Sugar Cookie Granola

2 cups whole wheat flour

6 cups rolled oats

1 cup coconut

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 cup flax seed

1/2 cup water

1 cup oil

1 cup honey

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. coconut extract

1 tsp. almond extract

1 Tbsp. salt

Dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, apples, etc.) (optional)

Combine flour, oats, coconut, and chopped pecans in large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Put flax seed in blender and grind into a course powder. Add water, oil, honey, flavors, and salt. Blend for 30 seconds or until well-mixed. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread on 3 baking sheets and bake @ 200 for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Cool completely. Sprinkle with dried fruit if desired and store in air-tight container.

Notes:

This is another one of those “spatula” recipes. You have to keep one close by to swat any little (but usually big) fingers that just happen to find their way to the bowl for a little snitch.

Well, the cake was in the oven, and everything seemed to be going very well. The aroma of a cake baking in the oven is something that I find hard to compare to anything else. Its just so, ummm, inviting… and it smells so good…nay, scrumptious. Anyway, I continued following the recipe. Now was the time to mix up the pudding. Put the pudding in the pot, pour in the milk, add the butter, stir in the vanilla… the project was going very well. But, then I realized that the pudding wasn’t thickening, and I wanted to use it as a frosting, not a glaze. Some observers came in about then, and willingly offered to taste-test it for me, just in case I had forgotten anything. (We even thought about adding cornstarch to it, but I guess if we had, it wouldn’t have produced quite the same memory, so I’m glad we didn’t.) But the good news was that the general vote was that it was really good.

So, the cake came out of the oven, and after it cooled, I layered it with the pudding mixture. Cake, pudding, cake, pudding, cake, pudding… it was all on… temporarily… that’s when the sliding began. There’s nothing quite like seeing a freshly baked cake sliding all over a plate while you’re trying to assemble it. We did our best to get it to “stand” still long enough to put it in the fridge.

Upon delivering it to the table after a delicious supper, it looked rather interesting, to say the least. I think Daddy was expecting it to be a normal birthday cake… but no, it definitely was not. If I recall correctly, it was still slipping and sliding around on the plate, pudding and bananas oozing out the sides, requiring extra caution, especially during transport.

It was dished up, and there was quite the discussion going on over this new invention, and it was an invention, because I’m sure no one had ever done this recipe that way before. It was a humorous desert to behold, that’s for sure. Daddy affectionately called it “Banana Flop Cake” – that gives an idea of what it looked like. Thankfully,it tasted really good, and ever since that night, there has been a frequent request to make it again. It turned out to be one of the most wonderful tasting messes ever imaginable!

Finally, we made it again today; this time we did it according to the recipe and made it in a 13×9 pan. Everything was going really well. And once again the wonderful aroma was filling the kitchen. Ahhhh, it smelled so good! Then, Beep, Beep, Beep… the timer was ringing, so I opened the oven, and to my surprise, the cake had risen over the edge of the pan! How was I supposed to put the pudding mixture on top of that, especially with it runny enough to get all over the counter?!?! I ended up dumping it, upside down, into a 15×11 pan, and then drizzling the pudding over it. It was delicious, and thoroughly enjoyed. And, even though this time it looked nice, it still will always have the name of “Banana Flop Cake.”  Ahhhh, memories!

Sometimes God gives us something to do and we just make a total mess of it. However, “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” He can take our mess and turn it into something desirable – a ministry opportunity, a life lesson, an example or encouragement to others – which shows His sovereignty and grace, making something beautiful out of our disaster and bringing glory to Himself!!

Lessons to be learned:

• Be careful when altering recipes – you never know what may happen!
• Don’t give up, even when you make a mess twice!
• Make sure you laugh when life sends cake in unusual ways!

Oh… I guess you were probably waiting for the recipe. So, here it is… and think about us if you make it… and enjoy!

Banana Pudding Cake (aka “Banana Flop Cake”)

Cake:

• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 15×11 baking dish; set aside.

Place all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low for 1 minute. Stop mixer, scrape sides of bowl, then continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Batter should be thick and well-blended. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing it out with rubber spatula. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and place it on wire rack to cool.

• 1 large package  vanilla instant pudding mix
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 stick butter, cut up
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 cups sliced bananas (about 3 large)

While cake is baking, prepare the pudding. Place pudding mix and milk in a medium saucepan. Fold in butter and vanilla. Cook over low heat, stirring, until butter melts (about 3-4 minutes).Remove pan from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Fold in banana slices.

To prepare cake, spoon pudding over cooled cake, making sure all edges are covered. Optional: Serve with whipped topping and/or crushed vanilla wafer cookies sprinkled over the top. Refrigerate cake, loosely covered for up to 3 days.

Jessi’s version:

• Use two small boxes pudding mix instead of 1 large – makes it a little bit thicker, and I used 1 vanilla and 1 banana cream.
• We think its best served cold, but the recipe says to serve at room temperature. Follow your taste buds.
• You could try it in a 13×9, or in 3  9-inch round cake pans; I personally think it would do best in the 15×11. *grin*
• We didn’t have any whipped topping, so we just served it with a can of whipped cream, which is Dad’s personal favorite.

That was my story several years ago. Actually, that was me last year. Well, I have to admit, that was me just last week.

Don’t get me wrong; I love Spring – I really do! I love the smell of the cool, refreshing breezes that blow on otherwise warm days, watching the grass grow greener daily, seeing the flowers that are popping up everywhere, observing the birds that are “house shopping”, preparing their nests, hearing the pitter patter of the rejuvenating rains on the porch roof as I watch the storms blow across the mountains, anticipating just when the little knobs on the tree branches will burst into bloom……… I love the excitement, the thrill, the newness of it all! But along with all of the beauty comes… yep: pollen.

