Salad Elaine

So, I feel like I have been posting a lot of recipes lately.  But, I feel that I have a handful of delicious recipes that I want to post.  So why not post them?

This salad is delicious.  My Mom was given the recipe a while back.  It is so good.  Usually my Mom serves it as more of a side dish.  But why not add some grilled chicken on top to make it a main dish.

I like it when we have just some of the dressing mixed up in the fridge so that I can make myself a personal little salad... because the dressing is so good!  But, you can definitely make the dressing and toss it all with the salad ingredients (in larger quantities than if it were for just one) for a side dish to pass.



Salad Elaine

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. salt
3 T. minced or grated onion
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 c. vegetable (canola) oil

Whisk together, adding the oil.  You can use a shaker bottle or a small blender to make the dressing.  I did it by hand.

Salad:
Romaine (torn into bite size pieces) - you could probably use about any good lettuce
Red grapes (destemmed; probably a good idea to cut them in half)
Chopped apples
Chopped celery
Toasted walnuts
Gorgonzola cheese

Toss the salad ingredients and dress the salad with the dressing.

Just do whatever amounts of the salad ingredients that you would like.

When I made my little salad (picture), I didn't do the cheese because I am not a big cheese fan.  I have also substituted the grapes for raisins.

Enjoy!!  It seems so elegant!

Mom's Banana Muffins

This morning I go up and made a big batch of banana muffins.  Today I had nothing scheduled to do.  No school, no work, and no church to have to go to right away in the morning.  I stayed in my pjs until noon.  I have been in a cooking mood, so I didn't only bake up some banana muffins, but I also made some potato salad (I have been hungry for potato salad.... summer needs to come sooner) and beans to go with supper tonight.  Then this afternoon I went for the best run I have had since last July.  It is actually really nice out - it is supposed to get really cold again.  I ran 4 miles in 32:07!!!

This is my Mom's banana muffin recipe.  They are so good.  They are the ones she always makes.  It is a very large batch - it makes 3 dozen.  Make sure you use a very large bowl to mix the batter.  You probably will have to use an electric hand mixer.  A typical Kitchen Aid stand mixer just won't do it.

Some in our family like plain, some like just chocolate chip, and some like nut chocolate chip.  So, we some of each.  You can make this into bread.  But, we prefer muffins.  Whenever we make muffins we then freeze whatever we don't eat that day, so that we can pull one or two muffins out whenever we want one.  And... we always have a hard time getting to bread to bake thoroughly.

We always have bananas at our house.  So, we get lots of ripe bananas.  When we get a ripe one, we like to peel it and then freeze it.  We will keep a freezer bag or container in to freezer for the bananas.  Then, when we are going to make some banana muffins, we pull the bananas out of the freezer and let them defrost.  After the bananas have been frozen and then thawed out, there will be some juice from the bananas.  Go ahead and add some of that juice into the batter!


Mom's Banana Muffins

1 cup butter
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
3 cups sugar
6 beaten eggs
3 cups mashed bananas
1 cup light sour cream or yogurt (I like to use plain, nonfat, greek yogurt)
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking soda
Chocolate Chips
Chopped Nuts (walnuts) 

1. Cream together the butter, apple sauce, and sugar.
2. Add the beaten eggs.
3. Add the remaining ingredients.
4. Mix.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 24 minutes.  

Enjoy!

What I Wore {Some} in January

This month I have not been good about taking pictures of what I wore.  Usually I am rushing out the door to school.  Well, I did get a few pictures!

It has been EXTREMELY cold out.  It seems like most days the high is 0 degrees.  So, I have been trying to dress super warm.  I think our school is kept to the colder side.  Once in a while I will walk into a classroom that is actually warm and comfortable.  But, then everyone else complains that is HOT.  Then the teacher sometimes cracks the window open.   NOOO.  It was actually nice in here.  So, I have learned to just wear lots of layers.  I got another UnderArmour mock turtle neck.  I love it!  It really helps keep me warm.  Also, I have been wearing down vests a lot.  They are a really easy way to add an extra layer of warmth.

 I got this sweater and vest for Christmas.  They are from Old Navy.

 I have always wanted an UnderArmour sweatshirt.  For some reason every time I try one on it just isn't very flattering.  Finally I found one that looks good.  I think it may be the new style.  It is super warm!

 This is the skirt I made.  I LOVE IT!  I really want to make more just like it (I think I'll need my Grandma's help again).  My Mom and I found some fleece-lined tights at TJ Maxx for only $5.99!

Hopefully February brings some warmer weather.  I am definitely ready for spring.

Shirley Nygren's Valentine Roll-Out Cookies

I have kind of been in the valentine's mood lately.  Well, I guess Valentine's Day is coming soon.  I have made some valentines.  I have also made a bunch of cookies.

When my Mom was growing up her neighbor would make my Mom and her sister (my aunt) these cookies each year for Valentine's Day.  They would each get one BIG cookie with their name frosted on it.  My Mom says that it was so wonderful.  They couldn't wait till Valentine's Day, just because they would be getting one of these cookies.

