Swiss Bircher Muesli

When I was a kid, my mom started making a breakfast dish she called Swiss Bircher Muesli. She got the recipe (I've been told) from her sister who served a religious mission in Switzerland.

We ate it for dinner ALL THE TIME

I started making it for my kids and now they won't let me stop!

I don't have the actual "recipe" but this is how we make it at our house. Keep in mind that we don't take this stuff lightly...we make it for everyone to stuff themselves with!!

2 lbs yogurt any flavor (I prefer strawberry-this is the big container from any grocery store)

1 can crushed pineapple juice included

2 cans fruit coctail juice included

grapes

2 mandarin oranges

1 apple cored and cut into bite sized pieces

any other fruit you want to add

sliced almonds (optional- but a must for us)

oatmeal (2 cups or more)

orange juice

Mix the yogurt, canned fruit, fresh fruit together. Add 2 cups oatmeal and nuts. Add a bit of orange juice and stir. Adjust the oatmeal and orange juice until the oats are not dry but its not runny. Refrigerate overnight.

You can add more juice in the morning if its too dry.

Obviously, its not a great recipe for those of you who don't do well without precise measurements. But you'd really have to try hard to mess it up. It's oatmeal, yogurt and fruit for goodness sake!

Enjoy!!



Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree

My favorite season is easily spring. The cold is gone, the trees turn green, and everything blossoms. It doesn't hurt that I live in an area where baby animals are in abundance as well. Bunnies, squirrels, deer, birds...we see all their cute little offspring roaming about.

But we especially love the blossoms!

One of our favorite springtime activities begins with a walk or drive through the neighborhood looking for blossoms. They look like popcorn popping on trees. Some of the popcorn is pink, some yellow, purple, and of course white. We choose a color, then go home and make popcorn balls!


It's something I loved to do when I was a child. I remember making them with my mother, while singing our beloved song- Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree.

Don't know it? Have a listen. And while you're at it...here are the lyrics and hand motions: http://broadcast.lds.org/churchmusic.../words/242.mp3

I looked out the window and what did I see? (Make hands into binoculars)
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree! (Flick fingers open and closed)
Spring has brought me such a nice surprise,
blossoms popping right before my eyes. (Flick fingers open and closed)

I could take an armful and make a treat. (Swoop arms out and bring in)
A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet! (Cup hands together to make a popcorn ball, then bring to your nose to smell it)
It wasn't really so... (Wag finger back and forth)
But it seemed to be... (Nod head)
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree! (Flick fingers out)

The very same recipe my mother used when I was little is still my favorite.
Here is the link to the recipe:

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/popcorn-balls-50637.aspx

Want to make your popcorn balls even sweeter? Make some and give them to the neighbors whose trees inspired your sweet activity. I'm sure they'll love it!

The Turkey

I posted about putting the bird on the grill and freeing up the oven. Here is one of three turkey's we are grilling this year. We love how juicy it tastes. The gravy I make with the drippings has such a great flavor! Turkey's will still be a great price between now and Christmas. Give it a try!

Thanksgiving Turkey BBQ style

Growing up, we cooked our turkey on the bbq. It began when I was young and we were living somewhere with a oven too small to fit the turkey. Dad put it on the grill. It was the most wonderfully tender and juicy turkey we'd ever had and a new tradition was born!

Besides the best tasting turkey ever, grilling it frees up the hottest commodity on Thanksgiving - the oven! It makes preparing the meal so much easier, not having to work around a turkey in the oven for 4 hours.

If you're brave enough to give it a try this year, you won't be disappointed! Here is the information you need, provided by Weber BBQ:
http://www.weber.com/Recipes/Tips/Detail.aspx?tid=7

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving recipes we love!

These are tried and true, must-have favorites at our house for Thanksgiving. I posted our Apricot stuffing recipe in a previous post. At our house, it's about flavor....and we save the healthy for another day!



By far, the biggest must-have is the Turkey! We grill it on our Weber. See this post for details:
http://houseworkinheels.blogspot.com/2009/11/thanksgiving-turkey-bbq-style.html


Sweet Potato Soufflé

3 large sweet potatoes cooked and whipped
1 cup sugar
2 eggs beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 bag marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Peel and cook potatoes until tender. Drain potatoes and whip. Add sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla. Mix well and put in a greased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 25 minutes. Place marshmallows and pecans on top and return to oven for about 5 minutes or until brown on top.


