BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

Another great treat from my friend, Ashley.  How she ever came to think of peanut butter mixed in with all this is beyond me, but it is delicious.

Serves 2

1 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups frozen berries
2 tablespoons of peanut butter or almond butter
2 tablespoons of flaxseed
1 cup of water

Mix in blender - drink up!

POST THANKSGIVING TREAT - Cranberry Sauce and Yogurt

Second shelf of fridge.  Half empty container of Fage Greek yogurt.  Half empty container of Trader Joe's Fresh Cranberry Sauce. Hmmm, wouldn't that be a good pairing?

Why, yes, it would be very good.  Sweet, tart, creamy, no fat, not too many calories (ok, yes, there is sugar in that sauce). Breakfast? Afternoon pick-me-up? Dessert? Yep.  It can be whatever you need it to be.

Head to Trader Joe's before the cranberry sauce is gone--it is seasonal.

PEACHES & GREEK YOGURT

Utah peaches, Greek yogurt, agave syrup.

Yes.

(A sprinkling of toasted almonds would be a lovely addition.)

CINNAMON TOAST - Pioneer Woman Cooks

Have you been thinking you make cinnamon toast the correct way? Me, too.  But apparently we have been wrong.  I stumbled onto the perfect concoction: yummy, caramelized cinnamon sugar toast from Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Instead of the old-fashioned way--slathering butter on toasted bread and then quickly sprinkling cinnamon sugar atop while the bread was warm--there is a much better way.

I didn't make quite the same size batch that Ree Drummond (aka Pioneer Woman) made, so I will give you both her recipe and what I did.  The toast was even better paired with hot, milky peppermint tea.  I just came back from a week in DC and am now addicted to Taylors of Harrogate (By Appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales, don't you know) Organic Peppermint Tea (caffeine-free) which was offered in the club lounge of my hotel.  The warm, sweet, milky tea finished the night off perfectly and quelled any sweet tooth desires, which is always a problem whilst traveling.  But I digress.

A small amount of softened butter was ready and waiting so I added a bit of sugar, cinnamon, a drop or two of vanilla extract, and whipped it up.  Don't ask me about the correct cinnamon to sugar ratio--I just know it when I see it. I spread the buttery cinnamon sugar over freshly sliced sourdough bread, baked it in my toaster oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes, and then broiled the top until browned.  Oh my, yes.  My new favorite recipe for proper Cinnamon Toast. 

Ingredients

• 16 slices Bread
• 2 sticks Salted Butter, Softened
• 1 cup Sugar 
• 3 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract 
• ⅛ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir softened butter with a fork. Add in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, if using. Stir to completely combine.

Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges.

Place toast on a cookie sheet. Place cookies sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling. Watch so it won’t burn!

Remove from oven and cut slices into halves diagonally.

VEGGIE BERRY SMOOTHIE

When my friend, Corinne, told me that she drank this concoction every morning I was intrigued.  Then she told me it took her about a week to get used to it.  Hmmm.  I'm not one to mix vegetables and fruit in a drink (see those flecks of green in the drink? spinach) and needing a week to adapt sounded not too tempting.

But downing all those veggies early in the day without the extra sodium found in typical vegetable drinks won me over.  Of course, it is full of anti-oxidants, etc. Oddly enough, I got used to it on day three and by day five I found it enjoyable.  But remember, Jamba Juice it ain't.

So, ready to toss the following ingredients into your blender?

handful of spinach
handful of baby carrots
one celery rib, snapped a few times
one tomato
one cup of frozen blueberries
a bit of water or splash of fruit juice (I added 1/4 cup of cranberry pomegranate juice plus water)
I also sprinkled a bit of Stevia for a little sweetness
Blend and drink up!

EVERYDAY GRANOLA - Bon Appetit

Believe it or not I have never made granola.  This recipe comes from Molly Wizenberg, writer for Bon Appetit Magazine and it is crunchy, slightly sweet, and chewy.  Plus it is pretty.

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup assorted dried fruit

Preparation

• 
  
  
  
  Preheat oven to 300°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Mix first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Stir honey and oil in saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture; toss. Spread on prepared sheet. Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, about 40 minutes. Place sheet on rack. Stir granola; cool. Mix in fruit. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight. Makes 5 cups.
  
