Homemade Cereal Bars/Breakfast Cookies

I got this great recipe for a Breakfast cookie from my friend Marrianne and I have loved experimenting with it.  My kids love these and they are loaded with lots of great stuff and you can mix them up and change them every time you make them.

1 stick of butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup of either: pumpkin, banana, or applesauce depending on the flavor you want the cookie to be

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups rolled oats (you can use instant or regular)

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1/2 cup coconut

Now this is where it gets fun…..

you can add… 1/2 cup of any of your family favorites to add to the flare of the cookie

Our favs……  craisins, dried apples, dried blueberries, almond slices, pecan pieces, a few chocolate chips, etc.

Mix and bake at 350 for 10 min. 

Gingerbread Muffins with Lemon Curd

These muffins are so great and are very easy.  We made them this Saturday morning and it had been probably a year since I had made them last.  The girls were so excited and we devoured them.  I usually make the Lemon curd from scratch but I found this one at Walmart and thought I’d give it a try.  It was really good- as good as the homemade.  It can be found near the Jam’s and Jellie’s.  This time I also changed up my flour combination to try and make it a little “healthier” and it turned out great.  I used 1 cup white flour and 1 cup Whole Wheat flour. 

Here’s the original recipe for Gingerbread Muffins:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup molasses

Combine flour, sugar, BP, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cloves.  In a separate bowl, combing egg, milk, oil and molasses and mix together.  Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fill muffin cups half full and bake at 375 for 15-20 min.  Serve warm with lemon curd.

Here is a picture of the Lemon Curd I bought at Walmart.  You can find it or try the homemade one.  Here’s the recipe.

Lemon Curd.

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 tsp cornstarch

1/3 cup lemon juice

5 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1/4 cup butter, cubed

2 tsp grated lemon peel.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and lemon Juice until smooth.  ring to a boil and sir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Stir in  a small amount of egg yolks.  Return all to the pan and bring to a gentle boil stirring constantly.  Cook for 1-2 minutes longer or until mixture reaches 160 degrees and coats the back of a metal spoon.  Remove from heat and gently stir in butter and lemon peal until blended.  Store in the fridge.

Cinnamon Bread

I was reading this GREAT book on being a Mother called “The Mother’s Mite” by DeAnne Flynn.  This book highlights how even our smallest (and what we think are insignificant) efforts matter.   Each chapter has a personal story describing a great personality trait portrayed by a real mother’s life.  It highlights that trait and tells how that mother displayed that certain trait.  One of the chapters had this great Cinnamon Bread recipe in it.  I had to try it because it seemed so easy.  It WAS easy and delicious!!  The personality trait highlighted in this chapter was “Reassurance” and described how a mother baked this bread and then when the daughter was older and off at college she would always have it for her when she would come home to take back to school with her.  When she was lonely or discouraged, she would make this bread or buy some and it would remind her of her mother’s love.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon in a bowl and set aside
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup oil

Combine all dry ingredients together and all wet ingredients together and then combine and mix until moist throughout. (It’s thin like pancake batter)
Pour half of batter into loaf pan and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon/sugar mix.  Pour remaining batter carefully over cinnamon/sugar mix and then top with the rest of the cinnamon/sugar mix.  Swirl a knife through batter to marble it.
Bake for 45 min at 350.  Let cool in pan for 10 min.  It’s easier to cut after it cool and been wrapped in foil or plastic rap and refrigerated.  However it’s great warm too, just a little crumbly.  I’ve made it for an after school snack and it’s great for breakfast too.  My kids LOVE it!!

My Mother's Rice Pudding

There is a story to this wonderful recipe.  I grew up on this Rice Pudding, as my Father did (or some version of it).  I've been making this Rice Pudding since I was first married and much more recently since having kids.  I've probably made it 50 times.  It's a Gottfredson family recipe (well, not this version, but a previous one).  I was always told that the Rice Pudding was from my Great Grandmother.  I assumed up until this day that this was HER recipe.  My cousin posted a Rice Pudding recipe on her blog and said it was Great Grandma Gottfredson's but it was different that my recipe so I had to do some investigating.  I quickly called my mother to find out the story to the rice pudding recipe.  Turns out, my Mother is just like me (or I'm like her rather) and she altered the recipe from my Great Grandma to her liking.  So actually, this is My Mother's Rice Pudding, not my Great Grandmother's.  I have to say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it- and so do my kids.  We make it and eat it for breakfast.... no worse than sugared cereal I presume.

