Confessions of a Food Junkie

I'm baaaack!  It only took a year!  But I'm getting back in the swing of things, slowly but surely.

Like many of my recipes, this one happened by accident.  I was going for a rolled and stuffed chicken breast, but when I opened the package of chicken, I knew there was no way that was happening.  I bought "thin cut" breasts, not knowing that that meant they'd also be the size of a credit card.  There was no way I was rolling them.  So I topped them instead.  Turned out great.

1 lb. thin cut boneless skinless chicken breasts
sliced deli ham (I used 5 large slices cut in half)
1 large bag of chopped spinach, cooked with all water squeezed out
1 1/4 c breadcrumbs
2 egg whites
1/4 c light sour cream
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
sliced mozzarella cheese (as many slices as you have pieces of chicken)

Preheat oven to 375.  Lightly spray a baking sheet.

Season the chicken to your taste and place on baking sheet.  Top each piece with a slice of ham.

In a large bowl, mix the spinach with the egg whites, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and spices to taste (I heavily spice our food).  Mix well so all ingredients stick together well.

Spoon spinach mixture onto the ham; spread to edges of ham.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and top each piece with a slice of mozzarella.

 Put back in the oven for another 5-7 minutes, or until chicken is done and cheese is bubbly.





Quick, easy and so so good.

Ordinarily I don't like pumpkin pie.  I like pumpkin flavors, like muffins, cakes, coffee creamer, etc., but I have never liked pumpkin pie.  Now, as these squares are currently cooling on my stovetop as we speak, I can't tell you if they taste like pumpkin pie or not.  All I can tell you is that they smell amazing (and the lone swipe I took off the beater was pretty darn tasty).

The original recipe from food.com had a different topping...I substituted oatmeal for the pecans because, well, I don't have pecans.  You work with what you have, right?


Crust:
1 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c oatmeal
1/2 c softened butter

Filling:
2 c canned pumpkin
12 1/2 oz evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c sugar

Topping:
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 c chopped pecans (I used quick oats)
1/2 c brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.  Mix the crust ingredients together and press into a lightly sprayed 9x13 pan.  Bake 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients.  Beat well with a mixer.

Pour the filling onto the hot crust, bake 20 more minutes.

Stir together the topping ingredients, sprinkle on top of the filling.

Bake 20 minutes more.

Let cool, cut into squares.  Bet they're good served topped with whipped cream, eh?

It's no secret that I love coffee.  Nor is it a secret that I love muffins.  Or it least it shouldn't be, I have enough recipes for them posted!  I came across this recipe in The Maxwell House Coffee Drinks & Desserts Cookbook.  Moist and yummy (plus your house will smell amazing).

1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1 envelope instant cappuccino mix, any flavor
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c cold brewed strong coffee
1/2 c coffee or vanilla flavored yogurt
1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/2 c toasted chopped almonds
1/2 c chopped dried apricots, or other dried fruit

Heat oven to 375.  Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Stir the flour, sugar, cappuccino mix, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.  Stir the eggs, coffee, yogurt, and melted butter in a medium bowl until well blended.  Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened.  Stir in the almonds and apricots.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove the pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

Make 1 dozen muffins

This one is going to be short, sweet and to the point.  Taken from Zucchini, Pumpkins & Squash by Kathleen Desmond Stang.

Gingersnap crust:
About 20 gingersnaps, broken into large pieces
1/4 c granulated sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Cheesecake filling:
11 oz (8- and 3-oz pkgs) lowfat cream cheese, softened (I like Neufchatel)
1/3 c lowfat sour cream
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1 lg egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325.  Line bottom and sides of 9x9x2-inch square pan with foil.  Grease the foil on the bottom and 1 inch up the sized of the pan.

To make the crust: Process the gingersnaps in a food processor or blender until very finely chopped.  You should have about 1 c of crumbs.  Combine the gingersnap crumbs, sugar and butter in a small bowl.  Pat into an even layer in the bottom of the pan.  Bake for 7 minutes.  Cool on a rack.

To make the filling:  Beat the cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar and flour in the large bowl of an electric mixer.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Place 3/4 c of the cream cheese mixture in a bowl and stir in the pumpkin puree and brown sugar.

Spoon the plain cream cheese mixture evenly over the crumb layer in the pan.  Dollop the pumpkin on top and swirl with a fork to make a decorative design.  Bake for 25 minutes or until firm in the middle when gently shaken.  Cool in the pan 1 hour.  Chill thoroughly.

To serve, lift cheesecake and foil from the pan.  Cut into squares and remove from the foil to a serving plate.

