Allison's Muesli

Please pardon the lack of posts lately! Lots of changes going on in the Tasty Sensations kitchen (new baby just came, moving kitchen from one state to another). Be patient for another month or so, and I'll be back with regular posts that will make you drool. Until then, I'll post some here and there that are worth trying out!

3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c. slivered (not sliced) almonds
1 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. chopped dried apricots
1/2 c. chopped dried apples

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 300.

On a large baking sheet, combine the oats, almonds, and walnuts, and bake for 30 minutes, stirring once after 15 minutes. Transfer the cereal to a large mixing bowl. Add the honey and, using a large rubber spatula, stir to combine thoroughly. Add the apples and apricots and stir well. Cool, stirring occasionally. Serve at room temperature.

Another variation I like to call "Banana Nut Protein Crunch":

3 c. oats, 1/2 c. cashews, 1/2 c. almonds, 1/2 c. walnuts, 1/2 c. dried bananas - toast that all same as above (I toasted mine 20 min. on each side). Add honey (to taste), stir to combine.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

1 large egg
1 c. whole wheat flour (preferably fresh ground)
3/4 c. buttermilk
2 TBS. brown sugar
2 TBS. vegetable oil
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

With a whisk, combine all ingredients in bowl just until smooth (don't overmix). Heat griddle. Grease with cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 c. batter on griddle per pancake. Makes about 10 pancakes.

Heavenly Syrup

This recipe is courtesy of my pal, Denise.

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
1 c. buttermilk

Heat above ingredients until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with:
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Makes a ton! Very tasty!

Cute Quiche Biscuit Cups

3-4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and finely crumbled
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
2 chopped green onions (2 medium), 3 fresh chopped mushrooms, and some leftover chopped roasted potatoes, optional
1 can refrigerated biscuits (10 biscuits)

Heat oven to 375F. Grease 10 muffin cups. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, milk and eggs on low speed until smooth. Stir in Swiss cheese and green onions (and mushrooms and potatoes, if you choose to add them); set aside.Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Place 1 biscuit in each greased muffin cup; firmly press in bottom and up sides, forming 1/4 inch rim. Place bacon in the bottom of the dough -lined muffin cups. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture over the bacon. I had some extra egg mix, so I filled the other 2 cups without the biscuit cup, and they were good too!

Bake for about 23 minutes or until filling is set and edges of biscuits are golden brown.

Resurrection Rolls for Easter

Tube of Crescent Rolls (or however many you want to make)
Melted Butter
Large Marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350
*Give each child a triangle of crescent roll (represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in)
*Give each child a marshmallow (represents Jesus' body)
*Have them dip the marshmallow in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon and sugar (represents the oil and embalming and the spices used to anoint the body)
*Wrap the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll-not as you would normally roll a crescent...but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside (This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after his death
*Place in 350 oven for 10-12 min. (The oven represents the tomb. Pretend it takes three days)*When the rolls have cooled slightly, the children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there. HE IS RISEN!(The marshmallow has melted, and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty)

Overnight French Toast w/ Peaches

1/2 c. butter
2 TBS. light Karo syrup
1 c. brown sugar
Bring above ingredients to boil.
Meanwhile, drain 1 29 oz. can of peaches (fresh is best, but use canned if peaches aren't in season) and dice up into little bites.
Once syrup reaches a boil, pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Top with peaches.
On top of peaches, place 12 slices of thick Texas Toast (when I made this, I had leftover cubes of french bread) on top of peaches.
Mix:
5-6 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla
1.5 c. milk
Pour over bread.
Sprinkle generously with cinnamon.

Cover and let soak in refrigerator overnight. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until well-browned.

Frosted Banana Bars by Guest Chef Amy

½ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (usually about 2 bananas)
1 (16 oz) container cream cheese frosting or from recipe below
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 x 15 inch jellyroll pan or two 9 x 13 pans. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter. Finally, mix in the mashed banana. Spread evenly into the prepared pan(s). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow bars to cool completely before frosting.

Whipped Cream & Cream Cheese frosting (as pictured on the banana bars below)
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
In a small chilled bowl with chilled beaters, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then fold in whipped cream.

Breakfast Shortcake by Guest Chef Amy

(Okay so there is no cooking required for this one. But, it is easy and delightfully sensible and filling!)

