My Best Granola Yet

Now....remember how I made it....and all of the ingredients....wish me luck!

Ingredients (for a huge batch)
8 cups whole oats (or you can use half whole half quick)
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup ground flax seed
2 cups shredded coconut
2 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
1 1/2 cups seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, poppy....)
3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 TBSP vanilla
1 TBSP almond extract
2-3 TBSP cinnamon to preference
MIX DRY TOGETHER (1st 6 ingredients). MIX WET TOGETHER ON STOVE TOP TIL BLENDED. MIX BOTH TOGETHER IN A HUGE BOWL UNTIL ALL IS MOIST. BAKE 325 FOR 20-30 MINUTES STIRRING EVERY 10 MINUTES UNTIL NUTS AND OATS ARE TOASTED. PLACE BACK INTO HUGE BOWL....

THEN ADD....YOUR FRUITS TO YOUR LIKING. HERE'S AN IDEA OF SOME. ADJUST THE COMBO AS YOUR FAMILY LIKES. TOTAL SHOULD BE AT LEAST 4 CUPS OF THE FRUIT.
1 cup dates
1 cup raisins
1 cup craisins
1 cup dehydrated blueberries
1 cup chopped, dehydrated apples
1 cup dried pineapple chunks, chopped small
1 cup dried mango, chopped small
1 cup dried strawberries, chopped small

MIX FRUIT INTO YOUR TAOSTED OATS MIXTURE.

Combine on stovetop then pour into combined mixture.
1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup water
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

ONCE ALL COMBINED, PLACE BACK ONTO COOKIE SHEETS AND BAKE AT 275 FOR 45 MINUTES. STIR EVERY 10-15 MINUTES. GRANOLA SHOULD BE MOSTLY DRY, BUT WITH A HINT OF MOISTURE. AT THE END IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE 1 BIG GRANOLA BAR.
SET OUT TO COOL FOR 15 MINUTES THEN CRUMBLE INTO BITE SIZE PIECES OR CUT INTO BARS. GRANOLA CEREAL NEEDS TO BE KEPT IN A SEALED CONTAINER. GRANOLE BARS DO BEST IN INDIVIDUAL PLASTIC BAGS.


HAPPY AND HEALTHY EATING!!!

Hawaiian Haystacks

Oh what a yummy meal this was! It has been SO long since I have had these, certainly since I was a child. Did you know these are a "mormon meal" just like green jello and funeral potatoes? I didn't. Either way, I wanted to make this without using the standard Cream of Chicken (processed crap) soup and broth as the gravy. Really, what kid of gravy is that anyway?? So, here's what I did and let me tell you....AWESOME!!! Ok, now I'm bragging, but seriously it was that good.

Prepare your rice for the meal. I made about 6 cups cooked rice.

Gravy/Sauce Ingredients:
3 TBSP butter
1 onion chopped
1 TBSP minced garlic
3/4 cup multi colored bell peppers diced
fresh chicken cut into small chunks (I used 2 breasts)
1/3 cup flour
1 can chicken broth
1 can fat free evaporated milk (I want to try coconut milk next!!)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
sliced mushrooms

Saute the onion, garlic, peppers, and chicken in the butter. Add a little salt and pepper for the sauteing and cook until the chicken is white and cooked through. Then sprinkle the flour over the sauted chicken and veggies and stir for about a minute. This helps to decrease that flour-y taste in your sauses. After its good and cooked for a bit, slowly wisk in your broth and your milk. Add your mushrooms and your seasoning while stirring. Bring back to a boil and continue to stir until your sauce is thickend to desired consistency. Remove from heat. Wha-La! Now you have a yummy gravy to go over your rice.

So in order you would stack on your plate or in a bowl - Rice, then gravy, Chow Mein Noodles and any or all of the toppings (below) you and your family want after that.

Toppings:
Chow Mein Noodles
Pineapple chunks
Mandarin Oranges
Tomatoes
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Olives
Green Onions
Fresh Cilantro

This made enough to feed my family of 5 with leftovers for at least 3 of us.

Crescent Rolls

I can't wait to try these rolls out. They look so yummy!! If anyone makes them before I do, please let me know how they are...

Kari's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here we go! I think I have finally perfected this dang cookie! This recipe makes a TON (about 8 dozen 2 inch cookies) so unless you need a ton, feel free to cut this recipe in half or just make those Subway sized cookies and get 4 dozen or so. Either way, if you like Chocolate Chip Cookies, you will LOVE this recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt (only add if you are using unsalted butter!)

1 1/2 cups butter; softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 TBSP vanilla

2 cups semi-sweet/or dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

same as all c.c. cookie recipes! mix dry ingredients, set aside. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add one egg at a time and blend well. Add vanilla. Slowly and gently mix in dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips.

Bake at 375* for 10-14 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes on the pan. (My oven was perfect at 12 minutes for the first batch and then 11 for the rest of the batches. Last batch I accidentally put 12 instead of 11 minutes, and they burned bad SO watch them carefully. The second they get slightly brown on the edges, take them out and they can finish cooking while they sit for the 5 minutes.) Remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

ENJOY!!!

Mouth Watering Stuffed Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS:
12 Mushrooms; cleaned and dried
1 TBSP oil
1 TBSP garlic
1 8oz pkg. cream cheese
1/4c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
crab meat optional

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray baking sheet or mini muffin tins. Twist and remove stems from mushrooms and finely chop them.
Heat oil in large skillet adding garlic and chopped mushroom stems. Cook until all moisture is gone, careful not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool.
When mixture is cool, add cream cheese, parmesan cheese, crab and the rest of the spices stirring well. Spoon into a ziploc bag. Cut off tip of a corner and "pipe" into mushroom caps.
Bake for 20 mintues.

Optional toppings : bread crumbs, melted butter, cayenne pepper, parmesan cheese...