Living in a Cereal World

It seems chocolate is going to be the hot trend for the start of 2014: they're sticking it in Multigrain Cheerios, Honey Bunches of Oats, and as my eagle eye actually spotted today, Chocolate Toast Crunch. Yaaaay, says everybody except me. I don't know, I suppose I could try one.  There's a new Fiber One, too, but I was in a rush today and the grocery store was crowded. I need to get back to my routine in the new year.

Well, it seems I took a holiday break, doesn't it? I just haven't had the time or inclination, to be honest. Just check my email and go. So now I'm back, with dinner. I have a go-to salmon burger recipe, but it only feeds four, so I found this  seafood burger  recipe (with the option to use salmon) when I found out there would be five for dinner last week. I love trying out new recipes this time of year. Actually, any time of year. So anyway, these are loaded  with flavor from many seasonings and cut-up vegetables. And my poultry seasoning expired two years ago; luckily I had everything on hand to make my own. What are the odds? My brother--who ordinarily hates canned salmon--went back for seconds. Hopefully next time this won't be a spur-of-the-moment recipe so I have time to ripen an avocado.

Just from looking at the box you'd think this is Kashi's version of Cheerios. Eh...sort of. The texture is more of a puffed oat--it reminds me of Fiber Plus Cinnamon Oat Crunch but, obviously, a different flavor. You know how Kashi's flavorings are pretty subtle? Well, this one's so subtle you can barely find it. I'm barely getting any honey there at all. I hope the cinnamon variety is a little stronger. **** In other news, my brother ate the entire box of  Blueberry Morning . Seriously. I assumed he'd like it...but not that much.

Swap out your traditional noodles, add a leafy green veg, and you've got  Chicken, Kale, and Quinoa Soup . For some reason, it's the only way my mom will eat quinoa. I guess it has more of an appealing texture in soup. And I think I'm falling for boneless, skinless chicken thighs. This is the second soup I've made with this ingredient and it holds up really well without getting overcooked. I thought this soup was delicious--I'd never used chicken stock before--but unfortunately the kale did not agree with some people (I don't think it was just the kale. I think the kale was the trigger mechanism). So...watch out for kale if you're going to try this soup. I'm still going to eat the leftovers tomorrow.

For years I've been reluctant to try a cookie recipe found on the back of a cake mix box. Cookies...out of a cake mix? Highly illogical. But then I found myself volunteered to make cookies (although it was  for a good cause) and I needed to make something quick. I noticed this recipe for  Butterscotch Spice Cookies  when I made my  birthday cake  last month and I thought it fit the bill last week. Of course I kept some of the finished product for myself. The results were...interesting. For some reason the cookies stuck to one of my cookie sheets but not the other one. Naturally I wasn't sending out broken cookies! I also added raisins to half the batter, which was easier to separate than I anticipated. They weren't necessary but they didn't take anything away from the overall flavor, either. Maybe a pecan or walnut would add more to these cookies. To sum up: not bad, but I still think I'd only make these kinds of cookies in another pressed-for-time kind of sit...

What's slightly lesser than a dilemma? A quandary? Anyway, the issue was: can I make a banana bread with only two bananas? Most banana breads call for 4-5. Well, I found an answer:  Apple Butter Banana Bread . In fact, my bananas were too big for what was required. And the flavor isn't overwhelmingly apple butter-y, either. It's more like banana bread with an extra spice kick. It might have helped that I used Dickinson's Country Apple Butter; your apple butter may vary. It's an interesting twist on a flavor that sometimes gets tired.

Some weeks I have a dearth of post ideas, other weeks I get backlogged. This week is the latter, so I thought I'd skip ahead to this morning's oatmeal (see above). I had assumed this would simply be the regular apples and cinnamon flavor with cranberries added but I was pleasantly surprised. It's more like they took the Fruit & Cream flavor base and added apples and cranberries. I made it with boiling water, which I always do with Quaker instant oatmeal, and it turned out perfectly (well, almost perfectly; you'll have to add boiling water well past the line if you don't want oatmush). Did I mention I bought just the cup to try? I'm pretty sure I did in a previous entry. Anyway, I would consider buying a whole box of this.

Now  we're caught up. It just isn't Thanksgiving without cranberries, and it just isn't a special occasion without me trying out a few new recipes. First, I dared this year to stray from the typical whipped sweet potatoes with marshmallows. These  Maple-Cranberry Sweet Potatoes  were a hit. I was so relieved, because you never know how tart a cranberry recipe might turn out. Even my brother ate the potatoes and glaze (but not the cranberries--not his thing). While I was making the glaze the scent reminded me of French toast. That reminds me: I made these a day ahead of time and while it turned out fine, the glaze did separate a bit in the refrigerator. Stirring before spooning it on the sweet potatoes did the trick. As for dessert, I made this  Apple-Cranberry Crumb Pie . Here cranberries weren't even an issue. You have to like cinnamon. I mean really  like cinnamon. Maybe adding one more apple would've spread the flavors out more, but still, cinnamon is pre...

I know, I'm getting ahead of myself here, but I'm trying to be more flexible. Yesterday I opened the Blueberry Morning because I felt like it. No planning, no schedule. The flakes looked a lot like corn flakes, although the box says they're multigrain flakes (along with the multigrain clusters). Oh, and the clusters were ginormous. Maybe it's just top-of-the-box product and everything gets crumbled toward the bottom. The dried blueberries still have a round shape and taste surprisingly sweet. Overall, that's a good word for it. A surprise . I swear I could still taste Blueberry Morning last night before bed. I guess you could say I had a Blueberry Day. I think I'll be buying this one again.

Here I was, all ready to blog about my new (successful!) Thanksgiving recipes, when I remembered I had to share this first (I like to do things in order). After I used one-and-a-half cups of canned pumpkin for the  waffles  I had just enough left to make  Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips . They are thick and hearty and I honestly thought they were good enough to come from a real bakery. I don't usually compliment my baking like that, so it must be the recipe. I followed it exactly, even though my cookies tend to burn on the lower oven rack. Oh, wait, I take that back--I didn't feel like buying currants for just that small amount, so I substituted raisins. But anyway, these cookies are amazing. Maybe it's the pumpkin pie spice, maybe it's the molasses (you can't go wrong with pumpkin and molasses), I can't say for sure. All I can say is you need  to try these cookies, possibly more than any other cookie I've shared here.

Sunday morning I made  Pumpkin Waffles  for a belated birthday breakfast. And they are the best. But be warned: they are incredibly filling. I can only eat 3/4 of a round waffle. The first time I made these a few years ago. I was really surprised by the texture. They're chewier than a typical waffle; it's like someone crossed a waffle with pumpkin pie. They could almost be a dessert waffle. Also, because of this, don't overfill your waffle iron or you might not be able to finish it. They puff up a lot, too, like they're trying to escape by pushing the lid off. I can't imagine trying another pumpkin waffle recipe; these are just too good.

Not that things were bad; I just haven't had a moment to stop and blog all week. I feel like I haven't stopped moving since last Sunday--and I'm trying not to think about the moving coming up this week. But anyway, I made my birthday cake a few days ago:  Caramel Pear Cake . Yes, a recipe that calls for a boxed cake mix. Gasp! I made this choice on purpose, though. Quick and easy, since I also made soup for dinner (but I can't tell you if I shared it here last year since something seems to be wrong with my search bar). Two notes: 1. I'm not sure if my pears were sliced thin enough; they didn't sink down in the cake like the picture would indicate, 2. I swapped the walnuts for pecans. I think it was appreciated. It's a very light cake and the spice flavor goes well with the pears. Oh, and I had some ginormous Anjou pears. I only needed one to make the two rows on top of the cake. I've already made the world's fluffiest waffles (hyperbole much?) th...

Well, it's not really new. I was halfway through eating my yogurt and granola today when I realized, hey, wait a minute, isn't this just the other flavor of Just Bunches?  Ha. It's been so long I forgot there were  two flavors of  Just Bunches . And you know how I feel about cinnamon-flavored anything.  So thanks for the reunion, Post!

