Breakfast Pockets

This is one of those recipes that may take a bit of time to assemble, may seem daunting,  BUT I promise, it IS worth the effort. It is a bit tedious being that you have to scramble the eggs…..brown the bacon or sausage or cut up the ham….chop the veggies…..or fry the potatoes…..

The dough is GREAT to work with, my favorite.  

* The most important part of this recipe is to brush the dough with a beaten egg BEFORE you add all the toppings, it just helps to seal the edges so the lovely fillings don’t ooze out.

* The filling is 100% up to you and what your family like. Think of what you like  on your omelet, that might help you decide what to put in your pocket. 

* These freeze GREAT. Just warm in the microwave or wrap in foil and warm in the oven.  Great for busy mornings.

* I use a bread machine for this recipe, if you do not have one and would like to know how to make the dough by hand…just let me know and I will give you simple directions for that as well.

* You can also use frozen bread dough, thaw completely 1st. Probably 2 lb. you will need.

* REMEMBER ~ Add any meat (sausage, bacon, ham, etc.) any veggie (onion, green pepper, red pepper, spinach, broccoli…..etc.), really any potato (maybe not mashed) that you have on hand cam be used in these pockets.  I just did a batch with leftover scalloped potatoes. The cheese is up to you as well! I just used pepper jack cheese in mine. Use you imagination and HAVE FUN!!!

* Yield 16 “pockets”.

Breakfast Pockets 
1/4 c. warm milk
3/4 c. warm water
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. shortening
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2-4 c. flour
1 egg, beaten (THIS is for brushing over the dough)
1 pkg. yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp.)
1/2 lb. breakfast sausage
3-4 c. of frozen shredded potatoes
8 eggs
good splash of milk
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 – 2 c. shredded cheddar (or cheese of choice)

Layer the first 8 ingredients in your bread machine in the order listed. My bread machine’s dough cycle is 1 1/2 hours. So I usually ignore it for a while, then come back when it has about 20 minutes to go. Then…..

Cook your sausage till no longer pink, drain. Set aside.

Cook your shredded potatoes till brown and crispy. (I melt some butter (( 1-2 TB.)) in my electric skillet and then when it is hot I add the potatoes, still frozen is fine but broken up a bit,  add some salt & pepper.  Cook @ 350* till nice and crunchy and browned. This may take up to 20 minutes.) Take out of pan and set aside.

Whisk the eggs and add a nice splash of milk (I never measure this…sorry, maybe 1/4 c. or so). Add salt & pepper to taste. Scramble.  When almost set, add the cheese and stir in real good. Take off heat and set aside.

Roll dough into a large squarish……now about the size. IF I were a math wiz I could probably figure out the exact size to roll it. Me. No. I just roll it till it looks good (Bigger then 16″ x 16″, maybe go for a 5″ square for each “pocket” if possible ~ so that would mean 25″ x 25″ I think). I just roll it so  I can cut 16 pieces (I know that….4 rows of 4!!!)  No need to have perfect shapes. I never ever do.  BEFORE you cut it brush the ENTIRE surface with the beaten egg. This will help seal the edges. Awesome.

Now, cut your rectangle into 16 ish pieces. 

Top one half  of your flattened dough shape with ~ 1st, the potatoes (or veg). 2nd comes the cooked sausage (or meat of choice). 3rd is the scrambled eggs and cheese. Fold top half over and press edges together to seal.

Put 8 on a cookie sheet, repeat. Cover with a light towel and let rise about 20-30 min. till doubled.

Bake @ 350* for about 20-25 minutes. Eat right away. Or chill to eat another day. Or freeze. Warm when ready to eat. Oh  yeah, and enjoy!!

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Lisa (from Cooking Up a Sale) did a post recently about Greek yogurt. (Be sure to check out her post!!) It reminded me of these pancakes. I needed to make them again. They are really pretty and fluffy, filling and delicious.

