Granola

This is really good granola! It's based on Alton Brown's recipe. I doubled it and was able to fill four of the plastic dishes above, with a little left over. Add some homemade vanilla yogurt, and you have a great gift for a teacher, new mom, or sick friend.

Granola

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup pecans (Alton uses cashews)
3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour (on separate racks if necessary), stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

Homemade Vanilla Yogurt

Update: I still make this yogurt a lot, but now I use about 1/3 cup blue agave and a couple of tablespoons of sugar. I also often drain it in coffee filters to make it thicker - more like Greek yogurt. I keep some plain for use in recipes. I've made it with a full gallon of milk, and that works, too - I just have to let it culture longer once I add the Greek yogurt.

We eat a lot of yogurt at our house - we use it in smoothies and top baked oatmeal with it, in addition to eating it for breakfast and snacks. The boys especially love yogurt. Sometimes I think it's Ben's primary source of protein!

I thought I wanted a yogurt maker, but then I learned yogurt is super easy to make in a slow cooker. I made some last night, and this afternoon the boys ate big bowls of and loved it. Lots of people make plain yogurt, but I though vanilla would be a good base: we can add berries, grated pear or apple, or jam to flavor it.

I'm very excited about the possibilities (frozen yogurt in the summer!), and I'm also happy with the short ingredient list: milk, plain yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. And clearly it's much cheaper and creates less waste than those delicious little 6-ounce cups of Yoplait.

If you decide to make the yogurt, keep scrolling past the recipe for some notes and tips.

Vanilla Yogurt

1 half-gallon whole milk (pasteurized, not ultrapasteurized)

1 container (4 oz. - 6 oz.) plain Greek yogurt (label should show live and active cultures)

3/4 c. sugar (I may use less next time)

2 T. vanilla

Pour milk into slow cooker and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours. Turn off slow cooker and let sit for three hours.

Remove one cup of warm milk from the slow cooker and whisk it with the plain yogurt.

Add yogurt/milk mixture back to the milk. Recover the slow cooker and wrap the whole thing in a warm blanket or put it in your oven with the pilot light on. Leave it overnight or for 8-10 hours.

In the morning, remove one cup of yogurt. It should be very thick, like Greek yogurt or sour cream. Freeze this yogurt; it will be the starter for your next batch and will take the place of the Greek yogurt you used the first time.

Add sugar and vanilla to the yogurt, and chill.

Notes:

It would be best to start the process around 5:00 p.m. That way you won't have to stay up late to wait for the milk to cool.

You can use artificial sweetener if you prefer, or leave the yogurt plain and add honey or jam to taste.

Be sure milk is not ultra-pasteurized and that yogurt has live and active cultures.

From what I've read, it's best to start with whole milk and then try lower-fat versions if you like. Whole milk sets up best. 2% or lower may require a packet of unflavored gelatin to set up; I'll update this post when I try it.

Migas

Migas, according to the Pioneer Woman, are a very popular breakfast item in the Southwest of the U.S. I'd never had them until I saw them on her site, but we've had them for dinner a number of times. I am not a fan of the egg unless it is mixed with lots of other good stuff, but these fit the bill. PW's migas are meatless, but I add some crumbled bacon on top - partly because I don't like eggs without meat, and partly because, well, BACON!

(Side note: 2 strips of bacon only has 6 grams of fat and 80 calories - and I only used one per serving: not bad!)

The authentic way to make migas is to deep fry corn tortillas and chop them before adding them to the dish. But I always have broken hard-shell taco shells in the pantry, so that's what I use. You could use tortilla chips in a pinch. Whichever way you go, the tortialls meld with the eggs and give body and flavor - they don't stay crunchy.

Migas (adapted from Pioneer Woman)

4 hard shell taco shells, crushed.
1 whole Jalapeno, Seeds And Membranes Removed, Finely Diced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 whole Green Pepper, Roughly Chopped
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Roughly Chopped
1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
10 whole Large Eggs
8 oz. (2 cups) Cotija Cheese, Grated (you can sub any cheese you like with Tex/Mex)
⅓ cups Cilantro, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
¼ cups milk
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

Preparation Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Salt and pepper eggs, then set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the olive oil with the butter. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until starting to turn brown/black, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add in diced jalapenos and stir to combine. Add tomatoes to the skillet and stir around, then add tortilla pieces, stirring gently to combine.

