Living in a Cereal World

Finally the holiday whirlwind is over and I have a minute to myself 😉. I only had enough time for two new cookies this season (plus my mom's standby sugar cookies) and I didn't stop to take pictures of either. Plus I'm still figuring out logistical issues. I'll get to it soon. So this year I went with these  oatmeal cookies --baked for Santa, the elves, and everyone else. I thought oatmeal cookies were in order following the busyness of the move, but these were a little sweeter than I wanted. Everyone else devoured them, though. And speaking of devouring, what screams "Christmas cookie" like a  mint chocolate chip cookie ? The cookie itself tastes like--and I mean this in the best way--you scooped it out of a tube of Pillsbury dough. The mint chocolate chips just take it over the top. I couldn't find the green-and-chocolate Nestle chips as pictured, so I used Hershey's instead (same mint, all one color). These would probably make awesome ice cream...

Or a picture of a pie. It's been a busy week. Actually, more than a week. There's always something to do, things to unpack and put away and sort, etc. I just baked in the new oven for the first time two days ago, not thirty minutes after finding the whisk. This pie, however, was from Thanksgiving. Oh, hey, I just found it online:  Autumn Apple and Pear Lattice Pie . It was sweet and juicy, thanks to the pears. I just want to point that yes, I know how to lattice correctly, but this recipe specifically made it easy for you non-latticers out there. And it's still pretty! Seriously, it was a good-looking pie. I'm looking forward to taking better pictures with the new abundance of natural light. And of course, looking forward to next year's cereals. That doesn't mean I'm wrapping things up for this year. Stay tuned. 😉

Falling behind again but I'll explain why in a minute. First, to the final frosted Shredded Wheat that I need to review. The flavor was awfully familiar. Duh, you say, it's supposed to taste like s'mores. I mean something else. Something burrowed deep in my brain...like  Ice Cream Cones . No, really. That's what my taste buds hit on. Chocolate, vanilla, and uh, cones. My brother loved it, which I was not expecting. I have no idea if the memory of Ice Cream Cones cereal had something to do with it for him, too. I should've asked him. It never hurts to get another opinion. It's not too chocolate-y but I'll be mixing it with other wheats anyway. ******* And now you should know I'm in the process of moving. You probably shouldn't expect another entry for a week at least. You know how things get crazy this time of year 🎄. Now I have a second crazy on top of my regular crazy and ughhh, there's just not enough hours in the day. Thanks for under...

Wow, has it really been two weeks? I guess the holiday season busy-ness has already started. I've been writing blog entries; I just haven't had a chance to post them. So let's start with my birthday cake. Actually, let's go back a second. It all started in early October when I found this year's Thanksgiving apple pie (separate entry to follow😋). I thought it only made sense to serve a pumpkin cake alongside. As you may know, sometimes my birthday falls close to Thanksgiving. And in those years, leftover birthday cake is one of my dessert contributions 😁. So I was all set to make a pumpkin cake until I read the October issue of Better Homes and Gardens and found this  Double Apple Bundt Cake . (Actually, it's mini-Bundt cakes in the magazine, but I wanted a whole cake.) Looking back,  I've   made   several cakes in the apple/pear family, and maybe I should try something else...? But it was worth it, as usual. You can't go wrong with a Dorie Greensp...

I am a chocolate procrastinator. This cereal came out in what, January? And I didn't buy it until July. And then I didn't open it until September. Today I'm finally getting around to reviewing it. To be fair, I had a shaky summer. A lot of things to prioritize, etc. To also be fair, you know chocolate cereals aren't my most favorite thing, so I was probably holding off subconsciously.😁 So why did I even buy this one? I suppose it's because I liked the  other   flavors and didn't think this one would be that chocolatey. And it isn't. The  multigrain flakes have a subtle cocoa powder-ish flavor by virtue of being packed with the actual chocolate elements. The oat clusters also look more chocolatey than they taste. This is not a complaint, though. I'll slowly be eating this cereal mixed with others when I'm in the mood for a hit of chocolate.

Although, if you ask me, they should have gone ahead and called it "Honey Vanilla Almond." I mean, they're right there on the front of the box, prominently sticking out of the flakes. On the other hand, inside the box there's not an overwhelming amount of nuts. Okay, Quaker, point taken. When I tried this the first time I appreciated the understated flavor: a little honey, a little vanilla, but mostly oat-y. As of this morning, I still do. It was a nice base for some blueberries. Now that I've had  both flavors a few times I'm finally getting used to the thick, grainy flakes and not pouring too much. I could use some more clusters but that's a minor quibble. Overall, this gets a 👍.

I know I should be getting back to the cereal reviews but this was right on my tongue and I wanted to share it:  Autumn Sweet Potato and Mushroom Soup . I mean literally, I just ate the leftovers for lunch. A while back I made a Sweet Potato and Quinoa Soup and while I loved it, not everybody *cough*mom*cough* likes the texture of quinoa. So I when I came across this soup I jumped at the chance to try it--yes, even with the blended mushrooms. It sounds weird, but it works. Imagine savory mashed sweet potatoes. Now add vegetable stock and reheat. That's basically it, and it's delicious. I won't lie, it's work to dice those potatoes and later transfer everything to the blender (someday I will get an immersion blender) but it's worth it . 😋 ********* Also one of my least favorite tasks? Grating carrots. Also totally worth it? These muffins: They're called  Oatmeal Muffins with Blueberries , so just don't tell anyone about the carrots. 😉 They're...

Is Quaker living its best gingerbread spice Life? Well...not exactly. The first time I opened the box for a quick taste I gave it the sniff test and got nothing but cardboard so I figured I'd give it another chance when it came time for the full review. Second chance: still no gingerbread scent. That should have given me a hint as to the flavor. If you love gingerbread/ginger cookies (count me as one of those people) then you will be disappointed. I wanted to be eating a rich ginger-molasses breakfast in a bowl but all I got was subtlety. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate a subtle flavor--in this instance, ginger--but the box was misleading. Actually, if they just marketed this as ginger/spice Life I'd buy it all year long. It's good enough to not limit it to holiday sales. It's just not gingerbread. ******* In other Quaker news, I need to issue a teensy apology. I may have been a little harsh when reviewing their  Overnight Oats (to be fair, it was just...

