Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

This was a delicious Saturday morning treat. The syrup is so easy. This is one of those "power" foods (super healthy) because it has oatmeal and blueberries in it. One pancake with 1 TBS. syrup is 3 Weight Watchers points. This recipe comes from the January/February 2007 simple&delicious magazine, page 43.

2 cups flour
2 packets (1.51 oz. each) instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal mix
2 TBS. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 egg whites
1 egg
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Blueberry Syrup:

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar

In large bowl, combine first five ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites, egg, milk, and sour cream. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a hot griddle coated with nonstick cooking spray. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancake; cook until the second side is golden brown.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the syrup ingredients. Microwave, uncovered, for 1 minute; stir. Microwave 1-2 minutes more or until hot and bubbly. Serve warm with pancakes. Makes 14 pancakes and 1 1/4 cups syrup.

Cinnamon Chips

I made these chips for a Bunko game. I served them with fruit salsa, but I think these chips are good enough to eat by themselves. They're best right after they've cooled from being in the oven. If you want to crisp them up the next day, just put them in the oven for a couple more minutes. This recipe comes from simple&delicious, page 11.

10 8-inch flour tortillas

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Brush tortillas with butter; cut each into eight wedges (I used a pizza cutter). Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over tortillas. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or just until crisp. Makes 80 chips.

Peach French Toast

This recipe comes from my friend Diane, who loves to cook. She made this casserole for me, and I had to have the recipe. If I'm involved in any kind of brunch, this is what I make. In my version, I have added more peaches. Her recipe calls for just 1 29-oz. can of peaches.

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
2 TBS. water
2 29-oz. cans sliced peaches, drained well
French bread, sliced and then halved
5 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 TBS. vanilla
cinnamon

Bring brown sugar, margarine, and water to a boil over medium heat (not too high because the mixture can burn easily). Simmer for ten minutes. Pour into 9X13 pan. The mixture immediately hardens. Top with peaches. Place French bread slices on top. Whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla and pour slowly over French bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 6 hours). Get casserole out of the refrigerator half an hour before you plan to bake it (sometimes I skip this part and bake it a couple of minutes longer). Put foil over it and bake it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 25-30 more minutes.

Glazed Ham Slice

This sweet glaze jazzes up that leftover ham. If I don't have a large ham slice, I use smaller pieces-it tastes the same! I also serve the pineapple slices separately with the meal because we do not like warm pineapple.

1 fully cooked ham slice (about 3/4 pound and 1/2-inch thick)
1 can (8 oz.) sliced pineapple
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
2 TBS. honey
1 TBS. steak sauce
1 TBS. Dijon mustard

Drain pineapple, reserving the juice. Set aside 2 pineapple slices, refrigerating remaining slices for another use. In a bowl (or just mix together in skillet), combine cornstarch, pineapple juice, honey, steak sauce, and mustard until smooth. Add honey mixture to skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat; cook for 1-2 minutes. Add ham to skillet; heat ham slices through by cooking for a couple of minutes on each side. Top ham with reserved pineapple slices. Makes 2 servings.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

My mother experimented with this recipe one evening when Brady and Karissa were visiting. At the time, I thought the idea of sweet potato biscuits was very unappealing. Then I ate one. It was delicious and very sweet. Try one for yourself!

3/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 cup melted shortening or margarine
3 TBS. sugar
2/3 cup milk
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup flour

Heat mashed sweet potatoes. Stir in melted margarine or shortening. Stir in sugar. Add milk, baking powder, salt, and flour to make a soft dough. Roll out dough and cut biscuits. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Banana Bread

This is the best version of banana bread I've ever had. I got it out of the Alpha-Bakery Children's Cookbook by Betty Crocker. It is a great ABC cookbook for kids, although I was introduced to it in college. You can order it here. My kids love making this bread--especially mashing the bananas. We usually make this when we have too-ripe bananas to get rid of.

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (3 large bananas)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a loaf pan. Mix sugar, bananas, oil, and eggs in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pan. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60-70 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then loosen sides of loaf from pan and remove from pan. Let cool completely before slicing.

Mexican Rollups

This recipe has become a Christmas favorite to take to parties.

8 oz. cream cheese
1 large onion, chopped
8 oz. sour cream
1 1/4 oz. pkg. taco seasoning
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
4 1/2 oz. can chopped green chilies, drained
2 tomatoes, chopped and drained
10 flour tortillas

Combine first four ingredients until smooth. Fold in cheese, chilies, and tomatoes, blending well. Spread mixture on tortillas, then roll up. For easier cutting, refrigerate rollups until cream cheese mixture is firm. Slice and serve cold with salsa.

Cream Cheese Mints

I learned how to make these at a Relief Society activity at BYU. I now mostly make them for wedding receptions. They are so good. You can add food coloring to make them any color you want. You can also use flexible candy molds for different shapes. To make the process faster, roll the mixture in a long roll and cut the mints in slices.

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
3 cups powdered sugar
food coloring
sugar

Stir together cream cheese, peppermint extract, and several drops of food coloring. Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until mixture is smooth. Knead in the last of the sugar with your hands. Form mixture into 3/4-inch balls. Roll each ball into sugar and place on waxed paper. Flatten with the bottom of a glass or a fork. Cover mints with paper towels. Let dry overnight. Store tightly covered in refrigerator or freezer. Makes 45-60 mints.

Crunchy Apple Salad

Some people know this salad as Waldorf salad. I think it is the perfect combination of tastes.

4 large red apples, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup mayonnaise

In a large bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients. Blend in the mayonnaise. Cover and refrigerate. Yield: 16 servings.

Layered Jello Salad

This recipe is from my friend Diane, who loves to cook. You don’t know how cool this salad looks until you’ve made it for yourself. When you cut it, it looks like a rainbow because you can see 12 different colors of jello. It is the perfect recipe for Easter and would be great in an Easter egg mold. You could adapt it to different holidays by changing the colors of jello (ex. Red and green for Christmas).

1 pint plain yogurt
6 small boxes of jello in different colors

Boil 1 cup water and dissolve 1 box of jello in it. Divide mixture in half. To one half, add 1/3 cup yogurt and pour in dish. Place dish in refrigerator to help congeal faster. To other half, add 3 TBS. cold water. Add to dish when first layer congeals. Repeat with remaining boxes of jello.