Banana Bread Oatmeal

1/2 c sprouted oats

3/4 c water

Pinch salt

1/2 ripe banana, mashed

2 dates, cut up

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

Walnuts

1/2 banana, sliced

Oatmilk (optional)

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add oats, mashed banana, dates, and cinnamon. Cook 10 minute on low, covered. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. 

Once cooked, put in a bowl and top with walnuts and sliced banana. May top with a splash of oatmilk for a more creamy texture. 

Makes 1 serving. 

Bacon shallot gruyere quiche

1 pie crust (I use Pillsbury brand)

6 pieces of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium shallot, thinly sliced

4 oz gruyere cheese, shredded 

3 large eggs

1.5 cups (12oz) half and half

Dash cayenne pepper 

1.5 tsp kosher salt 

1 tsp ground black pepper 

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan. Blind bake crust for 10 minutes or until almost done. Be sure to cover crust if it gets too brown on the edges. 

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to drain and bacon grease except 1 Tbsp. Fry shallot until softened and brown in the bacon fat. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. 

In a medium bowl, whip eggs until frothy. Add half and half, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Add the parsley if using. Set aside. 

Place bacon and shallots in the bottom of the pie crust. Add the cheese to evenly coat the bacon and shallots. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and gently make sure egg is completely submerging the cheese. 

Sprinkle the top of the quiche with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional). Then place the quiche on a baking pan and put it in the middle rack of the oven. If crust is brown, cover it with foil or a pie crust shield to keep it from burning. 

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Check it, then turn the oven to 350. Continue baking 20-40 minutes longer, but check often to see if the egg is set. Use a toothpick to poke it. If it comes out clean, it’s done. 

Set on counter and cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. 

Note: you can use this recipe for any quiche, but make sure any veggies are cooked and well drained to avoid a watery quiche. Also, blind baking the crust is essential to avoid a soggy bottom! 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 c sour cream

Topping:

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 Tbsp light brown sugar

1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the topping in a separate bowl and set aside.

With an electric mixture, cream butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix again until fluffy. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix until combined and smooth. Add sour cream by either folding it into the dough by hand or mixing until blended in.

Grease an 8x8 square pan. Place half the dough in the pan, then sprinkle 1/3 of the topping over it. Place the rest of the dough on top (might need to plop it on by the spoonful. Smooth it out and then top with the remainder of the topping, making sure to cover the entire top of the coffee cake.

Bake for 25 minutes and check middle with a cake tester. It should come  out clean. It may take an additional 3-5 minutes more. Do not over bake or it will get dry.

 

Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cut into 9 pieces and serve warm. Can also cool and serve at room temperature. Store in a covered container for no more than 3 days (it shouldn't last that long though!).

 

Makes 4 generous helpings or 9 side helpings. If you make this with an egg dish, it's enough for 9, but otherwise double the recipe if you plan to serve more than 4 people.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze

I made these and they were very tasty -- not too sweet, but satisfied my hunger for a hearty harvest scone. I have never made scones before, so this was a first! There are a lot of recipes out there like this, but this one doesn't have the extra powdered sugar glaze which means it isn't overly sweet. I do recommend you eat them all up in one sitting or within a day or try one for dessert with pumpkin ice cream!

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. sugar (I use evaporated cane sugar)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (I freshly grate this)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
6 Tbsp cold butter, cut into cubes about 1/2 inch each
1/2 cup canned organic pumpkin puree
3 Tbsp buttermilk or half and half (might need a smidgen more if your egg isn't big)
1 large (extra large is better) egg, beaten

Spiced Glaze
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp whole milk
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and flour lightly with a small amount of whole wheat flour. Set aside

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. Add butter and cost it with the flour mixture. With a pastry blender (or your hands) mix the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse corn meal. Butter should be no larger than a petite pea.

In another bowl, mix wet ingredients: pumpkin, buttermilk or half and half and the beaten egg Stir until well blended, then add to the dry ingredients to form a ball. It should resemble biscuit dough. If too wet, knead a little on a floured surface. If too dry, try adding a touch more of buttermilk. The key is not to over mix the dough or your scones won't be light and fluffy.

Pat the dough onto the floured parchment paper into a 1-inch thick rectangle approximately 4 inches wide by 12 inches long (use a ruler, I did!).

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 3 equal portions (about 4X4 inch squares). Then cut each square into an "X" pattern so you end up with 12 triangular pieces of dough. Separate the triangles slightly or leave together if you want the scones to be less "crisp" around the edges.

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until lightly brown and when touched they spring back.

While the scones are baking, make the glaze.  Drizzle the glaze onto each scone in a zigzag pattern. Save about half of it to glaze again as the scones cool. You can cool the scones on a wire rack and wait to eat for an hour -- or serve warm with more of the glaze. Use up the glaze on the scones, but if you don't want them too sweet, you can allow the eaters to put more glaze on, depending upon personal preference.

