Fancy Oatmeal

I love oatmeal for breakfast. An oatmeal bar is great when you have company. Kids love creating their own fancy oatmeal.

You can have so many things in your oatmeal. Here are a few things I put in mine:

Cinnamon
Brown sugar
Raisins
Pecans
Blueberries
Bananas

Yum! Enjoy!

Granola Bars

If you read my last post you know my family and I have been enjoying homemade granola. A friend of mine, and fellow BMCC member, shared this Granola Bar recipe with me. I just had to try it.

I just made them tonight for tomorrows Girl Scout meeting snack. We just had to taste. They are really good! I did not add the raisins as a request from my daughter (and husband), but I think they would be good. Here is another recipe that would be fun to experiment with.

I have a feeling I'll be making these again very soon.

Playgroup Granola Bars

allrecipes.com

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup raisins (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting or they will be too hard to cut.

ENJOY

Homemade Granola

This past Summer we took a wonderful road trip. We stayed with family and friends along our two week adventure. One of the many benefits to staying with family and friends is the delicious meals they make. I must say we are blessed to have family and friends who are great in the kitchen!

One of our new family favorites is from our road trip, Maple-Nut Granola! Every time I make it I think of our wonderful friends (family really) who made it for us, our visit, and our road trip. I love how food keeps memories close to our hearts.

Maple-Nut Granola is wonderful for breakfast or a light lunch with Greek Yogurt and fruit. I also just like it with milk. My husband and daughters can't get enough. Good thing it only takes about 35 minutes to make (from start to finish).

Also try adding 1/4 cup dried blueberries and 1/4 cup raisins. Fresh blueberries are good too. Mmmm

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Sorry I don't have a picture, but I haven't made these yet. These are just too good not to post right now.

My daughters and I were lucky enough to have these at a friends house over the weekend. Delicious! Oh my gosh they were good. My daughters could NOT stop eating them. I don't think there was one single pancake left. When my friend told me there was cornmeal in the pancakes, I must admit, I was a little curious, but the cornmeal gives the pancakes a great texture and little crunch. Thanks MH for a wonderful meal!

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Martha Stewart

Makes about twenty-four 4-1/2 inch pancakes

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons sugar

2 large eggs, separated, whites beaten to soft peaks

3 cups buttermilk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle

Preheat electric griddle to 375 degrees. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add egg yolks, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps; fold in egg whites.

Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Use a pastry brush to spread remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter on griddle. Wipe off excess.

Use a 2-ounce ladle, about 1/4 cup, and pour batter in pools two inches apart. When pancakes bubble on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2-1/2 minutes, flip. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1-1/2 minutes.

Place on plate in preheated oven until ready to serve.

NOTE:  My friend uses half the buttermilk (1-1/2 cups). She has found it too runny otherwise. She also added smashed bananas. Very yummy addition.

Easy Sticky Buns

My friend, and fellow BMCC member, posted this recipe on her blog. I had to try it.

It is so good I had to post it.

This is a must try recipe!

Easy Sticky Buns (makes 12)

A Barefoot Contessa Recipe

12 tablespoons (1 & 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces

1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

For the Filling:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry with folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with half of the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll about 1/2 inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1-1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only. invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

Oatmeal Bar

We are at The Lake with friends (a fellow BMCC member, actually) and just had a wonderful breakfast—an oatmeal bar. Fun, easy, healthy....what's not to like.

All you do is make a batch of old fashioned oatmeal and set out any type of toppings you want. This is what we had:

blueberries

bananas

raisins

brown sugar

milk

What a great breakfast for a crowd. The kids loved making their own breakfast.

Apple Crisp Oven Pancakes

My mother made this for mother's day brunch yesterday. I had to share it. Everyone loved it.

Apple Crisp Oven Pancakes
from Deer Creek Inn
Chuck and Elaine Matroni, Innkeepers
Nevada City, CA

Topping mixture:
1/4 cup Bisquick mix
1/4 cup brown sugar (I used Date Sugar and it was delicious!!)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup oats
2 Tbsps soft butter
Mix and reserve.

Pancake mixture:
2 cups Bisquick mix
3/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 large fress egg
3/4 cup chunky applesauce (I used regular with NO sugar)

Grease jelly roll pan: 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1
Beat all ingredients with wire whisk or hand beater until well blended.
Pour batter into pan and sprinkle with oat mixture. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes,
or until
golden brown. Immediately cut into 2 or 3 inch squares and serve with warm maple
syrup.
Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy...

Strata

This is my mother's Strata recipe. She also happens to be a BMCC member. We have always had it for breakfast or brunch, but another BMCC member makes a similiar dish for dinner. Sounds good to me! I LOVE breakfast for dinner!

STRATA

This is a great brunch dish. You can double or halve it easily. It’s my favorite for a large brunch party. It’s also good for dinner with fresh fruit or a salad.

6 to 9 slices bread (I use sliced sour French)
1 pound grated Monterey Jack cheese
10 eggs (beaten)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Use 13 x 9 pan. Serves 10 - 12.

Remove crust from bread if you like. I leave it on. Cut each slice into fourths and line bottom of casserole. Spread cheese on top of the bread. Mix together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over bread and cheese. Cover and put in refrigerator overnight.

Next day, take 4 Italian sausages out of their casings and cook meat in a pan. You can use ground beef or bacon or shrimp instead of you like. Put cooked meat on top of casserole. Bake 40 minutes or till set at 350 degrees. Let set 5 minutes before serving.