Some people are blessed to not be allergic to pollen. We have some of those people in our family. But we also have several who, like me, have strong reactions to it. And it can take away from a lot of the enjoyment of spring. For a LONG time, I have been wondering, What can I do about this? I don’t like to take all the expensive, chemical-laden, commercially produced, temporarily-symptom-fixing products that we can buy at the store. Granted, I think those things have their place, and I’m all for using them at the right time. There has been many a time, even this week, when they come in extremely handy for “emergencies” – those times when I would really rather not be blowing my nose and crying and sneezing all the time… like when I’m singing special music in church or teaching piano lessons. But to live on them all through the pollen season??? Well, that’s not my first preference.

So that’s why I’m writing this: to let you know about something that I’ve found just within the past several days. It’s an amazing substance. It’s sweet (although slightly sticky, as most sweets are), delicious, good for you, and 100% natural!!! How much better can it get?? Would you like to know the name of this wonderful stuff? Actually, you probably use it all the time; you certainly know what it is; it’s usually a “pantry item” in most homes. At our house, we jokingly call it “partially digested bee food.” But the more common (and certainly more appetizing!) name is: honey. That’s right! Just plain old, regular honey. I love it. So when I looked up a remedy for allergies in a home remedies book, I was delighted to find this listed first. Actually, the book says to take a 1-inch cube of honeycomb, swallow the honey, and chew on the waxy part for about ten minutes. (This HAS to be local honey – the stuff produced by the bees in YOUR area – so that the allergens  it contains can build your immune system against the pollen that you deal with in your area.) Do this every day for a month or two before the pollen season, so that when it starts, you already have built an immunity to at least some of the problem.

Well, I didn’t discover this until a few days ago. And I was reading the page between sneezes and through watery eyes. But I decided that it was worth it to give it a try. We don’t currently have any honey in the comb, so I used the next best thing – a spoon. No, I didn’t chew the spoon. But I stuck it in the jar, pulled it out, spun it around several times until it quit dripping, and then enjoyed the wonderful sensation of eating something that I really enjoy, and hoping that it would help my problem! I did this four or five times the first day, three or four the next, once the next, and once or twice every day since. And guess what? My symptoms have pretty much all disappeared!!! It’s been several days now; I’ve been able to take walks, work in the yard, and flop on the grass, with everything blooming and a strong breeze blowing right in my face, and I usually only have a tiny bit of trouble (if any) when I come back inside later! It’s such a relief, and I’m just praising the Lord for every clear breath I take!!

Now I’m not going to dogmatically say that the honey is what did it. And even if it was, I’m not going to declare that it will do it for you, too. But I just wanted to let you know, because if you are at the point where I was (and usually am every spring), you’ll probably want to at least give it a try!!!

Proverbs 24:13 – “My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste…”

(P.S. And if it works, let me know. I’d be really interested in hearing if this helps anyone else!!)

When it was all done, all of us kids ate it with maple syrup. Yummy! Here is the recipe:

French Toast

3 beaten eggs

¾ cup milk

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

¼ tsp. salt

10 slices of dry white bread

Maple syrup

In a shallow bowl, beat eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Dip bread in egg mixture, coating both sides. In a greased skillet, cook bread on both sides over medium heat until golden brown. Serve with syrup.

Notes from the cook:

The French toast is best (and better for you) when made with Mommy’s homemade whole wheat bread. It fills hungry boys like me up faster that way.:)

It is also yummy when eaten with powdered sugar instead of syrup.

Kitty doubled the recipe for our family, but used a few more pieces of bread than the double batch called for, just to use up the goopy stuff.

White Christmas Party Mix:

1 lb. white chocolate

3 cups rice Chex cereal

3 cups corn Chex cereal

3 cups Cheerios

2 cups pretzels

2 cups dry roasted or salted peanuts

12 oz. package M&M’s plain candy

Melt chocolate; combine other ingredients and stir. Add chocolate and stir well. Spread (or rather DUMP! ) on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container and refrigerator to keep fresh.  

Cook’s notes: This recipe is perfect for any season or occasion! Change the color of the M&M’s to suite what you are using it for. (In the spring, use pastel colors, for Christmas, use red and green, etc.)

Cook’s notes #2: We usually make 1.5x the recipe, using a 12oz. box of Crispex instead of the corn and rice Chex, and still only use 12 oz. of M&M’s (it’s sweet enough already ).

16 oz. spaghetti

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups Caesar dressing (we used store bought this time, but homemade would work just a well and be just as tasty, besides better for you )

1 cup Parmesean cheese

4 Tbsp. dry bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350. Cook and drain spaghetti. Combine noodles with shredded chicken, chicken broth, and dressing – pour into a 15×10” baking pan. Mix together cheese and bread crumbs, sprinkle over top. Bake for 25 min. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Notes: Though not quite a dieters delight, this is a great and extremely simple treat for unexpected company or busy days. Can be made ahead and frozen. Great when accompanied by a fresh tossed salad. 

Best-Ever Chocolate Cake

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

6 Tablespoons baking cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

2/3 cup oil

2 teaspoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting:

1 cup cold milk

1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding

1 (8 oz) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

In a mixing bowl, combine first five ingredients. Add the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Pour into a greased 13”x9”x2” pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

For frosting, in a mixing bowl, beat the milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Beat in whipped topping. Spread over cake. Refrigerate until serving time. Yield: 12-15 servings.

Editor’s note: This cake does not contain eggs.