(unintentional chicken-related pun, there) So I had leftover bits from a soft taco dinner kit, didn't want it to go to waste, and didn't necessarily want dinner again. Why not turn it into breakfast? I had tried this once before, this recreation of a breakfast burrito, and it didn't go so well, but it was edible and I was hungry. This time around I made some key adjustments. 1. You can't actually make a breakfast burrito with soft taco-sized tortillas. Especially when some come out of the package smaller than others. My first correction was to split my eggs between two tortillas. 1a. Oh, yeah, I used two eggs. I didn't think one would be filling enough. 2. Last time I didn't have any kind of spice. This time I squeezed on some leftover taco sauce and reheated the tortillas in the microwave. 3. If you have a sausage you like, you should probably try it here. Cooked first, of course. I just used deli ham. 4. I always have a 4-cheese Mexican blend on ha...

I had purposely saved this Kashi equivalent to Mini-Wheats to compare flavors but I hadn't intended to open it today. This morning I went to pour a bowl of  Cinnamon Roll  Mini-Wheats Little Bites thinking I had plenty left but it was not to be. It seems somebody somewhere crushed the plastic liner because there was a ridiculous amount of powdery crumbs in the bottom of the bag. Seriously, the contents of that cereal box should not have settled that  much. So that was disappointing. But then I figured I might as well open the Cinnamon Harvest and see what was going on in there. I tasted a biscuit (I'm assuming they also use that terminology) not expecting much flavor, and it isn't overwhelming like the Mini-Wheats but it's just fine the way it is. It takes a moment to hit you, but when it does the flavor is more reminiscent of  Cinnamon Life . It's refreshing to pull it back for breakfast every now and then, you know?

So I mentioned  the other day  that Pepperidge Farm has a new, seasonal Gingerbread Swirl bread. Now I get to report: it's really, really good. You get the essence of gingerbread without eating cake or a cookie for breakfast. The loaf smells like gingerbread, I taste ginger in the swirl, and the bread itself is a very dark brown, reminiscent of gingerbread. Maybe there's molasses in it? I should check. I say, good for you, Pepperidge Farm, for taking a chance on a new flavor.

Because you would probably win,  Chicken Noodle Soup . I know that's probably not the first adjective that would come to mind for most people but I just couldn't help thinking, that's so adorable, as the chicken stewed in the Crock Pot. It was like the chicken was having a nice, relaxing soak and then I got to eat the delicious bathwater. Some notes on the actual recipe, though: I tried to make this while following both the recipe and the Crock Pot's manual. First off, a 3.5 lb chicken fit perfectly on top of the carrots and celery, and the eight cups of water was just enough (it makes plenty of soup). I went with the high setting on the Crock Pot because I had no idea how long it would take to actually cook a whole chicken (answer: 5 hrs. on high). This worked out perfectly because I precooked the egg noodles--as per the manual--for about three minutes and then there was almost exactly twenty minutes to go on my Crock Pot's 6 hr. setting. Then I added the shredde...

...whether you're ready for it or not. You know, seasonal teas (already bought this year's  gingerbread spice  tea), holiday Archway cookies (stocking up now), and breakfast breads, preferably of the cranberry variety. But this year Pepperidge Farm may have outdone themselves with gingerbread Swirl Bread. That's right, gingerbread.  I haven't actually tried it yet but I had to pick one up today. That reminds me, I never reviewed the Whole Wheat Raisin Cinnamon Swirl variety, which I finally got around to trying last week after, I don't know, two years? The only real difference I can see--feel/taste actually--is the softness of the bread. It's nice for a change of pace. The regular Raisin Swirl gets old after a while.

...only this one of the rare times they were not oatmeal-based. It had been a few years since the last time I made  Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies  but I remembered enjoying them before. The name is misleading, by the way. They're chocolate chip cookies that also have peanut butter chips, not a peanut butter cookie that has chocolate chips. I'm not a big chocolate eater but I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. One of my favorite candies is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups; I think there's some in my Halloween candy mix this year. I'll be sure to swipe one tomorrow. Anyway, I get the same effect in these cookies, which is probably why I like them so much. Oh, and of course, I omit the nuts. Any regular reader should know that by now.

Do you ever get a craving for shrimp? I suppose I do because I don't eat them all that often. So last night I made my other go-to  shrimp fried rice  recipe (I like to alternate with  this one ). I know what you're thinking: ham in shrimp fried rice? I know, I actually hadn't ever tried it with the ham until last night. It adds a little something. Of course, additional vegetables would also  add a little extra something--literally and to the flavor profile--so that's always an option. Did I mention this is super easy? Just make sure to cook your shrimp thoroughly (the recipe says four minutes; I took about six).

This wasn't supposed to be my next granola purchase but sometimes things have a way of working themselves out. I checked the ingredients first: Is it sweetened? Yes, I just couldn't tell from the product name. What are  the "ancient grains?" Quinoa, spelt, and Kamut khorasan wheat. Well, there was no reason not to try it. How was it? I'll be honest, I couldn't even find the quinoa, and I don't know the difference between the two wheats. One of them was puffy, though, and with the brown sugar flavoring tasted almost exactly like Golden Crisp. So that's a plus, right?

So you know how much I love  roasted   vegetables . I actually set aside some time two weekends ago when I was under the weather to sort recipes (they're always piling up) and I hit upon this one:  Roasted Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Onion . When I was a kid I hated broccoli. But I was also very obedient, so I ate it. Everyone knows what happens when you overcook vegetables, right? They get all rubbery and flavorless. My mom had to bury it under cheese to coerce us to eat it. So I was curious to see what roasting would do. I should also mention that I didn't--and still don't--like raw broccoli. It just tastes like dirt to me. But roasting takes the edge off that flavor and crispness, which makes it more appealing texturally to me. The flavor would have been more pronounced if I'd had enough garlic and any lemon juice to speak of. I still ate it, though, even the red onions, which were more sweet than I expected. ******* Breakfast post next, for sure.

Another Kashi entry. On a day like today, a bright, warm fall day--although the leaves are already past their peak around here--it seemed right to open up a box of Honey Sunshine. I was surprised by the size, though. They look like teensy Cap N Crunch pieces. You would think they'd milk-bloat into nothingness but it wasn't too bad. On the other hand, I don't want to eat them on their own; I will definitely be mixing. I'm also tempted to use them as a topping but for what, I'm not sure. Oh, and the taste: imagine non-sticky-coated Corn Pops. It's a good thing, really.

I've been meaning to mention this for weeks but just couldn't pick a post to tack this on the end: the return of the monster cereals. By now you probably know that Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and Franken Berry are Halloween-seasonal (stock up now!) but this year General Mills brought back  Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy . I can see why they were discontinued in the first place--do you really need four  fruity marshmallow cereals? Frute Brute was not before my time but before my functional memory; however, I vaguely remember Yummy Mummy. Either I wasn't interested in it back then or it was on the "Absolutely Not So Don't Even Ask" list; either way, I never tried it. If you  want to try one in a retro-style package, though, they're now available at Target. I just saw them over the weekend.

I wasn't planning on reviewing this today but it's funny how things work out. I tried each component separately first: the corn flakes are lightly sweetened, the dried cranberries even less, and the almond slices are just that. I know that sounds boring but when you combine the three, it's pretty satisfying. If they'd used plain Corn Flakes instead I don't think they would've held up (taste-wise or texture-wise, to a lesser extent. It is still a corn flake, after all). But yeah, here is one cereal that delivers exactly what it promises, nothing more, nothing less.