Okay, so I haven't totally given up on pumpkin-related foods. And last week I suddenly had an urge to bake. I started with this  Pumpkin Banana Bread . I like pumpkin bread, I like banana bread, so why not? I did have a few chunks of banana that I didn't quite mash all the way but maybe I like my banana bread chunky😛. And of course I gave some away; otherwise I wouldn't have made that particular recipe. Now what to do with the rest of the can? Oh, right, I printed off this recipe for  Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies . You know Sally knows her cookies. What I didn't know was that you could blot your pumpkin to get the moisture out to avoid cake-y cookies. You know how after a few days they get kind of gummy? Well, not these. They are chewy, they are oat-y, they are pumpkin-y. I also subbed white chocolate chips because that's all I had and I was super-busy last week. So, obviously, no pictures. (Sad trombone.) But the holidays will be here before yo...

I'm sticking my tongue out at pumpkin and going straight to my other fall favorites--cranberry and apple. Oh, hello blog, I didn't forget about you. Let's just say it's been a rough two weeks. I don't really want to get into it, maybe after some distance and time to decompress. Right now I just want to write about this cereal. Is this hard to find where you are? It certainly is here. I only know of one area grocery store carrying it. Even then I waited for a sale before buying it and now it's awfully close to the to the 'Best By' date (this particular store--which shall remain nameless--does this a lot👎). But I opened it over the weekend and it's still fresh so that's good. It's also extremely filling thanks to those grains (oats, wheat, rice). The dried cranberries were a little on the chewy side but not inedible. My one complaint is that I didn't see any dried apple pieces. I could taste apple on the flakes so I know it's in ...

Since this was a  surprisingly popular entry last year, I thought I'd do it again. A great way to wrap up summer, even though summer doesn't seem to be done wrapping us up. 😵 Mixed Berries and Banana Smoothie . I honestly don't remember this one. I would've had this back in May when it first stared warming up. Mango Pineapple Smoothie with Wheat Germ . For when you buy a jar of wheat germ for one recipe and don't know what to do with the rest of it. Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie . I really should have taken notes on all of these. But anyway, there's a lot of good smoothie recipes at Gimme Some Oven. Mixed Berry Smoothie. I can't find it on the website but it's on the back of the unsweetened vanilla (shelf-stable) Almond Breeze. Strawberry-Pineapple Smoothie. Same as above, except it's the original unsweetened Almond Breeze. I used a lot of pineapple this summer. Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie . I love dessert-inspired smoothies, and smoot...

I promised I'd let you know what I did with the rest of the pumpkin leftover from the  cake . So here it is: first I made this  Pumpkin Granola . I know, I know, kind of expected but I was ready for some scratch granola. It's a bit on the chewy side but that's what happens when you work with pumpkin. Then I did something a bit more unexpected: I finally made a savory pumpkin recipe. Pumpkin, Sausage and Spinach Calzones . I realized after I took the picture that a hot, melty-cheesy calzone would've made for a more appealing image (than this leftover from the fridge) but at the time I really just wanted to eat 😛. And it was delicious. I've never worked with frozen pizza dough or made a calzone before but I will definitely do both again 😁!

The second of three flavors to  try . I don't know exactly what Post is up to but they're definitely giving Frosted Mini-Wheats a run for their money. First, the sniff test; instead of the whole box I just sniffed one piece--it smelled like cinnamon sugar. Then I tasted it and got a hint of vanilla; just enough, not over- or underwhelming. I was afraid it would have a gooey vanilla frosting center so I was glad that wasn't the case. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) the cinnamon and vanilla flavors complemented each other nicely. I wouldn't exactly call it a cinnamon roll, but I'd still call it good. 😊

Yes, I finally got to this last weekend. 🙌 Sniff test first, as always: it took a few sniffs to get a hint of blueberry. As I poured I thought, why do we need this when there's already  Blueberry Toast Crunch ? (And then I forgot to taste the dry cereal!) Well, it turns out there's some differences. This is a blueberry-flavored Rice Chex. Toast Crunch has an oats and corn base. Also Blueberry Chex has molasses in the ingredients list and Blueberry Toast Crunch does not. That's basically it. Now does the molasses blunt the blueberry flavor? Because this is my only complaint. If you're looking for a gluten-free blueberry-flavored cereal, Blueberry Chex is one. If you're looking for a stronger blueberry flavor, go with the Blueberry Toast Crunch.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled cereal reviews (they're coming, honest!) to bring you this: Happy Wednesday. 🎉 Seriously, though, somehow it's already time to find another carrot cake for my dad's birthday. I didn't make one for Father's Day--I opted for  carrot cake waffles --so I kind of owed him a cake. This year, since I'm trying not to buy all the pumpkin products in existence (yes, including the cereals 😲) I thought I'd do one pumpkin thing and call it a day. Enter the  Carrot Pumpkin Bundt Cake . I don't like a lot of icing, dad loves carrot cake, we both love pumpkin...everybody's a winner. The important thing to remember is that pumpkin moistens your baked goods. I expected this, of course, but still not to the degree of scrumptiousness (yes, that's a word!) that resulted. Okay, maybe there was a little bit of buttermilk aftertaste but that can be rectified by getting a hit of icing in each bite. It was not a cake-br...

