plop a spoonful of butter on a hot greased griddle and cook pancakes. use 1/4 cup batter per pancake, should make about 8 pancakes.

*substitute buttermilk for milk for buttermilk pancakes. stir 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries into prepared batter for blueberry pancakes. any fresh berries are delicious in pancakes- try raspberry pancakes!