Makes 16 pieces.

So our celebration of all Italian food has deliciously come and gone.  It was perfect fall weather for an outdoor party featuring all cozy and warm dishes.  We had a fire going outside and all the fun Italian music a person could dance to (if you don't know any of Louis Prima's songs, you need to!).  I am going to post all of the recipes I made, but here is what we had:

*White Bean Dip with Pita Chips
*Antipasti
*Ravioli
*Hot Sausage and Peppers
*Mushroom Stew
*Mussels in Wine Sauce
*Chicken Rigatoni with Butternut Squash Sauce
*Caponata
*Tomato Pie (not a traditional pie filled with tomatoes. Google it to see it's basically pizza without cheese)
*Chicken Eggplant Rolls with Ziti
*Anginetti (Iced Lemon Cookies)
*Zuppa Inglese (the Italian version of an English Trifle)
*Biscotti
*Limoncello (liquer)
*Grappa (brandy)

Phew!  Just picturing the table makes my stomach growl.  I hope I didn't miss anything!  I hope we do it again, with a whole new table of dishes.  Next time I'll invite ya.

My daughter...Gabriella Mozzarella, whatsamattafayou?

So I'll admit it...I'm a bit of a scatterbrain.  In my last post, I gushed about all the fabulous dishes that were going to be at our feast of the Italian foods, and how I was going to post the pictures of said deliciousness.  Wellllll.....I never took any pictures.  Not of the food, anyway.  Of everything else, yes.  But not the food.  I will, however, post the recipes I made anyway, because they were fantastic.  You'll just have to picture in your mind how great they will look.

I found this bean dip in one of Giada DeLaurentiis's cookbooks.  Full credit goes to her, as I followed the recipe exactly for a change.  And boy was it good!  For such an easy recipe with few ingredients, it's really a winner.  I did double the recipe, however, because singularly it only makes about a cup of dip.

A note...Giada gives the directions for making your own pita chips.  This is a no-brainer, and I'm not going to include it because I went the easier way and bought 2 bags of Stacy's pita chips (which are as close to homemade tasting as you'll find!)


2 (15 oz ea) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
juice from 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
salt
pepper
parsley
2/3 c olive oil

In the bowl of a food processor, combine beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.  Pulse on and off until coarsely chopped.  With machine still running, gradually mix the olive oil until creamy.  Season if necessary with more salt and pepper.

It's that easy!  Serve cold or at room temperature with the pita chips.

My family loves to get together.  Doesn't matter the time of year, we don't need a reason, we just enjoy each other's company.  Throw good food into the mix and it just doesn't get much better. 

A couple of years ago we had our own Oktoberfest, complete with goofy hats with feathers and decorations.  All we were missing was leiderhosen.  We all contributed different German dishes and ended up with enough food to feed an army.  Even our beer was German.  While we were stuffing our faces, we all agreed that we'd like to do it again another year, but this time with Italian food.  My father is full-blooded Italian, so we grew up eating a lot of it. 

That day has arrived, and we're gathering once again at my parents' place for our Taste of Italy.  I spent the day preparing for my contributions.  I will post the recipes once I have taken pictures at the party.

To start, I made White Bean Dip with Pita Chips, a recipe I found in a cookbook by Giada DeLaurentiis.  That chick knows her Italian food!  She did state that the pita chips are not authentically Italian (duh), but they go nicely with the dip.  She's right; my little taste-test proved it.

Next I made my meatballs.  Mom asked me to make them, and she's prepared the sauce to go with them.  We both had a lot to make, so we went in 50/50 on this one.  The meatballs in one word are....amazing.  Or as one girl says on this new show I've been watching, "ah-mahzing".

I knew I wanted to make a dessert or two, since no one else was.  I started simple with a cookie called Anginetti.  It's a lemon cookie with a lemon icing.  They look and smell glorious.  I cannot attest to their taste though...the recipe made less than 2 dozen cookies.

Finally, I decided a second dessert was in order.  After a lot of recipe searching, I found Zuppa Inglese.  The literal translation is "English Soup".  That just sounds nasty.  But several other dictionary-type websites kept referring to it as an English trifle.  I assume it's the addition of ladyfingers that makes it Italian.

Speaking of ladyfingers, I apparently live in an area where they just aren't available.  I tried every grocery store in our county AND a few in the next county over.  No luck.  So....I had to make my own.  I was very nervous about it.  It's an involved process involving making a meringue-like base, and I wasn't sure I could do it gently enough.  Psssh.  No problem.  They came out just perfect.  I am assembling the Zuppa Inglese tomorrow (the morning of the party) because I think doing so ahead of time will make everything soggy and soupy.  Hmm, maybe that's why it's called English Soup...