Finally! I'm back and eating cereal. Two new ones already. But let's start with the first one. So I'm a fan of Cascadian Farm cereals and granola. They're in the rotation. And I'm a fan of vanilla, chia seeds, and crunchy cereals. That makes this a no-brainer, right? Well... First I tried the "crunch," which is just small bits of their Oats and Honey granola. In hindsight I should've tried the flakes first because I think having that honey flavor hit my taste buds colored the following opinion. The flakes were dry and toasty--almost burnt--with the chia seeds baked in. I was expecting more of a nutty aftertaste like with flax seeds, but, you know, that's a totally different seed. What I didn't get was any vanilla flavor. I thought maybe it's just really, really subtle but looking at the ingredients list I don't even see vanilla 😕. Is that the "natural" flavor? I really wanted more vanilla. Capital V Vanilla. But not so...

Ugh, wow, it's been over a week. 👎 One more trip, just one more, and then I hope to stay put for a month. I have three new cereals in the queue, and I should be getting to all of them next week. Plus this summer's Smoothie List, since last year's version was surprisingly  popular . In the meantime, I've been eating these  Quinoa Breakfast Bars all month. How does a bar hold together with no flour? Very carefully. Actually, if you use dried fruit instead of the fresh blueberries it might hold its shape better. And I'm still on the fence about buying pumpkin cereals this year. 😲 I know, I know, but it's pumpkin! Plus cereal! I am not on the fence about baking with pumpkin, however. When Fall comes, I want those Fall flavors.

I think I must be on a banana kick. My original intent was just to use up some peanut butter chips; I'm not sure how the banana snuck in there. So I got up early one day last week and made these  Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies for my brother before he left. It was well past time for me to make a non-oatmeal cookie--in fact, maybe the first time this year. Maybe the only time this year. What can I say, I love oatmeal, with or without the cookies. Anyway, if it sounds like that's a lot of flavors for one cookie, fret not, they're really good. The flavors complement each other, and if you bite one just right you get the peanut butter followed by the chocolate with banana bringing up the rear. To continue the baking with bananas theme (I keep wanting to add an extra "na" on there) I also made this  Cinnamon Sugar Zucchini Banana Bread . Out of several options I think I ended up with this one because I could finish up some buttermilk. I had a perfectl...

This is one of those cereals I picked up on a whim--I couldn't find what I looking for so I thought I'd try this in the meantime. I've reviewed Flax Plus cereals before so I knew what I was getting into with regards to the flakes but the berries were a new twist. Now I'm not the biggest fan of freeze-dried strawberries (this is why I still haven't had Special K Red Berries yet) but this has freeze-dried raspberries as well, which helped. Why? I'm not sure. I love how berries being sealed in a bag with flakes gives the flakes a hint of berries as well--it just adds another layer of deliciousness. Also, you may be hesitant to spend good money on such a small box of cereal; I realize now that I can't eat but a small bowl of this anyway. It's ridiculously filling. ***** (Okay, now don't be surprised if you don't hear from me again until next week.)👋

It's been a while, hasn't it? I have to keep kicking the guilt every time I feel I could be doing something more important. Well, blogging is important to me , right? But back to the cereal. 🎉 I haven't had Honeycomb in years because they changed the flavor a while back. (You can read my disappointment  here and  here .) So when I found out Post had "improved" the recipe, I figured now was as good a time as any to try it. The first thing I noticed was the new look. Underneath it's the same shape and texture but Honeycomb now has a shiny layer spackled over it. My first thought was, this looks like buttered popcorn. My second thought was, no, like Corn Pops. Which was exactly what my brother said: "They made Honeycomb like Corn Pops." That's not how I would've gone about improving it, but okay. As for the flavor, I wouldn't exactly call it an improvement. If anything, it's more generic. Like they should've changed the nam...

I know I said cereal would be next but I have one more roundup of other foods first. Firstly, these Make-It-Mine Oatmeal Cookies from Better Homes & Gardens. Some people may not want to have to make all these decisions but I love love love options. I will tweak recipes anyway but this customizable oatmeal cookie is like an edible Choose Your Own Adventure (and you know it will end well). And mine happened to come out tasting like one of my favorite retired cereals, Multi Grain Peanut Butter Cheerios. Here's what I opted for:  butter plus peanut butter brown sugar plus granulated sugar allspice maple flavoring (I used extract--I think those are actually two different things) AP flour plus wheat germ mixed dried fruit bits (which I actually couldn't find so I chopped up regular dried mixed fruit) So why did it taste like Peanut Butter Cheerios? The combination of oats, peanut butter, and maple would be my guess. ****** Next, I just wanted to share this...

It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I've been busy, plus I needed time to finish some cereal before restocking. But there'll be some reviews coming up next, plus an interesting cookie recipe. Since I've been doing some traveling, I thought it was a good time to try Quaker's new packaged Overnight Oats. They come in a lidded tub, not unlike their Real Medleys oatmeal. Of course you need a lid to keep it covered overnight (the next morning? Not so helpful, so watch yourself). I tried the two flavors I could eat: Blueberry Banana & Vanilla Bliss and Toasted Coconut & Almond Crunch. As you might know, I can't do walnuts and only a small amount of pecans (so I'm not going to take the time to pick most of them out). I have no issue with the flavor, only the texture. If you add only milk, you get runny oats. You could almost drink that 😛. The second time I added Greek yogurt, hoping that would thicken it up a bit but somehow it ended up even more ru...

I really only bought this to serve as a neutral base for the new Frosted Shredded Wheat flavors, but if you like plain cereals, have at it. I should clarify: there's actually a little bit of cane sugar in there--I was surprised and did not expect to taste any sweetness. But it's not that much, so it serves my purpose as a mixer. If you've ever had any of the other Kashi wheat biscuit options, you know what you're in for. ********* And since that wasn't much of a review, here's a bonus review: *limited edition* Cocoa Puffs Ice Cream Scoops . Since this wasn't actually my box I didn't have a bowl, just a taste. And it tasted...the same? I honestly could not tell the difference between chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. They all tasted like a powdery, vaguely vanilla...thing.  But, you know, small sample size and all. Maybe if the cocoa part of the puffs had a stronger cocoa flavor, that might've helped? I don't know. Slice some bananas on ther...

