you'll thank me later

My apologies, Ina, but I changed your recipe. For starters, I didn't have flaked coconut in my pantry. But also, I prefer dried figs and raisins to pitted dates. And I have to have my milled flax seed....really, it's not that I don't respect your cooking expertise...I just wanted to make it my own way.

Deidre's Granola Bars

2 1/4 cups quaker quick oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup milled flax seed
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped dried figs
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x12 dish and line with parchment paper.

Combine oatmeal, walnuts, and flax seed. Spread on a sheet pan and toast in oven for 10 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add wheat germ.

Turn oven down to 300 degrees.

Combine butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir, and pour over oatmeal mixture. Add the figs and raisins and combine well.

Pour mixture over parchment paper and press evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool for a couple of hours. Cut into squares. Eat. Enjoy!

Summer recipes

For as long as I can remember, we've had a garden. Summer was always full of ripe tomatoes and cucumbers and other fresh fruits and veggies. This year, James even has his own tomato plant: he helped plant it and now can eat all the tomatoes he wants (this is really so he won't pick ours and eat them)!

So in honor of my home-grown tomato garden, here are some yummy recipes:

Corn Salad (great for grilling parties)
3 cans shoepeg corn (don't drain)
1 green bell pepper
2 medium tomatoes
1 large cucumber (or 3 pickling cucumbers), seeded
1 small sweet onion
1 tbsp mayo

chop the veggies so they are about the same size as the corn. mix in a bowl with the corn and juice, add mayo, stir, chill, then serve.

Macaroni Salad (my granny's recipe)
8 oz macaroni, cooked according to package
6 eggs, boiled and sliced
1 head romaine lettuce
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes
6-8 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 large or 3 pickling cucumbers, seeded and diced
mayo
salt

after cooking the macaroni, let cool, then add enough mayo to coat it well, and salt to taste. let stand in fridge while you chop and dice the other veggies. add lettuce, tomato, carrots, onion, and cucumber to the macaroni (you may add more mayo if you think it needs it...you want a thin layer on everything else). fold in the sliced egg. chill and serve!

Black Bean Salad (can be served on chips like salsa, on tacos, or as a side salad)
2 cans black beans, drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, diced
2 cans shoepeg corn, drained
1 handful of cilantro, chopped
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
lime juice (just a squeeze, to taste)
salt and pepper, to taste

in a medium saucepan over med-lo heat, combine ingredients. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. serve immediately, or place in fridge. can be eaten warm or cold.

Try them out this summer. Even if you don't have homegrown, you can always check your local roadside stand or farmer's market for fresh veggies. YUM!

Saturdays, Breakfast Club, and friends

Today we had Breakfast Club with our neighbors: Dwayne, Suzanne, Sam (5) and Sawyer (22 mos). Sawyer was born just 2 days before James, so they are already best friends (well, according to us they are). It was nice to spend my first Saturday at home (not working or traveling) with such good friends.
After breakfast, we all played monopoly on the PS3. It was fun to hang out and fellowship with our friends. We are blessed to live next door to some of our favorite people!
We had breakfast casserole for breakfast, and it was so good that I want to share the recipe. We even eat this for dinner sometimes. Its great for several reasons: first, you make it ahead of time, so all you have to do is pop it in the oven. Secondly, its so easy, you can vary what you put into it each time!

Breakfast Casserole (courtesy of Beverly Chaney)
6 slices bread, sans crust
5 eggs
1 cup half and half (I use fat free, but you can use any)
1 lb breakfast sausage, browned and drained (I prefer HOT)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or, you can use the Mexican Blend)

Place the crust-less bread in the bottom of a greased or non-stick casserole dish. Cover with the browned and drained sausage. Then add the cheese. Meanwhile, beat the eggs together with the half and half. Pour over sausage/bread/cheese. Refrigerate overnight. Bake 30-35 minutes (or until eggs are set).

Here are a few variations:
1. Replace the sausage with bacon or turkey bacon. Cut the bacon into bite sized pieces before you cook it.
2. When making two casseroles at a time, use sausage and bacon. Then put 1/2 lb of each onto each casserole.
3. Add Texas Pete to the egg/half and half mixture, and layer diced jalapenos on top of your meat.

If you make it and try any other variations, please let me know! I think I might try a veggie version next, with artichokes, spinach, and Monterrey Jack cheese! Hope you enjoy!