Honesty, I was always afraid of Greek yogurt, but I  have been using it more and more, in place of mayo in salad dressings or dips. Even as sandwich spreads.

Have you tried Greek yogurt? Do you like it??? What have you used it in?

* I have made these with sour cream and regular yogurt as well.

* You can add chocolate chips, strawberries, wheat germ, really whatever you want to these.

Greek Yogurt Pancakes 

1 c. milk
1 c. Greek yogurt
2 eggs
2 c. flour
2 TB. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Whisk together the milk, yogurt and eggs. Set aside. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and whisk, it will be thick and there will be lumps. That is fine. Pancake batter should be lumpy……

Heat your griddle to 350° and spray with cooking spray or smear some butter on. Drop pancake batter in about 1/4 c. scoops onto hot griddle. (This batter is thick and will not spread too far, just sorta spread as you are putting the batter on the griddle.) Cook till you see bubbles, about 2 minutes, flip and cook another minute or 2 till light brown.

Serve. Enjoy.

Yields about 12 ~ 5″ pancakes.

Recipe from Sarah.

Some Snacking Options……

Looking for a GREAT snack that is not only quick to make, quick to grab and not too bad for you!????    I have talked about making this for.ever.  It just took doing it once to become addicted. We all enjoy grabbing this for a snack! The best part it that you can make it ALL your own! So, this really isn’t a “recipe” per say ~ more of a “method” lets say. Add what you want!! Take out what you don’t!!!

Please let us know your combinations!!! Maybe it will inspire us! THANKS!

Trail Mix    

nuts (whole almonds, mixed nuts, cashews, etc.)
peanuts (dry roasted, lightly salted, cocktail, etc.)
dried fruit (raisins, craisins, mixed dried fruit, apricots ~ cut up,  etc.)
M & M’s (of course…….or chocolote chips,  dark chocolate, peanut butter chips, vanilla chips, etc. will work too!!!)
yogurt covered raisins (Aldi…..WHY have you not had these for weeks?!?!?!? OH, this past week they had them!! So, below is another batch I made. ↓)

Mix as much or as little of the ingredients you like. Store in a covered container and ENJOY!!!!

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

I have been telling a few people about this recipe, TIME to share it!!! We have these with “breakfast for dinner” or for breakfast…..or for snack…….. I enjoy knowing that there is wheat flour in it……sneaking some goodness into my kids without them knowing it! I hope you too make these and enjoy! Grab the recipe here at Kats’ Kitchen. (PLEASE enjoy her picture, mine really wasn’t so very good, sorry……)

My tips for the muffins!!!

* I use 4 TB. oil and about 4 TB. applesauce.
* I find that this recipe yields more then 12, closer to 16 muffins I would say.
* I like to brush the muffins with the butter instead of dipping.

Happy Baking!!!

OH, another thing!!! PLEASE, if you are trying to figure out the whole snacking- healthy-fill-you-up-sorta-thing……THEN please, check this recipe out from Lisa at Cooking Up a Sale.  My kids and I enjoyed this yesterday as a snack. I served it with apples, though thought that graham crackers would be a fabulous dipper as well!!! Though, I was encouraging my kids to eat their fruit AND BOY DID THEY!!!

Light (er) Apple Dip

The taste is much like Peanut Butter  Gram-wiches, so if you liked the taste of those, you will enjoy the dip as well.

She has GREAT tips on her post, please take the time to check it out. ESPECIALLY the tip about “Grab and Go Apple Slices! I ended up using plain Greek yogurt and added a touch of vanilla extract.

Happy Snacking!!! What is YOUR favorite thing to snack on???

Instant Oatmeal Packs & Blueberry Coffee Cake

Breakfast. Breakfast. Breakfast. You either really enjoy it or you can easily skip it. We enjoy it here. My kids enjoy boxed cereal, OF COURSE the sugary sweet ones are the best. They tell me. Though I already understood.

