Orange Cranberry Granola

Submitted by Mandi Cooper



4 cups oats

3/4 cup wheat germ or Grapenuts cereal

3/4 c sliced almonds or other nuts

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup dried cranberries



Mix together in a big bowl. In a saucepan (or in the microwave), bring the following ingredients to a boil:


1 cup honey

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tsp shredded orange peel

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon



Pour sauce over the dry mixture. Stir to coat evenly. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake at 300 for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool at room temperature.

Smoothies! Smoothies! Smoothies!

Submitted by Shauna Hinckley

I don’t really have a specific recipe, I just dump stuff in, but here are some basic ratios to work with.


1 ½ cups juice

1 ½ cups frozen fruit (more if you aren’t using any ice creamy stuff)

2 large scoops of sherbet or frozen yogurt

Ice (optional)



The ones that I made that night actually were only fruit and juice. I like to use OJ, or a tropical blend juice, but any works. The bags of mixed frozen fruit taste really good, or you can always go the berry route. You can even use canned peaches, pineapple, etc and freeze them ahead of time. Using peaches or bananas will give you more sweetness, but I usually toss in a bit of sugar too. The main thing is to blend it really well so there are no chunks (think smooth!) and have a good consistency. I just dump and blend until I get the consistency that I like.



I’ll give you a few combinations that are good (don’t tell Jamba Juice!)



Peach juice, soy milk (opt.), strawberries, peaches, vanilla frozen yogurt

Passion fruit juice, strawberries, peaches, orange sherbet

Raspberry juice, blueberries, raspberries, raspberry sherbet

Apple juice, bananas, blueberries, vanilla frozen yogurt

Soy milk, strawberries, bananas (or fro yo), honey

Soy milk, chocolate syrup (or just choc milk), bananas, vanilla frozen yogurt, peanut butter (opt)

Orange juice, strawberries, bananas, orange sherbet

Orange juice, soy milk, orange sherbet, vanilla frozen yogurt, ice

Raspberry juice, strawberries, raspberries, lime sherbet

Mango juice, mangoes, strawberries, pineapple sherbet


I could go on forever! Also, I don’t usually use soy milk, I substitute in real milk.


On to your favorite!


The Spinach Smoothie

2 c. Milk or Soy milk

2 ripe bananas cut up and frozen

Stuff fresh spinach in the blender to the top

Vanilla

Cinnamon

Nutmeg



Ok, that’s all there is to it!

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Submitted by Lea McEwan


2 pastry shells (9 inches)

2 cups diced fully cooked ham

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 teaspoons dried minced onion

4 eggs

2 cups half-and-half cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions



Line unpricked pastry shells with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer.

Divide ham, cheese and onion between the shells. In a bowl, whisk eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Pour into shells. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Or cover edges with foil and bake at 400° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

To use frozen quiche: Completely thaw in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking as directed. Yield: 2 quiches (6 servings each).

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 slice) equals 349 calories, 23 g fat (12 g saturated fat), 132 mg cholesterol, 596 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 13 g protein.

Nana's Christmas Stollen

Submitted by Emily Daniel

I halved this recipe. I call it, "Emily's always-going-to-be-2nd-best-as-long-as-Audrey's-here Christmas Stollen". Actually, it belongs to a woman named "Nana." I changed the recipe by substituting Welch's dried fruit mix for the candied orange peel, cherries and raisins.



Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 egg yolks5 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ounce active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup candied citrus peel

1/2 cup candied cherries



Directions:

1.Scald milk. Add sugar, butter, and salt, and cool to lukewarm. Add 2 whole eggs, and 2 yolks. Mix.

2.Add to 3 cups flour and yeast in food processor. Process and let rise until double.

3.Add cardamom, raisins, citron, and cherries, and rest of flour. Process and put on floured board and knead. Let rise in greased bowl.

4.When risen, cut into 3-4 pieces. Roll each into an oval, butter, and fold in half lengthwise. Put on greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise until double.

5.Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 minutes.

6.Remove to rack. When cool, frost with white butter frosting and decorate with candied cherry halves and sprinkle with colored sugar.

Buttermilk Syrup

Submitted by Laura Hintze

Ingredients

1 ½ C. sugar

¾ C. butter

2 Tab. corn syrup

¾ C. buttermilk

½ tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in heavy saucepan except vanilla and soda. Boil 5 minutes (not a hard boil). Remove from heat and add vanilla and soda.



