Ambrosia: Orange Pecan Salad

Ahh, the smell of a fresh new year! What a pleasure this time of year is for me. I love the quiet space after Christmas and before schooling gets in gear again. I have enjoyed laying around and doing...nothing.

And don't worry, my family is still eating, I just have not been posting. I've...been...lazy (gasp). Sometimes I have to take a break from routine or I think I will go crazy. The mundane of laundry, dishes, even getting dressed, just gets old to me every once in a while. I've been this way for as long as I can remember. Even when I was a teenager, life would just get "boring". It usually takes something fun and exciting to bring me back into motivated mode. At this moment in time, I have something REALLY exciting to look forward to!

I'm taking my two oldest kids to Disney World for the first time. I can't wait to see the magic of Disney through their eyes. I'm practically giddy with joy now that we are in the actual month of departure!! My husband jokes that the kids are along for MY vacation, not the other way around.

All the planning and waiting is finally coming to fruition and it's going to be great. Of course, there is one down side to Disney - the food. It's expensive and not delicious. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe things have changed since I was there 13 years ago, but I remember being glad I brought my own snacks. As I've mentioned, I can only handle so much junk food before I'd rather not eat. So part of my packing preparations are putting together healthy snacks and thinking about what we can eat quickly in the condo for breakfast or a late night snack.

Since we will be in the Citrus State, we will be enjoying grapefruits and oranges straight from the orchard. I plan on bringing bags home with us to share with the little kids and my husband (who are all staying home). This is one of our families favorite ways to enjoy citrus.

Ambrosia Salad

Ingredients

1/4 c pecans

6 oranges

1 grapefruit (optional)

1 can pineapple pieces (optional)

1/4 c sugar

1/4 c shredded coconut

Toast pecans in a dry skillet or toaster oven tray until they smell fragrant and lightly brown. Watch carefully so they don't burn). Let cool.

Slice the peel off the oranges, starting with the top and bottom. Then slice off the sides. When the pith (white part) is gone, slice knife in between each membrane and loosen the orange. Do this over a bowl to catch all the juices. Plop the segmented orange into the bowl. Repeat with grapefruit if you desire. Add pineapple to the bowl. Add sugar and stir. Add coconut. Chop the cooled pecans and add to the bowl. Give a good stir and then store in the fridge until you are ready to serve. Ah-maz-ing!

Gingerbread Latte

I posted about this beauty back here, but some of you have asked for the specifics of this recipe, so this one is for you. Just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas parties. Make a big batch of the spiced milk and keep it in the fridge. When company comes, warm some up in a pot on the stove, brew the coffee or espresso and combine the two in mugs. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon. Voila! You have a fancy drink in just minutes and you look like the Hostess with the Mostess (as Mom would always say).

Gingerbread Latte

1 cup milk (I use skim)

2 Tbsp molasses

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (which is basically mostly cinnamon with ginger, cloves and nutmeg added) I just add a little of each, never measuring
1/2 tsp ginger (for that gingerbread flavor)

1 c strong brewed coffee or espresso

Brew the coffee. While brewing, get out a glass measuring cup, the kind you use for liquids. Measure the milk and then add the sugar and spices. Put it in the microwave on high for 1 min - 1:30. You want it hot, but not boiling. When the coffee is brewed, combine your coffee, spiced milk and vanilla in a large mug. You can top it with whipped cream and cinnamon if you want to go over the top, which I of course did!

Alternative method: Triple or quadruple the recipe and combine milk, molasses and spices. Heat and stir. Cool. Store spiced milk in a jar in the fridge until you are ready to use. When you want a latte, brew the coffee or espresso and heat up the spiced milk and combine for as many servings as you need. 

A Friend's Cranberry Pumpkin Spice Granola

Blogging is weird. I mean it's kinda like that Julie chick described in Julie and Julia. You put your thoughts and ideas out there and no one reads them. Then time goes by and someone might actually leave you a comment. You join a few networking sites and suddenly more people are reading YOUR thoughts and recipes. Then you become famous and are offered a book deal (well at least my husband wishes it worked this way for me.)

In any case, you start seeing some people around the virtual water cooler that you might actually like to have an extended conversation with. People who seem nice, not like stalkers, at least as much as you can tell online. Sometimes one of these individuals turns out to be someone you would actually like to be friends with - like in real live life. This happens so rarely that it's thought to be an urban legend. I'm hear to tell you, it's not legend. It has happened to me.