Warning:  Be careful, this recipe is very easy to mess up.  You have to be a student of the recipe and learn from it.  You can't overcook it and you have to be very careful not to turn it into egg drop soup.

3 cups Long Grain Rice

6 cups water

Cook Rice until all water is absorbed.  (Boil about 10-15 min- until rice is just under the top of the water, turn off heat and cover until it is done absorbing all the water)

Add to cooked rice and stir:

3 cups Milk

1 Cup Half n Half

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup raisins (optional)  (Raisins in Rice pudding are never an option at my house, it's always a no- but some people like it so I put it up there.)

Turn the heat back on the stove (Medium-Low)

As soon as you get that stirred in, mix these ingredients together and add to warming rice/milk combination.

5 beaten eggs

2 TBSP vanilla (I like to use double strength vanilla)

 1 tsp lemon extract

1 cup half n half

1/4- 1/2 tsp nutmeg (how much you want)

You have to add this before the above mixture gets too warm on the stove or it will quickly cook the eggs and you will have little bits of cooked egg in the pudding.  I add it and whisk it quickly into the 1st rice/milk mixture.  Keep it on the stove just until it warms and then I turn off the stove and let it sit.  It will continue to cook and thicken (I give it about 30 minutes).  You can easily over cook this and  it over-thickens so be careful.  Milk can also scald on the bottom and burn so watch your temperature. 

We love this recipe and we hope you do too!!!

Enjoy

Banana Bread/ Banana Cake

This is a coveted family recipe from my Grandma Margaret.  It is her infamous Banana Cake recipe, but I love it better than my banana bread recipe so if we want to make banana bread, we just bake it in a loaf pan.  If I make it a cake, we frost it with her oh so delicious cream cheese frosting.  It is heaven and I bask in my memories of her every time I make it.  My Grandmother's middle name should have been Banana because she is famous for so many wonderful Banana recipes- Banana Bread, Cake, Banana Oatmeal Cookies, and the most wonderful of all, Banana Drink.  Thank you for passing on your love of cooking and your wonderful Banana recipes.  I love you!!!

1 cup sugar

3/4 butter or margarine

2 eggs

2 mashed bananas

1/2 C sour milk  (to do this you measure almost a 1/2 cup milk (about a TBSP less) and add enough vinegar to make it 1/2 cup- it will immediately curdle like sour milk)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp soda

1 tsp vanilla

 1/2 tsp lemon extract

 2 1/2 C flour

1 cup chopped nuts (optional) (I never use the nuts- my kids don't like them in breads or cakes)

Mix together sugar, butter and add beaten eggs.  Add bananas.  Sift flour together with soda and baking powder.  Add alternately with sour milk.  Bake in a loaf pan or a 9x13 cake pan.  I also love it in a bunt cake pan.  If you make the loaf, Bake it at 375 for 45-50 minutes.  Check for doneness  with a toothpick.  If you cook it as a 9x13 cake, 25-30 min at 375.  For a Bunt Cake pan, 375 for 40 minutes- checking for doneness.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

These are the BEST pancakes ever, especially in the Fall!!



Pancakes

2 cups Bisquick Mix

2 eggs

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 tsp baking powder

1 TBSP sugar

1 cup Apple Cider

1 apple, quarters, cored and peeled.  Then shredd it with a cheese grater into the mix

Mix all together and cook on a gridle.  They are kind of thick, so spoon them out onto the gridle and spread it out a little to make a round pancake. 

Homemade Maple Syrup

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp Mapeline Favoring (you can find it in the spice isle next to the extracts) or other Maple extract

Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

I made these Easter Sunday morning and this will for sure be our new Easter Sunday Breakfast tradition. It was SOOOO yummy!! The girls said it was just like being at IHOP.

I made regular pancakes (the just add water kind- Krusteaz). It made about 16 pancakes. I added 2 tsp Vanilla (mine is double strength vanilla). I used a 12 oz package of frozen blueberries thawed- take out 1 cup of the blueberries for the syrup and add the rest of them to the pancake mix.