TIP: This is delicious on French toast, pancakes, or waffles.

Pumpkin Waffles

Submitted by Laura Hintze


Ingredients

2 C. flour

2 Tab. baking powder

1 Tab. cinnamon

1 Tab. sugar

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. salt

4 eggs, separated

1 C. pumpkin

1 Tab. vanilla

1 ½ C. milk

¾ C. margarine, melted

Instructions

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Mix egg yolks, pumpkin, vanilla, milk, and margarine. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Combine flour and pumpkin mixtures and fold in egg whites. Cook. Enjoy!



Yield: 8 hearty servings

TIP: Fabulous with Buttermilk Syrup

German Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup

Submitted by Shauna Hinckley

Shauna's dad used to make breakfast for dinner occasionally and these German Pancakes were a favorite of hers growing up.

German Pancakes

4-6 T. butter

6 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 tsp. salt


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in a 13x9 inch glass pan in the preheating oven.

Blend eggs, flour, milk, and salt in a blender. When the butter is melted, pour in the egg mixture.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.

Serve with syrup, jelly, applesauce, or powdered sugar.


In order to feed my family, I make a 1 ½ recipe (9 eggs, 1 ½ cups flour & milk…) and it still fits fine in a 13x9.


Apple Cider Syrup



1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup apple cider

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons butter



Stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir in the apple cider and lemon juice.

Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil; boil until the syrup thickens.

Remove from heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Serve warm.

Dutch Apple Cheese Muffins

Submitted by Emily Daniel

2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large egg
3/4 whole milk (I used skim)
1 pound apples, peeled, halved, cored, and sliced crosswise into thin half moons (Jonagold, Empire, Cortland, or Macoun)

Glaze
1/3 C sugar
2 T water
2 T unsalted butter
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1) For the muffins:
Oven rack middle position. 375 degrees.
Grease and flour 12 cup muffin tin (I used my silicon muffin cups, a tin would have worked better. Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and cheese in food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal; transfer to large bowl. Whisk egg and milk in measuring cup, then slowly stir into flour mixture until combined.

2) Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tin. Arrange apple slices, cut side down, on top of batter, pressing gently to adhere. Bake until edges of muffins are just golden, about 15 minutes.

3. For the glaze:
While muffins are baking, heat sugar, water, butter, lemon juice, and cinnamon in saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Once edges of muffins are just golden, brush muffins with glaze. Return to oven and bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Cool in tin for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to wire rack. Cool ten minutes longer. Serve. (Best served immediately, but can be kept in a tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

Asparagus and Sausage Strata

Submitted by Audrey

12 slices rustic white bread (heartier than squishy white)
1/2 cup milk
1 lb. asparagus broken into pieces
1 lb. sausage (I use Jimmy Dean hot and spicy)
1/2 lb. grated Cheddar cheese
8 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or sour cream
1/4 t salt
1/8 t freshly ground pepper
dash of worchestershire
dash of tobasco sauce
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
3-4 green onions (or 1/2 of a regular onion if you don't have any green onions)


Cube bread into 1/2 inch pieces. Toss with milk in large bowl, set aside. Brown sausage, drain. In the same pan, add 1 t of olive oil and saute your mushrooms (and onions if you didn't have green onions). Don't over cook - saute about 3 minutes. Turn off heat add asparagus and sausage back to pan.

In a separate bowl, blend eggs, sour cream/buttermilk, and seasonings.

Using a greased 9x13 pan, layer the strata as follows:

half bread cubes
half sausage/mushroom mixture
half grated cheese

Repeat layer with remaining half bread cubes
half sausage/mushroom mixture
top with the remaining cheese

Pour egg mixture over all, covering completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature one hour before baking. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in center is clean. Serve warm.

Crescent Roll-ups

Submitted by Klixi Cannon

1 pkg Cressent rolls
8 links sausage cooked
1 pkg country gravy

Roll link sausage into each cressent. Bake according to package. Prepare country gravy according to package and serve over cressent. You can also serve with maple syrup.

Graham Cracker Pancakes

Submitted by Noelle.

Pancakes to me are a quick bread and also are sweets so here is my latest find from my oldest sister, Stacey. They are very tasty.

Graham Cracker Pancakes
1 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs (cinnamon works too)
6 T brown sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C chopped pecans (optional)
2 C milk
4 T melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together. Then mix dry and wet together. Stir until smooth. Cook them like you would any other pancakes.