I met someone in the blog world that I really like. She's self-effacing, kind, to the point, and a great cook. I know I could ask her any cooking question that I needed help with and she would go all out to answer. She gardens in a BIG way with fruit trees, herbs and vegetables. And she practices the old fashioned art of canning, so I don't feel like a crazy person around her.

She is one of those people you really, really hope will invite you over for dinner, because you just know it will be better than the fancy restaurant around the corner. She is my special foodie friend.

There is only one thing that stands in the way of BFF status...she lives on another planet. Ok, it's really only OK, but Oklahoma is seriously far away. I mean it's the west. Yes, ye of the windy plains and surreys with fringe. Someday I may visit, but it's gonna take some effort!

In the meantime, my sweet new friend, Debra and I communicate through email. We've laughed over our manly men and their need to kill woodland creatures. We have a virtual canning party planned for next peach season. I've offered to send her cranberries when her local store ran out. (Apparently there is not a strong desire for cranberries off the east coast - go figure.)

I was actually looking at her blog, Eliot's Eats (named after her beloved cat) just this weekend because I needed some inspiration. The funny part is, I was assigned Eliot Eats as my Secret Recipe Club pick. Shock! Imagine my delight. Especially, since this will be my last SRC post. I just have decided to move on and let someone else have my spot from the waiting list. I knew the granola that I had on my pin list was the recipe I would pick from Debra, even though there are a ton of other great recipes on her blog.

My family goes through granola like we go through everything else - way too fast. I figured making Debra's recipe would maybe make them slow down and enjoy it, instead of scarfing.

I was wrong. Yes, I admit it.

My family LOVED this granola and therefore decided to eat it for breakfast,  lunch and snack (they were a little surprised it had pumpkin in it, because you can't really taste it). I used a small container of oatmeal to make the recipe - about 6 cups, next time I will make the giant 42 oz container. I was actually trying to take the photos for you all when a small two year old child snuck over to me and proceeded to eat my photos!

She was very delicate with her sneaking. When I called her out for her transgression, she gave me this face. How could I say no??

Before I knew it, there was another (not so small) child eating my hard work. I'm telling you, food does NOT last long around here!

Here's Debra's recipe and yet another reason I like Deb. She gives you the links to where she got the recipe from and even the original recipe link. I love reading through all the iterations, so for me, that's a treasure. I was actually thinking pumpkin seeds would be great in this and it turns out one of the other folks did that too. See, each person adds a little knowledge and depth to the original recipe. Brilliant.

Cranberry Pumpkin Spice Granola
from Eliot's Eats

Ingredients
1 18 oz container old fashioned oats
1 c pecan pieces
2 tsp cinnamon (OR you can sub 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice for ALL of the spices: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cardamom)
1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp allspice
pinch ground cardamom (optional)
1 tsp salt

1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c applesauce
1/2 c maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c minced fresh cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon pad and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine oats, pecans, spices and salt. Carefully toss to mix well.

In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into large bowl with oat mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated. They will be moist. Add cranberries and stir again. Evenly spread half the mixture onto each of the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 20 minutes. Stick your hand into the hot oven and stir, all while being careful not to burn the skin off your hand - don't ask, just remember Burn Stuff is the best burn product on the market. 

Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the granola is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

To my sweet foodie friend Debra, thank you for bringing joy into our life. You know I'm still here for you if you need cranberries!! I completely forgot to tell you, I made venison stew with Coke the other day - it was delicious. If you are ever in Georgia, come for dinner.

A big thank you also to the ladies that run Secret Recipe Club. It has been a blast these past couple of years. I'm proud to have been part of it. Thank you for making the introductions to my new friends.

Carrot Orange Muffins

We are back from vacation and settled into the routine of school. For the first time ever we have an actual schoolroom to have our homeschool class. We ended up bunking the boys together and the girls together and that gave us an extra bedroom to finally dedicate to homeschooling. It's wonderful to finally have all of our books, supplies, art stuff and science kits all in one place!! Before, we forever carting things around the house and trying to keep the baby from getting into them. There have been plenty of times when scribble magically appeared on someone's workbook. That baby is so smart, she can already operate my cell phone and the dvd player!

