Homemade Cream of Wheat (Multigrain)

3 cups ground wheat (Hard red, on the coarsest setting)

3 cups corn meal

1 Tbsp salt

3 Tbsp butter powder (opt.)

Mix them all together and store in an airtight container.  Cook in a 1:4 ratio (mix:water) on the stove top until thickened.  (you can cook it in the microwave, but it softens the cornmeal more, so you lose some of the grittiness.)  If you don't add butter powder to the mix, you must add butter to the cooked mixture, or it just won't taste right.  

We like to add a handful of teff (tiny grain the size of cornmeal and packed full of great nutrition) to the pot as well to make it even more "multigrain."

Hot Chocolate Mix

I ran out of the cheap Wal-mart stuff the other day, and decided to learn how to make my own from my food storage.  So I created this recipe after comparing, merging, and modifying around 10 different recipes I found online.  I'm not sure if it would qualify as "Transcendent," but it's lots better than Swiss Mix and a lot more customizable to your liking.  (Use semi-sweet chocolate chips for a more dark hot chocolate, or milk chocolate chips for a more classic flavor.  Try mint chocolate chips for that matter.  Mmmm.  Increase or decrease the sugar or cocoa powder as you like too.  You can't really mess it up.)

3 cups powdered milk
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups mini (or finely chopped) chocolate chips
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup powdered non-diary creamer
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 vanilla bean, ground into powder (optional)

Mix everything together and store in an air-tight container.  (I use an old #10 can and lid.)  Yield: About 25-30 servings.

To make hot chocolate, put 1/4 to 1/3 cup of mix in a mug and add hot water.  Stir until the chocolate chip pieces are all melted.

(Optional) Add milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, whipped cream, marshmallows, mint syrup, caramel syrup, amaretto, or anything else you can think of to make your own gourmet hot chocolate.

Swirl Cake (Breakfast Pie Bars)

You can bake these and then freeze the whole batch.  Then for breakfast you just pull out the pan, reheat them in the oven or microwave and serve.  We made these ones with apple pie filling.  They were oh, so yummy!

1 cup butter
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs (one at a time)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1 large can of pie filling (any flavor)

Mix above ingredients.  Spread 2/3s of the batter on a greased and floured cookie sheet.  Spread with pie filling and dot with remaining batter.  Bake at 350 degrees, for 45 minutes.  (If you want, you can drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze; however, they are definitely sweet enough without; especially for breakfast.)

Almond Cranberry Granola Bars

These are a seriously delicious breakfast on the go.  I keep them wrapped in saran in the freezer and pull one out in the morning to warm up a little before eating.  Mmmm.

3 cups oats
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed Milk
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup cranberries, dried
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Grease 13x9 inch pan.  Mix together oats, milk, butter, almonds, cranberries, coconut, and chocolate chips.  Mix with your hands until well blended.  Press into pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned around edges.  Let cool 5 minutes, cut into squares, and then let cool completely.

Apple and Prosciutto Sandwiches

These are truly fantastic although, granted, not ingredients I usually have around the house.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
1 loaf (12 oz) focaccia bread
8 thin slices prosciutto
1 medium apple, sliced
6 oz Brie cheese, rind removed and sliced

In a  blender, combine the oil, walnuts, Parmesan cheese and rosemary; cover and process until blended and nuts are finely chopped.  With a bread knife, split focaccia into two horizontal layers.  Spread rosemary mixture over cut sides of bread.

On bottom of bread, layer prosciutto, apple and Brie; replace bread top.  Cut into quarters.  Cook on an indoor grill for 2-3 minutes or until bread is browned and cheese is melted.  To serve cut each wedge in half.

Meat 'n' Cheese Stromboli

1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 medium green pepper, sliced into rings
1 Tbsp butter
2 loaves (16 oz each) frozen bread dough, thawed
1/2 lb thinly sliced hard salami
1/2 lb thinly sliced deli ham
1/2 lb sliced mozzarella cheese
1/2 lb sliced mild cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp poppy seeds

In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in butter until crisp-tender; set aside.