So I was at the grocery store this morning and didn't go down the cereal aisle because I had no reason to (I don't always ). But on the way to the cold section I passed a display for a new cereal: Corn Flakes Extra. It's so new it's not even on Kellogg's website yet. And  it was on sale, so you know me. It's corn flakes, cranberries, and almonds as far as I can tell. Did you ever notice how cranberry flavored products come out this time of year? It makes sense. Quaker has a new instant oatmeal flavor, too, Apples and Cranberries. It comes in a box as well as a microwavable cup which is great for me so I can try it out without committing to a whole box. Since I found this new cereal it reminded to check every website for new products. Instead, I have to retire  two   flavors  of Fiber Plus--if I had known this was coming I would've stocked up. But, anyway. Onward.

General Mills has a new website:  Hello, Cereal Lovers . Hello, yourself, cereal maker. I had to check it out. They have recipes and fun stuff you can do with cereal and their boxes. I took the quiz and got the result of "Cereal Genius." I feel like I should put that on a business card like Wile E. Coyote.

Like I said yesterday, the weather is fighting against my need for Fall comfort foods! So I made soup anyway:  clam chowder . Wait, you ask, clam chowder? Don't you have lactose issues? Yeah, so that's why I hadn't ever made a clam chowder before, they're usually too rich and creamy. But this one called for only a cup of milk, so I did half milk/half Lactaid (shh; don't tell anyone). And it didn't upset my stomach in the least. It did, however, need more flavor. I have a really bad habit of not tasting my food before I serve it. I'm not a professional chef, obviously, but still, I should know better by now. The celery root has a very strong flavor presence and really needs something to counteract it. It probably didn't help that I used dried thyme, either. But hey, I had fresh parsley. And I actually ate the clams, unlike in canned soup where they get so chewy and inedible (to me, anyway). We'll see if the leftovers build up more flavor; they usual...

It's crazy how the temperatures aren't even going to be that low this week but it was still suitable weather for hot cereal this morning.  Special K Nourish  hot cereal is actually multigrains: oats, barley, wheat, and quinoa (which I didn't even notice, taste- or texture-wise). They come in packs of two and someone (ahem) just had to mention: "You know you're paying for the packaging." I couldn't think of a snappy comeback at the time, so I'll just say to you readers: I'm taking one for the team. This way I can say "Don't waste your money," or "Wait 'til it goes on sale." Anyway, what I liked first of all was that the nuts were packaged separately, unlike in  Quaker Real Medleys . Maybe the consumer is allergic to almonds (I believe they were almonds) or, like me, wasn't in the mood for nuts. I also wasn't in the mood to prep according to the "preferred method" so I went with the microwave option. It...

Okay, so this isn't that much different from  Greek Honey Crunch  in terms of components but it did  pass the smell test. Meaning when I opened the box and sniffed it smelled like berries. I know I've already said before how I don't like being overwhelmed by berry scent (and taste) but I still want it to be there. It's in the name so it's kind of important. I did want to point out one flavor quirk that I like: somehow they've managed to keep the berry flavor off the flakes. They just taste like a basic sweetened flake. All the berry flavor? It's in the yogurt clusters where it belongs. I'm still thinking on it but I believe I prefer this variation to the original. Oh, hey, I just read my previous entry that I linked to above. Ask and I shall receive again. Freaky.

Are you ready for some hot cereeeeallll? Because I am. Even though it's still reaching the low- to mid-70s this week, I'm already thinking traditional hot Fall foods, comfort foods. Two new products I'll be trying:  Special K Nourish  (linked to the flavor I just bought) and  Dole Fruit & Oatmeal . Dole will stick fruit just about anywhere, won't they? And soup! Can't wait to get the soup pot out again. I try to rotate recipes, so I know there's some I made two years ago that I didn't get to last year. And there's other new ones, too. Next week, for example... I am getting disproportionately excited about this. Don't forget I'm always incorporating new cereals, too.

After the intense berry-ness of  my last granola , I wanted something a little lighter. I'd already noticed that Target has this new line,  Simply Balanced , and while I still haven't figured out if it's totally replacing Archer Farms, I do appreciate the attempt to go more organic and get rid of some of the processed junk (although you can only do so much; it is  still a packaged food). Anyway, I decided to go with the vanilla bean for my first. A simple flavor; let's see what you've got. The answer is...tricky. My first bite didn't taste much like anything, only the yogurt I had with this. The second bite, though, tasted like a Rice Krispies Treat. Sold! Even if the flavor goes in and out, you can't go wrong with "tastes like something else I shouldn't eat every day.' I guess this means I'll have to try the other flavors, too...

Just take the  original honey roasted  granola and add raspberries. No, I'm kidding. I can get a few more sentences out of this. There's no dried raspberries or anything like that. The quality that strikes me the most is the berry flavor. It's so  berry flavored it's almost too berry flavored. I had this with some strawberry yogurt the other day and flashed back to the time I tried Trix yogurt (waaaaay back when it first came out). So so berry. So, yeah, if you eat it with the right yogurt, it's pretty good. But it's already influenced my next granola purchase: something more mild. You'll see in a few weeks.

Yes, I know, three days in a row, but I need to record these things for posterity. Today's entry: I think I've found my go-to  pound cake . It all started when I misplaced May's issue of Cooking Light (I had a lot going on that month). Then, when I found it, I made a mental note to try the pound cake recipe sometime. One week later, I made the  peach jam , which I believe mentioned pound cake as a serving option. Put two-and-two together: dessert time! If you've ever made a traditional pound cake then you should know: you can't even tell the difference. Honestly. I noted the lighter consistency of the batter while stirring but the finished product is all pound cake. It's sweet, a little crunchy on the outside, and slid out of the Bundt pan perfectly. And it's to die for with the peach jam and a little whipped cream. I can't wait to try it again, either with the strawberry sauce or the marbled variation.

This is Kashi's take on Mini-Wheats' Touch of Fruit in the Middle. I had a little bit of the raspberry flavor left, not enough to make a bowl, so I thought I'd get the Kashi version and compare the two. The most obvious difference is that Berry Fruitful isn't frosted. But you know what? It doesn't even need it. The centers of the (darker, it must be noted) wheat biscuits are so stuffed with berry puree that you don't need any other sweeteners. This is actually kind of genius. I was pleasantly surprised again . I'm not going to stop eating Mini-Wheats but Kashi is now two for two.

...And we're back. I actually had four breakfasts while I was away because my brother convinced me to get breakfast for dinner one night. Since when does Bob Evans serve breakfast all day? Anyway, omelet and toast, no big deal. What we're here for is how the lactose intolerant survive at a hotel breakfast bar for three days. Pretty easily, actually. Of course, cereal was out of the question, but the choices weren't that great anyway: Kashi GoLean, granola (at least they had yogurt), Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes. But to my delight they had the Quaker Oatmeal vat! I don't know what the technical term is but that's what I like to call it. One full scoop is all you need for a serving. For toppers they had raisins, yogurt raisins, Craisins, brown sugar, some kind of nuts, and a sixth thing that I don't remember (sorry!). I had already settled on Craisins and brown sugar, so everything else departed from my mind. I also had a piece--probably halved--of banana brea...

Well. it's time for my annual Midwest sojourn. I'm staying at a different place this time but it's a place I've been to before. If memory serves, it has a better breakfast bar than last year's place so I'm hoping for an interesting breakfast outcome. I'll be sure to recap next Tuesday. See you then!

Well, it's September 1st. The end of peach season is upon us. So I found this recipe for refrigerator peach jam and I simply had to try it. Mostly because it doesn't require canning. Canning is one of those things I don't really want to learn, sorry. But if I had a friend who did it, I would totally be over at their house, hey, you prep the jars, I'll bring the recipes! But anyway. A few notes: yes, add the vanilla (or bourbon), even though it's optional. It won't be over-flavored. Two, my peaches were probably sufficiently broken down in seven minutes; I let it go the full ten. If you don't really want big peach slices in your jam, now's the time to break them up a little; use whatever spoon you had for stirring. Oh, and the jam will thicken as it stands. Thanks, tapioca!   This morning we tried out the jam on these baking powder biscuits from my mom's old (like twenty-five years-ish) Betty Crocker cookbook. They weren't bad, but we both ag...

