Coconut Granola

We love granola in our family.  We like to add it to yogurt and fruit, eat it plain or as a bowl of cereal.  I only made one batch since it was my first time trying it out, and it was gone the next day.  I will most definitely triple it the next time I make it.  I used chopped, toasted almonds found in the bulk section at Winco instead of the slivered almonds, and I used vanilla bean paste instead of coconut extract.  This granola is crunchy, packed with coconut flavor and easy to make.

Coconut Granola

Yield: About 5 cups - 10 servings


Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats (don't use quick oats)
• 1 cup slivered almonds (I used a scant cup)
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, toss together oats, almonds, and coconut, set aside. In a separate microwave safe mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, honey, coconut oil and salt and heat in microwave on HIGH power 1 minute stirring once halfway through heating. Stir in coconut extract and pour mixture over oats and toss until evenly coated (it will seem dry at first, just keep tossing).
• Spread oat covered mixture in an even layer into a rimmed, Silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 45 - 55 minutes , stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely (it will harden as it cools). Store in an airtight container.
• Recipe Source:  Slightly adapted from Cooking Classy

Coconut Vanilla Granola

I am always looking for recipes to use or incorporate coconut oil in, so when I came across this one I made it right away.  The great thing about granola is you can add and take away what you don't like.  I added sunflower seeds and used the roasted chopped almonds from Winco instead of the sliced.   I am not a dried fruit in my granola kind of girl, but if that suits your fancy, go for it.  This granola is by far my favorite one out there.  Your house will smell amazing and that touch of nutmeg makes it feel instantly like Fall.  

Coconut Vanilla Granola
adapted slightly from Table for Two

4 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 T. vanilla extract
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, shredded coconut, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste.  Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture and stir until well combined.  Spread evenly on the lined baking sheets and bake for 30-45 minutes or until lightly golden.  Stir every 10 minutes to make sure you get even baking and to avoid burning.  Cool completely and store in air tight containers.

**I baked mine for 35 minutes.

{cooks note}
I purchase my coconut oil from Costco because it is much cheaper than buying it anywhere else.  I also bought 100% pure maple syrup from Costco.  If you do not have vanilla bean paste, you do not want to skip it.  Purchase some here.  You will not be disappointed.  I go through this stuff way too fast.  I usually only use it in recipes where you will actually see the speckles of bean.  

I am obviously no good at taking pictures, but I included this one because it gives you a closer look at what the granola looks like.  

Almond Granola

Almond Granola
from Keeping Up


1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, honey, oil, salt, vanilla and almond extract until well combined.  Fold in oats and almonds.  Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.  Still well, then bake another 10 more minutes, or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and stir again.  Cool completely and store in a covered container.

{cooks note}


I was a bit skeptical of this recipe, only because I am not a huge fan of almond extract.  Plus I really like this recipe.  I gave it a shot and I am so glad I did.  It's really tasty and will make a great addition to our breakfast line-up.  I added 1/2 a teaspoon of almond extract instead of the 1 teaspoon it calls for.  It has a hint of almond flavor...just what I was going for.

Faux "Bran" Muffins

Faux "Bran" Muffins

from Keeping Up

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon molasses

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cups milk

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups old-fashioned oats

Cream together butter and brown sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla, molasses, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix in milk, then add flour and oats.  Mix until combined.  Pour batter into 18 greased muffin cups and bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until muffin centers spring back when touched.  Serve warm with butter and honey. 

{cooks note}

Wow.  These muffins are 100% whole grain and completely delicious.  My sister brought us over some a month or so ago and I was smitten.  My husband didn't get the chance to try one because the kids and I devoured all of them.  They were that good.  I didn't have any ground wheat already prepared so I ground some in my Blendtec.  I ground 4 cups, just because, and it was finished in 50 seconds.  I really do love this machine.  I know I've convinced a few of you to purchase one, so here is another great way to use it.  If you don't have a wheat grinder already, this one works great for jobs like this.  Side note:  I will still use my Nutrimill for grinding wheat most of the time because I like to adjust how fine it is, but the Blendtec works for those times when I don't want to pull the whole thing out just to grind 2 cups of wheat.

