Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Granola

Have you ever made granola?  It is easier than it sounds and takes great!  I made mine in the crockpot, the house smelled amazing and the kids loved it.  We had it as cereal and with yogurt.  So good!  Give it a try.  Below is a recipe from a great website.  I borrowed the cookbook she wrote from the library.  Ended up using the recipes often and was glad to make use of my new crockpot!
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/11/crockpot-granola-recipe.html
The Ingredients.
- 5 cups oats (if gluten free, make sure the oats are certified GF.)
- 1/4 cup honey * (see note below)
- 1/4 cup melted butter * (see note below)
- 1 T flax seeds
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup dried fruit


The Directions.

Put all the dry ingredients into your crockpot. You'll need at least a 4 quart.

Melt the butter in the microwave, and add. Add the honey. Toss well.


*note: if you add this amount of honey and butter, the granola will be cereal-like, and not trail-mix like. If you'd rather the granola clump together in pieces, you'll need to add more honey and butter. I tried it with the honey and butter doubled (1/2 cup each) and it still didn't clump much--so if you'd prefer your granola that way, you'll need to add at least 3/4 cup of honey. I didn't want that much sugar, and my kids are cool with eating it like this.

Cover, but vent with a chopstick. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, stirring every so often.

If you can smell the granola cooking, go stir. It will burn if you don't keep an eye on it. But it won't burn as quickly as it does in the oven!

(ask me how many batches of granola I've had to throw out after burning in the oven. go ahead, ask. )


7. at least 7. I am no good with the oven.

Dump out on some parchment paper and let cool. Eat with milk like cereal, warmed with milk like oatmeal, or as is. Seal well in an air-tight container or in a ziplock. Granola freezes well.


The Verdict.


This is one of the only times I haven't burnt granola, and my kids have been eating it non-stop since the first batch came out of the crock.
I'm going to go have some more right now.

CROCKPOT GRANOLA
INGREDIENTS:
5 cups oats
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/4 cup slivered almond
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sunflower seed
1/2 cup dried fruit 

Directions:


Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 4 1/4 hrs

  1. 1 Put all the dry ingredients into your crockpot.
  2. 2 Melt the butter in the microwave, and add. Add the honey. Toss well.
  3. 3 Cover, but vent with a chopstick. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, stirring every so often. (If you can smell the granola cooking, stir).
  4. 4 Dump out on some parchment paper and let cool.
Crockpot Granola casserole
(8 servings)   

 

Crockpot Granola

http://www.busymomsrecipes.com/2010/02/crockpot-granola.html
5 c. rolled oats (NOT instant)
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. salad oil
(Add: raisins, coconut, nuts, seeds, etc.)

Place oats, honey and oil in the crockpot, mix well. Cook on low, stirring every half-hour or so until dry and golden, about 3 hours or so. Keep lid propped open while crocking; I use a chopstick. When cool, mix in raisins, nuts, etc. Store in air-tight canister.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Greetings - Smilebox

Check out this website for easy e-card sending. I use it all of the time. I had no trouble adding photos, adding music and using the site in general. The whole process is so easy! They have a card for every occasion...Love it!!! OH, and it is totally free.

Greetings - Smilebox

Monday, January 10, 2011

No Bake Cookies

No bake cookies are a great way for kids to help in the kitchen... Here are a few good ones to try out! 

NO BAKE CEREAL COOKIES
No Bake Cereal Cookies picture
Original Recipe Yield 2 dozen

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup white corn syrup
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 6 cups crispy rice cereal

Directions

  1. Bring sugar and syrup to a boil. Add peanut butter and stir well. Remove from heat. Stir in cereal.
  2. Pat into a 9 x 13 pan.
  3. Ready made chocolate frosting tastes good spread on the top.
EASY NO BAKE COOKIES
Easy No Bake Cookies picture
Original Recipe Yield 3 - 4 dozen

Ingredients

  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Mix together the sugar, butter or margarine and the milk in a large pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes.
  2. Turn off heat and add in the pudding, oats and vanilla. Mix well and let stand for 5 minutes.
  3. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.
NO BAKE CHOCOLATE COOKIES



http://www.familyoven.com/offsite?r_id=25514&u=http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/No-Bake-Chocolate-Cookies/Detail.aspx
Original Recipe Yield 36 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup fat-free milk
  • 1/2 cup butter or stick margarine
  • 3 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1 cup flaked coconut
  • 6 tablespoons baking cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, milk and butter; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  2. Stir in the oats, coconut, cocoa and vanilla. Working quickly, drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let stand until set, about 1 hour.
NO BAKE CAMPING COOKIES
No Bake Camping Cookies Recipe
http://www.familyoven.com/offsite?r_id=25430&u=http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/No-Bake-Camping-Cookies/Detail.aspx
 
Original Recipe Yield 3 dozen

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon strong brewed coffee
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions

  1. Cream together butter or margarine, sugar, cocoa, coffee and vanilla.
  2. Add oats and mix well. Roll into 36 balls about 1 inch in diameter. Dip balls into confectioners' sugar. Set on wax paper.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Create a storybook

Let your child be the Author and Illustrator of their own book!
We enjoy making storybooks often. We sometimes incorporate real photos, things from nature, and of course the wonderful artwork they come up with.  You can laminate them, hole punch them and use yarn/ribbon to hold pictures together, or simply staple them together.  The possibilities are endless.  It's up to you.  It is such a big confidence booster for them... When they are finished we put them inside our bookcase to display their wonderful work!
Click on the links below for fun, educational websites for children to make storybooks...

http://www.seussville.com/games_hb/storymaker/story_maker.html

http://www.makeastorybook.com/mas/step1.jsp

http://www.lil-fingers.com/storybooks/index.php

http://www.suite101.com/content/three-little-pigs-activity-for-preschools-a105690

http://www.bookemon.com/make-children-book