On two greased baking sheets, roll each loaf of dough into a 15"X12" rectangle.  Arrange the salami, ham and cheeses lengthwise over half of each rectangle to within 1/2" of edges.  Top with onion mixture; sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder and pepper.  Fold dough over filling; Pinch edges to seal well. 

Brush with egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Morning Muffins (From Make-A-Mix)

(Blueberry Crumb Variation pictured above)

2 1/2 cups Quick Mix (Posted below)
4 Tbsp sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk or water
Butter and honey if desired

Preheat oven to 425F
Generously butter muffin pans. Place Quick Mix in a medium bowl, add sugar, and mix well. In a bowl, combine egg and milk or water. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir until just blended. Fill prepared murrin pans 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot with butter and honey, if desired. Makes 12 large muffins.

Variations:
Dried fruit or Nut Muffins - Add 1/2 cup chopped raisins, dates, dried berries, or fruits, or nuts to dry ingredients. Before baking, sprinkle with Crumb Topping Mix (posted below).

Blueberry Muffins - Gently fold 1 cup fresh, frozen or drained blueberries into dry ingredients. Sprinkle with Crumb Topping Mix (posted below) if desired.

Oatmeal or Bran Muffins - Reduce Quick Mix to 1 3/4 cups. Add 3/4 cup quick rolled oats or all-bran cereal to dry ingredients before adding liquid ingredients.

Apple Muffins - Fold 1 cup grated raw apple into muffin batter before putting into muffin pans and increase baking time to 20-25 minutes.

Fresh Peach Muffins - Fold 1 cup diced fresh peaches into batter before putting into muffin pans and increase baking time to 20-25 minutes.

Orange Muffins - Add 1 Tbsp fresh orange peel or 1 1/2 tsp dried orange peel to dry ingredients before adding liquid ingredients.

Cranberry Muffins - Gently fold 2/3 cup chopped cranberries into muffin batter before putting into muffin pans.

Crumb Topping Mix (From Make-A-Mix Cookery)

This topping is a great crumb topping that you can use on cobblers, ice cream, muffins, or anything else you like.

1 1/3 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup butter or margarine

In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Mix well. With a pastry blender, cut in butter or margarine until mixture is very fine. Put in a 1-quart, airtight container. Label. Store in the refrigerator. Use within 1-2 months. Makes about 2 cups.

Asparagus/Broccoli Quiche

Submitted by Abigail Rich


(Note by JoDee: I made this with brocolli and leftover fondue cheese instead of the asparagus and swiss, and it was still fantastic. Great recipe!)

Ingredients
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 10 slices bacon
• 2 (8 inch) unbaked pie shells
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place asparagus in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain and cool.

2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

3. Brush pie shells with beaten egg white. Sprinkle crumbled bacon and chopped asparagus into pie shells.

4. In a bowl, beat together eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over bacon and asparagus. Pour egg mixture on top of cheese.

5. Bake uncovered in preheated oven until firm, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Almond Glazed Blueberry Scones

Submitted by Trish Schroeder,

(Here's my scones, adapted from Tyler Florence at Food network. The ingredients are the same, but my method of doing the blueberries is different-he stirs them in, but that just made a purple mess. He also does a lemon glaze, and we prefer almond.)

Blueberry Scones
2 c. flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. sugar
5 tbs. butter (must use butter, needs to be very cold)
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. blueberries (I never measure mine, I just use as many as I think look right)

Rinse fresh or frozen blueberries in cold water and allow to drain while mixing dough. This keeps them from turning everything purple. Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in cold butter (use a pastry blender, or two forks). Make a well and pour in cream. Fold together. (I start with a rubber spatula, but end up using my hands to get it combined well.) Press or roll dough into a big rectangle on floured surface (honestly, I usually don't flour it, and I use a ceramic board) until about 1/2-3/4" thick. (Brush with cream if desired, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. When I do, I also sometimes sprinkle just a little granulated sugar on top.) Use your knuckle or desired instrument to make little divets in the surface and poke a blueberry in each hole. Use a pizza cutter to cut into triangles. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. They should just barely start to brown, but not as much as biscuits.