Back to school or back to homeschooling, however you roll in your house, you are gonna need to eat. These are the BEST snack, breakfast or lunchbox muffins going. My kids loved them and I'm sure yours will too. They have lots of good stuff in them including nuts for protein. I used pecans, but you could use walnuts, cashews, whatever you like. 

These freeze well. Do what I do and wrap each one a plastic wrap and then throw them all in a freezer bag. When you need one, just pull it out. They thaw very quickly and it's such a timesaver!

Carrot Orange Muffins

from Grow It Cook It

Ingredients

1 c flour

1/2 c brown sugar

1/3 c grated carrots

3/4 c oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 c buttermilk

3 tbsp butter, melted

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 oz roasted nuts, chopped

1/2 c dried apricots, chopped finely

1 tbsp poppy seeds

1 lg orange, zest and juice

1 egg

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 c granola cereal

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add nuts, carrot, apricots, poppy seeds, oats and orange zest. Mix well.

In a medium sized bowl, mix buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and orange juice. Pour this wet mixture into the dry mixture bowl and stir together lightly with a spoon. Leave lumps. Lumps are good when making muffins or quick (non-yeast) breads.

Spoon mixture into greased or lined muffin pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Baked Oatmeal Cakes

For Father's Day breakfast I wanted to make something quick this year. Usually we go all out and cook eggs, bacon, grits, pancakes biscuits, fruit salad, sausage, jam, honey, coffee, orange juice - pretty much everything breakfast! My husband adores breakfast, so it's how we celebrate. This year we went out on a limb and changed things up. We grabbed a quick breakfast and headed to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to enjoy this incredible weather. It has been absolutely perfect outside lately and we've taken advantage of every moment. Lucky for me, when searching for my special breakfast, I had an easy place to start. It was Secret Recipe Club time and I was assigned the food blog NYCityeats. The blogger, Lacy has tons of breakfast recipes. The girl likes her breakfast, strike that, the girl likes her food. So nice to be in good company.

I searched around the blog, but quickly decided on something with oatmeal, since I'm a little obsessed with the stuff. All you have to do is search my blog with the word oatmeal and you'll come up with all kinds of things, like oatmeal bread, oatmeal snack bars, instant oatmeal, and the ever requested "Help Yourself Oatmeal". Lacy calls these "Granola Mini Cakes" which sounds pretty fancy, but in my house we named them Oatmeal Cakes. The recipe was very simple and I actually put together the batter the night before and then baked them in the morning. I didn't make the icing from the original recipe, but I did add a little extra sugar to the batter. We scarfed them down with a few slices of bananas and some freshly picked blueberries from the backyard. This was a easy fast breakfast that the whole family enjoyed. MacGuyver was very thrilled with his Father's Day presents: a homemade birdhouse, newly stained picnic table and lawn marking spray (so we can have soccer and football games in the yard). And I think he enjoyed breakfast, although he did mention, he'd like eggs next weekend. :) I love you babe!! You are the most wonderful Daddy around.

Baked Oatmeal Cakes

from NYCityeats

Note: this only makes 6 cakes, so you may want to double the recipe

Ingredients
2/3 c flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp vanilla nonfat yogurt
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c milk 

1 egg
2/3 c oats

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt together in a small bowl. Mix sugars, yogurt, oil, vanilla,egg and milk in a large bowl. Stir in dry ingredients & oats until blended. Scoop 1/4 cup batter into 6, nonstick spray coated, muffin cups & bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 min. Serve immediately.


To see all of the recipes that were secretly made, click on a thumbnail below.

Mango Lassi Drink

 

We just got back from a wonderful vacation in Maryland and Virginia. We travelled around the coast and saw LOTS of the Chesapeake Bay. I miss living in the in area every time I go back, but then I look at the housing costs and I realize why we live in Georgia. One thing I loved while we were up there was all of the great ethic restaurants. We ate Vietnamese, Indian, Persian, and seafood. All of those make up for the awful food that I feel makes up most "American" restaurants. I get so sick of seeing chicken fingers and mac n cheese on kids' menus that I want to scream. I mean...really my kids don't want that junk everyday and I sure don't want them to eat it. Where are the veggies in today's restaurants?? We all felt a little better when we ate at the Vietnamese place and could enjoy the large adult portions to share. With four kids, we will order three adults entrees and share everything between us all.

