Silver Dollar Oat Pancakes

Just found this recipe in Simple & Delicious. These pancakes were so moist and good and very filling! I added blueberries to some and banana slices to others and made some plain. They were all awesome! They were great with syrup and equally yummy with just whipped cream.


1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1-1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce
2 TBSP. butter
Maple syrup or topping of your choice

*In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk, applesauce, and butter; stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened.

*Pour batter by 2 tablespoonfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top. Cook until second side is golden brown. Serve with desired topping.

***TIPS: I doubled this so I could have leftovers. I never have buttermilk, so instead I measured out a little less than 3/4 cup of milk and added enough vinegar to make 3/4 cup. Stir and let sit for a few minutes. I also only had regular applesauce so I simply added some cinnamon to the dry mixture.

Granola

Another keeper from Michelle!

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
Lots of rolled oats (or quick oats)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (optional)

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, melt butter. Stir in honey, vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon; mix well. Add enough oats to soak up all of butter mixture and coat evenly (add seeds if desired). Spread into a large lightly-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 11-12 minutes. Top with raisins, if desired.

Monkey Bread

Also known as "pull-apart" bread. This stuff is so good that you won't want to stop eating it! We usually bring the pan to the table and just eat off of it with our forks. I don't recommend this method and we plan to stop using it. We always eat way too much because it is so yummy and addicting. So, be smart and just put some on your plate and head to the table! =)

1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
4 (7.5 oz) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (the ones that have ten little biscuits per can)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a large ziploc bag. Separate dough into 40 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan. Mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces. Bake 28-32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes (if you can wait that long!). Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve.

The Braid

This is another family favorite. I have made this so many times and I switch up the filling ingredients every single time. First I will explain how to set up the braid, then I will include several filling variations that I have recipes for (from a pampered chef cookbook).

BRAID:

*Unroll two packages of refrigerated crescent rolls; do not separate. Arrange dough on large rectangular cookie sheet with longest sides of dough rectangles across width of pan. Roll dough to seal seams. Starting on longest sides of pan, cut sides of dough into eight strips, about 1-1/2 inches wide and 3 inches long. Scoop desired filling evenly over center of dough.

*Starting at one end, lift one strip of dough; twist one turn and lay across top of filling. Repeat, alternating strips of dough to form a braid. Fold bottom edges of dough up at ends of braid. Brush with a lightly beaten egg white and bake @ 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.



SUZANNE'S UNPROFESSIONAL FILLING:
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (or shredded)
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
salt & pepper, to taste
garlic, to taste (fresh, minced is tastiest)
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and very well drained
shredded cheddar cheese, to taste

*Simply combine all ingredients (except cheese) and microwave until heated through. Spoon the filling into braid and sprinkle with desired amount of cheese. Finish braid and brush with egg white. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.



BEEF TACO FILLING:
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 package (1-1.25 oz) taco seasoning mix
1-3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. water

Optional toppings: salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped onion and tomato, sliced olive and sour cream.

*Cook ground beef until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix, 1-1/2 cups of the cheese and water. Scoop filling into braid and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Finish braid and brush with egg white. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.


SPINACH & ARTICHOKE FILLING:
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, minced
pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp (1/2 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

*In large bowl, combine artichokes, spinach, mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, bell pepper, mayonnaise, garlic and pepper; mix well. Scoop filling into braid. Finish braid, brush with egg white and sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.


CHICKEN CLUB:
3 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken
4 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and chopped
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp snipped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
2 plum tomatoes, sliced

*In large bowl, combine chicken, bacon, 3/4 cup cup of the cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, parsley and garlic; mix well. Scoop filling into braid, top with tomato slices. Finish braid, brush with egg white, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.


CLASSIC REUBEN:
8 oz sliced deli corned beef, chopped (2 cups)
1 (8 oz) can sauerkraut, drained and squeezed dry
1-1/4 cups (5 oz) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1/4 cup Thousand Island dressing
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced

*In large bowl, combine corned beef, sauerkraut, 1 cup of cheese, dressing, parsley and garlic; mix well. Scoop filling into braid. Finish braid, brush with egg white and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.


CHICKEN & BROCCOLI:
2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. dried dill
1/4 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup slivered almonds

*In large bowl, combine chicken, broccoli, cheese, bell pepper, mayonnaise, dill, salt and garlic; mix well. Scoop filling into braid, finish braid. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.


GARDEN VEGETABLE OMELET:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
8 eggs, divided
1 tsp. dill
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 pound fresh asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

*In large bowl, whisk cream cheese and milk; add flour and whisk until smooth. Separate one egg; reserve egg white. Add the yolk, remaining 7 eggs, dill, salt and pepper to cream cheese mixture; whisk until smooth. Add asparagus, bell pepper, and onion to bowl; mix well.

*Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add egg mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, 4-6 minutes until eggs are set but still moist. Remove pan from heat. Scoop filling into braid and sprinkle with cheese. Finish braid and brush with egg white. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

**Variation: obviously you could omit the veggies and add whatever you want like bacon, ham, more cheese, sausage, different veggies, etc.

Ted's Waffles

This is Uncle Ted's "famous" waffle recipe (famous in our family). These waffles are made with whole wheat flour and are very delicious and filling. As Nana would say, "they stick to your ribs." They are yummy topped with syrup, applesauce, strawberries and cream, etc. We usually make some plain, some with chocolate chips, some with chopped pecans, and some with chocolate chips & pecans (my personal favorite).

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
*Mix these ingredients in a medium size bowl.

2 cups milk
4 eggs
1 cup oil
*Mix these ingredients in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients and mix well to minimize lumps. Cook on waffle iron and enjoy!

**Variations: for pancakes use only 1 cup milk and 2 eggs.

Banana Bread

(From Brynn J.)

This is the best banana bread recipe I have tried so far. It is part of my Relief Society cookbook from our ward in Hawaii. Man, it is so good!

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups sugar

*Mix together well, then add:

1 cup buttermilk (or mix one cup of milk with 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar and let sit 5 minutes)
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract (or vanilla)
1 cup oil
1 cube melted butter

*Mix together well, then add:

3 eggs
3 mashed bananas
1 tsp. vanilla

*Mix together well; grease 2 loaf pans. Pour batter into pans and bake for 1 hour.
**Variations: for muffins, pour into greased muffin tins and bake for 25-30 minutes. You can also add chocolate chips and leave off the glaze (my personal favorite way to eat it).

**If you would like to use the following glaze recipe, then poke holes in baked bread with a fork and let bread stand for 10 minutes (very important).

Glaze
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond or vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. butter

*Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer (not a boil). Remove from heat and pour over bread.