No Bake: Muesli

This morning it's all about "no bake." I've combined muesli (raw oats etc) with greek honey yogurt (healthy goodness + cultures and pro biotics) for a pretty good breakfast. I had no idea that I'd like the nutty flavor. I've been reading up about "raw foods" a way of eating a friend told me about. Ayurveda (from an article and self quiz in the Yoga Journal). This last month has made it impossible for me not to be more aware of what I'm eating. You know, those messages from the universe? It's always nice when you have to wait to flicked on the head to wake up and smell the coffee and change your habits. I'm not saying I'll never bake cookies, or muffins... I'm just making some new habits too.

Muesli is extremely easy to make and I think it beats fast food and the local coffee hut hands down.

Muesli

1/4 C Bob's Red Mill Muesli

1/2 C Greek Gods Honey Yogurt

(You can find both ingredients at Sunflower market)

Combine and let sit for 5-10 minutes, then eat.

Suz

Oatmeal "Devil's Food" Cookies

It's Saturday morning. The sun is up. Food Network is on. Em's still asleep, and the dog is hanging out unsure if he wants to sleep or wait around and see if I drop anything while I'm cooking. What's on the menu at 9am? Devil's Food Oatmeal cookies, i.e. "Cake Mix Cookie #3"

Cake Mix Cookie #3

Yields about 2 dozen.

1 (9 oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix (or your favorite flavor)

2/3 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 egg

*1/2 cup chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, M&Ms (your preference)

* For a healthier cookie, substitute raisins in place of the chips.

Preheat oven to 375. In a mixing bowl, beat the cake mix, oatmeal, butter and egg. Stir in the chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool.

Recipe Source: http://www.allhomemadecookies.com/recipes/drop/easycakemixcookies.htm

In the Test Kitchen: I used a devil's food cake, Guittard Vanilla milk chips, but the result alone wasn't so good. After coating the top of the cookies in powdered sugar THEN the "devil's food" chocolate flavor comes thru better for some reason.

Update: Won't be making these again. Not so good.

Suz
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Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins

I couldn't sleep so I decided to make some blueberry muffins for breakfast, good thing I'm fasting for a blood test, right? I was looking for the Turbinado Sugar for that yummy, crunchy pastry topping, but I couldn't remember what it was called... "Tarantino" sugar? I had to laugh, that would have been some extremely "edgy" sugar. (Not a Tarantino movie fan.) I found the "Sugar in the Raw" a.k.a. Turbinado sugar, grown in Maui, Hawaii, and all is happy in blueberry muffin land. Goofy, goofy, goofy.
From the package: "Premium Hawaiian Turbinado Sugar is made using 100% pure Hawaiian cane sugar. The natural molasses remaining in the crystals produces a distinctive taste, pleasing texture and natural golden color." Here's the recipe for Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins. Check out the Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins recipe too!

Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 cups blueberries
Turbinado sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to wet ingredients alternately with the milk. Crush 1/2 C blueberries and mix into batter. Fold in remaining berries (whole). Scoop into prepared muffin tin and bake for 30 minutes (toothpick test). Cool for 30 minutes.

Recipe Source: The Diva of Dining

Milk in Your Eggs?

My mom cooked scrambled eggs with milk, my husband's mom didn't... so I haven't made eggs with milk in a long time. Today on allrecipes.com I got the base recipe for making a frittata, and yup there are eggs and milk coexisting happily together. So I went for it and made up my own frittata with what was in the kitchen... I'll let you know if it worked.

Cookbook Bites: 2 Cheese Frittata

2 Cheese Frittata
6 eggs
1/3 c milk
1/2 c cheddar grated
1/3 c pepper-jack cheese
2 spoonfuls of salsa
pepper and salt to taste
2 dashes onion pwdr
2 T butter

Melt the butter in a pan in the oven. Mix the eggs and milk (whisk), then add all the other ingreds. Pour into the pan and bake at 375 until done. (about 35 min)

Source: Suzanne Nikolaisen

Suzanne
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Coffee Cake isn't Banana Bread...

Ripe bananas

I'm supposed to be baking banana bread, but there's a "Great Coffee Cake" actually a sour cream coffee cake in the oven. Shhhh, don't tell anybody. There's still a bunch of bananas (yes, the whole bunch) on my counter, speckled and totally ripe. Hmm, maybe we should make banana milkshakes?

Great Coffee Cake
The Breakfast Book, pg. 256

2 sticks butter
1 C sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 C flour
2 t baking pwdr
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 C sour cream

(Set oven to 350. Mix butter, sugar, eggs. Stir dry ingredients and mix with butter mixture. Add sour cream. Bake in greased & floured Bundt pan for 50 minutes or until done.)

Update: I didn't like this recipe. It was too rich. Em thought it was good.

Suz
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