I am excited to share with you all a healthy breakfast and…. well……another breakfast.  :)

In an effort to get them to be less picky and perhaps eat a bit healthier I wanted to make “instant” oatmeal. They enjoy the Instant Oatmeal Packs you can buy from the store. But, since I like to make things harder  I REALLY enjoy making things “from scratch”, I thought it would be fun to make some oatmeal packs at home. I saw a recipe here. Tried a few of the versions.  Take #1. ALL failed. Take #2. Changed the amounts of some ingredients, added a few different things. Pass.  The following is the version they enjoyed.

* Experiment with flavors you family enjoys! Add more or less cinnamon/sugar.

* I just pour boiling water in, stir, less set AND then I add a bit of milk ~ it cools it for the kids plus add a level of well…… the word that starts with “c” and rhymes with “dreaminess”.

* The powdered creamer is optional. I had a vanilla flavored powdered creamed that sounded like it might make for a nice flavor in the oatmeal.

I hope your family enjoys!

Instant Oatmeal Packs 

3 1/2 c. quick oats
salt
5 TB. brown sugar, divided
5 tsp. cinnamon, divided
5 tsp. powdered creamer, divided
10 small or snack size Ziplock bags

Put 1 c. of the quick oats in a food processor or blender and pulse till fine powder.

In EACH Ziplock bag. Put:
1 1/2 TB. oat powder
1/4 c. quick oats
pinch of salt
1/2 TB. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. powdered creamer

Zip closed. Put in your pantry.

When ready to serve ~ pour contents of 1 bag into a bowl and pour boiling water over top (I do JUST shy of 3/4 c.), stir, let set 2 minutes. Stir, serve.

We add a touch of milk and sprinkle with a cinnamon/sugar mixture. Just a touch.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Budget 101 ~ let me know IF you try any of the variations!

This is a lovely taste of springtime/early summer. It is light and lemony and packed full of delicious blueberries.

* I double the glaze.
* DO not thaw your blueberries if they are frozen, just put the frozen berries on top.
* If I happen to have a lemon just sittin’ there, I will add a bit of lemon zest to the topping. Just gives it a little more of a lemon kick.

Blueberry Coffee Cake 
1 lemon cake mix
1/4 c. soft butter
3 oz. soft cream cheese
1/3 c. water
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, I skip
Glaze: 
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 TB. soft butter
2-3 TB. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Grease and flour a 9″ x 13″ pan. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, butter and cream cheese. Mix at a low-speed until fine crumbs form. Take out 1 cup of the crumbs and set aside for the topping. To the remaining crumbs ~ add water and eggs and beat for 2 minutes on high. Pour into the prepared pan and top with blueberries. Combine the chopped nuts with the reserved topping and sprinkle over top. Bake @ 350* for 35-45 minutes. Cool 25 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the glaze ingredients and drizzle over coffee cake. Store any leftovers in the fridge. Enjoy!

Recipe from Mom W.

Our Favorite Pancakes

 This one is our favorite “from scratch” pancake recipe. It is good and will disappear FAST! I like mine with butter and sugar ~ oh and strawberries IF I have them. My kids….ugh…they like theirs with lots of syrup, chocolate chips and sprinkles (that which I am in control of the sprinkling…..). To each their own, it would be boring if we all ate our pancakes the same!  HOWEVER you like to serve yours, I sure hope your family enjoys! I would enjoy hearing if you try these and what you think about them!!!

* I sometimes add a touch of wheat flour, instant oats or wheat germ into the dry ingredients to get some goodness into my kids….makes me feel better about the chocolate and sugar. Just add to taste, I find you do not want to go over board with the wheat flour (I use about 1/4 c.), or else they may become dense.

“Buttermilk” Pancakes
1 1/2 c. milk
3 TB. vinegar
2 c. flour
1/4 c. white sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp.  baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/4 c. butter, melted
cooking spray
Combine the milk with the vinegar in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to “sour”. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the egg and butter into the “soured” milk.  Pour this over the flour mixture and mix just till lumps are gone. Heat your griddle to about 350*, spray with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto griddle, cook till bubbles appear on surface. Flip with spatula and cook till light brown on the other side.  Serve warm with butter or syrup OR whatever you like! Serves 4-6. Enjoy!

