Oven Pancakes

Turn oven to 450 degrees.  Put 6 Tablespoons butter (cut into pieces) in a 13x9 inch casserole dish.  Place pan in oven to melt butter.

Now the hard part:  REMEMBER TO TAKE THE DISH OUT BEFORE BUTTER BROWNS OR BURNS!

In a blender, put the following:

1 cup milk

6 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

Blend well.  Carefully pour mixture into pan of melted butter.  Do not stir.  Bake for 18 minutes.  Pancakes will be high and fluffy.  Serve immediately.

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

About 8 red or gold potatoes

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Drizzle cookie sheet with a little olive oil.  Scrub potatoes.  Remove any unsightly bits, but you can leave the peel.  Cut into about 1 inch cubes.  Pour onto the cookie sheet.  Drizzle some more olive oil over the potatoes.  Sprinkle with salt (Kosher) and pepper (freshly ground).  Using your hands, toss the potatoes until they are well-coated in oil.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender--giving everything a good stir with a spatula after fifteen minutes of cooking.

Yams and Sweet Potatoes, made the same way. Sweet and delicious!

Mat's Granola

5 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup raw cashews, chopped

1 cup almonds, chopped

1 cup shelled pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds, or whatever you like.  Salted or not, you get to choose!)

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup wheat flour

1 cup non-instant powdered milk

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup raisins
1 cup other dried fruit (dates, cherries, craisins, etc.)

1 cup honey

1 cup coconut oil, melted

In a big bowl, combine all ingredients.  Mix honey and coconut oil together, pour over dry ingredients.  Using your hands, mix well.  Spread mixture onto two ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.  Cool.  Store in closed container.

Lemon Breakfast Bars

2 cups raisins (Kristy leaves these out)
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 1/3 cup  brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a saucepan, combine raisins, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Heat and stir until bubbling, then remove from heat to cool slightly.  In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and coconut oil, brown sugar and vanilla extract to make a batter.  Stir in flour, baking soda and salt, then add oats and walnuts.  Press all but 2 cups of the batter into a greased 9x13 pan.  Spread raisin mixture on top of batter to within 1/2 inch of the edges.  Sprinkle with dollops of reserved batter; press lightly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Allow to cool, then slice into 12 bars.  These delicious bars freeze well.  We wrap them individually in plastic wrap and tin foil to protect them from freezer burn.

Mint Brownies

1 c Hershey's Cocoa
1 c + 2 T all purpose flour
2 c - 2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
6 eggs, whisked
2 t vanilla
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 bag Andes Creme de Mint baking chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or grease it with butter).  Whisk together first 4 ingredients.  Make a well and fill it with eggs, vanilla, and melted and cooled butter.  Mix until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips, the batter will be stiff.  Spread batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with mint chips.  Return to oven for one minute.  Remove from oven and spread mint chips with the back of a spoon.  Lick that spoon and let brownies cool completely before cutting into squares with a hot knife.

This recipe was inspired by the book Pie in the Sky:  Successful Baking at High Altitudes by Susan G. Purdy.

Want a half batch?  Use the following measurements and bake in an 8x8 pan for 20-27 minutes.  The brownies are a little thicker.  Make them without the mint topping and they are still delicious.

½ c cocoa
½ c + 1T flour
1 c - 1T sugar
¼ t salt
3 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
8 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 c semisweet chocolate chips