  

  Nutritional Information

  1/4 cup contains the following:
  Calories (kcal) 148.5
  %Calories from Fat 41.7
  Fat (g) 6.9
  Saturated Fat (g) 1.2
  Cholesterol (mg) 0
  Carbohydrates (g) 20.8
  Dietary Fiber (g) 3.6
  Total Sugars (g) 9.6
  Net Carbs (g) 17.2
  Protein (g) 2.3 

  
  
  

CHEDDAR APPLE QUESADILLA - Ellie Krieger

Last November, I attended the Arizona Kidney Foundation's Authors Luncheon and met Ellie Krieger from the Food Network. She is darling and her skin is gorgeous--probably from all of that healthy eating!

It's not some earth-shattering idea to combine apples and cheese but I hadn't thought about it for a quesadilla. This recipe comes from Krieger's latest cookbook, So Easy, it was great but it would also be a good choice for a quick lunch. I think kids would like this, as well. Of course you can use whatever apples and cheese you have on hand, but there is something about a tart apple with sharp cheddar cheese.

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced

4 whole-wheat flour tortillas (9 inches in diameter)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Fan out apple slices over the bottom half of each tortilla and top with the cheddar cheese. Fold the tortillas in half. Working in batches, place the quesadillas in the skillet and weigh them down with a smaller, heavy skillet or a ovenproof plate topped with a heavy can.

Cook until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Cut each quesadilla in half and eat warm.

Serves 4.

SPINACH AND CHEESE STRATA - Smitten Kitchen

The fragrance of this dish made my house smile. I'm not kidding. Heavenly. This is a great recipe for brunch or special occasion breakfast.

Leftovers should be reheated in the oven, not the microwave. You want to crisp it up not just make it hot. Also, the recipe says 8 servings but since it is so rich we got around 10 servings. Enjoy.

Spinach and Cheese Strata
Adapted by Smitten Kitchen from Gourmet Magazine, February 2003
Serves 8
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeeze of all excess liquid, and chopped
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed French or Italian bread in 1-inch cubes (1/2 lb)
6 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)
2 ounces finely grated parmesan (1 cup)
2 3/4 cups milk
9 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Sauté onion in butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking for one minute. Stir in spinach, remove from heat and set aside.
Spread one third of the bread cubes in a well-buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other ceramic baking dish. Top with one-third of bread cubes,one-third of spinach mixture and one-third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice with remaining bread, spinach and cheese.
Whisk eggs, milk, mustard and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Cover with plastic wrap and chill strata for eat least 8 hours or up to a day.
The next day, let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F. Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

BREAKFAST APPLE GRANOLA CRISP - Smitten Kitchen

This is a really, yummy breakfast treat but could definitely be a family dessert. It doesn't have as much sugar (3 tablespoons and a bit of honey) as a regular apple crisp which is why it works well for breakfast. I had mine with plain Greek yogurt--divine.



Breakfast Apple Granola Crisp

3 pounds of whatever apples, or mix of apples, you like to bake with, peeled, cored and cut into medium chunks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup flour
2 cups oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened; I used unsweetened)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix apple chunks with lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and pinch of salt in a 9×13-inch baking dish until apples are evenly coated. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the honey. Stir in the flour, oats, almonds, coconut and another pinch of salt until clumps form. Sprinkle evenly over the apple mixture and bake in the oven for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until the apples are softened and bubbly. Should the granola brown too quickly, place foil over the dish for all but the last few minutes of baking time, when removing the foil will help the granola recrisp. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.

GREEK YOGURT

FAGE (pronounced fa-yeh) Greek Yogurt--I love this yogurt. Plain yogurt is usually too sour for me. This is tart and very rich tasting. It is also packed with protein. Greek yogurt is strained to remove the whey leaving a thick, rich, and creamy substance. Now just plain old regular yogurt is ruined for me!


Here is the fun thing--I won a box of this stuff by entering my name in a BlogHer contest. I never enter contests, so it was great fun to find out that the one time I enter I actually win something of decent value. It was fed exed to me in an ice-packed container filled with 12 containers of a variety of flavors.


Save this indulgence for yourselves--this is not a yogurt for kids. I say that because it is pricier than other Greek yogurt and I don't think kids taste is that sophisticated--so why bother? FAGE can be found at Sprouts, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods. Give it a try if you like Greek yogurt. My favorite is the 2% plain, but it comes in 0%, 5%, and with little separate cupfuls of toppings such as honey, strawberry, peach, and cherry.