Reduce heat to low.

When the heat has decreased, pour egg mixture into skillet. Stir gently to cook with the peppers, folding mixture very gently as it cooks. Add in grated cheese and chopped cilantro, and stir to combine.

Serve with bacon sprinkled on top.

Makes 6-8 servings. Reheats beautifully!

Waffles

It's Wild Animal Week at our house, so I made lion and elephant waffles for the boys.

I have a great recipe for waffles that uses a sourdough starter, but I don't always have that defrosted, fed, and ready to go. This is the recipe I use most of the time - these waffles turn out crisp, tender, and delicious.

Waffles (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional - just gives a hint of flavor)
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 egg whites

1. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.

2. In another medium mixing bowl beat egg yolks slightly. Stir in milk and oil. Add egg yolk mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

3. In a small mixing bowl beat egg whites till stiff peaks form. Gently fold beaten egg whites into flour and egg yolk mixture, leaving a few fluffs of egg white. Do not overmix.

4. Cook waffles according to manufacturer's directions. Keep waffles in a low oven until finished baking. Makes 12-16 4-inch waffles or 8 Belgian waffles.

Bagels!

These had to be the hit of last week. They are sooo good: Jack said that they were the best bagels he's ever had. They are smaller than what you'd get at Einstein's, etc. I topped some of them this time with salt and sesame seeds, but we're thinking asiago cheese and cinnamon sugar would be good as well.

It's amazing that a change in technique can make flour, salt, yeast, and water taste so different. This recipe follows the traditional method of boiling, then baking. I'm estimating that each bagel is about 130 calories, which is much better than the typical 300 calorie bagel you can buy.

King Arthur Flour Bagels

Note: These bagels require a starter that develops overnight. You could also make the starter in the morning and make the bagels after 6-8 hours. If you use active dry yeast as I did instead of instant (which is not the same as Rapid Rise), your rise time will be longer.

Starter

1/2 cup (2 1/8 ounces) King Arthur (or other brand) Unbleached Bread Flour

1/4 cup (2 ounces) cool water

pinch of yeast

Dough

4 cups (17 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) cool water

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Water bath

water to fill a 10" - 12"-diameter pan about 1" deep

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Combine the starter ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, cover, and let rest at room temperature overnight.

Next day, combine the puffy starter with all of the dough ingredients and knead—by hand, electric mixer, or bread machine—to form a stiff but not dry dough. Since we're using a high-protein bread flour here, you might notice it takes a bit more effort and time to develop the gluten. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large (at least 8-cup) measuring cup, cover, and set it aside to rise for 1 hour.

Gently deflate the dough, and let it rise for another 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to a work surface, and divide it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth, round ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap, and let them rest for 30 minutes. They'll puff up very slightly.

While the dough is resting, prepare the water bath by heating the water and sugar to a very gentle boil in a wide-diameter (about 10") pan. A 10" electric frying pan works well here.

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Use your index finger to poke a hole through the center of each ball, then twirl the dough on your finger to stretch the hole till it's about 2 inches in diameter (the entire bagel will be about 3 ½" across). Place each bagel on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Transfer the bagels, four at a time if possible, to the simmering water. Increase the heat under the pan to bring the water back up to a gently simmering boil, if necessary. Cook the bagels for 2 minutes, flip them over, and cook 1 minute more. Using a skimmer or strainer, or the end of a wooden spoon, remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bagels.

Bake the bagels for about 22-25 minutes, or until they're as deep brown as you like. To top with seeds, remove them from the oven after about 15 minutes, spray with water or brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with seeds or kosher salt. Return to the oven to finish baking. Remove the bagels from the oven, and cool completely on a rack. Yield: 1 dozen chewy bagels.

A Breakfast Sandwich

I got the inspiration for this sandwich from the Pioneer Woman's website. This version is a bit healthier, but unfortunately, that's not saying much. 