It seems Shredded Wheat has decided to get into the Frosted game. That's good; Mini-Wheats could use the competition. I decided to start with the Mixed Berry so I could compare it to the  raspberry-filled Mini-Wheats I already had on hand (did you know they still made this? I never really thought about it until last month). Anyhoo, as always, I started with the sniff test. I'd call it a "generic berry" scent. Then came the taste test. It took me a second to reacquaint myself with the texture of Shredded Wheat--it's been a while. They're closer to a square-shape than Mini-Wheats and also chewier. I'm sure the berry filling factors in there. According to the box, the frosting is blueberry--and obviously, the filling is mixed berry--but it all tasted like Fruity Pebbles to me. Maybe I should bite off the frosted half to get a better idea of the flavor next time. I would still rank the aforementioned Mini-Wheats ahead of this (and  Berry Fruitful even hi...

Let's say you have buttermilk in your fridge. You used it in one recipe. Now what? Well, there's always  Sally's Favorite Cornbread . Since that post last year, that's become my go-to cornbread. I've made it plain, with blueberries, with bacon (and dark brown sugar). You can't go wrong there. What I actually bought buttermilk for was this  Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake . I rarely get to make birthday cakes for my sister anymore since she's not around much, so of course I was going to make exactly what she requested. Okay, so she wasn't that specific: "strawberries or blueberries" gave me some wiggle room. This cake was basically a pound cake with blueberries. Just so you know. And even though it says to only butter your Bundt pan I strongly suggest using a baking spray with flour. I lost a small chunk of cake but was able to put it back together and nobody minded. Cake is cake. Then I felt like making scones but I needed to get away from ...

(I really debated how to spell the title of this post. As a former English major, misspellings really bug me but I wanted the pronunciation to come across. And you know I'm not really a stickler for grammar here so...I guess everything balances out?) So how was your holiday? Mine was superhero-rrific and berry-tacular. Meaning I finally saw Wonder Woman and made these  Healthy Blueberry Muffins . My brother is visiting and one of his favorite things ever is blueberry muffins. Especially uncomplicated blueberry muffins. No crumb toppings. No hidden jelly fillings. The oats in these get a pass because you don't really notice them. I was able to try out my new muffin tin and these slid right out. And just so you know, Erin's storage method also works great. No sweaty muffins or gummy texture. But now on to the pie. I'm sure that's what you're here for. Last week I realized I had a pie crust in the freezer that needed to be used and an occasion for baking a p...

I'm not sure who thinks "You know what Blueberry Special K needs? Lemon!" but okay, I'll go with it. My old review of Blueberry Special K doesn't mention it so I'm assuming the flakes were multigrain back then, too. The blueberry-flavored oat clusters are definitely the same, so that leaves only the new lemon cluster component, which is sort of--yogurt-y? You know how cereals sometimes have "yogurt" clusters? It tastes like that. Not exactly sweet and not exactly tart. Actually, sort of like a lemon yogurt, now that I think about it. And yes, it does work with the blueberry flavor. Still not sure if it was necessary to "upgrade" a perfectly good cereal, but so be it. If Special K wants to put twists on all their regular flavors, I'm game to try it. ****** And now I'll be taking a break from reviews for a few weeks. I need to finish a few boxes before bringing any more new products into the house!😛

The title of this post comes from my mother pointing out that my dad got two forms of cake for Father's Day. The first was an actual cake: Peach Cobbler Loaf Cake . Here's mine: I might have thinned that glaze a teensy bit too much but with all that crumble (seriously, it's a lot of crumble) you don't even really need the glaze. I chose this cake because my dad is not a big fan of actual cobbler (boo). If it doesn't have a bottom crust, he's not into it. But cobbler as cake? Why not? And, bonus, the cake itself actually tastes like a cake donut. Flavor and texture. The second "cake" was actually Carrot Cake Waffles . I know I've mentioned before that my dad looooves carrot cake. In fact, I think he bought himself a slice a few weeks back. He must've found out I wasn't making one this time around. Luckily, he loved these. He ate two! I made a few tweaks, though. I didn't make the syrup because--and I'm sure I've said ...

You know, I never tried this back when it was called "Pecan Bunches" because I assumed the pecans were in the bunches and I wasn't sure I could handle that many pecans. But I decided to go ahead and try this new version since it had a new flavor. Maple, brown sugar, what's not to love? And it turns out that the pecans are not in the bunches, they're a separate component. So it's flakes, pecans, oat bunches. Got it? Cool. As for the flavor, I detected more maple than brown sugar, which is not a problem for me. If it had been the other way around? Still not a problem. It's also not an overwhelming flavor, which is one of my favorite features of all Honey Bunches of Oats. I appreciate subtlety sometimes! 😃 I didn't have a lot of pecans; I'm assuming they're in the bottom of the box. I'll give it a good shake next time. ****** Next entry: I'm sure you want to know what I did for Father's Day...Happy Father's Day to all the d...

Somehow I knew this would be my next cereal. After the whole Toast Crunch  thing, it was stuck in my brain and relayed to my taste buds. Then I read an article somewhere (I can't remember where) ranking all the Toast Cereals and this one was ranked last. So I was disappointed and intrigued at the same time. And now, having tasted it for myself I can say...don't panic. You know I do a sniff test first. The contents of the bag were extremely apple-cinnamon-y (yeah, I just made that a word) and reminded me of Entenmann's apple strudel. Do they still make that? Anyway, they're the same square puffs of toast as the strawberry and blueberry ones but they have a tie to the original Cinnamon Toast Crunch--it's the cinnamon. If it is possible to isolate the apple and cinnamon flavors for a second or two, you will find that the cinnamon tastes exactly like in Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I thought that was a nice touch. I also didn't experience any kind of let down at all. I...