Recipe from the cookbook “Tried and True”.

This recipe linked to Six Sister’s Stuff.

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Maybe I shouldn’t post today. I feel a bit slouch-ish about it. I want to, but does it really matter? There are so very many blogs out there. Is anyone reading besides my mom, my aunt and a few friends???

I started this blog as a way to share, share chats, share laughs, share memories, share recipes, share good time. I wanted everyone involved. I STILL want everyone involved. I have had a blast. I have made some great friends and gotten closer to some others. I have learned a lot. I have made new memories. I thank you for letting me share, my thoughts, my memories, my collection and recipes. I will not call them “mine” cause a lot of times they have come from someplace else, with some minor changes.

The best thing about recipes and cooking are the memories that go hand in hand. We can sometimes remember where we were when we first ate something and needed the recipe. We can remember who gave it to us or we remember the time we messed a recipe up, and actually enjoyed that version better. We see the smiles from our family when they say “yum.” We remember. We learn. We share.

Now, I, can talk food for.ever. Sorry. It’s just fun for me. Thanks for reading, for sharing, for chatting. LET US remember that the “leave a comment” section should actually read ~ “your thoughts” or “let’s chat” or something like that. We would love to hear if you wrote down a recipe, or if is already a favorite of yours, maybe you tried it, maybe you liked it, maybe it was not your thing, maybe you changed it, maybe you have questions, maybe you have a story, maybe maybe maybe.

IF you ever think that others would enjoy a recipe that your family enjoys and you want to share it with others, share it here at favoritefamilyfoods@hotmail.com. We can have a guest post or I can make it and snap my own pictures. Thanks to my friends who have shared recipes, know that I have made some, looking forward to sharing them and look forward to making some others! It takes me time to post sometimes as I do not post a recipe everyday….. Please remember to let me know where the recipe came from, I really like to give credit where credit is due! If you would rather remain anonymous then just let me know!!

OH, before I forget IF you are interested in an E-MAIL RECIPE EXCHANGE let me know!!!! (favoritefamilyfoods@hotmail.com). Thanks! This will be the last time I say it, don’t want to be annoying. Ha!

This recipe today came from a friend, about a year ago she told me about it. I have since made it a number of times. My kids are not huge oatmeal fans. They will try it cause I made it…..but….inevitably they go back to the good ol’ Sugar Smacks or Mini Wheats. Fine, more for me (and my husband enjoys  it too.) So thanks Stacie for sharing this recipe with me. The original came from Allrecipes ~ I have made a few minor changes.

The oatmeal reheats beautifully. So no worries about leftovers. Don’t be nervous about the yogurt on top, that is my favorite part ~ well, and the crunchy sugary nuts……..

Carrot Cake Oatmeal 
4 c. water
1 c. steel-cut oats
1 (tart) apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. shredded carrot
1/2 c. raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 TB. brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 TB. butter
3/4 c. pecans, walnuts or almonds
1 TB. brown sugar
vanilla yogurt

Bring the water to a boil. Add the steel-cut oats and bring back to a boil, simmer about 10 minutes. Add the apples, carrots, raisins, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and pinch of salt. Simmer about 20 more minutes. (REMEMBER to stir often!! or it will stick!)

Melt the butter in a small fry pan and add the pecans and sugar, toast carefully, as they will  burn quickly.

Serve the oatmeal with a dollop of yogurt on top and a sprinkle of candied nuts.

Serve. Enjoy. Be warm and full.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.

Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing & An Easy Egg Sandwich

Aldi Ad Fun for Dec. 5 ~ Dec. 11.

(Not a complete list, just some things that JUMPED out at me. For a complete list AND a look at the “Switch & Save” Section look no further than right here!)