We all enjoy the fresh taste of a mango lassi when we eat Indian food. We sometimes order tandoori chicken, spinach paneer, naan, vindaloo, lamb kabob, or aloo matar gobi. About the only Indian recipe I ever make at home is the mango lassi. It's easy and doesn't require a ton of spices. In fact, if you made the Chai Tea recipe (which is the other Indian recipe I make at home), you have the one spice you need, cardamom. You could always use the leftover cardamom to make this beautiful bread wreath for Easter.

Lassi's are a creamy yogurt drink that my kids love. They will often request it for a birthday party menu. It's so easy to make at home and perfect for an afternoon snack.

photo credit Heart Healthy Online

Mango Lassi

Ingredients
2 sm ripe mangoes or 1 large

3 Tbsp sugar

1 c yogurt

1/2 c milk

ice (optional)

Peel the mango and section the flesh. The best way to do this is to cut the entire fruit all the way around with a paring knife twice. In other words cut through the skin all the way around the fruit from top to bottom and then turn it 90 degrees in your hand and cut top to bottom again. Then you have a section of skin to grasp at the top that you pull off if the fruit is very ripe. If the skin does not come off easily your fruit is not ripe enough. When you get the skin off you need to cut the fruit away. The pit of a mango is shaped like a flat oval and it's pretty big so keep that in mind when you are cutting.

The fruit goes into the blender with the other ingredients. Blend on high until creamy and smooth. I like to add ice and blend some more at this point to make it more like a smoothie, but that depends on your personal tastes.

 

Cranberry Honey Oatmeal Bread

I've been in a baking mood, and this is just the start of it. In one day, my three year old, Sausage Boy and I made this bread, the Banana Girl and I made her famous Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and Super Bear and I made...well I can't tell you yet, you'll have to wait until the Secret Recipe Club reveal date later in Feb (around my birthday!!!)

These baking moods of mine, come and go: with life, time, and maybe that time of the month ;) Whatever it is, I'm in the kitchen right now. In fact the preschool teachers already benefited since I sent in extras with a little Valentine's Day note. While I'm a fan of sweet treats for Valentines (can we say Cookie Dough Truffles, Citrus Meringue Pie, Rosemary Chocolate Tart, or My Favorite Molasses Cookies??) there is a time and a place for less sugar. This is the time. I'm feeling large and not in charge. I need to make changes, real ones. If someone could just let me borrow their will power, I promise to give it back when I'm done.

This recipe is from a blog called "Eat Yourself Skinny" if that gives you any idea as to where I'm going. According to the blog, one slice is 196 calories. If that's true, I'd be scared to know what my Zucchini Bread ranks up at. I found this recipe at Pinterest, my new love. Apparently there are a ton of people who are just pinning things and never getting around to doing them. I am determined NOT to be one of those. I want to use this fantastic tool and not just dream about using it. Bring on the pins!!

I pinned this recipe in December and knew I wanted to make it because I love cranberries. I have a go to Cranberry Coffee Cake that I keep cranberries in the freezer all year round to make. It would be perfect for Valentine's Day since it has the red cranberries, but it contains...sugar. This Oatmeal bread only contains a little bit of honey...a very little. I found out how little after I ate a piece. It was pretty sour. I mean, I like cranberries, but I had to change the recipe to make it more suited to me. The original recipe can be found here at Allrecipes. Here is my adapted recipe - and yes, this means it will come in at more than the 196 calories (or 5 WW pts, which Kelly, the author so kindly shares). My helper said our version turned out "really good Mommy", so there it is straight from the expert.

Cranberry Honey Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 c oats

1 c honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 c vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/2 c heavy cream or whole milk

1 c fresh cranberries, chopped (or dried)

1/2 c nuts, chopped (I like pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and oats (reserve a sprinkle of the oats for later).

In a medium bowl, mix together honey, vegetable oil, eggs and milk. Pour liquid into the flour mixture bowl, stirring just until moistened.  Stir in chopped cranberries and pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle whole oats on the top for decoration and fancyness (yes, I'm sure that's a word). Bake for 1 hour if using fresh cranberries and 45 minutes if using dried. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Slice and serve with cream cheese or butter. Or if you are being healthy like I'm trying, enjoy it plain.