Next contest: a Kindle --wouldn't that be a fun win?

MY FAVORITE OATMEAL

I love steel cut oats also known as Irish, Scottish, or Pinhead oats. There is more substance to these oats than regular oats, a more nuttier taste. Since these oats need to be cooked longer than regular oats, I cook a batch of oatmeal and put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and dip into it for breakfast--this recipe makes 3-4 servings.

Boil four cups of water, add one cup of steel cut oats, stir and boil for around 10 minutes. Then let simmer for 10-20 minutes. If you like a nuttier texture you might want to reduce the total cooking time to 20 minutes. My friend Pam loves her oatmeal practically crunchy so she cooks hers for less time. Refrigerate in an airtight container.

To serve I put a scoopful in a bowl with around a tablespoon of water and heat for 30-45 seconds. Add sliced banana and a bit of brown sugar for a lovely treat on a cold morning.

CINNAMON SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

Years ago my cousin, Catherine, gave me a cookbook by Elizabeth Banks. It is a great go-to cookbook, especially for sweet treats. I made this cake for Christmas brunch and everyone loved it. Another pretty Bundt pan cake that tastes as good as it looks.

Ingredients
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
18 oz. sour cream

Filling
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Sift dry ingredients and add to mixture. Alternate with eggs. Mix well. Add vanilla and sour cream (I used reduced fat). Pour half of batter in well-greased and floured Bundt pan. Add half of filling, rest of the batter, and the rest of the filling. Bake 65-70 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool on wire rack. Invert after cake is cooled.

SKILLET CORNBREAD FOR BREAKFAST!

I love corn-bread for breakfast. Especially the day after it is baked when it is little hard and you heat it up and put a little butter and honey on top. My Mom and Dad used to enjoy it for breakfast or lunch, crumbled up in a bowl of milk.

This last year I took the easy way and bought Marie Callender's cornbread mix. It used to be so good, practically cornbread cake. But several months ago I baked a batch and it was not good--even bitter. Then I bought a another mix thinking it would improve if I added a can of creamed corn. Slightly better but still not good.

I found this recipe in a magazine--can't remember which one--but the chef is a Southern cook named Crecent Dragonwagon--isn't that a great name? And this recipe is in her book, The Cornbread Gospels.

I didn't have a cast iron skillet and secretly alway wanted one (I'm not a camper so where was my excuse to purchase one?) Target had the brand I wanted--Lodge Logic--so I bought a 10-inch skillet for around $14.

The cornbread was excellent--crunchy on the edges and not real sweet. And the stone ground corn meal is worth looking for. I found a good brand, Bob's Red Mill, at Whole Foods but I know it's at Sprouts, too.

Crescent Dragonwagon's
Dairy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzled Cornbread

vegetable oil cooking spray
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. Whisk in the sugar, egg and vegetable oil.
4. Put the prepared skillet over medium heat, add the butter, and heat until the butter melts and is just starting to sizzle. Tilt the pan to coat the sides and bottom.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine quickly, using as few strokes as possible.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cornbread is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve.

Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

We had a beautiful morning today--opened the windows for a while (that was a treat) and enjoyed a great General Conference. Hope and gratitude! That was definitely the message I received this weekend.

And I also tried a new recipe. My sister, Lori, had some over-ripe bananas that she didn't want so I used some in a new banana muffin recipe and stashed the rest in the freezer.

This recipe comes from a blog I visit now and then called Pinch My Salt http://pinchmysalt.com/. It is very easy and while the muffins are not beautiful (I'm sure yours will be) they are delicious. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Filled Banana Muffins

Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

Muffin batter:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 bananas, mashed

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup standard muffin pan.

2. In a small bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and egg. Put bowl in refrigerator while you make the muffin batter.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and sugar; set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together bananas, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

5. Pour wet ingredients into the large bowl filled with flour mixture then stir with wooden spoon just until the mixture is combined.

6. Spoon enough batter into muffins cups so that they are just under halfway full. Add one spoonful of cream cheese mixture into each cup, then top with remaining muffin batter. Muffin cups will end up being almost completely full.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees. Check after 20 minutes, muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.