1 frozen waffle
½ cup flavored yogurt
½ cup honey bunches of oats or granola cereal
Fresh or canned fruit

Toast waffle. Top with yogurt, cereal and fruit. Serve immediately.

Banana Crumb Muffins

*stole this one from allrecipes.com. It got rave reviews, and we loved them!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed (I used frozen ones and let them thaw a bit)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Magical Morning Muffins

2 TBS packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey (use sugar if you must)
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen blueberries, do not thaw
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray, or place paper baking cup in each muffin cup. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In large bowl, beat milk, oil, honey and egg with spoon. Stir in flours, baking powder and salt just until flours are moistened (batter will be lumpy). Gently fold in blueberries.
3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (cups will be full). Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Bake about 18 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm with butter.

Ebelskivers (Danish Pancakes) by Guest Chef Marli

Makes about 30
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pint fresh blueberries
Confectioner's sugar
Pure maple syrup
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the egg yolks and buttermilk and stir until well combined; the batter will be thick.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high until stiff but not dry peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the batter using a rubber spatula until combined.
Put 1/2 teaspoon butter in each well of a filled pancake pan. Place over medium heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 tablespoon of the batter into each well and cook until the bottoms begin to brown, 2 minutes. Place 5 or 6 blueberries in the center of each pancake and top with 1 tablespoon batter. Using 2 wooden skewers or butter knives, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
Dust the pancakes with confectioner's sugar and serve with warm maple syrup.
The number of fillings and flavor combinations that you can incorporate into this recipe has no limit. Fill the pancakes with your favorite flavor of jam or preserves, chocolate chips, diced bananas, or diced apples that have been sautéed in a little bit of butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You could even try a teaspoon of peanut butter topped with a teaspoon of grape jelly for a "PB&J Pancake" for kids!
The batter can be altered as well. Fold in some toasted coconut flakes, your favorite spices, or finely chopped lightly toasted nuts. Substitute whole wheat or buckwheat flour for a portion of the regular flour.

Best Bagels

I am a bagel lover. Let me reiterate....these bagels are AWESOME. I made them again this weekend. This time I doubled the recipe - which made 24, so I could freeze individual servings and have them ready for a quick grab in the morning. I did some cinnamon sugar, parmesan cheese, salt, and plain ones, and they were all good. My favorite combo - cinnamon sugar bagels with whipped honey nut cream cheese. Mwaaah! I also liked the parmesan cheese ones for a savory lunch-time bagel - with some deli ham, garden veggie cream cheese, lettuce and tomato. Mmmmmmmmm. Try them. They do not disappoint.

Grammy Cherie's Whole Wheat Pancakes by Guest Chef Emily

1 C. wheat kernels
1 C. milk
Blend the above in a blender for 1 minute

Add:
1/2 C more milk
1/2 C. oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. Salt
4 tsp. baking powder
Blend 4 minutes

I love to add fresh blueberries or raspberries, but they are delicious plain as well!

"Em's Cinnamon Rolls"

These are sooooo good! We found it on allrecipes, and modified it a bit.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm milk

2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter (slightly salted), melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 3/4 TBS ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS
Put warm milk and yeast in bowl to bubble for 5 min. Scramble eggs. Place in bowl with remaining ingredients, add yeast mixture. Mix all together, knead well (5-10 min) and let rise in bowl once. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls - we suggest using floss to make 12 equal rolls . Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes - we suggest covering them with tin foil halfway through to prevent overbrowning. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Quiche Lorraine...er...Quiche Krista

Thanks Krista for this yummy concoction of quiche lorraine.

3 eggs
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. dry mustard
dash of paprika
1/2 c. milk
1 c. heavy whipping cream 1/2 c. grated jack cheese
1/4 c. grated swiss cheese
1/2. c grated chedder cheese

*You can add any thing else you like. We like bacon and green chilies in ours. Diced ham, frozen drained spinach, sliced green onion, & mushrooms are good too!*

unbaked deepdish pie shell

Sprinkle cheeses and any extras you like. We ALWAYS use 1/2 lb. bacon and green onions and mushrooms! Be creative. I am sure there are some tasty combinations. Beat remaining ingredients together with a fork and pour into pie shell. Bake until browned at 350 for about 45 minutes. Check with a knife and it comes out clean.

