Elise's Homemade Vanilla Granola

I got this recipe from favorite family recipes, and took it to a ward Christmas Party...I can't even remember now how many people asked for the recipe!

8 cups oats

2 cups sliced almonds

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

craisins or raisins, to taste (optional)

3/4 cup canola oil

1 cup honey

3 Tblsp. vanilla (the real stuff!!)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine first 8 ingredients (dry ingredients) in a large bowl. In a saucepan combine oil, honey, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute then pour over oat mixture. Mix until all ingredients are moistened. Divide and spread mixture over 2 large cookie sheets and bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes (I did it the full 30). Remove from oven and leave on pans until the granola hardens (it will be a little chewy when it comes out of the oven...if you don't like it chewy at all then let it dry on the cookie sheets completely before storing it...that's what I did because I like it pretty crunchy). Break up granola and store in large Ziploc bags or containers. Serve plain, with yogurt, or with milk.

Red Berry Risotto Oatmeal

1/2 cup regular rolled oats or steel-ground oats (steel-ground will make it gluten free)

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk (it won't be as creamy with milk, but still yummy)

6 cups water

1 Tblsp. pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean scraped

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup ripe raspberries

1 cup ripe strawberries, quartered

OR

1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed and lightly drained

In a rice cooker or large pot add all the ingredients, except the fruit. Cook until done in rice cooker. If using a pot, bring the mixture to a quick boil and lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the raspberries and stir to combine. If using fresh fruit, stir in the strawberries and continue to stir until the berries have turned the risotto pink, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately. If you are planning on saving leftovers and heating up in the morning, only add berries to each individual serving and not to the whole batch.

Granola

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup flax seeds
3/4 cup whey protein powder (vanilla flavor)
1 Tblsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
6 Tblsp. canola oil
2 Tblsp. water

Combine all dry ingredients. Heat oven to 275 degrees. Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients. Stir thoroughly. Spread evenly onto cookie sheet. Bake about 45 min. or until lightly golden brown.

After cooked add any of the following ingredients:

slivered almonds
coconut
raisins
craisins
dried fruit

This will store up to two weeks in and air tight container

Creme Brulee French Toast

This recipe is amazingly unhealthy, but DELICIOUS just the same!

1/2 Cup unsalted butter
1 Cup packed brown sugar
2 Tblsp. corn syrup
Bread, sliced, to cover butter mixture (I use a thick sliced bread)
5 large eggs
1 1/2 Cups half-and-half
1 tsp. vanilla
a few shakes salt

In a saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish. Arrange bread pieces on top. Beat together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, and salt. Pour egg mixture over the top of the bread. Cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator. The next morning, bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

Homemade Maple Syrup

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. Mapleine flavoring (Imitation Maple Flavoring)
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and stir together over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Makes 2 1/4 cups of syrup.

German Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 cup milk
6 eggs
salt (opt.)
1/2 cube butter
Maple syrup
Powdered sugar or whipping cream
Fresh fruit, such as strawberries or blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in bottom of 9 x 13 inch glass casserole dish.

In medium sized mixing bowl, mix all other ingredients. Pour into casserole dish and cook until edges have risen and browned. Cooks for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

Serve with maple syrup, and powdered sugar or whipping cream. Also delicious with fresh fruit like strawberries and blueberries.