Homemade Granola

The recipe I'm sharing today is  good , easy  and Healthy. I could think of at least three uses for this...cereal, snacking or a topping for yogurt or fruit.  If your a fan of granola cereals, I encourage you to give this a try.  You'll get about three times as much as you would buying it pre-made in the store and you can add whatever you like to suit your taste.

You will need:

7 C. of uncooked oats

1 C. of wheat germ

1 C. of dried cranberries

1/2 C. of brown sugar

1/2 C. of oil

1/2 C. of water

1/4 C. of real maple syrup

1 T. of vanilla extract

1 t. salt

1 C. of slivered almonds

1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT CHOCOLATE CHIPS in a large bowl.  Bake at 275 for 55-60 minutes.  I put mine on a large cookie sheet.  I gave it a quick stir every 20 minutes as it was baking.  Remove from oven and cool.  Once it has completely cooled, stir in chocolate chips.  Store in refrigerator.

A simple, tasty and healthy snack in just an hour...Enjoy!



Honey Dinner Rolls

These rolls right here are bad...VERY BAD!  They should be ban in the 50 states or at least come with a warning.  They are easy to make and Oh SO Good!  I ate two, no make that three...good thing I exercised hard today...If you are what you eat then I'd look like a dinner roll.  That sounds like a bad dream after eating pizza to close to bed time...but go make these...you won't regret that you did:)

You will need:

2 packages of active dry yeast

1 cup of warm water

1/4 cup of honey plus 1 Tab., divided

1 egg, beaten lightly

1 tsp. salt

3 cups of flour, plus a little extra

1 T. of melted butter

Combine the yeast and cup of water and let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.  Add 1/4 of honey , egg, salt and flour.  Knead for about 5-7 minutes (with kitchen aid) or a little longer if doing it by hand.  This dough is stickier than most so I had to add a little flour here and there just so it didn't form a sticky mess in the bowl.  Don't overdo it.  When done mixing place in a greased bowl and turn once.  Cover and let rise until doubled about 1-2 hours.  When dough has risen, punch down and divide into 12 equal pieces (I used a little flour here on my hands to keep it from sticking while I rolled it into balls).  Form into balls (they don't have to be perfect) and place in a greased, round baking pan.  Cover with greased/oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400.  Before putting in the oven, use a pastry brush to apply the remaining 1T. of honey and melted butter (mix them together).  Bake for 13-17 minutes until lightly browned.  Enjoy warm with a big slab of real butter.  If you don't use real butter, I won't hold it against you,but you don't know what your missing:)

Good Luck on eating just one!  



Smells like HOME!

Do you like your house to smell like "Home?"  Many of the memories we have are often triggered by some sort of smell/scent.  I guarantee when you put this on your stove to simmer your house will smell simply wonderful...I have some simmering right now.

All you need is:

1lemon cut  up

1 orange cut up

4 bay leaves

1 large or 4 small cinnamon sticks or 1 1/2 tsp. of ground cinnamon

Generous amount of cloves (I used ground, but whole would be fine too)

water

Just put all these ingredients in a medium saucepan and fill with water (not all the way to the top, but almost).  Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer.  Simmer as long as you like adding water as necessary.  If you add new water make sure you boil and reduce heat again.  In just a matter of minutes your house will smell naturally wonderful.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!



Can't wait...



What exactly is it that I can't wait for???  Well I can't wait until the the new Gooseberry Patch book "101 Best Breakfast and Brunches" comes out....because...one of my recipes will be in it.  When I opened my mail to find a letter from Gooseberry Patch, I was so excited!  I've sent several in and was surprised to finally hear that they picked one of my recipes.  I think that anyone who loves Gooseberry Patch would be as delighted as me to see one of their recipes in these beloved books.

If you've never read or seen a Gooseberry Patch cookbook, you really need to get your hands on one.  They are loads with great recipes, fond memories, craft ideas and so many other fun things.  I think one of my FAVORITE things about these cookbooks is the delightful artwork.  It is just so sweet and each picture evokes happy and cozy thoughts.  I look forward to every new book that comes out and would love to have every single book in my collection...what great fun that would be! 

I forgot to mention that anytime you get a recipe published in a GP book, they also give you a free copy of the book in which it was published...how nice of them!  If you are interested in sending in a favorite recipe click here.  You can send as many as you want as often as you want. 

