Ina's Granola

This was a last minute Christmas week project. Our friend brought us some bags of almonds, cashews and dried fruit from a farmer he knows. I knew immediately that I needed to make Ina's granola.  I needed a gift for a neighbor and for someone else on my Christmas list, so this worked out perfect. And it is a healthier option for this time of year.

This recipe is really flexible- you can leave out what your family doesn't like or add almost anything. I add cinnamon, but you could add vanilla.

[Gift tags from Tiny Prints]

Baked Oatmeal

I've been looking for some new breakfast ideas. My oldest does not like eggs. What I love about this recipe for baked oatmeal is it uses eggs and milk.  Good stuff to start my boy's day out right!  I bake it in these glass cups and save a few in the fridge for the upcoming week. It's almost better reheated the next day.

 Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (or brown sugar Splenda)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups milk (2 percent)
• 3  eggs, well beaten
• 1 tablespoon melted butter (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Optional additions:

• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
• 3/4 cup raises
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts

 Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray 8 (6 oz.) custard cups or ramekins with nonstick cooking spray; arrange on rimmed baking sheet.

• In large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, butter, vanilla and maple extract. Add to dry ingredients; mix until well blended. Spoon into cups. Stir raisins each cup, dividing evenly; sprinkle evenly with walnuts (if using).
  
  Bake until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 23 to 26 minutes for Quick Oats, 25 to 30 minutes for Old Fashioned. (Centers will not be completely set.) Cool 10 minutes.
  

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time Time: 25 min

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Yes- I know, I'm on a bit of a roll with the bundt cakes. I borrowed my mom's pampered chef stoneware bundt cake pan. I love it and I'm never giving it back. You can borrow it if you need it-okay mom?

On to the recipe (again from April) for her amazing coffee cake.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Mix Dry Ingredients and set aside:

2 ½ c flour
2 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
¼ t salt

¾ cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 ¼ c sugar

4 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 ½ c sour cream

In large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-low speed until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches alternately with the sour cream and mix on low speed just until the batter is blended and almost smooth.

Option Streusel Topping and Filling:
2 T butter, at room temperature
¾ c chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
1/3 c brown sugar
1 ½ t cinnamon

If you use the streusel topping, pour half the batter in the pan (spray pan well- I use the spray with flour for baking) then half the streusel topping. Then the other half of the batter and the rest of the topping.

Bake at 350 for about 60 min. sometimes it takes an extra 10 min or so. (Use a really large bundt pan). If you don't have a bundt or a mom who has one you can steal- I think you could use a 9x13 but it would bake much faster so keep your eye on it.

Options- I folded in Hershey's Cinnamon Chips (I'll post about these later). You could also fold in fresh blueberries and a little lemon zest, or Cranberries and a little orange zest. April also does a version with mini chocolate chips and cinnamon sugar layered in the middle (also called a Brooklyn Bundt).

Pumpkin Scones

I have been in the mood to make scones for a couple of weeks now. I was going to make some for Monica's shower, but ran out of time because I was feeling a little under the weather. What better type of scone to make than Pumpkin this time of year. We are almost to Thanksgiving and it will be time to think about peppermint and pumpkins will be just a memory for about 9 months. So I searched online to find a pumpkin scone recipe. Here is the one I made, I like it although it is not very 'pumpkinie' I added mini-chocolate chips instead of raisins because I really like a touch of chocolate with my pumpkin.

WANTED: Quiche recipe

You're slacking sissy. Please post. asap. really. I mean it. (I'm not always this bossy- right?) LSS [little sister syndrom] is a big fat lie. It doesn't exsist.

Monica's Brown and Lavendar Baby Shower...

Sissy flew out her good friend Jill (from Maine okay Maryland) for a brunch baby shower for Monica. It was so fun- and the food was amazing. I love quiche and I thought I made a pretty good one- but April's blew me out of the water. Please post the recipe sissy!

The darling sugar cookies are from my friend Nina that has started her own business "Baked with Love by Nina". These lavendar baby carriages were perfect!

Croissants? Check!

I picked up the croissants at Le Parisien today. The boys and I split a turkey and swiss on a warm croissant! Yum! It was the last croissant of the day- the Dr. ordering his behind me was told I got the last one-my lucky day!

So at Williams Sonoma frozen croissants are about 2.60 each (plus shipping!) And today I paid about 1.25 each (and they are twice as big). I cannot wait til Saturday for Monica's shower!