Anyway, once we laugh, drink, and stuff ourselves close to explosion, I will post my recipes and the pictures to go along with them.  Cheers!

Who wants a chance to win a cookbook?  Go here for all the details!

Fall means pumpkins and apples.  To me, at least.  We had a family barbeque to go to, and I didn't want to show up empty handed.  I decided a quick dessert would be my best option, as I tend to wait til the last minute for everything.  Not long after scouring the internet for ideas, I came up with this.  It was a huge hit.  I think every person there complimented me.  Can't complain about that!

Cake:
1 (18.25 oz) box angel food cake mix
1 c canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Combine pumpkin and spices.  Mix well and set aside.

Mix cake as directed on box.  Fold in pumpkin.  Pour in ungreased tube pan (I used my Pampered Chef stoneware bundt pan).  Bake at 350 til lightly browned, using the box directions as a guide.  Remove from oven, cool completely before applying the glaze.

Glaze:
4 oz Neufchatal cheese (or any cream cheese)
2 Tbsp 2% milk (original recipe called for cream)
1 c confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 c raisins

Using a mixer, blend together cheese, vanilla, and milk until light and fluffy.  Stir in the spices and sugar.  Drizzle over cooled cake.  Sprinkle with raisins.

My mom is an amazing cook.  I learned about 95% of what I know about cooking from her, and it has become our shared hobby.  She's even published her own cookbook.  Her chili has been a family favorite since my childhood.  When I struck out on my own, she made me a little cookbook of her basic recipes and thankfully this little nugget was one of them.  We had this tonight for dinner, and everyone left the table full and happy.

Mom tends to make enough food to feed the county, so I have scaled this down to feed my family of little eaters.  Once the kids get bigger, I imagine I'll be using her full recipe.  But until then, this works for us.

1 (20 oz) can kidney beans
2 (28 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 lb lean hamburger (frozen)
1 onion, chopped
2 cans mushrooms
3 Tbsp chili powder
salt
pepper
1 Tbsp onion powder
1/4 tsp sugar
Note:  do not use any garlic as it will taste too much like spaghetti sauce

In a large pot, bring the hamburger and about 2 an inch of water to a boil.  Keep scraping the hamburger off the frozen bulk as it cooks.  When the hamburger is all broken up, reduce the heat to medium-high.  Do not drain the water off of the hamburger!  Add the onion.  Cook until onions are soft.  Add the tomato sauce, kidney beans (plus their liquid), mushrooms and spices.  Turn burner to low and simmer for at least 2 hours.

Birthdays are a big deal in my family.  My mother's birthday was the other day, and yesterday we had a picnic at one of the local state parks.  It was a beautiful day for a picnic!  As the baker in the family, I felt it was my duty to make some rocking birthday dessert, and as we were doing a picnic I wanted to take something picnicky.  Enter Caramel Apple Cupcakes.

Once in a while I have to break out of my usual mold and use a prepackaged mix.  When it comes to cooking and baking, I like to make as much as I can using "real" ingredients.  But when I found this, I knew I had an easy winner on my hands. 

What we do to the poor person with a birthday

Obviously I did not have the pecans, but I included them in the recipe because they would be so good.

It has been over A MONTH since I've added a recipe.  Shame on me and slap my hand.  This little thing called life hasn't allowed me much time for what has become my favorite hobby.  Hopefully with school starting, things will settle down around here and I can get back to it.

I found this on allrecipes.com.  As usual, I modified it to suit our tastes.  Even my pickiest eater liked it.  It smelled awesome while baking!

4 c shredded zucchini
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 (8.5 oz) package Jiffy cornbread mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
Beer Can Chicken BBQ seasoning (or any other BBQ seasoning you have)
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the zucchini, onion, eggs, Jiffy, and spices.

Stir in half of the cheese.  Spread into the dish, top with the remaining cheese.  Bake for 60 minutes or until golden brown.

I love using zucchini in dessert-type recipes.  Sneaks in a little veggie for the kiddos....except my oldest is hip to it and insists she doesn't like zucchini, even though I insist to her that it's kind of tasteless.  She did, however, inhale one of these cookies like she was never going to eat again.  So I'd say it's kid-tested, kid-approved.  The zucchini is about the only thing good for you in these cookies, but hey, sometimes ya just gotta live a little.

1/2 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c oil
2 1/4 c flour
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 c grated zucchini

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease two cookie sheets.