These cookies have been the sugar cookies that I have grown up having.  They are very delicious.  They are soft, moist, and flavorful.  These sugar cookies are a bit more brown because they have brown sugar instead of white sugar in them.

A lot of the time we will make the cookies one day, put them in the freezer, and then frost them another day.  That way it isn't too much to do in one day.

The frosting recipe is delicious too.  My Mom has changed it up a little from Shirley Nigren's original frosting recipe.  Her frosting had a lot more butter in it.  The frosting will be kind of crumbly before you had the milk.

Shirley Nygren's Valentine Roll-Out Cookies

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup sweet or sour cream
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix.  Chill dough.  Roll out and use cookie cutter.  Bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes.
Let cool and then decorate.

Frosting:

2 eggs whites - use pasteurized eggs
1/2 cup butter
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1 t. almond extract
a few tablespoons milk

Beat a long time.
You can cover the bowl the frosting is in with a wet rag to keep it from drying out. 

 Enjoy!

Vanilla Granola

GRANOLA IS SO YUMMY!!  This is my favorite granola recipe.  Granola is one of my go to foods.  I like to always have some made up... ready to eat.

I usually only make a half batch.  I am the only one that eats it in our house (not that it's not good, it's just not anybody elses' thing).  It does keep for a while though.

Granola is super easy to make.  While it is baking in the oven, your house will smell so good!  It is such a warm, comforting smell.

My favorite way to eat it is dry, with milk, or with Chobani yogurt (the only yogurt I like).  I really like to add in almonds and raisins.  But I don't like raisins with the yogurt (even though I haven't ever tried it).  So, I leave the raisins out and just add them in when I am going to eat the granola dry or with milk.

Vanilla Granola

5 cups Old Fashion Oatmeal, use Gluten-Free to make this gluten-free
1/2 cup melted butter, or coconut oil
1/2 maple syrup or honey
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon, optional (I never add cinnamon)
1/2 tsp. sea salt.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper.
Mix the ingredients together.
Spread granola on pan.

Bake for 10 min., remove and stir.
Bake for 10 min., remove and stir.
Bake for 8 min., remove.

Make sure you don't over-bake it.  The granola probably won't look done when the time is up (it will be soft), but it will become more granola-like as it cools.

Let cool completely.
Add mix-ins.

Mix-In Ideas:  Chopped nuts (almonds, pecans...)
                        Coconut
                        Dried Fruit (cranberries, raisins...)

My favorite way is with butter, maple syrup, and no cinnamon.  Then I like to mix in chopped almonds and raisins.



I wanted to put the granola is something cute this time (a glass jar).  I was looking around in our pantry for one that might work.  I found one, but I think it would have been a bit too small.  My Mom said that we had an old peanut butter jar.  I love the jar.  I works perfectly!

Seven-Layer Bars

 I really like these bars.

They are nothing fancy, but they are yummy.

One memory I have with these bars is when my great aunt sent some home with us on Thanksgiving one year.  We were heading home at about supper time and wanted something to eat.  Of course, we had some leftover turkey sandwiches.  But, in the freezer, she had some of these bars.  So, she pulled some out for us to eat on our way home.

I just remember liking these bars.

The crust will be thin.

You can put the crumbs at the bottom of the pan and then pour the butter over them, but I think it is easier to just mix them together and then press it into the pan.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the bars.  It will spread some in the oven.  When I made mine, I think I poured a little too much in the middle and not enough on the edges.

Seven-Layer Bars

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup Angel Flake coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 - 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.  
2. Press into a parchment paper lined 9 x 13 pan.
3. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, and walnuts.
4. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top. 
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min.

Variation:  In step 3. substitute for old fashion oat (3/4 c.), peanut butter chips/peanuts (1/2 c.), chocolate chips (1/2 c.), and M & Ms (1/2 c.)

  Enjoy!

Securian Winter Run 2014

Today I ran (jogged) a 10k.

I was not at all prepared.

My time was 56:36.

I jogged very slowly.

It was cold.

My leg hurt.

The last time ran over 5 miles was July 15, 2013, when I ran 6 miles under 40 minutes.  And, then... I got injured.

This last month I have jogged up to 4 miles... but, only a couple times.

I love doing road races (I don't really race them, I just run them for fun).  Since I haven't been able to do one for a while, I really wanted to do one... in the winter.  My Mom asked if I wanted to do the Securian Winter Run (this was my third year doing it).  I did.  It was going to be pretty much the only weekend that there was a race and that I was open to do one.  My Mom also asked me if I wanted to do the 5k or the 10k.  I said I would prefer to do the 10k.  I would feel better about myself if I did that one.  So, I did.  And, I probably should have done the 5k.

The beginning and the end of the route went through the downtown area.  For some reason this area is a lot colder.  Everywhere outside was cold... I mean really cold.  But, the downtown area was even colder.  But, the middle part of the race wasn't too bad.  It was still cold, but not unmanageably cold.

In my mind I had 60 minutes.  Since I wasn't really prepared for this 10k I told myself that if I needed to walk some it would be ok.  I didn't walk ever.

Today, for some reason my leg really hurt.  The entire time I was running (jogging) it hurt.  But I lived.

And, I finished.