Old Fashioned Date Nut Loaf

You know those gifts that somebody gives you and you thank them and you all go on your merry way, only to realize later how incredibly AWESOME that gift really was? This was one of those. We were given a loaf of Date Nut Bread and I thought - "well thanks, very nice". It wasn't until I actually opened this 5 lb brick of a loaf, cut a careful slice and bit into it that I realized what a gift it was. The taste is delicious: sweet, salty, nutty, crunchy and yum! I'm sure the cake was a labor of love to make and an expensive one at that with all of those nuts. I had to have the recipe and the precious givers, Linda and Mario, were happy to share...well Linda was happy to share. Mario might have had other ideas. When he delivered the cake, he told my husband, "if you don't like it - that's okay, just give it back to me". That kinda intrigued me. I mean, these are generous and giving neighbors we are talking about, what's this about giving it back?? Turns out, this is his FAVORITE cake of all time and he just wanted to make sure it was appreciated and not haphazardly scarfed or tossed out. This cake is THAT good. I'm very grateful she twisted his arm because it was delicious - every last bite. I was a little hesitant to share it with my nut and date loving Dad, but it was his birthday, so I relented.

The recipe comes from an old cookbook, which are some of the ones that I most enjoy and least use. I think what throws me off is the lack of pictures. There aren't usually photographs of the recipes and that's what gets my attention. I know the recipes are delicious and I usually enjoy what I make from my older cookbooks, but I just don't do it enough. I figure I might reignite interest in these older cookbooks if I make a few recipes and take some (hopefully yummy looking) photos. I'm really working on my photographs. Everytime I see the one of the hot chocolate cones on pinterest I have to cringe - it's terrible! I did just get a new lens on a girls trip to NYC, I went to B&H photo. That place is amazing! There are at least 47 check out registers - it's busy and big like the rest of Manhattan. Anyway, the lens I got promises to make my food tastier looking, fresher, healthier and all around yummier - that's what the sales clerk told me - really!

Can't you see the delicious difference in this Date Nut Cake? I guess that's cheating since I didn't actually make this cake, but it does look amazing. So if you can spring for the pecans - or you have a pecan tree in the backyard, this is a cake you want to make. It will last a very long time in the fridge and you only need a little slice to go with a cup of fresh brewed coffee. It's perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. I figure it has the nuts so you've got a little protein - that makes it as healthy as a power bar in my mind! It kinda reminds me of another loaf I just made with nuts and dried fruits in it, only that one I turned into crackers. I promise to share that recipe very soon, but for now enjoy Old Fashioned Date Nut Loaf.

Date Nut Loaf
from Farm Journal Christmas Book
4 eggs
1 c sugar
1/2 c oil
1 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 lb pitted chopped dates
4 c pecans

Combine eggs, sugar and oil in large bowl. Beat well. Combine flour and salt in a bowl and whisk to mix and sift flour. Add flour to egg bowl and mix well. Fold in dates and nuts. Dump in a greased and floured loaf pan. Put loaf in cold oven and then turn it on to 300 degrees. Bake for 2 hours and then cover loosely with foil. Bake for 15 more minutes.

Hannakka Latkas - The Chickenville Way

I honor of Hanukkah going on right now, here is a recipe for potato "pancakes" from leftover mashed potatoes. Not exactly, latkas, but my version.

Potato Cakes
Makes about 8 cakes
2 c leftover mashed potatoes (the kind with milk, butter and garlic are best, but the instant flake kind can be substituted but you'll need to add salt and pepper)
2 eggs
1/8 c flour

Turn on a skillet on med high and add a little oil. Beat the eggs with a fork and add the potatoes and flour. Just like making pancakes, pour a little of the potato batter in the pan to form cakes. Let fry for a minute or so until sides seem to be browning, then flip to cook the other side. When cooked, cool on a paper towel like bacon to drain the extra oil off.

You can serve these the traditional way with sour cream and applesauce or cooked apples OR you can serve them with Parmesan cheese and bacon. What combos can you think of?

Warm Pumpkin Spice Pancakes & Pumpkin Spice Lattes (or Gingerbread)

I love pumpkin: pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread. I mean really love it as much as I love cranberries and apples and well everything else fall. Fall is probably my favorite season despite the fact that the fresh air kills me. I'm allergic to all the pretty flowers that grow in the spring AND all of the pretty leaves that fall and get moldy in autumn. It kinda stinks when your favorite times of the year to be outside are the ones that make you miserable. MacGuyver always says he's going to buy me a bubble to live in. (I've never seen it, but I heard there is a movie.)