So, in case you didn't realize, I finally caved and tried Kashi. Hey, I was running out of cereals. I went to the website, checked out the flavors I might be interested in, and this one was the first. The first thing I noticed this morning was the dark flakes. If I'm reading the ingredient list correctly, they're an oat/oat bran flake. Don't worry, they're not burnt. They're a bit curled on the ends and slightly coated with sweetness to keep them from being dry and unpalatable. I'm trying to picture a flake in my mind to compare them to but I just can't pull it out of the mental file--oh, wait, there it is. Remember Honey Almond Flax Total? That's precisely what these flakes remind me of (but with a different grain). I must confess, I couldn't stop eating them out of the bowl. There's a multigrain cluster with dried blueberries, too. You know how I love my clusters. The blueberry scent is just enough and not overwhelming. I poured a litt...

So you remember when I mentioned the name change of Multigrain Oats & Honey to just 'Oats & Honey?' Well, clearly that was to make way for the new Multigrain flavor. And yes, there is a taste difference. It's not as sweet, for one. Think of this new flavor as, well, the multigrain equivalent of Original Special K. Even so, I much prefer this wheat/rice/corn combo to plain Special K any day. I don't know how to explain it other than to say it has more "body" than a rice flake. A nice addition to the Special K family. ***** (Yes, the reviews just keep on coming. I have three more cereals in the pipeline.)

Sure, I can be chipper about it today but yesterday's pie undertaking was exhausting. There's a reason I don't like to make pie crust from scratch--when you add up all the mixing and rolling and peeling and slicing...I was just so tired by the afternoon. Oh, I should link to the pie now: Double Apple Pie with Cornmeal Crust. Last week I was looking for additional uses for apple jelly (besides the obvious) and I came across this pie recipe. Then I remembered my sister was coming home so I thought, now's a good time to make this pie. Crust included. Who ever heard of putting cornmeal in a pie crust? It was a novel idea, so I went for it. I had originally planned to make the crust the night before but that didn't work out. If you're going to attempt this pie by yourself, seriously consider doing it that way. The method in the recipe of adding a tablespoon at a time of water/cider (I didn't have any cider) really helped it come together. For once I did not ...

I only opened this one because I didn't have quite enough Peanut Butter Toast Crunch to mix with my Oatmeal Squares today. This is like the other flavored Chex in that only half the Chex (rice, in this case) have the flavor coating. This is a good thing; seriously. I felt like I was eating a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting. Yeah, it's a very strong vanilla flavor. Or should I say "vanilla." I should. So the combination of those three cereals was almost like eating a peanut butter milkshake for breakfast. Or ice cream cone. I think only mixing two cereals next time will turn it down a notch.

I know I mentioned wanting to review this granola, so here I am, the second time around. First off, let me say that I really enjoy eating Cascadian Farm granola right after the Honey Bunches of Oats kind because I need to switch up textures every now and then. After the big, crunchy clusters I like to have something smaller and lighter. I imagine that's how granola would turn out if I made it myself (and that's another thing I have every intention of doing--seriously, this year). Does it taste like berry cobbler? I don't know if I would go that far. It's an appealing name, though. Not to mention an appealing flavor--I'd call it "sweetly berry." There's also dried berries; according to the box they're cranberries and blueberries. I don't know that the berry flavors are that distinct but I don't have a problem with it. All in all, a great addition to the Cascadian Farm lineup.

Sometimes you just have to clean out the ol' mental file. First: what to do with leftover chicken broth? Sure, I could've gone through my many binders, but instead I found this Chicken with Honey Mustard Glaze. We just happened to have some honey (we always have honey) and Dijon mustard on hand; just add carrots and chicken...ta-da! A workable recipe. The pluses: the chicken did not get overcooked. It was done but still tender. The carrots also had just the right amount of crunch with being too much on the raw side. Or the opposite rubbery side. Negative: needs more spice. I would consider upping the amounts of honey and mustard, and maybe adding some pepper and/or paprika. As it is, though, the mildness might be good for those who need a meal that's gentle on the stomach. ******* In other news, my Target--so I'm assuming, by extension, most every Target--recently rearranged its cereal aisle. They now have a neatly arranged granola section right next to their fully...

It's been so cold these last few mornings that I've had to take up drinking tea to keep me warm. On the one hand, it's nice to get a preview of September but on the other hand, all week ? I look forward to the natural progression of seasons as much as anyone but this is just a little too soon. And tea is one thing, but I'm going to have to draw the line at hot cereal. I'm just not mentally there yet. Okay, no more entries until I have something substantial to post. Probably Tuesday. Still chipping away at the list.

Okay, so maybe this doesn't merit a full entry but you remember the variations on Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, right? I'd actually forgotten about it but came across it while searching for a peanut butter-chocolate chip cookie recipe. There just happened to be an uneaten Granny Smith apple in the house so I figured, looks like I'm doing the apple variation, then. I also threw in some white chocolate chips just because. It totally works. I'll just save the peanut butter cookies for the next time I see my brother. ***** Next cereal review is projecting out to next week sometime. It's a new one I can't wait to try, is all I'll say.

Technically, the bun is optional but I just have to recommend these Spice-Rubbed Chicken Breasts.  I thought it sounded like a different kind of chicken sandwich for me and I'd never made a rub before. I have plenty of recipes but none which triggered an immediate response of, "I must try this." Also, I'd never purchased cumin before. It smells like the primary ingredient in a packet of taco seasoning, so you can see why it would need to be balanced out with brown sugar. Actually, all of the spices work well together, even the little tang of thyme. I think I'll be trying it on salmon next.

Don't let the name fool you--it's just a repackaged version of Just Bunches. Not that I'm complaining. I missed those crunchy clusters. And no crawly bugs! Fool me once...no, that's it. Only once. And yet I decided to give Honey Bunches of Oats another chance. It has been a year. There's a berry flavor, too, which I will be trying eventually. I really don't have any complaints here, except maybe a bigger bag would've been nice.

I thought the focus today would be on almond-coconut milk but I don't think I have enough to say about it. You know how I feel about almond milk already. I've been thinking about trying coconut milk for a while now but was concerned about how much coconut flavor was involved. I wouldn't want it to overwhelm the cereal, you know? So what I do spot in Wal-Mart a few weeks ago? Almond-coconut milk! Problem solved. I finally tried some this morning and it tasted exactly how I expected: a bit almond-y, a bit coconut-ish. I went with the plain but there's also a vanilla-sweetened one. I think I may rotate this one in every now and then. **** Now for my unrelated quick thought of the day: roasted parmesan asparagus. I've actually shared this before, but this time I followed the instructions correctly, tossing the asparagus in the oil-herb combo. I don't think enough seasoning actually stuck to the stalks; I may have to go back to sprinkling individually like I do...

I know, I know, it's about time I joined the 21st century. Or at least this decade. This morning I had Greek yogurt for the first time ever . I'd been hesitant to try it--mainly out of fear of stomach discomfort--but then my preferred brand figured out Greek yogurt, and only recently started selling singles. So I thought this would be a good time to try it. I peeled back the lid and started stirring. It felt like stirring regular (not light) sour cream, or maybe Noxzema. I tasted a little bit. The texture inside my mouth felt like eating some yogurt/pudding/mousse hybrid. Or like eating a tub of Betty Crocker Whipped frosting. The flavor--toasted coconut vanilla--tasted the same as the regular yogurt. I wanted something with a subtle flavor so I could get a good, solid opinion this first time. Overall the experience was sort of...weird. It felt like I was eating dessert for breakfast, and of all the meals you could mix up, this is the only one that feels... wrong to me. Th...