Hope you all have a blessed day.  Don't forget to Count Your Blessings!!!

Oven Baked Stew over Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes

I can't for sure, but I think I've done and gone to Heaven:)  If you like beef stew you have to try this recipe.  The best part is it is so easy, just throw some ingredients in the dish, pop it in the oven, and go do your nails, pop in some laundry or if your feeling particular carefree and wild, pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee and put up your feet and relax!

You will need:

For Stew:
1 14 1/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 Cup of Water
3 Tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 onion, sliced or diced whatever you prefer
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks of celery
2 pounds of stew beef
One slice of bread cubed

For Potatoes:
5 1bs. of red potatoes
4 oz of smoked Gouda (you could use cheddar, but it would be a crime against humanity)
(whatever other things you use to make mashed potatoes the way you like...Just throw the cheese in).

In a 3 Qt. casserole combine first 6 ingredients.  Mix together.  Add the rest of the ingredients stirring to combine.  Bake at 375 for 1 1/2-2 hours, until meat is tender...I did mine a full two hours just so everything kind of "meshed" together.

About 45 minutes before the stew is done, put your potatoes on to cook.  When they are done drain and fix them however you like your potatoes best.  I use half and half, butter, season salt and white pepper.  Just throw the Gouda cheese in while they are mixing.

Put a generous helping of potatoes in a bowl and ladle stew over the top.  My family loved this, even the kids.  The smoked Gouda lends a slightly smoky flavor to the potatoes that makes this meal over the top FaNtAsTiC!  Pure comfort food!





We all need a GOOD laugh!

We've all heard of "Murphy's Law" and chances are we all have had our moments when we said..."That's Murphy's law."  My Dad used to say..."If I ever meet "Murphy" I'm going to punch him right in the nose...I'm sure you agree if you've had your "Murphy Moment."  Here's some funny quotes to brighten your day...and really what makes these so funny is that we can all relate because they are all SO true.   What can you add to this list?  I'll leave mine for ya at the end:)

If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.

If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then.

If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.

Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.

Every solution breeds new problems.

Enough research will tend to support your theory.

When there is a very long road upon which there is a one-way bridge placed at random, and there are only two cars on that road, it follows that: (1) the two cars are going in opposite directions, and (2) they will always meet at the bridge.

Smile... tomorrow will be worse.

Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.

You never run out of things that can go wrong.

No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.

If your advance is going well, you are walking into an ambush.

The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.

Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence.

If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization.

An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.

All's well that ends.
A meeting is Everything goes wrong all at once. an event at which the minutes are kept and the hours are lost.

Everything goes wrong all at once.

Matter will be damaged in direct proportion to its value.

You never find a lost article until you replace it

If there is someone you don't want to run into, he/she will be the first person you meet that day.

And here is my own origianl "Murphy" quote....

"If you find yourself having to use the bathroom with urgency, one of your children will have just put half a roll of toliet paper in the commode thus clogging it up causing you to say a silent prayer as you try to use the plunger to remove the clog!"

You can ask me sometime how I know this!  Have a Blessed day everyone!

 

Mile High Biscuits

I love me some biscuits...how about you?  Smothered in butter, drizzled with honey, smeared with jam...that's what I'm talking about.  I have two recipes that I love and this is one of them.  These biscuits have endless possibilities...a complement to any meal, strawberry shortcake, smothered in sausage or chipped beef gravy, ham sandwiches...use your imagination.

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups of all purpose flour

4 t.baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

3/4 t. of salt

5 T. of  chilled butter

1 cup of buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 and make sure you have a rack ready in the center of your oven.  In a food porcessor combine the dry ingredients.  Cut the butter in small chunks and add to flour mixture.  Pulse until the mixture resembles course crumbs (be sure not to over mix...chunks of butter make fluffy biscuits).  Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cup of buttermilk.  Use a spoon to mix until it starts to hold together.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until most of the mixture sticks together.  Try to work quickly so the heat from your hand doesn't  melt the butter.  Pat out into a circle about 1/2 inch thick.  Use a biscuit cutter to cut.  Continue gathering the dough and cutting until all used up (I usually get 8 biscuits)...remember work quickly with as little hand contact as possible.  Place biscuits on a pan lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until light golden brown.  Serve warm.  Enjoy...everyone needs a good biscuit in their life!