Golden Bars of Happiness

3/4 cup peanut butter or sunbutter
3/4 cup honey
1 cup oats
1 cup brown rice cereal
2 cups total of any combination of:  chopped nuts, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, etc.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt together peanut butter and honey.

Remove from heat and add oats and cereal.  Mix in chosen nuts/fruits.

Line 9x13 or quarter sheet baking pan with wax or parchment paper.  Spread and press mixture into pan.

Chill for two hours, then cut into bars.

Wrap in plastic wrap for a quick grab and go snack!

Filled Monster Brain Cupcakes

CAKE
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup seedless jam (any berry type)
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup sucanat
3 eggs
1/3 cup milk

FILLING
1/2 pint whipping cream
1/4 cup seedless jam

FROSTING
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
food coloring

Preheat oven to 350º.  Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Microwave chocolate and jam on high for 1 minute.  Stir.  Microwave again for 30 seconds.  Stir until smooth.  You can also do this in a double boiler.  Allow to cool on counter.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.  In an electric mixer, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Alternately add flour and milk in thirds.  Mix thoroughly.

When chocolate mixture is cool to the touch, slowly add it to the batter.  Mix well.

Let the batter sit for about 5 minutes.  Gently stir again by hand.  Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool on cooling rack.

Using an apple corer, press corer into center of cupcake about 3/4 of the way through.  Pull out "core" and eat it.  :)  Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Whip cream in medium bowl until stiff peaks form.  Add jam and gently mix in.  Fill pastry bag (or ziptop bag with corner cut off) with whipped cream mixture.  Fill cupcake holes with cream.

Mix powdered sugar, vanilla and butter.  Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting is a spreadable consistency.  Add desired food colorings to make "brain" color.

Fill pastry bag (or ziptop bag with corner cut off) with frosting.  Using swirly zigzags, frost the tops of the cupcakes to look like brains.

Apple Cinnamon Toast

slices of whole wheat toast
apple, sliced thin
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
butter

Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.  Place bread slices on a baking pan.  Place pan under oven broiler until lightly toasted.  Remove pan and flip slices over.  Butter each slice, top with apple slices and sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over apples.  Place back under broiler and toast until lightly toasted and sugar is lightly caramelized.

Peach Dessert

I have wonderful memories of sneaking into the orchard, picking the perfectly ripe peaches off the trees and savoring every bite with the sweet juices dripping down my arms as I sat in the shade of the peach tree.  My mouth is watering...

My mom would make this dessert every year when the peaches were coming on.  I don't have a peach tree so I don't think about making this very often.  I just talked with her the other day and she mentioned making it and I remembered how much I loved it.  So in the spirit of I-rarely-follow-a-recipe-exactly, I've made some changes.

The original recipe calls for 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 eggs and 1/2 cup butter in place of the Bird's Custard.  I used to not care about eating raw eggs, but now it bothers me.  So I used the custard.  I found it in the baking section or next to the pudding and jello.  If you can't find the Bird's, Jello and Junket both make a custard.  Two small packages either should work, but it won't be as good.  :)  Also, I didn't have whipped cream so I used coconut milk.  It works basically the same.  Refrigerate a can of coconut milk for a few hours.  The cream will separate from the coconut water.  Carefully spoon the cream off the top, put it into a bowl and whip it as you would whipped cream.


18 oz pkg vanilla sandwich cookies
1 recipe Bird's Custard
6-8 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and slices
1 pt whipping cream OR 15 oz can coconut milk

Crush cookies in a ziptop bag.  Pour crumbs into a 9"x13" baking pan, reserving 1/2 cup for garnish.  Make custard according to directions on can.  Pour custard over crumbs.  Layer peaches on custard.  Whip cream, but don't add sugar.  Spread whipped cream over peaches.  Top with remaining cookie crumbs.  Refrigerate for about 2 hours and enjoy!

Crepes

Makes about 14 crepes

4 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
2 tbsp oil or melted butter
1 cup flour
½ tsp salt

In bowl or blender, beat eggs slightly.  Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Heat a 7- or 8-inch fry pan over medium high heat.  Be sure pan is hot before adding batter.  Grease pan lightly before cooking each crepe.

Pour a scant ¼ cup of batter at a time into fry pan, tilting pan to cover bottom.  When crepe is set, remove or if desired, turnover to brown other side.

Serve with butter, cream cheese or whipped cream and fruit, jam, prepared pudding and pie fillings or sugar.

To make ahead: Cook, cool and refrigerate or freeze.  Reheat, covered at 350° for 20-25 minutes.

For main dish crepes combine 2-3 cups cubed cooked meat, seafood or poultry with ½ can condensed soup.  Spoon mixture into each crepe, roll up and place in baking pan.  Add ¼ cup milk to remaining soup; spoon over crepes.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Old Fashioned Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour
3½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp sucanat
1 tsp cinnamon
1½ tsp nutmeg
1¼ cups almond milk
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
3 tbsp butter, melted
½ cup bananas, sliced & quartered
½ cup blueberries
½ cup, strawberries, sliced & quartered

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar cinnamon and nutmeg.  In another bowl whisk milk, egg, vanilla and melted butter together.  Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and gently fold together; leaving some lumps.  Gently fold in fruit.

Heat griddle to 360°. Pour batter onto griddle, using approximately ¼ cup for each pancake.  Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Pomala

Ice cubes
5 measure cold cola
1 measure lime juice
1/2 measure grenadine
1 slice lime
1 maraschino cherry

Put ice cubes into tall glass. Pour in cola, lime juice and grenadine. Stir and garnish with lime and cherry.