I thought for sure I'd shared this one already but I looked it up and there were two other banana breads, but not this one. That's what happens when you have so many banana bread recipes (I have a lot of banana bread recipes). This one is the best banana bread and I don't even add the Streusel-Nut Topping. I think it's the addition of ginger which gives a zing I don't get from any of the other ones. Huh. Wait. This one doesn't list the ginger. Let me look again. Okay, it's supposed be 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp. ginger. I wonder why the discrepancy. I might still be wrong on the cinnamon. I'll have to go look it up in my recipe stash and amend this later. But anyway, it's the spice combination that makes this banana bread spectacular. And it almost came out of the pan in one piece this time. Almost. Close enough.

I could've sworn I'd added this one already but apparently not. Lemon and Parmesan Crusted Salmon. I have no idea how I found this one; you know how you're looking for one recipe and come across something entirely different... So no recipe is totally foolproof but this one's pretty easy. All you have to do is mix the ingredients together, pat them down on the salmon, and cook the salmon 'til your preferred measure of doneness. And the hint of lemon and tinged nuttiness of the Parmesan can also contribute to a delicious salmon salad sandwich the next day! ***** Ok, I really need to find something breakfast-related next time. I have three things in the pipeline, it's just a matter of getting to them.

Well, maybe a little problem when you don't read the recipe thoroughly. I remind myself of this all the time and still things come up. I swear I read this recipe four or five times before I got started. Oh, I should probably link to it now: No-Bake Summer Lasagna. I guess you could also call it a deconstructed lasagna. There's not that much work involved, except to get everything set up for the lasagna assembly line. And cutting up the vegetables, which I failed to notice with regard to the grape tomatoes. I had to take the pan off the stove and get to halving, while avoiding splattering tomato juices. But it's a good idea, anyway, to layer noodles, cheeses, zucchini, and tomatoes. The two things I suggest are to spread the cheese on the noodles so you don't get too many dry bites and, most important, make sure you season well. The success of this dish really comes down to seasoning. I thought the zucchini and basil was the best part.

I've overlooked Great Grains for years; it always struck me as a boring, healthy cereal my dad would eat. A few weeks ago I just happened to notice the Cranberry Almond Crunch flavor--well, I thought to myself, I can tolerate almonds and there aren't too many cereals these days with cranberries, so I could stand to try it. And while my original assumption isn't too far off, it isn't terrible. Really, the only issue I have is a lack of sweetness. It'll take a second bowl to really wrap my taste buds around it but it's good enough to serve my purpose, which is to mix with other cereals.

...this past week's heat wave, that is. That's about the only thing it was good for. So we made these Teriyaki Pineapple Turkey Burgers, which we hadn't had in two summers. You may have come across these; Dole advertises them every year and they're right on the front page of the website. When it comes to grilling turkey burgers you have to be careful not to overcook them because they will dry out fast . It does help to have melty cheese and a juicy pineapple ring, though. And even though the recipe doesn't call for it, I always put a little mayo on my bun. I don't like dry bread. Oh, and I cut the recipe in half (seriously; what do I need with eight turkey burgers?) but I think we could've used more teriyaki sauce for basting purposes.

Really, what is with these product names lately? They're getting so detailed you might as well put the Nutrition Facts on the front of the box. But on to the cereal. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. The flakes have a sweet crunchy coating like Raisin Bran Crunch, the better to adhere the flaxseeds. I guess the alternative would be a bunch of flaxseeds in the bottom of the box; I can see why that would be unappealing. I counted about three per flake; I guess they really want you to notice them. My one complaint is mostly my fault--due to not shaking up the box first I ended up with a bowl of Two-Raisin Bran. Oh, and there's a little bit of a flax-y aftertaste, which doesn't bother me but if this your introduction to flaxseed I just wanted to give you a heads up. I think next time around I'll just try sprinkling flaxseed on my regular raisin bran and see what happens.

So I came across this recipe by accident while searching for another one and I thought, "Why haven't I made this before?" Spinach Orzo. There was chicken in the picture, and we were going to be grilling chicken anyway, so I put two and two together. Last year's goal of trying one new recipe a week seems to have fallen by the wayside but it wouldn't hurt to try more than one a month. Sheesh. But on to the finished product. I cut the recipe in half since I didn't need eight servings. That wasn't an issue. And prep was pretty simple, too. Slice up some fresh spinach, shred some carrots. The only thing, as usual, was not salting and peppering to everyone's tastes. Which is why one should just put salt and pepper on the table and not be insulted. It's just not something we ever did in my family growing up, so I never think of it. But yeah, try this. It was a nice change of pace of us and we needed to eat that orzo, anyway.

From the makers of Corn Flakes, Cocoa Krispies, and Chocolatey Delight Special K comes...a way for Kellogg's to use technology/products it already has. I don't know why I was expecting new and innovative but the finished product really isn't that bad. It has a nice chocolatey aroma. There's plain corn flakes and chocolate-coated ones, which I honestly didn't notice on the box. There's almond slices. And there's the little chocolatey-pieces from the aforementioned Special K. If you're a chocolate-lover but want to try a more grown-up cereal, you'll probably like this one. I'm not, so I took out the little pieces but left the flakes. It's actually a nice mixture. I wonder, though, based on the name, if there isn't going to be another variety introduced down the road. If you check out the website of the actual Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, there's other flavors Kellogg's could draw from, like, say, pecan and caramel. Hint. (...

Or rather, who doesn't want ice cream sandwiches? You, put your hand down. Anyway, I made ice cream sandwiches with store-bought cookies last weekend for entertainment purposes, which reminded me that I hadn't made any from scratch in a long while (the cookies, not the ice cream. I'm not that much of a DIY-er). And these oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwiches are the best . I think I've only seen maybe three episodes of "Down Home with the Neelys" and that's one of them. There's so much to like about these cookies: they come out flat, which is perfect for sandwich-making; they're huge , which is perfect for feeding large men who otherwise wouldn't go near an ice cream sandwich; and they're delicious, which is probably most important! A note on the flavor--the main difference between these and, say, the typical Quaker ones is that it omits vanilla extract in favor of allspice. I can't really put the flavor into words; I want to say ...

I foresee yet another busy week so I thought I'd better do this now. This was the first granola I tried a few years back when I decided to test granola in my yogurt. I just wanted something basic with a simple flavor and no weird ingredients. It's very crunchy, almost like it's over-baked but not in a bad way. And the no-frills honey flavor makes it good for mixing, like I just did with the blueberry pomegranate cereal  I reviewed last week. Or, you know, just put it straight in the yogurt if you don't want too many conflicting tastes.

I didn't think I'd be able to carve out the time to blog today but here I am, so... I was out of town for a night, so, as I usually do, I picked up some yogurt for breakfast the next morning. What I didn't know was that Kroger doesn't sell singles of my brand, so I had to substitute. I decided to go with Kroger's brand of lite yogurt--which shall henceforth be known as Krogurt, because it's funnier--and cross my fingers. The ingredients were comparable and the price was reasonable, also a bonus. The round container was more conducive to pouring in granola; the color of the strawberry banana Krogurt was darker. I think the flavor was more on the strawberry side. Whatever; the important thing was that it didn't upset my stomach. Speaking of which--well, okay, this actually doesn't really have anything to do with that--I just tried Total's new cinnamon raisin bread. It's not a swirled bread so it doesn't have a whole lot of flavor. But if yo...

I'm sure I've mentioned this before but I'll bring it up again: sometimes I like to mix granola with Archer Farms cereals and eat that with my yogurt. I was in the mood for something different--and on a blueberry kick--when I bought this cereal a few weeks back. I already knew from their berry granola (my mind is drawing a blank on the exact name) that I liked the dried blueberries. I'm so-so on the flavor of pomegranate; in this cereal it's in the oat clusters and pairs well with the berries. I mixed it with what I would consider a "neutral" granola but I'm going to cheat and review that half next time. Actually, I don't know when next time's going to be. I have a busy holiday weekend coming up. How do I keep getting myself into these situations? To be continued...