(You'll get the connection.) I don't know why I keep posting on Sundays. I'm not trying to make it a thing ; it just keeps happening. Once I have a few more cereal reviews I should be back up to twice a week at least. Today I wanted to share a few things I've made recently. First, this Irish Soda Bread from Sally's Baking Addiction. I've made Irish soda bread before but this one, by far, was the biggest. So big I had to freeze half of it. Even though it was more dough to work with it still wasn't difficult. A little bit of kneading and then let it do its thing. Oh, and definitely cover it halfway through. I didn't and I wasn't happy with the browning on top. A bit much for me. Next up, this morning I decided to try these Ham and Cheese Baked Egg Cups . It's like omelets, only baked, so everybody gets to eat at once. Not to mention have convenient leftovers. I would only suggest adding a little extra salt and pepper to each cup before baking t...

Actually, twice. After giving away a sample of this cake I was asked to make another one. So that was a first. Oh, I almost forgot the picture: This is a Chocolate-Sweet Potato Marble Pound Cake. Check out that marble. The entire batter is made with sweet potato, then you remove 1 cup for the center layer and add cocoa powder to the rest. You can probably also see chunks of sweet potato that didn't quite get mixed in. The problem was that I didn't roast my large one-pounder of a sweet potato quite long enough. I had to break up the hard parts and microwave them several times to get it soft enough to work. Obviously I didn't make that mistake with cake #2. I ended up roasting the potato for about 78 minutes. Also, I can't find the recipe online anywhere. It's a tear out from Reynolds Kitchens--probably out of a Food Network magazine from a few Thanksgivings ago--but not on the website (theirs or FN's). I don't really feel comfortable retyping it but ...

I told you there'd be baking over the three-day weekend. I was searching for a quick bread or cake that incorporated pears and settled on this Honey Pear Bread . Since my grandmother was to be the recipient of some this bread--the recipe made two loaves!--I opted for her preferred honey, Gunter's. Luckily, it's sold in stores up here. And since I've only used it for this recipe, I have yet to compare it to old-school Sue Bee. But on to the bread. It's ridiculously moist, as you would expect from a bread made with extremely juicy pears. It's also loaded with spices. The flavor reminds me of a Betty Crocker spice cake except, you know, from scratch. I also didn't really pick up on the honey flavor, so I'm wondering if it's purpose was to amplify the sweetness--or the spice-ness. Or to balance out the pears. Not that it matters. Still a winner. ****** Then I decided at the last minute to make something for my visiting sister. I always end up making...

So I didn't read the back of the box until I went to open this and found that there are seeds in these clusters. I don't have a problem with any seeds but if you have an issue with sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or chia seeds then this is a heads up for you. As for me, I was intrigued. I've had plenty of flake cereals with clusters over the years but they're usually made with oats. Maybe also with nuts. But seeds and almonds? Of course I had to sample a cluster first. The combination of nuts, seeds and honey brought back memories of my late, lamented Nut & Honey Crunch . Other than your typical sugary kid fare that was my favorite cereal growing up. It's funny how your taste buds can conjure up memories. Those Bear Naked bears must have some kind of magic honey. So now I'm torn over whether this or the Coconut Clusters  is my favorite flavor. I guess the Chocolate & Almond Clusters will have to be the tiebreaker next month.

...because sometimes I have all these little items that don't warrant a full blog post: In breakfast breads, Dave's Killer Bread  has a new raisin bread that I'll be trying soon. I'm hoping it'll be a gateway bread to some of their other breads. Also, Thomas' had to go and make a S'mores  English muffin. Well, if you insist...😛 You know I haven't mentioned any dinners since last summer? So here's two: Lemon Garlic Herb Shrimp Packets , which I served over orzo (and a note: because I didn't divide the shrimp mixture evenly, some packets took longer to cook than others); and Pork and Noodle Bowl . Super simple and super-filling. I know you're wondering, where's the cereal reviews? Probably not 'til next weekend. I have two in the pipeline, and some Memorial Day baking. We had a sneak preview of summer weather last week, so I think my body's getting acclimated. Seasonal pies, anyone?

My mom is a late pancake convert, probably because we had so much Aunt Jemima as kids. I could see losing your taste for pancakes after that. But then, about six or seven years ago, I decided I wanted to try making buttermilk pancakes. My mom loved them so much that now she's on board with any of my pancake experiments (see Bacon Apple Pancakes , Apple Cinnamon Pancakes , Pumpkin Pancakes ). Which is good because today's pancakes did not involve buttermilk. A couple of weeks ago my mom happened to notice my almond butter and casually mentioned that she'd like to try it. Since I insist on eating almond butter warmed, I now had this idea in the back of my mind for Mother's Day. Enter the Almond Butter Pancakes . The batter was runnier than I expected but puffed a bit as I waited for the pan to heat. The pancakes themselves were also on the thin side but keep in mind that almond butter is filling. If you're looking to stretch these without doubling the recipe, defini...

...Somehow they end up in healthy muffins . (I know they don't look like much, but all the apricot goodness is inside.) So I have this jar of wheat germ I'm determined not to waste, and I also happened to have this recipe for Apricot-Wheat Germ muffins .  And some buttermilk I needed to finish. Sometimes these meals just plan themselves. Now you may ask, another healthy apricot muffin? Ugh, what's the point? Well, buttermilk is the point. Dried apricots plumped in orange juice is the point. And if not those points then a cakey-but-moist, tender and fluffy muffin will win you over. Fluffy muffin. Try saying that three times fast. Seriously, though, it's the kind of muffin you'll want to keep eating. Flavor-wise and texture, too. But pace yourself. They're also filling.

I can go for that. Continuing my quest to use up an entire can of pumpkin, I made this Cinnamon Pumpkin Granola  the other day. I had a craving for pumpkin seeds so I substituted half of the nuts with those. Now you know how much I love cinnamon, and truth in recipe names, so it's a good thing the cinnamon is listed first. If you're also a cinnamon fan, this has plenty of flavor for you. If you're not big on cinnamon, you still might like this. The addition of honey makes the cinnamon taste lighter, as opposed to a deeper cinnamon flavor that may not be for everyone. Also, surprisingly, the honey didn't make the granola sticky and clumpy. If you prefer your granola less cluster-y and more pourable, this is the kind of granola for you, too. The only thing missing? No fruit. I'm not saying it's necessary; it just dawned on me as I was eating some a few minutes ago that there was no chewy fruit texture going on in my mouth. Finally, of course I had to make s...

