Really Great Granola

I got this recipe from Jennifer Merkley – so good!

8 ½ cups regular old fashioned oats

1 ½ cups brown sugar
Almonds
Sunflower seeds
Cashews
Pecans
Raisins
Large flake coconut

½ cup oil

½ cup water
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup honey
1 t. vanilla

Mix oats, brown sugar and any combination of nuts, raisins, and coconut.  Generally, start with about 1 cup of each.  Mix in a large bowl. 

Mix oil, water, peanut butter, honey and vanilla in a saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until melted and well mixed.  Pour over oat mixture.  Stir evenly to coat.  Turn onto two baking sheets and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 250º.  Stir every half hour while baking.  Store in an airtight container.

Chelsea asked for this recipe today so I thought I would put it on the blog.  I generally use 1 cup of brown sugar.

Fresh Fruit Salad with Pomegranate Syrup

One of my top fruit salads, looks beautiful and tastes amazing!!   Found from a magazine over 5 years ago and love it still.

Makes 8 cups
Prep time: 20 min.
Cook 5 min.

1/3 cup pomegranate juice (often I find and sometimes I buy a frozen pomegrante/cranberry blend of
juice to make up)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fresh grated orange zest
2 large navel oranges, sectioned
2 kiwis, peeled, halved and sliced
1 large banana, sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 Red Delicious apple, cored and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 large pear, cored and cute into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored and cubed
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)


1) Combine pomegranate juice and sugar in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 5 min. Remove from heat and stir in orange zest.  Let cool to room temperature.

2) Combine oranges, kiwis, banana, apples, pear, pineapple, and pomegranate seeds in a bowl; pour syrup over fruit and toss to coat.

Per serving: 184 calorites, 0 fat, 1 g protein, 47 g carbs; 3 g fiber, 5 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol

Cherry Chocolate Torte

I'm not even a huge cherry chocolate fan but I was after making this cake!

Delicious whipcream/cream cheese mixture, and it is delicious!

from THE Essential Mormon Cookbook pg. 126

1 chocolate or German chocolate cake mix
1.5 pints whipping cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1.5 tsp. vanilla
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
1 (6 ounce) package sliced almonds, toasted
slivered almonds

 Bake cake in 2 greased round cake pans, following instructions on the box.  Cool completely. Remove from pans and place on waxed paper.  Freeze for easier frosting.  Whip cream and set aside in refrigerator.  Cream the cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla.  Carefully fold the cream cheese mixture and the whipped cream together.  Remove cakes from freezer.  Thaw slightly.  Slice cake rounds in half to make 4 layers.  Layer as follow:
1st layer: cream cheese mixture and half of the sliced almonds
2nd layer: cream cheese mixture and half of the cherry pie filling
3rd layer: cream cheese mixture and the remaining sliced almonds
for the top: use a large cake decorating tip to make a fancy ridge around top layer or make a one-inch border by spreading frosting.  Spoon remaining cherries on top.  Frost sides with rest of cream cheese mixture.  Decorate sides of cake with slivered almonds.

Makes 12 servings.
Need to eat up with in 24 hours due to the layering, fruit, and whipcream mixture!

Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

12 slices french bread cut into 1" cubes

16 oz cream cheese cut into cubes

1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

12 eggs

1/3 c. maple syrup

2 c. milk

Grease 9x13 pan, put half of the bread cubes in pan.  Scatter cream cheese cubes on bread, then sprinkle blueberries on top.  Scatter remaining bread cubes on top of berries.  In a large bowl whisk together eggs, syrup and milk. Pour over bread mixture.  Cover and chill overnight.  Preheat oven to 350 and bake covered for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 30 more minutes.

Syrup:

1 c. sugar

2 T cornstarch

1 c. water

1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

1 T butter

In small saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch and water on medium high.  Cook stirring for 5 minutes.  Stir in berries and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add butter and stir until melter.  Serve with french toast.

French Bread

1 T. yeast
1 t. sugar
2 cups hot water
1 T. olive oil
1 t. salt
4-5 cups flour

Soften the yeast and sugar in the hot water.  Add olive oil and salt.  Add flour, one cup at a time, until the dough is smooth and not sticky.  Let rise for 10 minutes and punch down.  Repeat the rising until it has been punched down every 10 minutes for an hour.  This is easy in a Bosch because you just turn it on for a few seconds and it is ready to rise again.  Shape into 2 loaves.  Place on baking tray that has been sprayed with cooking spray and sprinkled with corn meal.  Brush with an egg wash - 1 egg and 1 T. water whisked with a fork.  Slash 3 diagonal cuts, not too deep, in the bread.  Let rise about 30 minutes more.  Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes.

Almond Pound Cake

A rich cake that is especially nice in the spring.

1 cup butter

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

6 eggs

3 cups flour

1 t. baking powder

¼ t. salt

2 cups sugar

1 t. almond extract 

Allow butter, cream cheese and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Grease and lightly flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside. 

Preheat oven to 325°.  In large mixing bowl beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer until softened and blended.  Gradually add sugar, 2 T. at a time.  Beat about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add almond extract.  Add eggs, 2 at a time, beating on low.  Gradually add flour mixture and beat until just combined.  Spoon into prepared pan. 

Bake about 65 minutes or until cooked through.  Cool 15 minutes and then invert onto a plate.  Cool completely for at least 2 hours.  Glaze.  This could also be baked in loaf pans and served with fresh fruit and whipped cream.

Glaze: 

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

3 oz. cream cheese

½ t. almond extract

1 – 2 T. milk 

Mix to make of glazing consistency.

Lemon Bundt Cake

An easy and yummy cake.

1 pkg. lemon cake mix
1 (3 ½ oz.) pkg. instant lemon pudding
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water
3 eggs

          Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease and flour bundt pan.  Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Beat at medium speed for two minutes.  Pour into bundt pan.  Bake at 350º for 40-50 minutes until cake is just baked through.  Make frosting out of lemon juice and powdered sugar colored with yellow food color.  Drizzle on cake.

This also works well for mini bundts.