Granola

It is back to school time and I want some quick and easy breakfast treats and snack options. I have a big bowl, I fill with fruit, nuts, granola and other healthy snacks. Everyone can grab and go as they please. But, I get in a rut and before you know it, no one is grabbing snacks.

My mission, find some good snacks. This recipe is for a homemade granola. I tested several recipes and developed this one. Everyone in my family agreed that it was the best one I have made to date. The best part, it can be eaten dry as a snack, with milk as a cereal, or layered with fruit and yogurt as a parfait.

I like to divide it up into serving size plastic bags, into the big snack bowl and we are good to go.


Granola

8 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup honey
1 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups sweetened dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the oats, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on two baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 15 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Remove from oven and add coconut. Cool, then stir in the cranberries.

Store in an airtight container.

Beer-Braised Pork Chops

Today marked my official return to school. Although it is difficult to get back into the routine of working, and mothering, and being a wife, I also enjoy getting back to family dinners. Tonight, I created my own recipe for pork chops. My crew gobbled them up, so I think it was a success. The best part, my husband loved them so much, he is cleaning the kitchen. What a great guy.

Beer-Braised Pork Chops

6 Thick-cut boneless pork chops
1 cup Flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound sliced baby portabella mushrooms
12 oz. can beer
2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 bay leaves

Combine flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a resealable plastic bag. To dredge pork chops, place them in the plastic bag and shake. Add olive oil and butter to large skillet to melt. Add chops and brown on each side. Combine beer and maple syrup. Pour in pan, add bay leaves and bring to simmer. Place sliced mushrooms over pork chops, cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Remove chops and bring braising liquid to a hard boil. Reduce by half. Turn heat off, add one tablespoon of butter to sauce and stir until butter melts. Pour sauce over chops and serve.

I'm Back

I have been checked out for a little while. I am getting ready to return to work after the summer off. Over the summer my family welcomed a new member to the family, a beautiful baby granddaughter. Ready, set, cook!

Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Mayonnaise

Summer has officially begun. One of our favorite summertime activities is swimming at the pool with Aunt Sheryl and Uncle Dale and eating burgers. One of our favorite burgers is a turkey burger jazzed up with apple and celery. Uncle Dale fired up the grill and cooked my special burgers and it was great. This is similar to a recipe that Rachel Ray published. We tweaked a few of the ingredients and put them on the outdoor grill. My favorite way to eat these is on toasted english muffins, but when we are grilling out, a toasted hamburger bun is great. By the way, the cranberry mayo is so good, I serve a straw with my burgers and cranberry mayo!

Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Mayonnaise

2 pounds White Meat Ground Turkey
2 Granny Smith Apple (chopped)
2 Ribs Celery (chopped)
2 Rounded Tablespoons Ground Sage
1 Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Gently, shape into 6 patties. Grill over a medium fire until done.

To serve, place a cooked patty on a toasted hamburger bun or sourdough English muffin. Garnish with Cranberry Mayonnaise.

To prepare Cranberry Mayonnaise, mix 1 cup good quality mayo (I like Hellman’s) with 1 can jellied cranberry sauce.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Each week I receive a delivery of organic produce from Door to Door Organics KC. It is great, on Sunday, I receive an email telling me what will be in my order. On Friday, my order arrives. For the past two weeks, broccoli was included. So, I found a couple of recipes for Broccoli Cheddar Soup, tried them out and here is the best of the two. It is actually, a combination of several recipes. My whole family loved it. I doubled the recipe and only had one bowl left for lunch the next day. I served the soup with a loaf of crusty french bread - we love to dip our bread in our soup.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock or bouillon
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar


Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half. Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Put small batches in the blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.