First, I wanted to say that I picked my name five years ago from an inside joke on a website I used to frequent back then. I couldn't have known that "fyre" would still be in use by people today. But you, both regular and occasional readers, well know that when you come here you'll get more than a cheese sandwich. 😉👍 Now, on to the pumpkin. Why pumpkin now? The question should be, why not pumpkin now? I really wanted to make these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Scones  but since they didn't use that much canned pumpkin I had to find more recipes. Now I'm getting ahead of myself. If you check out that recipe you may be surprised that I would ever make a recipe that called for two different sources of chocolate. Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking, either. I bought semisweet chips instead of milk chocolate so I cut back on both. Even with roughly half of the cocoa powder they still came out a nice chocolatey color and had plenty of chocolate flavor...

For the last couple of years I've bought a box of Do-Si-Dos (Peanut Butter Patties) as my post-Lent reward but, you know, this year I didn't see a single booth anywhere! I guess all the scouts around here were just selling online. As a former Girl Scout myself, I can speak to the benefits of learning to do face-to-face sales. Having to put yourself out there, be polite, manage money...all great skills to have. But anyway, this year I had to be satisfied with this new Caramel Crunch cereal, inspired by Samoas. When I was a kid this was my favorite GS cookie (followed by Tagalongs), so my standards may have been a bit on the high side. It had a strong scent of caramel and tasted like caramel dusted with cocoa powder. Unfortunately it had that texture that drives me crazy, sort of gritty and crispy, although the aftertaste didn't hit me until after adding milk. Even then it was only a few bites. This one will require more tasting. I like to get own second opinion. I can s...

I am of the belief that one shouldn't save certain recipes for certain times of the year. Apple pie? Good anytime. Cranberries? Not just for Thanksgiving. So last weekend I made this Currant-Orange Irish Soda Bread . I wasn't about to wait another year for St. Patrick's Day to come around to try this. You may recall that I made my first Irish soda bread last year , but this was the first time I tried currants. I mean that literally. I'd never had currants before; I didn't even know what they were. According to Google, Zante currants--the kind I used; look for them next to the golden raisins--are a dried fruit made from "Black Corinth" grapes. So if you were thinking, hey, these look like tiny raisins, you're basically right. And now that I know, I need more currant recipes. As for this soda bread, I was surprised by the texture. I could've sworn my previous soda bread was drier and more crumbly but this one was somehow fluffy and crumbly. It a...

I've been looking forward to trying the new Bear Naked cereals; I'm a fan of their straightforward granola. So if a cereal is called "Toasted Coconut Clusters" I expect toasted coconut clusters. Well, I got that and then some. Honestly, I would've been happy with some random grain flakes, oat clusters, and coconut flakes. But I feel like a lot of care went into developing this cereal. Everything smells like coconut, everything tastes like coconut. It has a nice hearty wheat and rice flake, nothing skimpy or small. The crunchy oat clusters actually have toasted coconut inside --I thought I was just tasting absorbed coconut scent. You know how that happens when elements of a cereal mingle in the box: all those flavors mix together. But that extra step is a big plus. So if you like coconut cereals and flakes that don't immediately go limp in milk, give this one a try. If they had a spoon symbol, I'd rate it sixteen spoons. Instead, uh, go with this: 👌💚

I've had this cereal on my list for a year at least and it's finally available in my area--I didn't have to make a special trip to Wegmans to get it. If you're not familiar with Nature's Path('s) Sunrise line, it's like Kix mixed with Rice Krispies and Corn Flakes. But replace some of those ordinary grains with brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat and flax seeds. I like a variety of grains, and it's easier when the cereal does it for me. I've already reviewed the vanilla  and maple  flavors; the honey is also a good one. I don't know if I'm giving it a favorable review because I really really missed cereal during Lent or because going forty days without cereal turned out to be a great palate cleanser--either way I genuinely liked this. I especially liked the way the honey plus the flax seeds in the flakes combined for a honey-nutty flavor. ***** Next up: something new!

I did it; it's done. I went how long without cereal? Six weeks? (Basically; for organizational purposes my weeks are "off" here.) But yeah, here's how it ended: Monday: Blueberry Pie Oatmeal . I'm glad this was the last week of Lent because it's getting a bit too warm for my hot cereal tolerance. This oatmeal, though--totally worth taking a few extra minutes to cook down some blueberries. Tuesday: Peanut Butter, Oat, and Banana Smoothie . Like I said before, I'll be taking a break from peanut butter for the rest of the month. This was a delicious smoothie, though. I went ahead and used a whole banana (for one serving). Wednesday: I decided to try these Feta Eggs  because I had a little bit of feta that I didn't want to waste. I'd never had tomatoes in scrambled eggs before--but maybe a couple of times in restaurant omelets--so I must say I was surprised by the sweetness. Maybe more feta would've balanced that out. It wasn't bad, thoug...

Ok, so here's what happened: I picked up a can of Crescent Roll sheets by accident--this never happens, I'm usually very careful--and I couldn't let them go to waste. I decided to head over to the Pillsbury and look up basically every apple recipe they had, which led me to this: Apple Strudel . It calls for regular crescent rolls but using a full sheet makes it easier. The trickiest part is rolling it up and transferring it to the cookie sheet without losing any of the filling. And as I tend to do, I took a picture of what was left: You can see that I didn't dust it with powdered sugar. I didn't miss it, but it would've looked nice for presentation purposes. Also, I managed to catch it before my super-hot oven burned it (approx. 22 min.) so the powdered sugar might've masked any burnt-taste issues as well.