Bora-Bora

Ice cubes
3 measures pineapple juice
3 measures dry ginger ale
1/2 measure grenadine
1 tsp lime juice
1 slice lime
1 maraschino cherry

Pour pineapple juice, grenadine and lime juice into a cocktail shaker half filled with ice cubes. Shake well and strain into an ice filled glass. Top up with ginger ale and garnish with lime and cherry.

Cinderella

Ice cubes
2 measures orange juice
2 measures pineapple juice
1 measure lemon juice
1/2 measure gomme syrup
1 measure soda water

Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add the pineapple and orange juice, lemon juice and gomme syrup. Shake well and strain into an ice filled glass. Top up with soda water. Decorate with a slice of lemon.

Shirley Temple

3 measures cold lemon or lime soda
2 measures cold ginger ale
1 tsp grenadine
1 maraschino cherry
1 slice orange

Fill a chilled glass with the lemon or lime soda and ginger ale. Add the grenadine and garnish with the cherry and orange.

Paradise Sunset

Makes 1 drink

2 oz grenadine syrup
8 oz fresh orange juice
3 oz fresh cream
1 tsp powered sugar

Pour 1 1/2 oz of the grenadine into a pina-colada glass. Blend the orange juice, fresh cream and sugar seperately. Pour into glass. Float 1/2 oz of the grenadine on top. Garnish with orange wheel and mint leaf.

Oat Crispies

Compliments of Simple Healthy Tasty

½ cup peanut butter
½ cup syrup
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp maple flavoring
3 cups rolled oats
pinch of salt (optional)
Options: chocolate chips, raisins, raw cashews, unsweetened coconut or whatever you like.

Mix peanut butter, syrup, vanilla and flavoring together in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Press into 9”x13” baking pan spreading to about 1-inch thick. Freeze.

Tee Pee Granola

Adapted from Clawson Live

1 cup honey
1 cup oil
1¼ cups brown sugar
8 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup wheat bran
3/4 cup flax seed

½ cup millet
1½ cups sunflower seeds
2 cups coconut
1 cup sesame seeds
2 cups slivered almond (or any kind of nut you like)
1-2 tbsp cinnamon
Dried fruit (cherries, blueberries, raisins, mangos, apricots, craisins, chopped dates, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350°. Divide oats between two large cookie sheets and toast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring honey, oil and sugar to a simmer on the stove. Make sure the sugar has dissolved.

Combine remaining ingredients, except fruit, with honey mixture and mix until everything is coated.

Spray cookie sheets with Pam and divide the granola between the pans. Bake for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.

Allow to cool. Break up granola and add dried fruit of choice. Place in bags and freeze what won’t be immediately used.

Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Topping

OK, so this is the easiest most delicious cake!  Nothing from scratch, but so yummy.

My sweet husband made this for me for Mothers Day this year.

1 chocolate cake mix

1 tub chocolate frosting

milk

1 tub whipped topping

1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries

Chunk of chocolate

Bake cake as directed on box in two round pans.  My husband actually used a greased springform pan which made it WAY easier to take out and it's all in one cake.  Nothing to layer!  If you do use 2 rounds, just use the chocolate frosting in between the layers. 

I always whip my frosting with a little milk.  It makes it lighter, fluffier and easier to spread.  And it goes further.  So put the frosting in a bowl and whip with an electric mixer with a tablespoon of milk at a time until it fluffs up.  Frost just the sides of the cake.

Blend the raspberries in a blender until smooth.  Add the raspberries to the whipped topping and gently mix together.  Top cake with raspberry topping.

Grate chocolate on top of cake and serve.

Mango Ice Cream

I actually wanted to have a mango smoothie, but it basically was just ice cream.

But WOW!!  Simple, Easy and Delicious!

1 mango, peeled, seeded and sliced

2 cups vanilla ice cream

milk

In a blender, mix ice cream and mangos.  Add milk to desired consistency.  Enjoy!!

A Variation on a Theme

This is a variation on the brownie dessert. It's super easy, really good and a lighter texture.

1 box of chocolate cake mix
8 oz whipped topping
21 oz can cherry pie filling

Make cake according to directions. Let cool completely. Frost with whipped topping and top with cherry pie filling.

Decadent Brownie Dessert

Easy to make and so delicious!

Makes about 16 bars

1 box fudge brownie mix
1 egg
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla
21 oz can cherry pie filling

Prepare brownies as directed on box. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese and egg. Whisk in milk and vanilla.

Pour mixture over hot brownies; bake additional 25 minutes. Cool 2 hours; top with pie filling.

Mixed Fruit Crisp

A new twist on crisp! As you can see my family got to it before I could get a good picture! This is really good with the different fruits and the raisins add a good flavor and texture. TIPS: I alternated each fruit one-by-one (peel, core, slice an apple, put in pan; peel, pit, slice a peach, put in pan; peel, core, slice a pear, put in pan, etc) so that I didn't have to mix the fruit and risk it breaking and/or getting mushy. Then I just sprinkled the raisins over the fruit. It worked out nicely and tastes great!!

3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
4 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
3 fresh pears, peeled, cored and sliced
½ cup raisins
¼ cup water
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch salt
¼ cup butter


Preheat oven to 375°. Combine apples, peaches, pears, raisins and water in a 9”x13” baking pan.

In small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over fruit.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until topping starts to brown. Serve warm.