Grinding the wheat.

Fresh ground whole wheat really is the best.

Cream the brown sugar and softened butter together.

Add the eggs, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, molasses and salt.  Mix until just combined.

Add the milk.

Add the ground whole wheat flour and oats together.

Mix until the dry ingredients are just barely wet.  Over mixing will result in a dense muffin with a tall peak and we are looking for light and moist and rounded on the top.  

I sprinkled some oats on the top because I think they look prettier that way.  We eat with our eyes, right?

My husband claimed these were "The best muffins he has ever eaten."  I wouldn't go that far, but they are a pleaser in my house.

Crockpot Oatmeal

Crockpot Oatmeal
from Keeping Up


2 cups steel cut oats (not quick or old-fashioned oats)
6 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Stir together ingredients in a greased crockpot.  Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.  To cook for 8 to 10 hours, add 1 additional cup of water.  Serve oatmeal topped with sliced bananas and toasted nuts, if desired.

{cooks note}

Simple, easy, healthy, wonderful smelling breakfast to wake up to.  A little preparation is needed at night, but that's it.  Sometimes I leave the apples out.  I never add raisins because they are not my thing.  I love fresh or frozen fruit on the top.  Steel cut oats can be purchased at just about any grocery store.  I like to buy mine in the bulk foods section at Winco.  Talk about cheap!

Granola

Granola
from my mom

10 cups Rolled Oats
1 cup Wheat Germ
2 cups Sunflower Seeds
3 cups Nuts (Almonds are my choice)

1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar (packed)
1 1/2 cups Water
1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 cups Honey (I always use Cox's creamed honey)
1/2 cup Molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
3 teaspoons Vanilla

Add the first 4 ingredients into a bowl and stir.  Then combine the rest of the ingredients into a pan and cook on the stove until the sugar has dissolved--do not boil.  Pour syrup over dry ingredients while stirring.  Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.  When done, cool pan and continue to stir.  Store in an air tight container in a cool place.

{cooks note}

I've been sick lately; therefore, my lack of posts.  I never thought at 29 I would get a double ear infection.  To top it off, I also got a sinus infection.  I am craving fall like no other.  It's still too hot here to wear pants.  Ugh!  In the spirit of fall, I decided to make my mom's delicious homemade granola.  The smell of my house yesterday was heavenly and made me happy.  My family loves this granola and we eat it every day until it is gone.  It's simple and tasty--just how I like it.  You can add whatever else you would like...cranberries, raisins...there are no rules.  I add a few scoops of ground flax to my dry mixture.  It probably equals out to be 1/4 cup.  Once you have everything mixed together, pour the mixture onto 3 baking sheets.  I have done two in the past and it takes much longer to cook.  I also have played with the oven temperature and increased it to 325 degrees.  Since my oven can only hold one pan at a time, I cook them individually.  It will seem like your timer is ringing every 10 seconds, but be patient, it will be worth it in the end.  I would say that I cooked each pan for 30 minutes total...sometimes I have to add in an extra 10 minutes depending on how crunchy I want the granola to turn out.  When finished, make sure you let the granola cool on the pan stirring occasionally.  If you think it needs to bake longer, don't be afraid to put it back in the oven.  Add this to your favorite yogurt or eat it with milk, either way you will love it.

*I buy slivered almonds at Costco.  You can also find them in the bulk isle at Winco.

Raspberry Muffins

Raspberry Muffins

adapted from The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Blueberry Muffins

3 cups minus 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
Heavy pinch of salt
Dash of Nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 generous cup plain, unflavored yogurt (throw in extra if you want)
2 cups fresh raspberries (or blueberries)
Vanilla Extract
Softened Butter, for muffin tins
Turbinado sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 385 degrees.