Almond Glaze
To make 1/2 cup of glaze, which is plenty for a full batch, I use: 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tbs. butter, 2-3 tbs. water, and 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract. I put it all in a glass bowl, microwave for 30 seconds, and stir. Then I use a spoon to drizzle over the scones.

(The lemon glaze is on the website linked above. We've also tried orange glaze and it was good, but you just can't beat the almond.)

I've also made cinnamon raisin scones by adding about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients and stirring in raisins at the end. Obviously I then omit the blueberries. They're yummy, and we've tried both the lemon & almond glaze (almond wins again), but blueberry is still the way to go.

Granola

Mix together:
6 cups oats (or 5 cups oats & 1 cup wheat germ)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar (or 3/4 cup of honey)
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped almonds (try other nuts or seeds)
1 cup dry milk
1 cup raisins (or craisins or other dried fruit)
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Blend:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp maple extract
1 Tbsp salt

Mix the two blends together. Spread on cookie sheet and bake at 250 for 1 1/2 hours, stirring half way through. Occasionally stir until cool, then put into Tupperware container.

Blender Wheat Pancakes

1 cup milk (can use powdered milk)
3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp uncooked whole wheat

Blend on highest speed for 4-5 minutes or until batter is smooth.

Add and blend on low:
3 eggs (can use powdered eggs)
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp honey or sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Bake on hot griddle.

Banana Fosters Crepes

Submitted by Sarah Terry


Crepe Ingredients
(Makes thirty-two 6-inch or twelve 10-inch crepes)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups whole milk, room temperature, plus more if needed
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet
1 tsp vanilla

Filling Ingredients
(Serves 4)
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar
2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of coarse salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 small Basic Crepes
1/2 cup creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream

Crepe Directions
1. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture, whisking to combine. Whisk in butter & vanilla. Strain mixture into a medium bowl, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream; add more milk if needed.
2. Heat an 8- or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, and brush with butter. Ladle or pour 3 tablespoons batter (for small crepes) or 1/3 cup batter (for large crepes) into pan, turning and tilting skillet to coat bottom evenly with batter. Cook until top of crepe appears set, bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, and center is lifted by pockets of air, about 1 minute. Run a spatula around edge of crepe to loosen. Slip spatula under crepe, and gently flip in one swift gesture. (If it doesn't land quite right, that's OK; use the spatula to unfold or rearrange it.) Cook until bottom is firm and golden brown in spots, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a plate, and cover. (The first one will not be your finest.) Repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with butter as needed (every 2 or 3 crepes). Serve immediately.

Filling Directions
1. Warm butter and sugar in a saute pan over medium heat until butter melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Add bananas, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla, and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add rum. Return to heat. If using a gas stove, tip pan away from you carefully until the vapors from the rum ignite. (Or light with a long match.) Cook until flames stop, about 1 minute. Divide bananas among crepes; reserve sauce in pan.
2. Fold each crepe in half, then fold in half again. Drizzle crepes with reserved sauce, and top with creme fraiche or ice cream. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Chip Scones

1 2/3 cups flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon 18 tsp salt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup milk chocolate English toffee bits

1 Tbsp butter, melted

Glaze

1/4 cup powdered sugar

4 1/2 tsp spreadable cream cheese

2 1/4 tsp milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir in cream just until moistened.  Stir in chocolate chips and toffee bits.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 times.  Pat dough into an 8 in circle and cut into six wedges (or cut with cookie cutters).  Separate and transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.  Brush with butter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 16-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over scones.  Serve warm.

Crepes

2 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking pdr
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour

Mix all ingredients together. Fry 4" circles on lightly greased griddle until golden brown. (both sides)

Fill with fruit fillings and roll.