Well, it's almost over and I must say, it's gotten easier as the weeks go by. I should wait until my post-Lent wrap-up to cover What I've Learned, though. So last week: Monday: Still working my way through the Damn Delicious Overnight Oats . This time I had Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake. And maybe blue yogurt and berry seeds aren't the best thing to eat before going to the dentist but I wanted something light. Tuesday: I made two more pancake sandwiches . That recipe made a lot of pancakes. I can still make one more meal out of them. Wednesday: Two more Banana Oatmeal Cups (see previous link). Again, it made enough to last several weeks and they're still delicious. Thursday: Something new-- Broccoli & Parmesan Cheese Omelet . And filling. I really can't eat that many eggs. Not with toast on the side. I had to share that omelet. Friday: Another new one-- Crunchy Peanut Butter Bulgur with Berries . I thought I'd try it because it had all the component...

Before I forget, there's something I need to blog about. Healthy-ish Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars . I just wanted to take a stab at making cookies in bar form. Never did I think they'd go over so well. I really only thought of this recipe as perfect to use up my mini chocolate chips and a good portion of almond butter. So like I said, this was my first time making bar cookies. I was worried they'd come out doughy and the finished product didn't exactly quell my fears. Maybe if I'd eaten one while it was still warm it would've been gooey and I would've been disappointed. But I waited, and it was fine. Definitely thoroughly baked. The surprise was how much everyone loved them. All gave some variation of "I can't stop eating them." I think the almond butter is the secret. It elevated my bars from ordinary chocolate chip cookies to something...you just can't put your finger on it but you know you want more. I need to bake with almond butter a...

You didn't think I'd get through a list without a making a Pearl Jam reference--just kidding. I guess I'm upbeat because there's only two weeks to go. It has been getting easier, though. Monday: more leftover oatmeal cups . These have really come in handy. Tuesday: I started with this recipe for yogurt and blueberry parfaits  but then decided defrosting my blueberries in the microwave would have to do. I made these cranberry granola bars for my sister and crumbled one over my parfait. It was basically the same amount I would've used of regular granola. Also, they're quite good. See? Sort of. I keep forgetting not to take pictures on foil. Wednesday: Cinnamon Toast PB&J . When all this is over, I don't think I'm going to touch peanut butter for a month. That being said, this was a nice treat. I haven't had cinnamon toast in the oven since I was a kid. Whenever we had a family hot cereal day my mom would always make cinnamon toast go with...

Mostly to myself. I've been tinkering. I'm not done, but I wanted to put it up anyway. The title and image behind the title are subject to change. I'll figure it out when I have more time. 😉

Surely you didn't think I'd get through this list without dropping an NKOTB reference, did you? Although I'll be honest, back in the late '80s I was a kid and didn't get what all the fuss was about boys. It was just the popular music of the time to me. So anyway, breakfast: Monday: I used the leftover skillet apple from the Peanut Butter Toast  to make Apple Pie Overnight Oats  (yeah, so going in order isn't going to happen after all). I have a feeling that made it even more delicious than it would've been otherwise. Leftovers! 🎉 Tuesday: I finally had a day to make Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches . I've actually wanted to try this for a while. And since I wanted one on Tuesday, I actually ate an unfrozen breakfast sandwich. I would imagine the reheated ones had lots of melty-cheese goodness, though. Wednesday: Leftover Banana Oatmeal Cups (see last week's entry). I found that after reheating them they got a bit crumbly with a fork and would work...

Since it looks as if Spring is finally here with no take-backsies 🌷, I thought I'd better hurry up and add this entry. A few weeks ago we had a snow day that ended up being a washout (so to speak), no school delays or anything, but I decided to go ahead and make these Chewy Molasses Cookies  anyway. This wasn't the recipe I was planning to make but I changed my mind at the last second when flipping through an old Cooking Light issue. I just had a taste for molasses that week. No chocolate, no oats. And they were indeed chewy, with just enough sweetness to balance out the ginger. Why aren't they called "ginger cookies?" That's a good question. Maybe it's not enough ginger. And then last week we had the one big snow of the season. A last-minute Winter dump. A foot and a half of snow. Luckily, thanks to the Spring sun, that snow is just about gone. But on a cold and snowy day all I wanted to do was bake a coffee cake. I've been holding to this recipe f...

I guess Mother Nature is having a change of heart. By next weekend it should be in the 60s and the snow will be out of here. I hope. Anyway, breakfasts. The only good thing about last week's cold weather was the need for hot breakfasts. Monday: leftover Spanish tortilla  and fruit with granola. I realized I have to make a conscious effort to eat fruit with breakfast everyday since it's not on my cereal. Tuesday: I started with this Strawberry and Yogurt Parfait  recipe but made some changes to accommodate the vanilla yogurt I needed to finish. Wednesday: Oh, this was a good one. I took four banana oat pancakes (see last week's entry) and made two little sandwiches. Here's exactly what I did: I started with four small pancakes--I made them small for this purpose--and toasted them according to the recipe reheating instructions. Then I microwaved them anyway, and they didn't fall apart like I thought they would. Next I spread roughly a teaspoon of almond butter ...

Not the snow. No, I think nearly a foot and a half of snow is hard to miss. 😛 But the sun's taking care of it. Come on, already, Spring! So actually I was referring to this Chocolate Banana Bread . I told you I was on a chocolate kick, and I'm still not sure why. I did worry, though, that this would be too chocolatey. Especially since I still haven't figured out the trick to splitting up batter and made too much of it chocolate-flavored. Also, it was getting really browned toward the end of the bake time so I took it out too early and had some chocolate goo at the bottom. Now you might like chocolate goo, but next time I'll just turn the temperature down and let the bread bake the whole way. I gave half the loaf away and only had the opportunity to eat one slice. I think, subconsciously, I didn't think I would like it so I didn't stake my claim to any more of it. But it wasn't bad. Maybe could've used more banana. I guess I like my banana bread a l...