I made these pancakes last week and the kids were thrilled and even the husband liked them, which is saying something because he doesn't love pumpkin. So even if you a not the most pumpkin loving person, you might try these out. You can also adapt both recipes to create a gingerbread taste, by omitting the pumpkin, adding more ginger spice and a little molasses.

Every Thursday the kids and I enjoy a "day in". Since I homeschool the kids, we have decided that once a week we will stay home and do whatever we feel like. It always starts with a yummy breakfast. You know the kind that you promise your kids you will make and never have time to on normal crazy days? A normal morning for us involves a lot of "hurry up", "eat your food" and "stop kicking your sister". I'm I the only one with mornings like these? This is why my little family has Thursdays - for "yes" time. Yes to pancakes, yes to games, yes to stories read at the table, yes to wrestling, yes to bike riding and whatever else they can think of. BTW, there is a great book called "Yes Day" that my 3 year old told me about. It's so cute and all the kids love the idea of a "yes day" at our house.

I usually make extra of whatever they choose for breakfast on Thursdays (pancakes, waffles, coffee cake, quiche, or bacon) and save them for one of the hectic mornings as a reheat. This pancakes starts out like our traditional buttermilk pancake recipe, but you just add the spices and the pumpkin puree. And if you make the pancakes, you are going to want to make the latte...trust me they go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Warm Pumpkin Spice Pancakes - Chocolate chips optional :)

2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/3 c buttermilk
1 c sourdough starter or milk
1/2 c pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp oil
1 egg

Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl with whisk. Add buttermilk, starter, pumpkin, oil and egg to the dry mixture. Whisk until combined. Can be thinned with milk or water if the batter is too thick to easily pour. When griddle or pan is hot, pour batter on. At this step you can add chocolate chips if you like. Cook until bubbles form and then flip.

If you want to make gingerbread pancakes, you need to increase the ginger to 1 tsp and decrease the cinnamon to 1 tsp. Then omit the pumpkin and sugar and add 1/4 c molasses.You can even serve them with molasses as the syrup!

Pumpkin Spice Latte OR Gingerbread Latte

1 cup milk (I use skim)

1 Tbsp canned pumpkin

1 Tbsp sugar (or substitute)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (which is basically mostly cinnamon with ginger, cloves and nutmeg added) I just add a little of each, never measuring

1 c strong brewed coffee

Brew the coffee. While brewing, get out a glass measuring cup, the kind you use for liquids. Measure the milk and then add the pumpkin, sugar and spices. Put it in the microwave on high for 1 min - 1:30. You want it hot, but not boiling. When the coffee is brewed, combine your coffee, spiced milk and vanilla in a large mug. You can top it with whipped cream and cinnamon if you want to go over the top, which I of course did!

Variation: if you want to make a gingerbread latte, you omit the pumpkin and up the ginger spice a little and add use molasses as your sweetener. Equally delicious!

Cardamom Bread Wreath

Fabulous bread for Easter morning (or any other special morning). It's subtlety flavored with cardamom and covered in glaze. The braid looks beautiful and oh so complicated, but it's just as easy as braiding hair. You will look like Martha while being as serene as Mary (Luke 10:38-42), able to sit at the feet of Jesus and worship with joy this Easter.

Cardamom Wreath

2 packages yeast
1/3 c warm water
1/2 c soft butter
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs
12 oz (1 can) evaporated milk
1/4 c sour cream
1 tbsp grated orange peel
2 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp salt
7 - 7 1/2 flour
1 c powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla or almond flavoring

Proof your yeast by sprinkling it over the warm water in the measuring cup and let sit until foamy. In large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, milk, yeast and water, sour cream, orange peel, cardamom and salt. Mix well. Beat in 7 cups of flour to form a soft dough. At this point you can knead by hand or switch to a dough hook. Knead about 6 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding only small amounts of flour to keep it from sticking. Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Punch down dough, let it sit (rest) for about 30 minutes. Then divide into 6 portions. Shape each portion into a 24" long rope. Please three of the ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid into one long rope. Then shape the straight rope into a circle, pinching the ends together to form one continuous ring. Cover again and let rise about 45 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Combine milk, powdered sugar and vanilla in small bowl. Whisk until smooth and pour over wreath after it's cooled completely.

