Whole-grain Oatmeal Carmelitas

Here's another family favorite made over to be a little more healthy and big enough to take to a pot luck or youth acitivity. These freeze well so when I make them just for us, I always package some up in snack baggies and keep them in the freezer to use for school lunch treats. I hope you enjoy them too.

Zucchini Applesauce Breakfast Bars

We're still working through the zucchini that we shredded last fall and put in the freezer for later. This is one of the ways we love to use it! These are a muffin like bar that are low in sugar and high in fiber. They freeze very well. I just place a piece of waxed paper between the layers in a freezer safe container.

Banana Bars

These bars are a great way to trade up what you have available for a quick breafast on the run or an after school snack. I often double the recipe and cook up two jelly roll pans at once. These bars freeze well.

Carrot Cake Muffins

The holidays come and go too quickly! My husband was able to take a few days off and we enjoyed some slower mornings as a family. One morning he surprised us with these delicious muffins. When I got out to the kitchen and could smell them cooking, he said,"Don't worry, I put in whole wheat flour for half of the flour and applesauce for half of the oil." Then he smiled and added,"I am learning."

Scrumptious Snickerdoodle Bars

I've grown more and more fond of bar cookies lately. As my kids get older and busier with all of their activities, my time in the kitchen has shrunk. I still bake regular cookies every now and then, but I more often bake a pan of bar cookies

Crustless Quiche

When you need a quick dinner in a flash or something a little special for breakfast or brunch, this is the recipe to turn to. It is so versatile since you can choose whatever fillings you sprinkle on. I always sprinkle in a few dehydrated onions and green peppers

Bubbling Hot Lava Chocolate Fudge Cake

Who can resist a warm chocolate cake that bubbles up with it's own hot fudge sauce? No one at our house! This is a recipe that tastes fabulous, but is very easy to make. Don't we all want a few more recipes like that?

Peanut Butter Passion Bars

Today I will share with you another one of our favorite bar cookies. As usual, I made over the recipe to include bean puree to add protein and fiber and reduce the fat. I also made the sweetened condensed milk using my powdered

Overnight Whole-grain Breakfast Cake

Are you looking for some new breakfast inspiration? Look no further!This overnight breakfast cake has the goodness of whole grain and the addition of plain yogurt and bean puree

Old-fashioned Raisin Vanilla Cookies

Whenever I make one of these cookie recipes that looks a little homey and old-fashioned, I think back to my brother's wedding luncheon. My sisters and I had worked really hard

Artisan Bread

I have been playing with this artisan bread recipe for about a year now. I have no idea why it took me this long in my bread making journey to find this simple process. I am convinced that artisan bread is what our pioneer and pilgrim mothers made on a daily basis. It is so simple that there is no need to feel intimidated! It makes any soup or casserole night amazing!

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

My oatmeal breakfast bars have been such a popular recipe that I thought I would share a variation in case, like me, you get ready for a new flavor every now and then. These bars are very similar to the original recipe, but they have the distinct taste of bananas - perfect for breakfast in my opinion! These have less sugar since the bananas add moisture and sweetness. The bananas also work as an egg substitute allowing these to turn out great without any eggs.

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars work great for a make-ahead quick breakfast option or also go well as an after school snack. I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine!

Whole-grain Homemade Noodles

Homemade noodles mean true comfort food in my book. A store bought wide egg noodle comes close with a thick cream sauce over the top, but I end up feeling a need to make my own noodles a few times a year, especially during the cold winter months.

Holiday Baking has Begun

With Christmas just a week and a half away, I am knee deep into holiday baking. My all-purpose cookie dough makes it so easy to get a festive tray of cookies baked in no time. The picture above shows my pinwheel cookies.

A Little More Healthy Lasagna

Lasagna is amazing - there is no denying that! When you are in the mood for something Italian, lasagna is a great choice. I wanted to make a little more healthy version so I added just a couple of ingredients.

Banana Cookies

My daughter usually requests traditional chocolate chip cookies. The day I developed this recipe and had them ready for an after school snack, she declared them "the best cookie I had ever made!"

I don't feel so guilty serving these banana cookies to our family and friends because the bananas replace so much of the fat that is in traditional cookies. They work great for anyone with an egg allergy as well since the bananas replace those too. Plus, they are delicious!

Move over banana bread - I think we have a new favorite for our ripe bananas!