Picking up from last time, I wanted to include a few thoughts on Rice Chex. First off, they were basically my only option to eat with a banana--really, Raisin Bran, Golden Grahams, Lucky Charms? Meh. Rice Chex it is. They're the lightest and the crispiest of the Chex variations and if I had to eat a plain rice cereal, I would definitely go with this over the too-quickly soggy Rice Krispies. It is kind of plain, but I was expecting that. I poured as large a bowl as I could considering the shape of the dining hall cereal bowls and sliced my banana into it one half at time to minimize the mess (and not waste any banana). So, overall, it's okay. Inoffensive. Just kind of...there.

All right, so here we go. The dining hall had a couple of different areas: in the front were the drinks, about six different canisters of cereal, and an array of bread products by the toaster. In the back (the "kitchen" area) were the hot breakfast (eggs/potatoes/meats etc.) and cold breakfast sections (assorted fruits/cottage cheese/yogurt). Every day they also set out a tray with apples and ripe bananas. I chose to forego yogurt for the week, not knowing the type or brand. That was probably the one thing I missed the most. So the first day I was really too nervous to eat; I barely touched my raisin bran and juice. Thankfully, in addition to the milk dispensers, they had a tiny fridge with little Lactaid cartons--and soy milk, in case you were wondering. I also had raisin bran Wednesday and Friday, in a effort to keep things...running like clockwork, shall we say. Tuesday I opted for my weekly banana with a bowl of Rice Chex. I think I'll write a quick review of that n...

My week was super-busy and super-fun and I know I said I'd recap how I survived breakfast every day (I took notes!) but I wanted to start with what I did Sunday. No time to unpack; I was determined to make my dad a belated Father's Day cake. I'm sure I've mentioned how much he likes carrot cake; this time around I decided to try a new one-- Mango-Carrot Cake, from Better Homes & Gardens a few months back. This may sound obvious but if you like mango and you like carrot cake, you will love this. Also, liking cake doughnuts wouldn't hurt. According to the magazine version of the recipe that's what the texture is supposed to resemble but I added too much mango juice so mine came out sticky. If the ingredient list had specified 1 1/4 cups of mango juice divided that might've cued me to look out for that step in the recipe. Also, catching up on sleep would've helped. It's still good, though. My dad's not picky. Cake is cake. ******* Next: my...

Well, it's time to go traveling to that thing which has been taking up my time--Schoolcation, Nerd Camp, whatever you want to call it--and I'll be gone for a week. Yes, a full week . Without being able to cook for myself. Whatever shall I do about breakfast? I'll let you know when I get back. Yes, I'll have internet access (what place doesn't these days?) but I'd rather just take notes and write up a full blog entry when I get back. Wish me luck. I get the feeling there's going to be multiple people trying to feed me.

...and I haven't even gotten to the spring ones! It seems people will launch cereals whenever they please...not that I'm complaining. More blog topics for me! A quick roundup: Spotted in Wal-Mart yesterday: Hershey's Cookies and Creme (no, thank you, but I'm interested to see what others think of it) and Vanilla Chex. Vanilla, really? You see how well Vanilla Yogurt Burst Cheerios went over. Yeah, I had to buy it. And then I looked up new Kellogg's products because I'd read about some omega-3 Raisin Bran in a circular the other day: the full name is Raisin Bran Omega-3 from Flaxseed. Kind of an unwieldy name, we'll see about the cereal. Also, a new Multigrain Special K. I didn't realize the Oats & Honey flavor had dropped the "multigrain" from it's title. Oh, and some Special K Nourish hot cereal in individual containers but that'll have to wait. I do not want to think about heat right now. New tastes await...

(Yes, I know it's been out a while but I just got to it today, okay?) Anyway, I opened the bag with a little bit of struggle--they really glue those things tight these days--and took a sniff. Smelled like peanut butter cookies. Sold! Now I don't know if it's the wheat/rice grain combination but the peanut butter tasted stronger to me than in the Peanut Butter Multi-Grain Cheerios . But they're both General Mills, so the peanut butter flavor could be coming from the same vat in the factory for all I know. Still, there's something in this (maybe a hint of cinnamon?) that reminds you it's in the Toast Crunch family. That and a propensity to get soggy fast. I mixed it with Oatmeal Squares today; next time the PBTC goes on top. So if you like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and peanut butter flavored things, this is the cereal for you.

First off, this is the only granola Special K makes but it would be nice if they had at least one other flavor. You know me, I like variety. But that's not to say that I don't like this one. It someone manages to be light and filling at the same time. "Light" in that it isn't as crunchy as some granola brands--the oat clusters are practically just that--with a few crispy rice pieces mixed in, and yet all of that together can be very filling. The flavor is definitely just a touch of honey but there's also some molasses in there as well; I think you can taste it in the little crispy bits. You know, I welcome all these flavors when they come around and then I don't need to have them again for a while.

My mother requested a different take on tilapia this week, so I searched until I came up with the very first tilapia recipe we ever tried. Oddly enough, we hadn't had it since then (I think it was 2010 according to the printout date). No time like the present to try it again, right? Tilapia with Green Beans I think the most important thing here is to use fresh herbs. Dried just doesn't quite it done, and I know a lot of people complain about the blandness of tilapia. The dusting of flour provides just a little bit of a coating and pairs perfectly with the garlicky green beans and tomatoes. Oh, and if you really like green beans you might want to get 3/4 lb. instead. (How does this spellcheck not know "tilapia?") ***** I think I'll review a granola next...

I know it's been a week but I've really swamped with conference prep and haven't had the time to research blog topics. I should have granola and cereal reviews up in the next week but until then here's more breakfast: banana-blueberry buttermilk bread. This was one of those recipes that I just happened to come across while looking for something else, so I decided to hold on to it until the next time we had buttermilk pancakes so I could use the leftover buttermilk and blueberries. Worked out perfectly. I even timed my banana purchase just right so they were just the right amount of spotted and ready for baking. As for the finished product, well, you can't really go wrong with banana bread. I might have used a little too much banana and also didn't cook it long it enough, so I got that almost-gooey center. I think next time after 50 min. I'll turn the oven down to 350 and let it go ten more minutes without totally burning the outside.

...shouldn't even be a question. I'm always surprised when someone asks this question. Aside from the fact that you shouldn't skip breakfast--eat something-- you also shouldn't feel guilty or irrational for that breakfast being wholly or partially pie. I do it whenever I make a pie, mostly because I don't want a full serving slice of pie several days in a row. I made an apple pie for Memorial Day guests (the same one from last Mother's Day) as a spur-of-the-moment decision and it didn't quite get eaten as much as I thought it would, so, yeah, I'll be eating some for breakfast tomorrow. To sum up: Fruit, pastry, cold, warm, whatever. It's on. Also, I think since I've got this recipe down pat, it's time to try making my own pie crust again.

This wasn't what I thought I'd be reviewing next but here we are. It also wasn't what I expected, either. It's not your typical Honey Bunches of Oats. There's two different yogurt/oat clusters, one with regular yogurt and one with Greek yogurt--I guess to keep the price down? I couldn't tell the difference in taste so maybe the size is where they differ. It really doesn't matter unless you wanted more Greek yogurt in your cereal. In that case, you could pour any Honey Bunches of Oats over actual Greek yogurt. I was pleasantly surprised by the multigrain flake, though. It has a nice size and texture, similar to multigrain Special K . All of the components work well together with regard to size but I felt it was lacking in flavor. A "touch of honey" was barely a drop to me. I will require a second eating to deliver a firm verdict on this one. In the meantime, it certainly holds up well for mixing. I had it with Honey Nut Cheerios and sliced banana...

Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for a tomato-sauced pasta dish. No beef, no meatballs. So I don't know how I hit on the idea of chicken sausage but I did, and here's what I found: Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli. Pasta? Check. Poultry? Check. Vegetable? Check. And not much of a sauce except the water you cook the broccoli in. And once you stir in the Parmesan that gets all melty, too. It totally works. It's light but filling. I didn't even have rigatoni (subbed rotini) and it was fine. The only thing I would do is add more broccoli. Just get a slightly bigger head next time. Oh, and I used apple chicken sausage. If you don't like so sweet a flavor, go with the roasted garlic flavor instead. ******* You're probably wondering when I'm going to get around to reviewing cereal again. The answer: Thursday. Unless I don't sit down to write it until Friday. Either way, yay you.