In a large bowl sift flour, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In another large bowl whisk together sugar, oil, cap-ful of vanilla, egg, and yogurt. Add the dry ingredients and stir to a count of 10.

Add raspberries, reserving 1/2 cup, to mixture and stir 3 times.

Add mixture to well-buttered muffin pans. Sprinkle remaining berries on top and press down lightly. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over top. (Brown sugar can be used instead.)

Bake 20 to 25 minutes and allow to cool completely.

{cooks note}

I filled my parchment cups up with quite a lot of batter.  This recipe made 11 muffins total.  I also cooked mine a little too long (one of my kids may or may not have turned off the timer without me knowing--that seems to happen a lot).  I still think they turned out great.  They are best when served 5-10 minutes out of the oven.

I love raspberries.  Last weekend I happened to have an extra container of them, so I decided to make raspberry muffins.  I searched and searched for a good recipe, but couldn't find one I liked.  I decided to turn The Pioneer Woman's Blueberry Muffins into Raspberry Muffins.  

I made my own muffin liners with parchment paper.  I really like how they turned out.  I didn't fold my raspberries into the batter like the recipe calls for.  I thought it would break up the raspberries too much.  Instead, I filled each parchment cup with batter, lightly pushed 5 raspberries into each and sprinkled the tops with sugar.

Don't they look like they came straight from a bakery?  I really love this look.  

Don't make this if you have a sweet tooth.  It's definitely more on the side of breakfast/brunch food.  

Whole Wheat Egg McMuffin

Whole Wheat Egg McMuffin


Whole wheat English muffins
Eggs
Canadian Bacon or ham of choice
Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook all  ingredients on a lightly greased griddle.  Assemble and Eat.

{cooks note}

There really is no recipe for these, or even a right or wrong way of making them.  Cody and I made these a lot for breakfast our first couple of years married.  Then we kind of forgot about them.  I decided to bring them back last week.  I found really great whole wheat English muffins at Costco and all natural Candadian bacon that is the perfect size.  You can make four of these on a pancake griddle.  After I cook one side of the bacon, I put a slice of cheese on the top while the other side cooks so the cheese can melt.  These are quick and easy and the perfect way to eat toast and eggs together.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Whole Wheat Pancakes
from Favorites

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil



Combine all ingredients and beat until well-mixed. Bake on hot griddle and serve with fruit or syrup.

Favorite Crepes

Favorite Crepes
from Favorites


1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup cold milk
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Put liquids, eggs, salt and sugar into blender; blend until mixed.  Add flour and melted butter and mix at top speed for one minute.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  Heat crepe pan over moderate heat.  For each crepe, lightly grease pan with oil or butter.  Pour 1/4 cup batter into pan, rotating so batter spreads evenly.  Turn when lightly browned to cook other side.  Stack crepes and keep warm by placing a sheet of paper towel between crepes while cooking the rest.  Top with syrup, jam or fancy filling.  Roll up and enjoy!

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{cooks note}

I make this meal twice a year for my family and each time I make it I fall in love all over again.  I 1 1/2 times the recipe.  I also skip cooking them in a fry pan and pull out my pancake griddle so I can cook two at a time.  We like to use Nutella, freshly squeezed lemon, fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream as our regular toppings.

Hootenanny Pancake

Hootenanny Pancake

from Favorites

6 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

Beat together eggs, flour, milk and salt for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place 1/2 cup butter in a 9"x13" glass baking dish.  Put in hot oven just long enough to melt butter.  Remove and pour beaten egg mixture into hot butter.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.  Pancake will "grow" up sides of pan.  Cut into slices and top with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries, or maple syrup.

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{cooks note}

Don't you love the name of this dish?  If you aren't familiar with it, it's comparable to German pancakes.  This is one of our favorite things to make for dinner when we want breakfast.  It's easy and so good.  I like to bake mine in glass pie plates...because that is how my mom does it.  For one recipe you will divide the batter up between two plates, if that is how you want to bake them.  A 9"x13" will work just fine too.  I also use half the butter it calls for in this recipe.  Adding 1/4 cup of butter to each pie plate seemed a little extreme.  If you like lot's of butter, by all means, go for it.