* You can get a Turkey for $1.19 per lb.

* Hams range from 99¢ to $1.49 per lb.

*16 oz. fresh Green Beans ~ $1.29

* 4 lb. Navel Oranges ~ $1.99

* 5 lb. Red Potatoes ~ 99¢

* 1 lb. Broccoli ~ 99¢

* 3 lb. Clementines ~ $2.99 ( GREAT for kids, easy to peel and NO seeds!)

* 7 oz. jar of Marshmallow Creme ~ 79¢

* 6 oz. Graham Cracker Crust ~ 99¢

* 12 oz. Chocolate Chips (Semi-Sweet, Milk, White and Butterscotch) ~ $1.29

* 8 oz. Lite or Regular Whipped Topping ~ 89¢

* 32 oz. Egg Nog ~ $1.89

* 32 oz. Chocolate Mint Milk ~ $1.99 (ummmm…..interesting…..) 

* 12 oz. Loven’ Fresh French Baguette ~ $1.99

* 12 oz. Loven’ Fresh Sandwich Skinnys  (NOT actually in the ad this week) ~ (Sorry, cannot remember the price, I picked a pack up last week while shopping. I had never bought them before, but will AGAIN! I wanted to tell you about them, in case you have seen them and wondered about them  too!) See recipes below for a delicious use for these Sandwich Skinnys!

Recipe Time!

When I was younger I did not enjoy Chicken Salad, but I have since begun to enjoy it. There are SO many varieties and it is fun to try new ones. This is a unique chicken salad, being that it is a bit sweeter then the “normal” (from the Poppy Seed Dressing) and  mayo free (unless you add a bit after it is chilled, see recipe below).  I am glad I tried it, I will be making it again.  If you are looking for a unique recipe, this might just be it!

Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing  
2 c. cooked, cut-up chicken
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. Poppy Seed Dressing
1/2 c. cream cheese (I used about 4 oz.), softened cream cheese
1/4 c. craisins
lettuce
bread of choice

Combine the chicken, onions and walnuts. Mix together the Poppy Seed Dressing and softened cream cheese. Add to the chicken mixture, stir to coat. Add the craisins. Stir. Chill a few hours. (It might dry up a bit as it chills, I added a spoonful of mayo and a bit more Poppy Seed Dressing.)  Serve on tortilla, lettuce leave cups, toasted English Muffins or Sandwich Skinnys (see above note) with lettuce.  Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker.

Another Fun Recipe Idea!

I will call this An Easy Egg Sandwich, though I am not so sure it IS a recipe…..I made this egg sandwich by using a Sandwich Skinny bread and scrambled eggs that were leftover from another meal.

Open the bread up, put some eggs on, top with cheese (I already had cheese in the eggs, so I did not), feel free to add some meat too IF you want to. Wrap in foil and cook @ 350° for 20 minutes or so, till warmed through. My kids and I enjoyed this for lunch the other day! Enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Pancakes

“Pancakes…please?” I hear this often, I am “accidentally” raising non-cereal breakfast eaters. I like granola, egg sandwiches, pancakes, muffins, omelets, etc. THAT means that the kids want to eat it too! That is fine, though, we DO need to have cereal a few times a week…….anyways….. I saw these pancakes at Minimalist Baker, and they caught my eye. They looked SO good.  I had to change it up just a bit cause I did not have a few of the ingredients. Oh yeah, and her picture is a bit more appealing then mine, guess I  don’t have “that touch” with my camara or my stacking-food-ability. Most of the time you are looking at one of my family members plate of food…..or a plate of snacks ready to go out to the kids. Oh, lets not forget this ~  I made up a “cookie dough butter” ~ I know… but trust me, it was good and no need for syrup! OR go the syrup route if  you so choose! Yeilds 8-10 (FILLING) pancakes.

