Cranberry Nut Granola

I LOVE this stuff! I made a batch for Jeremiah's drive to Utah and another double batch for Carissa and Celeste's trek across to Washington. It makes for great snacking or even a quick breakfast on the go. The kids love it, too!


1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (you can find these and the sunflower seeds already shelled)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Nonstick cooking spray
1/3 cup maple syrup
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cranberry juice (I used 100% cranberry juice, I couldn't find one labeled "unsweetened")
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats, I used them and it makes the granola a bit chewy as opposed to crunchy)
1/2 cup chopped roasted and salted almonds
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (I used normal salt)
1 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, cranberry juice, and cinnamon over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and salt.

Pour the maple mixture over the oat mixture and stir until combined. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Stir in the cranberries and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture begins to brown. Cool completely. Store airtight in a plastic container for up to 1 week.

Baked Lemon Pasta

My friend posted this recipe on her blog--it's her picture too. It's from the Pioneer Woman website (not sure what that is). I had all the ingredients, so I threw it together for dinner tonight. I had it as a side dish, along with my Dutch meatballs, and peas. Even Brent liked it!!! He liked the tang. So, give it a go!

1 pound thin spaghetti (I used normal spaghetti and it was fine)
1/2 stick butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon (you girls know how I love to sub ingredients, I just used lemon juice from a bottle and did about 1/4 cup)
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups sour cream
1/2 tsp salt, more to taste if desired
Plenty of grated Parmesan cheese
Flat leaf parsley, chopped (I used my dried parsley)
Extra lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente (about 6 minutes).

In a skillet, melt butter wtih olive oil over low heat. When butter is melted add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.

Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake and additional 7-10 minutes. (Don't bake too long or the pasta will dry out.) When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Serve with crusty French bread and a simple green salad. Enjoy!

Coconut Oatmeal

This oatmeal is to DIE for! Even my husband begs for it and after I make it I can't help but snitch in it all day long and I can't wait for the next morning so I can finish off the leftovers! It really is that good!
I think you can substitute any kind of nuts but the walnuts really are delish. My husband hates walnuts in anything else but loves them in this!

Coconut oatmeal

3 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1. Pour the milk and salt into a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir in the oats, maple syrup, raisins, and cranberries. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in walnuts and coconut, and let stand until it reaches your desired thickness. Spoon into serving bowls, and top with yogurt and honey, if desired.

Homemade Pitas

I've made these a couple times now and they are so good and easy and kind of fun to make! They are very versatile and I just love how they puff all up in the hot oven!

Pitas

1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and knead until rubbery. Cover and let rise about 45 min. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Place each pita on a cookie sheet and cover with a towel. Let rise 30 min. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas are softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.

Stuff with..
tuna salad
ham salad
Chicken salad
Eggs and sausage
Ceasar Salad
Spinach salad
Sloppy joe meat
shredded bbq pork or chicken
or... Top with pizza toppings and broil

Not-quite-fudge Fudge

So this isn't your typical fudge. I substituted in Hayden's primary class yesterday and the lesson was about hands. I found this recipe online for "Handy Fudge" - basically everything is thrown into a sandwich bag and you squish it around with your hands to make something similar to fudge. It isn't fantastic, but the kids had a blast. I'll definately do it again for my kids, they loved squishing it around and then eating it (although it seriously doesn't look appetizing if you know what I mean).

Also, you can totally mix it up, add nuts or chocolate chips, maybe even replace the cream cheese with some peanut butter or something.

Per bag, add:

2 oz. powdered sugar (1/2 cup)
1 Tbsp butter
2 tsp cream cheese
dash of vanilla
2 tsp cocoa

Add everything to a sandwich bag, close it, making sure all the air is out, and start squishing!

Homemade Mac & Cheese

This is by far a staple in our house. It's on the menu atleast twice a month, mostly because it's yummy, versatile, and cheap to make, and oh so much better than the boxed stuff! I've tried several different mac & cheese recipes, and I always go back to this one because it's the best I've tried (if you have a better one let me know!). The recipe doesn't call for any meat (what? who says it's a meal if there's no meat!) so I always add meat to it. Our favorite is chopped ham steaks or cubed rope sausage (like Hillshire Farm rope sausage), but we also like breakfast sausage, hamburger, hamburger with taco seasoning, and bacon. You can also play around with the cheese. I almost always use sharp cheddar, but try mixing in some pepper jack or gouda or mozzerella or whatever you have. Also, we play around with different pastas: rotini, macaroni, farfalle, penne, etc. The recipe makes a lot of sauce, so you can make more pasta than it calls for and then put in more if there is more sauce to use. If I have plain pasta leftover (like I made too much pasta) then I just put it in the fridge and have it for lunch the next day with spaghetti sauce. I really like this recipe: it makes a lot and even Bryan (who has referred to Kraft Mac & Cheese as "yellow death") likes it too. Enjoy!

2 cups uncooked pasta
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk (any kind, except chocolate. haha)
2 1/2 cups cheese of your choosing
salt and pepper
Meat choice: ground beef, taco meat, sausage, rope sausage, ham, bacon, etc.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Cook and stir butter over medium heat until melted. Add flour and whisk constantly until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Return to heat and whisk constantly until mixture is smooth and boiling. Stir 1 more minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups cheese until melted. Add noodles and meat choice. Place in ungreased 13x9 pan and add the 1/2 cup cheese on top (I sometimes also sprinkle with parmesan too). Cook uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes or so.