Banana Cookies
½ cup butter	1 tsp baking powder
½ cup sugar	1 tsp baking soda
½ cup brown sugar, packed	½ tsp salt
1 ¼ cups mashed banana	½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla	1 cup chocolate chips
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Cream together the butter and sugars. Add bananas and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients. You can use half wheat flour and half white flour. Mix or stir together. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350° F 8–10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on a baking sheet before removing to a wire rack. Makes about 3 dozen cookies. You can freeze the dough and thaw and bake later or you can freeze the cookies once they are baked.

Green Tomato Muffins

We enjoyed these delicious muffins for breakfast. I was trying to come up with one more thing to do with my remaining green tomatoes. My kids devoured these and wanted the leftovers for their snack when they came home from school. I can add a new recipe to my success list! They are very similar in taste and texture to zucchini bread. Hopefully, your family will enjoy them too. The tomatoes hide even better than zucchini so even your little picky eaters won't mind.

Apple Orchard Pancake Mix

I just developed a new mix to store in my pantry that allows us to enjoy the tastes of Fall. If you are lucky enough to have fresh apples on hand, you can leave the dry apples out of the mix and just add 1 large chopped apple to your pancake batter. 

Pantry mixes add convenience to my life, but they also work great as gifts. Add a cute tag and enjoy sharing the healthy goodness!

Apple Orchard Pancake Mix

For the mix, place the following dry ingredients in a ziplock bag or layer in a quart jar.

1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white wheat flour)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup milk powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup chopped dried apples

Add:

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

To make: Pour your mix into a bowl and add the wet ingredients. Mix well. Allow to sit about 5 minuets to allow the apples to re-hydrate a little. Add some more water if batter appears too thick. Cook on a hot griddle just as you do regular pancakes.

Our Very Own Fair Experience - Homemade Funnel Cakes

Our kids all chose to enter some items into the state fair this year. It was fun to go see their projects - each one of them received some sort of ribbon for their category. My one son took first place in the yeast bread category using my Fabulous Homemade Bread recipe. They were all pretty excited.

Before leaving for the fair, we discussed the amount of money it was going to cost to get in, ride the rides, purchase food, etc. We talked to the kids about needing to make some choices to be able to stay within the amount we had budgeted for this activity. They all decided to forgo any food purchases at the fair knowing we could make something at home for a lot less. For breakfast the next day, we made funnel cakes.

After mixing the batter, pour it through a funnel into hot oil, swirling a little as you go. I used a plastic cup for a funnel - just poke a hole in the bottom. It worked great and I could just toss it when we were done.

Fry until it is golden brown on one side and then flip it over to complete cooking.

Drain it on a paper towel when it is done.

The kids were so quick at grabbing them that I had to settle for pictures of half eaten samples. You can top them with powdered sugar like the recipe suggests.

Or honey is tasty - 

My favorite and many of the kids' favorite is raspberry freezer jam. Honey butter would also be delicious! We don't make these very often - once every year or two probably, but when we do, we devour them! Perhaps your family will love them too.

Funnel Cakes
2 eggs, beaten	1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ cups reconstituted powdered milk	½ tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour	2 cups cooking oil (for frying)
Combine milk and eggs. Stir in dry ingredients. Drip through a funnel into hot oil, swirling the funnel a little as you go. Fry until lightly browned, turning once with tongs. Remove to a paper towel covered plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. I use an electric frying pan with the temperature set at 350° F to help control the temperature of the oil. Note: I use 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour

Sally Lunn Bread

I tried a new recipe this week. I know that doesn't come as much of a surprise to those of you who know me - I seem to always find a recipe that peaks my interest. This recipe I found in an older cookbook at my family's cabin a few weeks ago. It caught my attention because it was listed under the bread section, but the only words in the title were "Sally Lunn." I wondered why someone's name would be listed as the title of the recipe. Little did I know how famous this recipe is or the long history behind it.

Now that I've peaked your interest, you are welcome to read more of the history of Sally Lunn bread  here.

I know now why it is famous and I'm wondering why I've never had it before. The texture reminds me of cornbread and it is oh so tasty hot from the oven, smothered in butter and drizzled with honey. It would be great served with chili or bean soup. We had it with beef stew . . . delicious!

There are a few recipes that call for yeast instead of baking powder. Now I want to try one of them and see how it compares. I'll let you know when I do.

Sally Lunn Bread

5 Tbsp butter, softened
2 Tbsp sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk (3 Tbsp milk powder and 1 cup of water)
2 cups flour (1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all-purpose)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and the milk and mix well. (If using powdered milk, add the water now and add the milk powder with the dry ingredients.) Add the dry ingredients. (I have used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup of white flour and it is still very good.) Pour into a greased 8 1/2x4 1/2x3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean. Slice and serve warm with plenty of butter. Honey is good also.