* Be sure that your butter is soft for the cookie dough butter. If it is cold it will look lumpy and unappealing when it is all mixed up.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Pancakes  
1 large banana, mashed
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 TB. butter melted
6 TB. milk
3 TB. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. quick cooking oatmeal
1/2 c. flour ( I use 1/4 c. of wheat and 1/4 c. white flour)
1/3 c. mini chocolate chips
Cookie Dough Butter  
1/4 c. soft butter
1 TB. brown sugar
1/2 TB. flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla
(if using unsalted butter then add a pinch of salt, if using salted butter skip salt OR you will have a salt lick!)
Mini Chocolate Chips for garnish…..good excuse…yep, garnish!
Mix together the butter, brown sugar, flour and vanilla for the “cookie dough butter” and set aside.  Mash the banana in a large bowl and add the eggs, vanilla, butter (let it cool a bit 1st) and milk ~ whisk together.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, baking powder, salt, oats, flour and chocolate chips ~ mix and add to the milk mixture.  Mix just a bit, there will be some lumps remaining. Heat your griddle to 350* and grease if necessary, pour batter onto hot  griddle and cook 3-4 minutes till lightly browned, flip and cook another 2-3 minutes till lightly browned.  Serve with a dollop of “Cookie Dough Butter” and additional chocolate chips.  Enjoy.

Recipe adapted from Minamalist Baker.

Cabbage Crunchy Apple Slaw & Granola

Aldi Sales and Recipe Ideas for the week of July 25 – July 31.

* 7-9 oz. Lunchmeat Tub Refills, ad says “Oven Roasted Turkey Breast” ~ though I am sure they have ham too. They are $2.29 each. Either the turkey or ham would be delicious in Meatloaf Cordon Blue.
* An 8 oz. pkg. of mushrooms is $0.69 each. Why not make a delicious Mushroom Side Dish? You can make it on your grill or on your stove top.
* A 3 pack of green peppers is $1.19! I like to add green peppers to Sweet & Sour Chicken.
* Their “Fit & Active” food line has lots of foods to try~ dressings ($1.29), lunch meats ($2.49), turkey franks ( $1.29, my kids did NOT notice a difference from regular Aldi hotdogs!), turkey bacon ($2.29, I NEED to give this a try! Has anyone tried it? Is it good, bad?), all kinds of frozen fruit/smoothie/yogurt bars, yum…($2.99), oh yeah ~ ever get “drinky” when shopping? Happens to us ALL the time, the Fit & Active flavored beverages are a great thirst satisfier, just be cautious when opening in your car after shopping….they DO fizz up…don’t say I didn’t warn you (They are $0.69). The sugar-free drink mix is a great buy too! At $1.79 each, each container has 6 packs and makes a total of 12 quarts!
* OH and one of my favorite purchases AT Aldi is their large container of vanilla yogurt, something I nearly ALWAYS have on hand! I am going to share a recipe that uses the plain yogurt (the ad doesn’t actually mention plain yogurt, but they have ALWAYS had it so I am sure they still do!) ~ Cabbage Crunchy Apple Slaw. I am also going to share my recipe for granola and we always eat it over vanilla yogurt. The large 32 oz. containers are $1.99 each. See recipes below.

It is no secret that I am a veggie girl, a salad fan, a fruit fanatic, a choco-holic. Oh. This is a great salad. I made it in the morning the first time I made it, salad and dressing separate ~ then tossed it together just before dinner. Well, that was not right. It was good, but the flavors had not seeped into the cabbage. The next day we ate it again, and both my husband and I commented on how it was SO much better. So learn from my mistake and make it the night or morning BEFORE you eat it! It just gets better and better.

Cabbage Crunchy Apple Slaw  
1 red apple
1 green apple (I actually just used one lg. green apple)
4 c. shredded cabbage (looks like I used the pre-shredded in the bag)
8 oz. can crushed pineapple, well-drained
1/2 c. celery (didn’t have to I skipped this)
1/4 c. pecans (I didn’t have so I used almonds)
Dressing: 
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp.mustard
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. sugar
pinch of salt
Core and dice the apples up into nice small chunks. Combine the apples, cabbage, pineapple (drained), celery and pecans in a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together and add to the cabbage mixture. Toss together and chill at least 6 hours…. Enjoy this unique “slaw”!