I'm gearing up for this next round of snow. I really thought we were in the clear--Spring's like, ten days away!--but no, Winter's not through with us yet. 👎 At least there's more hot breakfasts on the horizon. So, here's Week 2: Monday: Chai Spice and Pear Oatmeal , which I've made before . The other half of my pear (from the previous Friday) was still good, so of course I couldn't waste it. Tuesday: Peachy Keen Granola Parfait , wherein I learned I'm not allergic to thawed frozen peaches. Yay! Wednesday: I made a wrap with peanut butter, fruit spread, strawberries and granola. It was kind of a combination of several recipes. Thursday: Cheese Frittata in a Cup. I can't find the exact recipe but there's plenty of other versions out there. It's just two eggs, cheese, a tablespoon of milk, salt and pepper. Mix in a mug, microwave for a minute, stirring every 20 seconds. I'd never micro-cooked eggs before so I erred on the side of...

Well, not so much the pancakes but more knowing that the pancakes made other people happy...makes me happy. Get it? So I was flipping through one of my dinner recipe binders and found this 50 Things to Make with Bacon  booklet. And then I flipped through, not expecting to find any breakfast recipes. But there it was, #45: Bacon Apple Pancakes  (that's a link to another blogger who made it). I've made all kinds of pancakes, waffles, and stuffed French toasts but I've never put meat in any of those. Ham in eggs? Sure. Bacon in pancakes? Umm...if it wasn't for the apples, I don't think I would've tried it. 😅 But everyone loved it. I can't imagine ever going back to buttermilk-less pancakes. Not for the family, anyway. As for me, I will test that sentiment Friday. ******* Yes, I realize I missed National Cereal Day yesterday. I tried not to think about it. 😁

As promised, a weekend entry of what I ate for breakfast during my Lent Challenge . Hopefully I'll stick to a Sunday schedule for these. Wednesday: Strawberries and Cream Overnight Oats  from Damn Delicious . I plan to eat all of these overnight oats recipes in order. Thursday: I made a breakfast burrito from odds and ends in the fridge, including this rice  leftover from the previous night's dinner. Friday: I had this BHG  recipe torn out and saved for a year, maybe, and then I couldn't find it anywhere! So I had to reprint it: Peanut Butter-Pear Sandwiches . It's kind of French toast-y, but without syrup. Plus anything with granola gets high priority from me. Saturday: Cream of Wheat. So, yeah, this is really, really challenging. I'm finding the best way to handle it is to look forward to all the new stuff I'm trying and not think about I'm missing. Also, the breakfasts are starting to categorize themselves: egg day, yogurt day, hot cereal day, et...

A few weeks back I thought I'd do something nice for my grandmother. She has only recently become concerned with what goes into the baked goods at her local grocery store. So my mother "suggested" I make a cake and give half to my grandmother (as for the other half...ugh, long story). I started with this Buttermilk Bundt Cake  recipe from Cooking Light but made one large cake instead of mini-cakes. I know my grandmother loves chocolate, though, so I found this Chocolate Glaze  recipe (for which I just happened to have enough chocolate). And it turned out like this: So you know how last month I was on a maple kick? Well, this month looks like it's shaping up to be chocolate. And you know I'm not a big chocolate eater. Weird.

Also, happy blogiversary! Yes, I'm still here after five years. I can't help it; they keep inventing new cereals. Anyway, Lent is really late this year, so I've had plenty of time to prepare. In previous years I've given up: white flour and sugar, and discovered other grains and sweeteners; flavored yogurt, and learned how to flavor my own with different fruits (and I still eat all the recipes I tried that year!); processed/packaged sides, and learned to make my own. So there's basically only one difficult thing left to give up. No, not blogging. I get antsy if I miss a week. Nope, I mean... Cereal. I know, I know, that's the purpose of this blog, what am I going to do for six weeks? Like I said, I've had plenty of time to prepare. I have enough recipes to try--at least I hope so. I'm not one of those people who can eat the same thing for breakfast every day. I read other blogs where people have smoothies every day or eat oatmeal every day. Th...

(Yeah, I'm running out of scone puns.) Also, it's hot. I'm wearing short sleeves in February. February. That is not normal. Good thing I wasn't planning on making soup this week. But yeah, the scones. I mentioned last month  that I would be making these Banana Nut Scones . So I did, earlier this month: I liked that this recipe only made eight, so I didn't end up with a freezer full of scones. And maybe you can tell that I didn't use nuts (if you're a regular reader of this blog I'm assuming you made that assumption) but there's still plenty of good points to these scones. And I don't mean the triangular shape. What I want to highlight is the maple glaze. It's a really nice complement to the banana and I think plays down the ginger somewhat. In fact, after I made this glaze I basically went on a maple kick all month. I'm hoping to move on to something else for March.

The month's almost over and I haven't written the one blog post I intended to this month: Behold the pear cake. Actually, if you behold it really closely you can see the two things I would've done differently: 1) cut the pear chunks smaller; and 2) use more pear. Regardless of the measurements, just go ahead and use two shredded and two diced pears. Almost forgot, here's the recipe: Fresh Pear Bundt Cake . I'd never heard of Taste of the South magazine but (totally by coincidence) I saw it at a grocery store checkout last week. My mother requested a Bundt cake for her birthday--"something I can eat with vanilla ice cream"--as long as there was no chocolate involved because she's not really supposed to be eating chocolate. Okay, then. So I thought, what fruits haven't I worked with lately? Two years ago I made her a Pear Streusel Cake , surely there must be a pear Bundt cake out there. Of course, Google finds everything. Obviously I d...

You may recall that I was disappointed last year to find that Special K Nourish cereal had those little soy twigs that I'm allergic to, but here I am giving their new granola a chance. It doesn't have those twigs but it does have a lot of puffed rice. I only sampled a little bit of it but from that sample I honestly thought it was only puffed rice. And that's not really granola to me. Actually, oats are the first ingredient but somehow I overlooked that. Perhaps I was concentrating on the freeze-dried berries. That's the best feature of this granola: three different berries and plenty of them. The freeze- dried cranberries even retained their tart flavor. Overall, it wasn't what I was expecting but it wasn't bad.