Apple Spice Syrup

This syrup is great with pancakes, french toast, waffles, and German pancakes. It has very little added sugar because it's sweetened with apple cider or juice.

¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 T. cornstarch
¼ t. ground allspice
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1-¾ cup apple juice or cider

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, allspice and nutmeg; mix well. Add juice or cider. Cook and stir over medium heat until syrup is bubbly and slightly thickened. Makes 1-¾ cups. (I make it in the microwave in a large glass bowl. I cook it 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute or so.)

German Pancake

This is a favorite in our house and easy to make for a crowd--just double the recipe and bake in 2 pans. Or for a smaller family, half the recipe and bake in a pie pan or a square one.

6-8 servings

2 T. butter
6 eggs
1 c. milk
1 c. flour (I use whole wheat)
½ t. salt
Put butter in a 13x9 pan and place in the oven while preheating to 400. Watch carefully so butter doesn’t burn (not that I’d know from experience….) Blend all remaining ingredients in a blender until smooth. Tilt pan to distribute melted butter, then pour batter on top of the butter. Bake for 20 minutes. The pancake will get big bubbles in the middle and start to come off the edges of the pan.

Serve with your favorite toppings: fruit, yogurt, syrup, powdered sugar, warm applesauce, etc.

Steel-Cut Oats

serves 4-6

I love this much more than regular oatmeal but never ate it because it was expensive and takes awhile to cook. It is sold in the grocery stores as "Irish Oatmeal" in a fancy tin, but I found it at Kitchen Kneads in West Jordan as "steel-cut oats" for about 1/5th the price. My next great discovery is that it cooks in only 5 minutes (instead of 20-25) if you soak the oats in the cooking water overnight. In the morning, all you need to do is turn on the heat and stir it occasionally as it cooks. Now I eat it a couple of times a week.

2 c. dry steel-cut oats
4 c. water
1/4 t. salt

Mix all in a saucepan, cover, and let soak overnight. In the morning, heat over medium heat until creamy, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in your favorite ingredients. Some of my favorites are: chopped apple, Craisins or raisins, banana, chopped toasted nuts, vanilla yogurt, cinnamon sugar or brown sugar, and jam. Use a combination of the above and stir in a little milk if mixture is too thick.

Note: Millet is another grain I love for breakfast. It is considered one of the most nutritious, least allergenic, and most digestible grains. I buy this at Kitchen Kneads also. Cook it the same way, only the ratio is 1 c. millet to 3 c. water. After soaking all night it will cook in 15 minutes (instead of 45 for unsoaked).

Tangy Fruit Oatmeal

For those who don’t like oatmeal, they haven’t tried it this way!
Serves 4

3 c. orange juice
1-½ c. oats
½ c. dried fruit (craisins, raisins, chopped apricots, etc.)
¼ c. sliced almonds
2 T. brown sugar
2-4 T. jam, any flavor
¼ t. cinnamon
Dash salt
Bring juice to a boil; stir in remaining ingredients. Return to a boil and reduce heat. Cook 1 minute for quick or 5 minutes for regular oats, stirring occasionally. Cover and remove form heat. Let stand until thickened.

Raisin Pecan Baked Oatmeal

6-8 servings

My kids love this! It tastes like a cross between granola and a muffin and you eat it crumbled in a bowl with milk. In addition to reducing the sugar and the fat, and changing the butter to oil, I adapted it for the microwave so it’s fast enough to eat on busy school mornings, especially if you mix the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls the night before and combine just before cooking.
¼ c. oil
½ c. honey or sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
3 c. oats (regular or quick)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
1 c. milk
½ c. raisins
½ c. chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients in a microwaveable bowl until well combined. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir. Cook on half power for 4-5 minutes or until oats are tender and mixture becomes drier. Spoon into bowls and serve warm with additional milk.

If you prefer, you can bake it in the oven for 25-30 minutes in a greased 13x9 pan.

Note: add more sugar if it's not sweet enough for you--the original recipe called for 1 c. sugar but I like to cut back as much as possible. I often only use 1/4 c.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

These delicious, hearty pancakes are a great way to start the day. This is a great use for the whole wheat in your food storage and you don‘t need a wheat grinder!

1 cup whole wheat kernels
1-1/3 cups milk or buttermilk
2 T. honey or brown sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs
2 T. oil
1 t. vanilla

Put wheat kernels and 1 c. milk in blender. Blend on high speed for 2 minutes. Add remaining milk and blend for another 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Add more milk if mixture is too thick. Pour onto griddle and cook on both sides.
Note: Try adding a banana to the batter before the final blending. Sprinkle nuts, coconut, blueberries, chopped apple, or chocolate chips on the batter after pouring onto griddle. Yummy! Serve with syrup, applesauce, or yogurt.

Sourdough Waffles

Click here for a delicious waffle recipe along with ideas for making Conference Traditions with your families.

Banana Bread Oatmeal

Serves 4

This is an example of a way to make your oatmeal more exciting! Use this as a base and try your own favorite fruits and nuts.

3 c. milk (or use powdered milk and water)

3 T. brown sugar

¾ t. ground cinnamon

¼ t. salt

¼ t. nutmeg

2 c. oats (regular or quick)

2 bananas, mashed

3 T. chopped, toasted pecans

Vanilla yogurt

Banana slices

Pecan halves

In a medium saucepan, bring milk, brown sugar, spices and salt to a gentle boil (watch carefully). Stir in oats. Return to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook 1 min. for quick oats and 5 min. for regular, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir frequently.

Remove oatmeal from heat and stir in mashed banana and pecans. Spoon into bowls and top each serving with yogurt, banana slices, and pecan halves, if desired.

No-Guilt Alfredo Sauce

This is the recipe served at our Relief Society "Everyday Angels" birthday celebration. The women were surprised when I told them that this is so much better for you than traditional Alfredo sauce because it tastes very creamy.

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 4 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 c. milk
• 4 oz. nonfat or low-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Gather all ingredients and have them measured out. Set in sequence of list so you're ready because it goes quickly.
2. In non-stick saucepan, add butter and garlic. Saute for 30 seconds. Whisk in flour, then slowly whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring continually, until slightly thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in cream cheese and parmesan over low heat until smooth, about 1-2 mins. Remove from heat and cover until ready to serve.
3. Serve over a bed of your favorite pasta!

Suggestions:

Use this recipe as a base and add anything that sounds good: spinach, broccoli, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, chicken, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, etc.