Cranberry Chutney

1 cup water
3/4 cup white sugar
1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
1 cup apple - peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions:
In a medium saucepan combine the water and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add the cranberries, apples, cider vinegar, raisins and spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes stirring often.
Pour mixture into a mixing bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the sauce. Cool to room temperature and serve or cover and refrigerate. Bring chutney to room temperature before serving.



Layered Fruit "Salad"

Crust:
2 cups crushed pretzels
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar

Middle layer:
1 large container (12-16oz) Cool whip
8oz cream cheese
¼ cup sugar

Topping:
2 cups water
1 large box strawberry Jell-O
20 oz frozen strawberries or other berries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.
Combine crust ingredients and press into 9x13 pan. Cook for 10 mins.
Meanwhile, combine middle layer ingredients and spread on cooled crust.
Boil water, Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water. Remove from heat and dump frozen berries into Jell-O. Place in fridge until soft-set (about 5-6 mins.) Pour over cream cheese layer carefully. Refrigerate for at least one hour. (Easy to make ahead and store in fridge overnight)

Apricot Stuffing

This is our family's favorite stuffing! It taste great and has a nice tangy flavor to it from the apricots. Give it a try this Holiday season.

Apricot Stuffing

1 box stuffing mix (like Stovetop)
15 oz can apricots with juice, chopped and juice reserved
3 TBS apricot jam
½ stick butter
water
Directions:

Pour juice from apricots into measuring cup and add water to make 1 2/3 cups liquid. Pour into saucepan. Add butter and heat on medium high until butter melts. Add jam and stir until melted. Add chopped apricots and continue to heat until boiling. Stir in stuffing mix, cover with lid and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff and serve.

Asian Chicken Salad

My family loves this recipe so much we have it once a week and there are never any leftovers. Everytime I take it to a potluck or serve it to guests, they ask for the recipe. I've changed the recipe several times over the years, and this is the one that gets rave reviews! The wonton noodles are not chow mein noodles. I have only found them at our local Weis supermarket, but I bet you could also find them at any Asian market.

Let me know if you like it!

Asian Chicken Salad
1 lb chicken breast cooked and chopped
1 head iceberg lettuce thinly sliced
¼ cup green onions, chopped
2 cans mandarin oranges
½ cup slivered almonds
1 T sesame seeds, toasted
1 package wonton noodles (the cooked type)

Sauce:
¾ C rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
½ C either brown sugar, white sugar or honey
1 T either plum or hoisen sauce

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and heat on high stirring constantly. When sauce begins to boil, continue to stir and heat until it becomes bubbly and foams on top (approx ½-1 min). Remove from heat. Do not continue to heat or the vinegar will evaporate and you will lose the tangy flavor.

Toss all ingredients in salad bowl and pour sauce over it. Serve immediately.
Approx. 6 servings as a main dish

Chinese Chicken Salad

I've had tons of requests for my recipe for Chinese chicken salad. Here is my version of it. Try different combinations for the dressing to see what your family loves.

1 lb chicken breast cooked and chopped
1 head iceberg lettuce thinly sliced
¼ cup green onions, chopped
2 cans mandarin oranges
½ cup slivered almonds
1 T sesame seeds, toasted
1 package wonton noodles (the cooked type)

Sauce:
¾ C rice vinegar
or ½ C distilled vinegar + ¼ c apple cidar vinegar
1 T sesame oil
½ C either brown sugar, white sugar, or honey
1 T either plum or hoisen sauce

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and heat on high stirring constantly. When sauce begins to boil, continue to stir and heat until it becomes bubbly and foams on top (approx ½-1 min). Remove from heat. Do not continue to heat or the vinegar will evaporate and you will lose the tangy flavor.

Toss all ingredients in salad bowl and pour sauce over it. Serve immediately.
Approx. 6 servings as a main dish

Our family loves the dressing with brown sugar, plum sauce and rice vinegar. The other vinegar combination make for a nice tangy taste as well.