Spicy Breakfast Sandwich
4-6 oz. breakfast sausage, sliced into patties
1/4 cup or more sliced pickled jalapenos
4 eggs or 1 cup Egg Beaters
milk
salt and pepper
butter
cheese: Amercian, pepper jack, or cheddar work well
4 slices wheat bread

Cook breakfast sausage according to package instruction until done. In a small frying pan, melt about 1 T. butter. Grill jalapenos until softened and lightly blackened. Scramble eggs with milk, salt, and pepper (I always add a few drops of Tabasco). Add cheese to the scrambled eggs. Toast the wheat bread. Layer the sausage, jalapenos, and scrambled eggs on one piece of toast and top with another. Serves 2.

To take this meal over the top, serve with the Crash Hot Potatoes I have posted under "Sides." Then get on the treadmill for two hours!

Oatmeal - Two Ways

When I was young, I didn't like oatmeal. In fact, once my mother even served it to my sister and me with vanilla ice cream to get us to eat it! (We did.) But now, oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts. I just posted an actual recipe below, but here are two other ways I like to make it.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup water
pinch of salt
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. peanut butter
1/2 apple, chopped

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the oats; stir; and turn down the heat to medium. Cook until thickened. Turn off heat and mix in brown sugar and peanut butter. Transfer to bowl and top with apples.

Oatmeal Muesli (cold)
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup plain yogurt
brown sugar
chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds
diced apple
frozen blueberries

Mix oats and yogurt in bowl. Mix in brown sugar, nuts, and fruit to taste. If you like softer oatmeal, you can mix the yogurt in the night before and leave it in the refrigerator. You can also substitute vanilla yogurt and leave out the brown sugar to save calories.

Baked Oatmeal

I've been making this recipe for years - I saw it originally on the Cooking Light board. It's quite healthy and reheats wonderfully. It has lots of whole grains, calcium, and protein and makes a great breakfast. I like to put vanilla yogurt on top (Stoneyfield is my favorite). If you want a little something extra with the yogurt, a dusting of brown sugar, a drizzle of maple syrup, or a sprinkle of chopped nuts will take it over the top.

I never use raisins: I use Craisins or frozen blueberries.

Baked Oatmeal

2 1/4 cups Quick cooking oats, uncooked or 2 3/4 cups Old Fashioned oats, uncooked
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup raisins or Craisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/3 cups skim milk
4 egg whites -- lightly beaten (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
fat free milk or nonfat yogurt and fruit -- optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, combine oats, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla; mix well. Add to dry ingredients; mix until well blended. Pour into baking dish. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set and firm to the touch. Cool slightly. Serve topped with milk or yogurt and fruit, if desired. Store leftover oatmeal tightly covered in refrigerator.

Serves 8. Per serving: 133 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (12% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 2mg Cholesterol; 220mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates

Breakfast Casserole

And now, for something completely different. A recipe with no sugar!

I love this breakfast casserole template from Pam Anderson. She is one of my favorite cookbook authors. [Insert obligatory no, not that Pamela Anderson - by the way, did you see the picture of her at the art gallery where she forgot her pants? Not good.]

Anyway, this is a template because you can mix and match whatever ingredients you like. You can leave out the meat and vegetables and have just a basic egg and cheese version. My favorites, however, are sausage and bell peppers or bacon, spinach, and onions. The key is to saute your vegetables lightly before putting them in the casserole - don't put them in raw.

This is great to make ahead, so I love to do it for Christmas morning. Besides, if you use red and green bell peppers or spinach and bacon, you have the green and red theme covered.

Breakfast Casserole

1 quart half and half
12 large eggs
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper
12-14 slices fluffy white bread (Cheap soft white bread is best)
1 pound meat or seafood and 1 pound vegetables or 2 pounds of vegetables (optional)
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 3 cups)

Directions:
Cook meat if using and set aside. Prepare vegetables by chopping and sauteing with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

Whisk half and half, eggs, salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl until smooth.

Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Line bottom of baking dish with 6 slices of bread. If necessary, cut strips and fit them into any gaps. If using meat and/or vegetables, scatter half of each over bread, then sprinkle with half the scallions and half the cheese. Pour 1 cup egg mixture over bread. Make another layer with remaining bread, filling gaps as needed. Top with remaining meat and/or veggies, scallions and cheese. Slowly pour remaining egg mixture over bread.

Let stand at least 15 minutes (cover and weigh down with a pot) or overnight.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake until custard is just set, about 55-60 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil for a few minutes until top of casserole has a spotty brown appearance. Watch the casserole so it doesn't burn.

Let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.