**Disclaimer**
I realize the photos are horrible on this post.  I tried everything in my power to get them to look better, but I'm  only able to work with Picasa right now.  I still decided to post despite the fact that they either look too bright (no flash either) or too yellow looking.  BUT the pancakes are yellow, so that was part of the problem.

On this particular night, I doubled the recipe.

Melt the butter in the oven when you are mixing the batter so it is ready to go when the batter is done.

Pour batter evenly among your plates, or add all of the batter to a 9"x13" pan.

Believe it or not, this pancake had fallen quite a bit after I had taken it out of the oven. I couldn't grab my camera fast enough.  They rise a lot in the oven and your kids will think they are the coolest thing ever.

Oven Omelette

Oven Omelette

1 Yukon Gold potato, cubed

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1 Roma tomato, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup Monterey jack cheese, cubed

1 (1/2 inch thick) slice of good quality ham, cubed

6 eggs

2-3 tablespoons milk

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cube the potato and chop the onion. Add to an oven safe pan with two tablespoons of butter melted.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are somewhat tender.  Add the cubed ham and cook for about 2 minutes.  Meanwhile crack your eggs into a large bowl.  Add milk and whisk.   Add chopped green onions, cubed cheese and salt and pepper.  Pour over the cooked potatoes, onions and ham.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Cut omelette in half while in the pan.  Transfer to a plate and garnish with fresh tomato and green onions.

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{cooks note}

This recipe can easily be adapted for whatever you have in your fridge.  I just added whatever I thought would be good.  I like cooking omelettes in the oven verses the stove because I can forget about it.  Plus, there is no awkward flipping.  This makes for a very hearty breakfast ... or dinner, in my case.

I like using Yukon Gold potatoes because of their rich buttery flavor.  The tomato and part of the green onion will be used for garnish at the end.

Monterey Jack cheese, ham and green onions.

Cook the potatoes and yellow onion together in 2 tablespoons of butter.  This will take about 5-7 minutes on medium heat.

Once you think the potatoes are cooked enough, add the ham and cook for another 2 minutes.

Crack 6 large eggs into a bowl.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of milk.  The milk just makes the eggs turn out a little more fluffy, which is good for an omelette.

Whip the milk and eggs together really well. Incorporating air will help with the light texture you want to achieve for your omelette.

Add the chopped green onions and cubed cheese.

Pour the egg mixture over the cooked potatoes, ham and onions.

Make sure your pan is oven safe; otherwise, you will have some major problems.  Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Hot out of the oven.  Don't forget that the handle to your pan will remain HOT for a while after taking it out of the oven.

Top with fresh tomatoes and green onions.

Fruit Smoothie

Fruit Smoothie

1-2 cups berries (or any fresh or frozen fruit you desire)

1 cup milk

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1/4-1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

1 banana

8-10 ice cubes

Pour all liquids into the blender first.  Blend until well mixed.  Add all other ingredients and blend starting out on the lowest setting until you see a vortex form in the center.  Once the vortex forms, you can turn the speed up higher until all of the fruit has been broken up and there are not big ice chunks.  

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{cooks note}

If you blend your liquids first, this will prevent your smoothie from forming a funnel inside.  If you increase the speed too quickly, an air bubble will form and the blades will spin around inside that bubble causing you to have to shake your blender to get it out.  It also helps to have a decent blender too.  I used my Bosch blender.

The ingredients:

Frozen raspberries and blackberries, skim milk, low-fat vanilla yogurt, frozen orange juice concentrate, banana and ice.

All ingredients in the blender.  I blend my liquids first then added the rest of the ingredients.

  A healthy smoothie perfect for breakfast or a great snack.

Your kids will love it.  Blake spent the last 2 minutes sucking up everything he could from the bottom.