Granola

We like this with yogurt and a little milk. It makes a lot, so I cut the recipe in half if I'm not going to give any away.

10 c old fashioned rolled oats


2c whole wheat flour


2c wheat germ


2c coconut


1.5- 2c chopped pecans and sliced almonds


Mix above ingredients in large bowl.

4T vanilla


1/2c water


2c honey


1c (or less) oil


Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl, add to dry ingredients and combine well. Spread in shallow pans. Stir gently every 20 minutes or so while baking. Bake at 250 until deep golden and almost dry, approximately 2 hours. Remove, let cool. Store tightly covered (in the refrigerator if you have room).

Raspberry Pinwheels

This recipe was in the Christmas issue of Real Simple a couple years ago. I made some this past Christmas.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 8-ounce bar cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
• 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or coarse sanding sugar

Directions

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour, mixing until just incorporated.
2. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and gently knead it 2 to 3 times, just to bring it together. Form the dough into two 1-inch-thick squares. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll one of the dough squares into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread half the jam over the dough. Cut the dough crosswise into thirds, making three 9-by-4-inch rectangles. Starting from a long side of each rectangle, roll into logs. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.
4. Heat oven to 350° F. Slice the logs into 1-inch pieces and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1½ inches apart. Brush with the egg and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Hoppin' John

Hoppin' John is a recipe from the South. It's traditionally eaten at New Year's. Matt ate a lot of black-eyed peas on his mission in Portugal, so he wanted to try this American version. It's really good! A tasty variation on beans and rice.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large ham hock
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1 quart chicken stock
• Bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
• Salt, black pepper, and cayenne
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
• 3 cups steamed white rice

Directions

Heat oil in a large soup pot, add the ham hock and sear on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic, cook for 4 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender, stir occasionally. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasonings, and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice.

Tomatillo Chicken

Ingredients

2 pounds tomatillos (husks removed), washed and halved

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut into 10 pieces (wings reserved for another use)

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 jalapenos, chopped

1/2 medium white onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 can (15 ounces) hominy (optional), drained

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

In a food processor, puree tomatillos; set aside. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pot, skin side down. Cook until browned on one side, 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add jalapenos and onion to pot and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatillo puree and hominy, if using; season with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken, skin side up, in sauce. Cover pot; simmer until chicken is cooked through, 22 to 25 minutes. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

[Note: We made this with both bone-in chicken and breasts, and they were equally good. (Matt loves "real" chicken; I prefer the ease of boneless/skinless.) It is soooo good and makes the best burritos ever. Also, we did include the hominy and it really adds to the recipe.]

Moroccan Lamb Kebabs with Couscous

Matt found and made this recipe. It is delicious. I've never really eaten much lamb, but it makes really good kebabs! Couscous is the perfect side.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 4 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 pounds well-trimmed boneless leg of lamb, cut into 2-inch cubes

• 16 12-inch-long metal skewers
• 32 whole dried apricots (preferably Mediterranean), soaked in boiling water 5 minutes, drained
• 4 red onions, each cut into 8 chunks

[Note: We did not use the apricots the recipe calls for--we had the red onion with red and green bell peppers instead.]

Directions

Whisk first 9 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Transfer 1/2 cup marinade to small bowl; cover, chill, and reserve as basting sauce. Add lamb to remaining marinade in medium bowl; toss to coat. Marinate 2 hours at room temperature or cover and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Remove lamb from marinade. Thread lamb cubes onto 8 skewers, dividing equally. Thread apricots and onion chunks alternately on remaining 8 skewers. Brush all skewers with some of reserved 1/2 cup marinade. Sprinkle onion-apricot skewers with salt and pepper. Grill onion-apricot skewers until onions soften and begin to brown, occasionally turning and basting with marinade and moving skewers to cooler part of barbecue if necessary to keep apricots from burning, about 10 minutes. Grill lamb to desired doneness, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes for medium-rare.

Chicken Pot Pie

We had a dinner worth sharing the other night. Chicken pot pie from the "Our Best Bites" blog. It is really good and really easy. We did not have the individual pies (as pictured), but the regular pie kind was excellent--and good leftovers too. Go here for the recipe.

Butternut and Ham Bisque

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 butternut squash (peeled and diced about 5 cups)
1 cup peeled, diced all-purpose potatoes
5 cups chicken stock
1 tsp salt
black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup light or heavy cream
1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham

Procedure:
1. Melt butter in large pot. Stir in onion and rosemary. Cover the pan and cook the onion over moderate heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute.
2. Add the squash, potatoes, chicken stock, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, cook for 20 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Remove pan from heat.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the soup solids and a ladleful of broth to the food processor. Puree the vegetables, then stir them back into the broth. Stir in the pepper, the cream, and the ham, and heat for several minutes before serving.

So yummy! All of my boys love this soup!