Blueberry Syrup Recipe:
1 cup sugar
2 TBSP Cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 TBSP Butter

Add sugar and cornstarch to a saucepan and mix together. Add Water and bring to a boil- cook for 3 min. Stir in blueberries and reduce heat. Simmer for 8-10 min until berries burst and syrup is thick. Stir in butter until melted. Serve over pancakes with a squirt of whipped cream.
*Note: We didn't eat all the pancakes, but all the syrup was gone- you may want to double the sauce if you want it to go on all of the pancakes. We used the leftover pancakes the next day with just maple syrup.

Homemade Granola

I decided to try and use up some of my Food Storage oatmeal. This is a great way to do it. My kids even like this stuff. It's great with milk, in yogurt, or even dry.

4 cup quick oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 sliced almonds (you can also use slivered)

1/2 cups chopped pecans, or walnuts (just about any combination of nuts you like)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil (or vegetable)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, mix together oats, sugar, coconut, and nuts- set aside.

In a saucepan mix water, oil, honey, and peanut butter; bring to a boil. Remove from head and add vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients. Spread onto a large greased baking sheet and bake at 325 for 20-30 min. stiring occasionally. Remove from oven and let cool. Makes 2 pounds.

Pumpkin Bread

2 2/3 cup sugar

1 can solid pack pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cloves

Mix sugar, pumpkin, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. put in 2 9x5" loaf pans and bake at 350 for 60-70 min.

There are lots of mix-ins that you can put in pumpkin bread. It's so versitile that it makes it fun. You can add:

raisins

craisins

walnuts

chocolate chips

cinnamon chips (that is what I added in this loaf. SO YUMMY!)

Blueberry Breakfast Cake (or dessert)...

This is so yummy! My kids love it so much that it never makes it out of the oven and until breakfast the next morning- so usually it's dessert or afterschool snack and leftovers for breakfast.

1/2 cup butter/margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1-1 1/2 cups blueberries (you can use fresh or frozen)

Struesel Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup cold butter/margarine

Combine butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat well. Add milk, flour, salt, BP- mix well. Fold in blueberries. Put in a square baking pan (9"). I like to line it with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Then I can easily remove it and cut it nicely.
Combine struesel topping ingredients and mix with a pastry cutter. Sprinkle on top and cook at 375 for 35-40 min. Remove and cool for 10 min and the lift foil from pan and fold down edges so it can cool completely. Good warm or cold.

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

This is a great breakfast casserole (we had it for dinner the other night though). It would be a great Christmas morning recipe. I just made it up but it turned out really yummy.

1 pkg frozen Hash browns (shredded kind), thawed out
1 pkg frozen peppers/onions combo (some brands have a few other things in it- like a few red pepper and/or a little bit of celery), thawed out
12 eggs
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb sage sausage (the kind in the roll- like ground beef) cook and crumble up
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp Dry mustard
1 cup half n half (or you can use milk)

Dump hash browns in a greased 9x13 pan. Dump peppers/onions combo, and cooked sausage over potatoes and 1 1/2 cups cheese. Stir around with a fork to incorporate all of it together.
Mix eggs, half n half, salt, pepper, and dry mustard. Wisk until combined. Pour over veggies/sausage mixture. Top with the rest of the cheese (1 cup).
Cook at 350 for about an hour.
I covered it for 45 min. and uncovered it for the rest. Use your best judgment- however crusty you want your cheese to determine doneness.

Buttermilk French Toast

This recipe came from a friend in my previous ward. I don't know what her exact recipe was but I knew kind of what was in it so we improvised. It's hard to mess up french toast so just experiment yourselves.

French Toast Recipe
1 pint Buttermilk
6 eggs
2 TSP vanilla
Day old French Bread
Cinnamon

Mix buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Slice french bread and soak in egg mixture. Put in skillet and sprinkle cinnamon on it. Turn and cook other side. Serve with homemade syrup or strawberries and cream. Yummy!!!

Homemade Syrup recipe:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp Mapeline falvoring (an extract)
1 tsp vanilla

Cook until it boils and the sugar is disolved.

Just a note: This recipe is my mom's. I never grew up on "Store bought" syrup. We always made our own. It's so much better than the slimmy bottled stuff. I store the leftovers in a jam jar in the fridge and warm it up in the microwave whenever we need it.

What's 4 Breakfast?..... Blueberry Nutmeg Muffins

1 stick butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 bag frozen blueberries or one pint fresh (really, you can use as many or as little blueberries as you please)

Topping:
1 TBSP Sugar

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time until well blended. Stir in milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder and add to the creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.

Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Combine sugar and nutmeg and sprinkle on top of each muffin. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.