Cream together the butter and sugars until smooth.  Beat in the eggs, vanilla and oil.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Gradually stir into the creamed mixture.  Fold in the zucchini.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the prepared sheets.

Bake one sheet at a time for 8-10 minutes.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.

Makes 24 cookies.

I know, I know....more zucchini.  Get used to, every day I have one or two more to pick out of the garden!  But I will mix it up by giving you both sweet and savory ways to enjoy the ever abundant veg.  I made chocolate zucchini cookies the other night (I'm posting that one too) and had leftover shredded zucchini I had to use up.  My best recipes come when I just start throwing stuff together.  This was no exception.  SOOO good. 

I don't have any pictures of it, because my kitchen doesn't have the right lighting for nighttime pics.  Everything has an orange glow to it.  Stupid kitchen.  Have I mentioned how much I hate my kitchen?  It has, however, made me learn to do a lot in very little space.  That's my silver lining for the day.


6 eggs
splash of milk
2 c shredded zucchini
1 c croutons
1/2 c chopped pepperoni
1/4 c shredded cheese of your choice (I had mozzarella)
spices to taste:
   salt (go easy, remember both the pepperoni and croutons are already salty)
   pepper
   garlic powder
   onion powder
   Beer Can Chicken BBQ seasoning (or any other BBQ seasoning you have)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a pie plate with nonstick spray.

Scramble the eggs with the milk.  Add the spices, mix well.  Stir in the zucchini, croutons, pepperoni and cheese.

Pour into the pie plate.  Bake for 20 minutes or until it is done in the center.

Zucchini is something that I have a love/hate relationship with.  When I plant my garden, I mentally rub my hands gleefully together in anticipation of the promise of an abundant harvest.  By the end of the gardening season, I hope to never see another zucchini again.  Right now I'm in the middle stage of the relationship...I'm enjoying going out to the garden every day and picking one or two, but now they're starting to pile up on my counter.

Usually I am the zucchini bread queen of the world.  It has been so hot here the last few weeks, the last thing I wanted to do was start the oven.  I didn't know what to make for supper, and when that happens, creativity strikes.  This is what I came up with, and it was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.  The fam agreed.


1 box pasta (I used radiatore)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 c shredded zucchini
3/4 c shredded cheese of your choice (I had mozzarella on hand)
1/2 c plain yogurt
Spices to taste:
salt
pepper
onion powder
cumin

Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute garlic, being careful not to brown it too much.  Stir in zucchini, one handful at a time, stirring after each.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring ocassionally.  Spoon the yogurt into the zucchini, mix well.  Turn heat down to low and let rest while pasta is cooking, stirring ocassionally.

Once pasta is cooked and drained, return it to the pasta pot.  Stir in the zucchini.  Stir in the shredded cheese until melted.  Serve hot with crusty bread.

Happy post-4th of July!

We went to a barbeque at my parents' house, which has become tradition.  I was recruited, among other things, to make dessert.  This turned out to be such a lovely dessert.  It was easy, as the crust is pre-made sugar cookie dough.  I made these triangles on my Pampered Chef bar pan, which was the perfect size.  Most recipes I make rarely turn out looking like the picture, but these turned out so pretty, just like the picture.  This was a hit with even the pickiest of eaters.  My cousin's future stepson redefines "picky eater", and he loved these.  He said they tasted like a Toaster Streudel, and darned if he isn't right.  A cold Toaster Streudel, but still delicious.



Photo courtesy of pillsbury.com

Ah, rhubarb.  Pretty much a summer staple around here.  When most people think of rhubarb, they automatically think of strawberries.  Not me.  I like my rhubarb recipes sans strawberries.  Don't get me wrong; I like a good strawberry rhubarb pie, but it's not a necessity.

As I've mentioned before, once a month I make cookies for my father.  Well, they're specifically for him, but my mother enjoys the occasional cookie as well.  Good for me, because I get her feedback as well.  Most of the cookies I make for him are a "first time" recipe and I want to know if it's a keeper or not.

This cookie is a keeper.

I wish I would have taken a picture.  Alas, laziness prevailed and I have no photographic proof of these delightful cookies.

You're just going to have to make your own to see how yummy they look.  And smell.  And taste...

A side note:  I added about 1/4 cup of ground flax seed.  Gotta sneak the good stuff into Dad's monthly cookies for the folks whether they like it or not...I'm talkin' to you, MOM!


Cookie:
1 c butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
3 c flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c rhubarb, chopped
3/4 c coconut

Frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp butter, softened
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar.  Beat in the eggs.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to the creamed mixture.  Stir in rhubarb and coconut.  Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.  Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla.  Gradually add confectioners sugar until smooth.  Spread over cooled cookies.  Store cookies in the refrigerator.