This recipe makes two loaves, one to keep and one to share with a neighbor along with the Good News of Easter morning: Jesus died and rose again so that our sins would be forgiven, allowing us to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Other Easter items you might also be interested in: a Spring Table Setting, a Sedar Plate meal, or this lamb "tracing" cake.

Easter Granola Bar Nests

These fun Easter nests are perfect for a snack. In our preschool, everything has to be healthy which I love, but it means no cute iced cookies for the Easter party. :(  I had to come up with something else. Hummmm, what to make? Ah-ha, we love granola bars! This recipe tastes like a Quaker oatmeal breakfast bar, so perfect for those who like a chewy taste. If you like a sweeter granola bar, pick this one. I usually bake a 9x13 pan or sometimes in muffin cups. Then I put plastic wrap on each one, throw them into a rubbermaid container and into the freezer. Whenever we need a to go snack or a lunch box filler, pop one in, already wrapped!

For the Easter celebration, I decied to make the granola "rounds" and make them into nests. If you want to make nests, you just depress the middle to create a dent before the "round" cools off. Since I couldn't fill it with jelly beans or my personal favorite Easter candy, Cadbury Mini Eggs, I filled them with yogurt covered raisins (strawberry and vanilla flavored). When we talked about eggs and where they come from we also got to talk about how close to perfect egg are and compared them to the how perfect Jesus is! We talked about new birth and Jesus' resurrection. It was a great snack for our Easter celebration.

Chewy Granola Bars

2c oats
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c wheat germ (in the cereal isle in a jar)
1/2 raisins, optional
2 eggs
1/3 c melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine oatmeal, sugar, wheat germ and raisins in a large bowl. Combine eggs, butter and vanilla in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.  Press into a greased muffin pan or for bars, press into a greased 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. For nest, press the center down while still warm. For bars, cool 10 minutes and then cut while still warm. Store in airtight container.

When I served the nests to the preschoolers we added another cute idea: "sunny side up eggs".  This was something I saw as an April Fool's joke, but it works for Easter too. It's vanilla yogurt pooled on a plate with a dried apricot in the center...it tricked the kids and they got a giggle! I had to do something funny since we celebrated on April Fools Day!!

Crock Pot Apple Butter with Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Appley, cinnamony goodness on homemade bread, this is fall food. Have you noticed how all carbs are my weakness?? There are those people who think bread is only to hold a sandwich together (my husband) and then there are people like myself. I can barely wait for the bread to cool from the oven before I slice off a hunk - no accoutrements needed - just plain bread. I love the smell of it baking and the way it fills the whole house with its homemade scent. Ahhhh!

The next day when the bread is cooled and "day old" I love slathering on homemade toppings like butter, jelly (made only with juice), jam (made with juice and a bit of fruit chunks), preserves (chunky fruity goodness), or apple butter. I've made all kinds of jams and jellies, but there is something about apple butter that can't be beat.

Apple butter is very easy to make when you put it in the crockpot, which is about the only thing I ever use mine for. {This is completely off-topic plea, but will someone send me some good crockpot recipes or cookbook? I would really like to use my crock more often, but I've never been tempted by the recipes I've seen as they all look brown and mushy - not fresh and appealing.} This recipe will fill your house with such a delicious aroma, you'll have trouble waiting to eat it - I promise! It's also a great gift to give. Your friends and family will love you for taking the time. You can make it with apples or pears and they both turn out abou the same taste, so choose what's on sale or what you've been given. My wonderful Aunt Sharon just shared a huge box of cooking pears (they stay hard and don't get soft, so they are only good for cooking with) so I decided on pear butter. Aunt Sharon, there is a jar with your name on it!

Crock Pot Apple (or Pear) Butter

Makes 9-10 pints

9 qts of applesauce or pearsauce, homemade or store bought

2 tbsp of ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp of allspice

1/2 tsp anise seeds (optional)

4 c sugar or sugar substitute

If you have just been to the orchard and returned with mountains of fresh apples or pears, you need to make applesauce first. Peel, core and quarter your fruit, unless you have one of these handy food mills for the counter or your Kitchenaid. If you have one of these, you don't need to peel the fruit, since you will be running it through the mill. In any case, you are starting with as many fruit as you can fit into your crock pot and add a little bit of water, just a splash on the bottom. I use a massive 8 1/2 quart crock pot (if your our crockpot is smaller, just reduce the ingredients proportionately). Cook the fruit on high until you have soft mushy apples or pears. You can use a hand masher to aid them in breaking down. After about 12-24 hours (depending on the types of fruit and how hard it was to start) you'll have unsweetened applesauce. This is delicious on it's own and perfect for canning or freezing.