Top O' The Mornin' Bagels

2 c. warm water (110F)
1 TBS. honey
1 TBS. molasses
1 TBS. yeast
2 tsp. salt
5 c. all purpose flour
1 egg white
desired toppings

Let yeast melt into warm water and bubble (about 5-10 min). Add to mixer honey, molasses (or use just all honey or molasses if it's easier for you), salt and flour. Mix on high for 5 minutes. Auto knead for 10 - 12 min. Dough should be heavier than regular bread dough. Let rest and rise in bowl for 45-60 minutes. Take out and cut into 12 equal pieces. Roll into balls. Poke thumb in middle to create hole. Twirl dough around finger until you have a bagel. Let rest on lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to a boil. Add 3 TBS. sugar. Place bagels in boiling water for 1 minute, flipping once. Place on large cookie sheet with parchment paper, covered with ground cornmeal. Preheat oven to 400. Brush bagels with whipped egg white. Sprinkle with desired toppings. For example...today, St. Patty's, I added cinnamon and green sugar crystals! I also did a few with parmesan cheese. Yum! Bake at 40o F for 20 minutes, or until golden.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Cinnabundt

I forgot to take an "after picture"...they were gone too fast.

20 Rhodes Bake and Serve Rolls, thawed on the counter for about 1.5 hours

1 lb. light brown sugar

2 sticks salted butter

4 Tbsp. cinnamon sugar

8 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)

In a bowl, combine cream cheese with 1/4 cup brown sugar and combine well with spatula. Cover and place in refrigerator.

Lightly coat bottom of bundt pan with cooking spray.

Melt butter, then add remaining brown sugar and stir well. Bring to a light boil to caramelize then pour 1/3 of the butter/brown sugar mix across bottom of bundt pan.

Remove cream cheese mix from refrigerator. Take one roll at a time into your hands and pull outward on sides to increase size slightly. Place approximately 1 Tbsp. of the cream cheese mixture into middle of roll. Fold dough around the mixture, pinch closed, then roll into a tight ball. Evenly place 8 balls across bottom of bundt pan.

Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. of sugar/cinnamon.

Pour second 1/3 of the brown sugar/butter mixture over 8 buns.

Repeat process with remaining 12 dough balls for second layer. First the dough balls, 2 Tbsp. sugar/cinnamon and finally the remaining butter/brown sugar mix.Let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour then bake for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees F.

You may need to lay a piece of foil over top of pan after 40-45 minutes if buns start looking well done.

Remove from oven then immediately turn over onto large plate. Remove bundt pan. Serve warm or room temperature.

This makes a LOT of caramel sauce, you may want to cut that part in half unless you want them REALLY gooey!

Low-Fat Banana Bread

6 ripened bananas
2 c. sugar
½ c. margarine
½ c. plain non-fat yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg + 4 egg whites (beaten)
4 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
½ c. walnuts or poppyseed
2 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 2 TBS warm water

Preheat oven to 350. Mash bananas, add sugar. Let stand for 15 minutes. Add margarine, yogurt, vanilla & beaten eggs. Stir to mix. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture. Then, add soda and nuts. Stir to mix. Don’t overmix. Place in greased & floured bread pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until done – test with toothpick, do not overcook. Only 2 grams fat per slice.

Quiche

1 pre-made pie crust (or homemade if you prefer)
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. cream or half and half
1/2 c. diced ham or crumbled bacon
1 c. swiss cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
dash nutmeg
dash pepper

Mix everything, pour into pie crust. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Best of the Best Blueberry Muffins

I have to give a "shout out" to Amy Beaman for this FABULOUS muffin recipe... they are too good not to make LOTS.

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 pint fresh blueberries - rinsed, drained and patted dry
2 tablespoons white sugar

1. Position rack in the middle of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray the top of a muffin pan with non-stick coating, and line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix together 1 3/4 cup of the flour and baking powder. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. Crush 1/4 of the blueberries, and stir into the batter. Mix the rest of the whole blueberries with the remaining 1/4 cup of the flour, and fold into the batter. Scoop into muffin cups. Sprinkle tops lightly with sugar.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown, and tops spring back when lightly tapped.