Recipe from the cookbook “Our Favorites….With a Twist!”

Introducing my FAVORITE breakfast of choice, a breakfast all my kids enjoy and it is healthy to boot!! I make a lot of granola over here, was always pleased with the results. This time I wanted to try one that did not rely on so much honey ~ expensive or maple syrup ~ I am just really not a fan of maple. I was happy with the result, hope you all enjoy it too!

* I use mine if “parfaits” ~ just layer yogurt, granola and fresh fruit. Delish as breakfast or a snack. Oh, granola is a great snack to munch on during the day or before bedtime.

Granola 
5 c. oatmeal (I use instant)
2 c. Cheerios or Rice Krispies
1 1/2 c. chopped nut of choice (I used walnuts)
1 c. wheat germ (or oat bran or wheat germ)
handful of flax seeds (opt.)
1 c.  brown sugar (or 1/2 c. brown sugar and 1/2 c. honey)
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
Combine the oatmeal, Cheerios, nuts, wheat germ and flax seeds in a bowl. In a sauce pan heat the brown sugar, syrup or honey, oil and salt till melted and hot ~ no need to boil. Take off heat and add the vanilla. Pour over the oatmeal mixture and stir to coat, then pour onto a large cookie sheet pan with sides. (May use 2 cookie sheets if you need too.) Bake @ 300* for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Do check, it may cook quicker depending on how your oven bakes. Enjoy.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Bread is something I make weekly, daily even at times….my bread machine gets quite a workout, so do my arms when I do it the “old-fashioned” way! Not much to say about this, but yum.

* I have gone through a few bread machines, too loved and used I guess!! Well, one  ”jumped” off the counter ~ let us remember to ALWAYS push the machine as far back on the counter as we can! That is one of the best bread machine tips hints and/or tricks I can give you!!!

* I like to brush the dough with a beaten egg white instead of butter, seems to hold the swirls together better, but you may certainly use the butter IF you prefer!

* I prefer to double the cinnamon/sugar mixture for the swirl……… forgot to mention that I also add raisins, as you can see. Just a handful or two will do!!

*When I REMEMBER to put the glaze on top, this bread is very close to the Cinnamon Swirl bread from the old Village Bakery, that was a wonderful treat when we had it!!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread 
1 c. warm milk
1/4 c. warm water
2 eggs
1/4 c. soft butter
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
5 c. bread flour
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
Filling: 
2 TB. butter (I use an egg white)
1/3 c. sugar
1 TB. cinnamon  
1/2 c. or so of raisins (opt.)
Glaze:  (oppss. forgot this time!! ugh)
1 c. powdered sugar
4-5 tsp.  milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Layer the 1st 8 ingredients in your  bread machine in order listed. Set to dough cycle, check after 5 minutes and add 1-2 TB. if dough seems too dry. When the dough cycle is done, turn out onto counter and divide in half. Roll each half to about a 10 x 8 inch rectangle. Brush with butter (or beaten egg white), combine the cinnamon and sugar,  sprinkle 1/2 on each rectangle. Roll up tightly, starting with the short side. Pinch the ends to seal. Place seam side down in 2 greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place till doubled, about 1 hour. Bake @ 350* for about 25-30 minutes, may need to cover with foil if browning to quickly. Take out, cool 5 minutes, then dump on to a cooling rack to cool all the way. Combine glaze ingredients and spoon over both cooled loaves. ENJOY!!

This recipe came from an old church cookbook, I just jotted it down one day and cannot remember where I found it or what book it was in…sorry. But thanks to that person! I am WORKING on being better at recording where I get the recipe from…that was my “pre-blogging didn’t know what a blog was” days….