Not following a recipe finally bit me in the butt.  That's not to say these bars aren't fantastic, but they're not what I anticipated they'd be. If you aren't a dunce like I am, and don't leave out key ingredients, these will be just great.

I used all of my chocolate chips a few weeks ago, but I figured I could substitute.  Uh, hello?  Chocolate chip cookie pretzel bars?  What I did have was squares of white baker's chocolate that I had bought when I made the spaghetti and meatball cake for my dad's birthday.  I thought I'd shave some of the white chocolate into the batter and call it good.  At the end of the day, you'd never know it was even in there.  Before tossing it into the oven, I thought, "Ooh!  I'll stir in some of the chocolate peanut butter I have!  That'll make up for not having chocolate chips!"  It didn't.  Probably because I only had about a half of a cup left in the jar.

Please don't think this is something you should pass up.  I just left out a key ingredient.  Lesson learned.  You can find the original recipe with a picture of what it's supposed to look like here.

When I was a kid, my mom used to buy us corn dogs from the Schwans truck every summer.  Hot, crunchy, slightly greasy outside, soft inside, salty hot dog...I loved them.  And meat on a stick?  What kid doesn't think that's a good idea?  I haven't had a corn dog in many many years, so when I came across this recipe, I first thought of those Schwans corn dogs, then of how my kids would enjoy these.

As with every recipe I make, I do try to incorporate some healthier ingredients without changing the overall idea of the recipe.  So instead of regular hot dogs (which I avoid feeding the kids as much as I can), I used the venison hot dogs my father-in-law had made from one of the deer he shot this past hunting season.  They are really good, and really lean, as deer are not a highly fatty animal.



When these muffins came out of the oven, my 2-year-old son took one look at them and said, "Ooh...hot dog!" (which in his words came out "hot dawg")  He inhaled his once it was just barely cool enough to eat, and even my picky daughter gave it her approval.



They really do taste like a corn dog!

1 1/2 c flour (I used white whole wheat)
3 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 c cornmeal
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk*
1/4 c butter, melted
4 hot dogs, sliced in half lengthwise and cut small
1 c shredded cheese (I used colby jack)



Preheat oven to 400.  Lightly spray 12-muffin tin (or 24 mini muffin, which is what I used).

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.  Add cornmeal, mix well.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs, then stir in the buttermilk* and melted butter.  Stir liquid mixture into the dry mixture, stirring just until blended.  Add cheese and hot dogs.  Mix well.

Using a large ice cream scoop, evenly fill the cups.  They will expand!

Bake 18-20 minutes (or 15 minutes for minis) or until lightly browned.  Serve hot.

*If you do not have buttermilk, you can do this:  Place 1 Tbsp vinegar into a measuring cup.  Add just enough milk to reach the 1 cup mark.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Voila.  Buttermilk substitution.

Today I was cleaning up all of the junk I have accumulated on my desk.  It was a lot.  A lot.  I'm a notorious pack rat (don't worry, you won't see me on an episode of "Hoarders").  When I came across a pile of recipes, I wasn't surprised.  Some were torn out of magazines, some were still in magazines, some were printed off the computer, and others were handwritten.  This recipe was one of the handwritten ones. Like most of my recipes, this is a no fuss, small mess, quick and easy bar recipe that uses mostly ingredients you'd have on hand.  I have tweeked it to my (and my family's) liking.  For example, I added the peanut butter and replaced the 1/2 cup of nuts with the seeds.

I just took it out of the oven and it's not yet cool enough to cut, but I'm dying to dive in.  I can't wait for my daughter to get home from school...I hope she loves them.  I'm no nutritionist, but I think as far as after-school-snacks/cookies/bars go, it's fairly healthful.  I can't see how she won't like them, they smell heavenly.  Keep your fingers crossed...

Ready to go into the oven!

Couldn't resist, had to take a bite.

 

I drizzled with honey for aesthetic purposes...then I had to eat it.  Darn!



2 c oats
1 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp apple pie spice
pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c milk
1/4 c honey
1/2 c chunky applesauce
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c dried fruit (I used dried apple)
1 c raisins
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp flax seeds
3 Tbsp natural peanut butter (I used Naturally More)

Preheat oven to 375.

Place first 6 ingredients in a bowl, mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the milk, applesauce, egg, honey and vanilla.

Combine the two mixtures.  Stir in the fruit and seeds.  Spread into a sprayed 11 x 7 baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and golden.  Cool completely before cutting.