As you know, I had a bunch of strawberries left over from the Mother's Day cake (see previous entry). Then I remembered a recipe I'd come across a while ago for a peanut butter/fruit spread/strawberry sandwich. Unfortunately I can't remember where so as soon as I go through my recipes I'll have to come back and update that little detail. The crux of it was, though, a way to make a healthier pbj, replacing the jelly with strawberry fruit spread and fresh strawberries. I had just enough Polaner left to barely cover my bread, so I tried to make it up with strawberries for the flavor. It was delicious. I know I use that word a lot, but seriously. I know you can put peanut butter with apples or bananas but strawberries? I never would've thought of that. I ate a lot of strawberries this week. And speaking of peanut butter, have you heard about the new Pop Tarts flavors? That's supposed to appeal specifically to adults? Why not kids? Who doesn't like peanu...

I'm sure I've mentioned this before but my mother basically has two rules for her cakes: (1) no icing, (2) preferably with fruit. And so I oblige, this time with a strawberry upside-down cake. First off, no, I couldn't afford the cardamom this time around. I'm sure that would've put it over the top. But it's still a good cake: dense, yet moist; sweet from brown sugar and strawberries. I should've put even more strawberries in it; as it is, I'm eating additional fresh strawberries with whipped cream on top. But you can never have too many strawberries, right? Oh, and I didn't have the right sized pan, either, but my 9x1 1/2" worked fine. Next cake: Father's Day. That ought to be interesting.

I know I've been out pretty much all week but it's been a crazy stressful couple of days and with no new cereals for a bit longer my only backup entry was a (breakfast) rant that I couldn't bring myself to get worked up about. I didn't need the additional stress, you know? I just wasn't feeling it. But I'm here now and I don't think I've mentioned this recipe yet. Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken. I believe it was originally a Dole recipe that's not on their website but as you can see from the link, other people have put it online. I probably only make this once a year. It's a good change-of-pace meal and I can always find a use for the leftover mushrooms. The sauce is actually sweet and sour mixed with soy sauce and pineapple juice, so make sure you start with a sweet and sour sauce you already like. I use La Choy because the little bottle size is exactly 1 cup. You can change up the rice, too, or even try a different vegetable. I think any k...

I wasn't exactly sure how to categorize this because I don't eat it in the traditional cereal sense; I like to mix it with granola (in this case, maple brown sugar) for my yogurt. But I think it's a good combination and the flavors complement each other well. The Pumpkin Spice cereal, from what I can tell, is a mixture of crispy wheat flakes (think Special K-ish), a little bit of an oat cluster, and raisins. Now I don't remember the raisins from the last time I had this but that was a year ago so I suppose they were in there all along. As for the flavor, it's a very mild spice. I actually thought it had more flavor but that's okay, the maple and brown sugar definitely pick up the slack.

I was trying to think of something to blog about today...then I opened a new box of granola. Oh, right. One of the qualities I look for in a cereal/granola is the initial scent. When I open the bag, am I going to sniff right away what corresponds to the name on the box. For instance, today: big whiff of maple. There is no doubt as to what I'll be getting with this granola. I also like the large clusters. Maybe the maple has something to do with that, too.

I've reviewed raisin breads here, over this way, and here, too, so I thought I'd include links to those before mentioning the latest raisin bread, Martin's Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Potato Bread. Now if you've never had regular potato bread, it's yellow, thick-sliced, and has kind of a sweet aftertaste. So why not shrink it down and add raisins? Works for me. With the additional sweetness of raisins and the cinnamon swirl, this one would even make a great French toast--if you don't mind raisins with that. **** Also, in addition to the two cereals I have yet to try from my January list, there's two more new products I have to look out for now: Great Grains Protein -- Honey, Oats, & Seeds (I've never had any Great Grains cereal before but I was intrigued by this one--but not the hazelnut cinnamon; I'm not a fan of hazelnuts) and something new from Kellogg's called Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory -- chocolatey almond. I'm a sucker for...

Yeah, I cut recipes out of the paper, but my local paper doesn't post them online so I have to link to them where I can. Spring Gnocchi with Asparagus and Shrimp. Had this for dinner last night as a break from red-sauced pasta. This was the first time I'd had gnocchi in something other than soup, and I may have overcooked it a teensy bit but it was still good. I was worried about a lack of flavor since it really isn't saucy but my worries were unfounded--mostly because I used a little too much pepper. I never think to mention these things in order: I cut the recipe in half because I didn't need to feed six people. Even halved it could've fed four. Both gnocchi and shrimp can be really filling. So I forgot to halve the pepper, dumped it all in there, and then scooped some back out. But it recovered nicely. If you're looking for a simple spring dish with a nice, bright flavor, give this one a try.

Just a couple of things that I thought didn't warrant their own entries... 1. I meant to include this in my Cinnamon Jacks review but I hadn't bothered to search for a commercial. I wasn't looking for this one especially but it had the jingle I remembered from my childhood. I remembered the line about "cinnamon-crunchy Apple Jacks" and that is why I questioned the need for Cinnamon Jacks. Then I noticed the back of the box says "brown sugar-y cinnamon" so I guess that's the key difference there. Okay, then, Kellogg's. 2. I just realized the other day that Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch basically replaced Oat Cluster Cheerios Crunch. It makes sense. There wasn't a need for three Multi-Grain-based Cheerios. 3. I opened a box of Fiber One Caramel Delight last week and something about it seemed...different. Mostly the texture. Was it always ridged? Something is off.

Pepperidge Farm has this new limited edition Blueberry Swirl bread, so I thought I'd make french toast with it. It's actually been out at least a month now but I decided not to mention it until I was ready to write this entry. So anyway, this is a super basic french toast method. I think my mom said she learned it in Home Ec in high school, so you can imagine how long ago that was (no, I'm not going to say). All you need is 1/4 c. milk, 1 egg, and a tablespoon of sugar. I think salt might be optional but I never use it, so... Beat all these ingredients together in a dish that's wide enough to fit a slice of bread--any small piece of bakeware should work. Then heat a frying pan (I find a 12" can fit three slices of bread at a time), add a little bit of butter and make sure it thoroughly coats your pan. Then add bread slices one at a time to your batter, making sure both sides of the bread pick/soak up a decent amount. Add to the frying pan and brown on both sid...

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I could spend a good deal of time in the cereal aisle at Target. It may not be the biggest aisle (compared to other stores) but there's so many Archer Farms products that sometimes it's hard to choose. I knew, however, that it had been a while since I'd tried their take on French Vanilla Almond. I like to alternate with Cascadian Farm granola because of the Archer Farms granola texture. I don't know how they get it so airy and crunchy at the same time. If you don't like an overpowering flavor then French Vanilla is definitely the way to go. There's also nice-sized almond slices--although maybe you might like a few more; your bag may vary. I still don't know why they went to the traditional bag-in-box packaging but I'm used to it now. The resealable bag is a nice touch, keeps things fresh.

Do I really need to finish the sentence? This isn't my usual zucchini bread; I thought I'd try something different for a change. Actually, I could've sworn I my made other one last year but a search yielded nothing. I guess I'll have to make it later this year to compare. But back to this one: one medium-ish zucchini equaled roughly 1 3/4 c. shredded. It's so hard to judge zucchini size though; some of them are longer and thinner, while others are what I'd consider "regular" size--the same as a yellow squash. And I wasn't totally sure about the directions--I chose to add the dry ingredients and beat in increments (out of fear of overmixing the batter). It did sink slightly in the middle and had a few sticky patches but it was thoroughly baked inside. And tasty. I had to freeze half of it due to the size. I have to say, though, I was expecting it to be a little bit "breadier." I wasn't disappointed but I wouldn't toast it like...