Store any uneaten scone in a tightly sealed container. They taste best out of the oven or if eaten the same day they are baked. If you know you won't eat all of the scones, you can freeze the unbaked scones and then thaw and bake as directed above, maybe adding a few extra minutes if they are cold when you place them in the oven.

They are very filling and have a nice nutty flavor. Feel free to add pecans to the mix or put a few raw pumpkin seeds on top of them after you glaze them (that's what I will do the next time I make these).

5 ingredient 100% Whole Wheat Bread

I use a bread machine for this bread because I haven't a clue how to make bread without it. One thing you need to watch when it first mixes is that it is moist enough or it will turn out dry, so keep this in mind when making the bread in a bread machine. If you make it by hand, you can get a good feel for how moist it will be when you're kneading it.

1 1/2 cups warm water (I usually end up adding another 1/4 cup more)
2 Tablespoons olive oil or butter
1/4 cup honey
4 1/4 cups organic whole-wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp. yeast or 1 packet

Place in the order your bread machine usually calls for ingredients. Set on Whole Wheat setting. Mine calls for wet ingredients on the bottom and takes a little over 3 hours. Remove loaf immediately and watch it disappear.

Make one loaf (1.5 pounds)

Since this has no preservatives, eat it right away or store in refrigerator or freezer after 3 or 4 days, We keep a paper towel in the plastic baggie to keep moisture at bay.

The Best Cornbread in the World

Who doesn't love warm cornbread right out of the oven? It's easy to prepare and takes only a little time to make. Mix and bake it after you get that pot of chili (chicken or beef) simmering. Serve warm for optimal enjoyment. This will serve 4-8 people, but if you're like me, you could eat the entire pan in one sitting.

1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c. vegetable oil (not olive oil)
3 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp honey
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 c. whole milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 inch glass baking dish.

Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix oil, butter, honey, eggs and whole milk in another bowl until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until well mixed (but don't over mix). Let it sit for a few minutes and the batter will thicken a bit.

Pour the batter into the greased dish and bake 35 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't over-cook. The top will be brown and crispy and a few cracks will appear on the top. Check with a toothpick, which should come out clean. Do not overbake!

Allow to cool a few minutes, cut and serve warm with butter and extra honey. Or just eat it without anything on it -- it tastes great with chili or with ham and beans.

This is the most moist, sweet, and fluffy cornbread you'll ever eat!

Cheesy (no soup) Hash Brown Potato Casserole

2-3 Tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
12 oz chicken broth
1 cup milk
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2 cups)
20 oz pkg Trader Joe's shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp butter
1-2 cups Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large pot. Cook onion until soft. Add salt, pepper and Thyme and then slowly stir in the flour until fully incorporated. Add broth and bring to a boil and stir until mixture is thickened. Add milk and stir thoroughly. Remove from burner and stir in the cheese until cheese is melted. Add shredded potatoes and mix well. Then stir in the sour cream until incorporated.

Spray a 9x11 inch glass pan with nonstick spray. Pour the potatoes into the pan and bake about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter and stir in panko breadcrumbs. Add crumbs to the top of the potatoes and continue baking until crumbs are browned and potatoes are bubbling (about 15 minutes). You might need to increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Check to make sure potatoes are tender. Allow potatoes to rest about 10 minutes and serve warm.

This dish goes well with ham. You can also reheat the potatoes adding leftover ham to make a delicious second meal.

These potatoes are very forgiving. You can add more shredded potatoes--up to 28 oz and they will still be moist. Just make sure you have enough sauce to keep them moist!

Banana Nut Muffins

3 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 c evaporated cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine bananas, sugar, vanilla, egg and melted butter until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until smooth and well combined. Fold in nuts

Place 12 muffin liners in tins and grease the bottoms only of the muffin liners. Fill with batter until almost to the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool slightly and enjoy.

To make mini muffins, bake 10-15 minutes.

Makes 12 large muffins and approximately 24 mini muffins.

214 calories per muffin

Mom Stefan's Zucchini Bread

My mom was the best cook - she could make anything smell and taste delicious. Zucchini bread was one of my favorites because she made it often when her garden yielded a multitude of zucchini (which was often). This recipe makes two loaves which is perfect for making one to eat now and freezing another to eat later. It freezes well. You can also make a few in mini-loaf size to give away to friends in place of one of the loaves. In any case, it's a favorite family recipe that needs to be handed down to many generations of the Stefan Clan. So without further ado -- here's to you mom!

Nathaniel made this!