If you want fruit butter, you need to continue in the slow cooker. Add the spices and sugar to your applesauce.  Stir well and set the pot to low with the lid somewhat vented (use a spatula or chopsticks under the lid to keep it up.)  Cook for 10-12 hours. Everything will get dark brown and smell incredible! After cooking you can use an immersion blender to puree it all so it's extra smooth or do it in the blender. Then you can freeze the apple butter or can it in glass jars making it just as shelf-life stable as store bought.

To can, put warm butter in jars and wipe the tops clean. Seal with canning lids and screw tops. Put the jars in a large pot filled with a couple of inches of water. Bring the pot to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars with tongs and set on a kitchen towel until cool. You will hear a popping sound when the lid cools enough to seal. This means you have a good seal and the product will be shelf stable. You can remove the screw lids to store.

To make my tasty cinnamon raisin bread you start with a sweet yeast dough....

Basic Sweet Dough (Sourdough Version)
see bottom of post for commercial yeast recipe
6 c flour
1 tbsp salt
1/2 c sugar
1 c starter
1/2 c oil
1 c warm milk
1/2 c warm water

Whisk only 4 cups of the flour, salt and the sugar in a large electric mixer bowl. Add your starter, oil, and water and mix with a bread dough hook. Slowly you add the other two cups of flour. You may not need all 2 cups, so add slowly. The way you know the dough is ready is when it forms into a "ball". In the mixer, the dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and forms a literal ball, like it the photo below.

I love my 6qt KitchenAid mixer. It was a splurge from the outlet store, but it's been worth every penny. If you are using a hand mixer, you'll need to take the bread out of the mixer bowl and knead it on a floury surface for about 10 minutes until the dough sticks well to itself and not the counter and does not spread out immediately when you let go, but instead holds it's shape.

After the dough is well formed, it needs to rise to double in size. Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm draft free place (like your oven with only the light on) overnight or around 12 hours.

The next day make the cinnamon goodness for the middle. You could make just about any kind of filling to flavor the bread at this time like: orange, lemon, strawberry, cheese, strawberry and cheese, gingered apple, chocolate, or maybe a candied pecan. Really let your imagination and your family's favorites flavors determine what to make. Your only limitation is don't make anything too wet or it will interfere with the bread's composition.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Filling
2 c raisin
3/4 c sugar
7 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp melted butted

Combine raisin, cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.

Once the dough is doubled in size, deflate it gently and divide it in half to form two loaves. Roll out one half of dough on a floured surface into a 10"x12" rectangle with a rolling pin or a glass. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon mixture and drizzle with half the melted butter.

Carefully roll the dough up starting at a short side to make a long rolled log.

This is a messy job, so be warned. If it sticks to the counter, gently lift with a bench scraper or spatula.

When done you'll have this unattached end, be sure to give it a good pinch to seal it back onto itself.

Carefully place the dough seam side down in a greased loaf pan. I usually have to create an "S" shape with the dough to fit it in the pan. Repeat the whole process with the other half of dough to form two loaves. Let loaves rise in a warm place for about 2 hours (or 45 minutes if you are using yeast) until the dough is doubled and doesn't spring back when you touch it gently with a finger.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 mins. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then cool completely on wire racks. Always use a serrated knife to cut bread so you don't tear or compress the loaf.

Sweet Dough Recipe

using Commercial Yeast (from Martha Stewart)

2 cups plus 1 1/2 teaspoons warm water

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
5 3/4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons nonfat powdered milk
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup warm water and yeast. Let sit until yeast is foamy, about 10 minutes (this ensures your yeast is healthy and active). Add flour, powdered milk, sugar, salt, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 3/4 cups warm water. Mix, using the paddle attachment, on low speed for 1 minute. Change to dough hook, and mix on medium-low speed for 7 minutes. Or knead by hand, 15 or 20 minutes. Let rise in a greased bowl for about 1 1/2 hours. Follow directions above, but your second rise time will only be about 45 minutes.