It'll be a while before I try another new cereal, so like the title says, here's a occasional granola review: The Cascadian Farm granolas are all oat/rice based, and then flavored or with add-ins. Why do I like this one? Well, I think my love of cinnamon is already  on the record. And the raisins switch up the texture a bit, although they can get chewy. Oh, I should mention I only eat granola with yogurt. Or occasional sprinkled on a fruit cup. But not like cereal, with milk and the whole nine yards. Anyway, I would recommend this or any of the other flavors of Cascadian Farm granola. They must have  something to appeal to your taste buds.

Do you ever see a recipe on TV and think to yourself, I'd like to try that now? As opposed to collecting and tucking away yet another dinner option. That was me last week; these are the porkchops. It wasn't as much of a glaze as I thought it would be but it did thicken up the longer it sat. Actually, the first thing I wanted to say was that if you don't like Dijon mustard, you won't like this. Even with the orange juice and honey to cut it (ha--cut the mustard) it's still a very strong flavor. And like most skillet porkchop recipes, we still can't figure out how long to cook it. But it was certainly worth trying again, maybe with the wild rice recipe that goes with it.

I had buttermilk leftover from last week's pancakes, so I had to do something with it. Enter buttermilk biscuits. Apparently I've made these once before but I don't remember doing it. They're really easy to make (as long as you don't mind getting your hands dirty). And they were surprisingly light and fluffy considering their outward dry/overcooked appearance (they weren't; I was just worried for nothing). We managed to get a dozen out of the dough, so you can guess what I'll be eating all week.

I questioned the need for Cinnamon Jacks: didn't Apple Jacks already have a cinnamon flavor? And yet, here we are. Visual notes first: the cereal is shaped to resemble actual jacks--smart move. And they're two different colors, not unlike the original, except one is reddish and the other is sort of tan--as if the intention was the colors of cinnamon and Red Hots. The taste? At first, it tasted like Apple Jacks with something missing but the more I chewed, the more the cinnamon flavor came through. I probably won't buy this again but I'm currently mixing it with Quaker's Whole Hearts, which is a surprisingly good combination.

So I had the brilliant idea to make a lemon meringue pie for Easter. But I'd also had the brilliant idea to make buttermilk pancakes from scratch that morning. Yeah...my lower back is still sore from all the standing and stirring. But my pie turned out almost perfect. I should say first that I don't think lemon meringue pie is a pie for beginners--at least I would've screwed it up if it had been the first pie I'd ever made. You really have to make sure to get as much egg white separated from the egg yolk as possible; I had to pick several strands of cooked egg white out of my pie filling. And like I said before, there's a lot of stirring involved until it comes to the right consistency. The flavor was spot on; I used three lemons to get just the right amount of juice and zest (although according to my research, your number of lemons may vary). And my meringue turned out right, too--stiff peaks and everything. The only thing I didn't quite do correctly was ...

...mostly because it's a basic peanut butter cookie. But a moist, succulent peanut butter cookie of just the right consistency: Classic Peanut Butter Cookies. If someone were to say to you, "I just made peanut butter cookies," this is what you would expect. Except ...I tried the honey option this time. Mostly because I didn't feel like sitting around waiting for my brown sugar to thaw. And you can tell the difference between the sweetness of sugar and the sweetness of honey, but it's not so huge that you would throw out an entire batch of cookies. Seriously, they're still delicious. Also, watch your oven. The minimum 7 minutes was almost too much for my cookies but they still turned out edible. ****** I'm sure you're wondering when the next cereal review is going to be posted. Probably next Thursday. Next Saturday at the latest.

We've had some weird weather the last two weeks--like Spring and Winter have been playing tug-of-war. Snow, sun, snow and then more sun. It just happened to work out that it snowed Monday and I'd already planned to make one more soup: Slow-Cooker Chicken and Gnocchi. We don't use the Crock Pot nearly enough; I had to dig it out of the back of a cabinet behind all the cookie tins. But it was worth the sore lower back to make this soup. I'd never had gnocchi until I made this soup for the first time a few years ago--or used the new Crock Pot, for that matter. I still haven't made any other dishes with gnocchi; I should amend that sometime this year. But anyway, to the soup: it's hearty, with plenty of chicken and vegetables (although I could have used some more carrots), and the thyme works really well with the gnocchi. By the way, if your gnocchi tastes kind of tart it hasn't cooked long enough. That's what happened to me the first time. I'm glad I...

I felt like making some, at any rate. Of all the things to make from scratch, muffins might actually be the easiest. I would advise trying out muffins before tackling a cake recipe, anyway. So I've had this Basic Breakfast Muffins recipe stashed away for a few months and I finally had a good Sunday to make some. I decided to go with the apple pie variation because I love the idea of combining two different foods (like the new French Toast-flavored Goldfish Grahams--say whaat?) and I also didn't want to make blueberry muffins without my brother around (that's his favorite). Actually, I want to try all of the variations; they all sound tasty. But here's my notes on the Apple Pie muffins: 1. don't be afraid of what looks like a lot of spices; they're needed for flavor and will distribute themselves throughout the batter; 2. they didn't taste as like apple pie as much as they smelled like apple pie. Seriously, the whole house smelled like apple pie for whil...

I thought for sure I'd already shared this recipe but I couldn't find it. So excuse me if you've heard this one before: Smoked Paprika Roasted Salmon with Wilted Spinach. This is one of my very first collected recipes from back in '07. Now I can't remember why I finally decided to start saving recipes--that wasn't a great year for me; I guess I needed something --but I didn't try to tackle fresh salmon for at least two or three years after that. I have a thing about handling raw meats; thankfully, I figured out how to get by with latex (or whatever material they're made out of) gloves. Anyway, back to the salmon. I'd never had smoked paprika before, either. It basically tastes like the name implies: smokier than regular paprika. The sweetness from the brown sugar and cinnamon should help curb your fears if you're still not sure. And a note about the spinach: we used a bag of baby spinach to feed three; it was just enough. If you want more, by ...

I knew I'd written sometime ago that Fiber One 80 calorie honey squares supposedly had an improved flavor and that cereal just happened to cycle back around today. Just from looking it at, you can tell it's supposed to be more appealing. It has more of a glossy coating, which makes it look less dry, and presumably taste sweeter. I didn't think there was that much of a difference in flavor but the texture is certainly less gritty. If it really is just the result of additional honey then I approve. ***** Also, while my brother was home he ate a fair amount of Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch. I should have seen that one coming; he can polish off a box of regular Honey Nut Cheerios. So I guess that's two more thumbs up.

I'm really surprised I haven't mentioned this recipe before. I make other crab cakes but this is the only crab cake burger. I don't know why I like my seafood burgers less spicy than their cake counterparts (the same goes for salmon burgers); it just works out that way. All you need is some tartar sauce and you've got a very filling burger there. It's also not something we have very often; crab meat is definitely a splurge. Huh. Maybe that's why I hadn't written about it yet. Has it been that long? ***** Happy St. Patrick's Day! I totally forgot that was today.

(This wasn't the cereal I had planned to review today but it was such a reasonable price that I had to pick one up yesterday.) So I imagine the brainstorm at General Mills R&D went something like this: Hey, what if we took Honey Nut Clusters and added some Honey Nut Cheerios? That's basically what this is but there's a little more to it. First, the flakes are a little bit bigger than in Honey Nut Clusters. Also, I was expecting more of a bran-like flake anyway but this was the better choice. The clusters are larger too--you can see pieces of almond slivers in them. Come to think of it, the Honey Nut Cheerios seemed larger as well but maybe that was my eyes playing tricks on me. I can understand the need to do this, though; you have to differentiate from those other cereals, otherwise anyone could just mix Honey Nut Cheerios and Honey Nut Clusters. Actually, I can't believe I'd never thought of that one. Oh, and the flavor, in case you were wondering, is ...