Recipes from Jenny S.

Happiness is...

There are so many ways to finish this thought. It all depends on your mood, your day, your location, even the company you keep. Today, for me, happiness is having REAL food in my kitchen again! We have been out of town a lot the past few weeks and my cupboards were bare. The boys went back to school and I got back to the kitchen to do some cooking and baking. Thought I'd share some more of my favorite recipes.


The BEST granola I've ever had!

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1-1/2 cups brown sugar (I use less, of course)
6 cups quick cooking OR old fashioned oats
2 cups chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans
1 cup wheat germ (opt)
1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the oil, honey and brown sugar. Microwave 2-3 minutes so sugar will melt. Whisk to dissolve any lumps. At this point you may stir in 2-3 tsp of flavoring. This is where you can get creative! I usually use 3 tsp of a combination of vanilla and almond extracts when I use almonds. But if I use pecans, I substitute a little maple flavor for the almond. So many yummy possibilities. Next...

Combine the oats, nuts, wheat germ and coconut. Toss to mix well. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir until well mixed. Spread evenly onto two jelly roll pans.

Place pans in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then stir the granola around, switch the pans from top rack to bottom rack, then bake another 10-12 minutes or until browned the way you like it.

Once cool, transfer to container of your choice. (I love my IKEA jars!) You can add dried fruits to the mix if you like. I do it after the baking though so they don't get too dry and crunchy.


Banana Oatmeal Muffins

1-1/2 cups wheat flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup mashed banana

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together oatmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix egg, milk, oil, honey and banana together well. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients. Gently stir until moistened. Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool and try to keep some around for at least 24 hours!

Fabulous Marinade

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup wine vinegar
2 T Dijon mustard
1 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic
1 cup oil
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
2T parsley

Mix all ingredients well. Place meat in a ziploc bag along with marinade and let it sit. The great part is using frozen meat and letting it thaw in the marinade all day. Works so great with a bag of chicken breasts! I've used this with pork chops and am trying it with steak tonight.

Happy kitchening to you! And remember to wear an apron.

Jenny