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 c. oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. unpeeled and grated (and drained) zucchini (about 3 medium)
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 c. raisins (I used golden)
1 c. chopped walnuts

Beat eggs slightly in large bowl. Stir in oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and stir into egg mixture. Stir in raisins and nuts. Put into two (2) well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until done. Cool in pans 10 minutes and then on a rack until cooled completely. Wrap in plastic and keep in the refrigerator or put into a freezer bag and let all the air out to avoid getting ice crystals on it.

For best flavor, make the day before eating -- delicious with cream cheese!

Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Waffles

3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk, warmed to take the chill off
3/4 cup milk, warmed to take the chill off
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 medium MacIntosh apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Heat waffle iron. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, milk and butter. Stir in apple.Add spices, baking soda, salt and sugar and whisk together. Next mix in the flour until almost smooth. It is okay to have some small lumps.

Sprinkle about a tablespoon of pecans on the bottom of the waffle iron, then pour about a cup of batter on top and then sprinkle another tablespoon of pecans on top. Close the waffle iron and cook until golden brown. The waffles will not be crispy, but should be firm. Keep waffles on a plate in a warm oven while cooking the others.

Serve with warmed maple syrup.

Swedish Pancakes (or crepes)

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt

Beat eggs until blended. Add milk and salt and stir. Slowly blend flour into liquid until smooth and well mixed. Batter will be very runny. If you get lumps, use a hand mixer until lumps are gone.

Heat small (8 inch) omelette pan sprayed with vegetable oil (not olive oil) on medium heat. Using a non-stick pan is best. When water skits across the top of the pan, it is hot enough. Add about 1/4 cup of batter to middle of pan and tilt pan until the batter completely fills the bottom of the pan evenly. It's okay for it to go up the sides of the pan slightly. When batter looks dry, quickly flip pancake over (you will have to loosen the pancake from the side of the pan, but it should easily slip out). Brown other side until small brown spots appear. Be careful not to overcook as they will burn. You must be very attentive to the pancakes as they cook very quickly.

Take pancake out of the pan and put on a plate. Continue process until all pancakes are made.

Have another person help you to butter cooked pancake, fill with apple butter, jam, cinnamon and sugar or just roll up and dip them in real maple syrup.

Makes approximately 8 or 9 8-inch pancakes. Cool any leftovers and then place between wax paper or parchment paper and place in a plastic gallon bag and keep in refrigerator. These can be used for sweet or savory dishes.

**I got this recipe from Henny Leonard who got it from Cathy Clark. Henny made these as a special breakfast often and called them "skinny pancakes" for her children. I lives with the Leonards when I went to college at UW-Whitewater. They made many special recipes that I still use today, but this is one of the easiest and most favorite of them all!

Autumn Apple Cinnamon Waffles

3 eggs
5 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
2 tsp. pure vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 3/4 cups finely peeled and chopped apple (about 2 small Jonathan)

Heat waffle iron.

Beat eggs with a small electric mixer until fluffy. Add coconut oil, vanilla, spices, sugar, salt, sugar, baking powder and continue to beat on high for about a minute. Add milk and beat another minute. Add flour, one cup at a time, using the mixer to beat until well incorporated. Fold in chopped apples.

Place batter in hot waffle iron and cook until crispy.

Serve with butter and warm maple syrup.

Makes 4-5 Belgium waffles.

**Variation: Add chopped walnuts or pecans to batter when you add the chopped apple.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries (frozen can also be used)
coconut oil, for frying

maple syrup & butter

Melt the butter in a large enough container to hold all wet ingredients. Mix buttermilk, eggs and butter and set aside

Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir just until mixed. Batter will be lumpy. Do not over-mix or pancakes will be heavy. Batter will be very thick.

Heat a large frying pan or griddle and melt some coconut oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add pancake batter (about 1/4 cup) and spread slightly since batter is so thick. Drop a few fresh blueberries on top of pancake.

Cook pancake on one side until brown, then turn and continue to cook on the other side until pancakes are golden brown and cooked throughout. Keep heat low or they will burn.

Serve pancakes topped with butter and warm maple syrup.

Makes about 12-15 pancakes, depending upon the size.

Photo: Compliments of Nathaniel Cantwell

Nathaniel's Flatbread Breakfast Pizza

1 fire roasted square flatbread pizza crust (we got ours at Target)
olive oil
1/2 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese
3-4 pieces of proscutto
4 pieces of bacon, fried crisp
5 eggs
butter for frying eggs
Salt and Pepper
6 fresh basil leaves
Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush flatbread pizza crust with olive oil. Sprinkle shredded Mexican blend cheese on top of crust.

Cut or tear each piece of proscutto into 4 pieces and place all over the crust. Proscutto should not be touching each other.

Bake crust for about 6-7 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is brown and crispy.

While the pizza is baking, melt butter in a frying pan. Carefully crack 5 eggs in the pan and fry on one side and then flip eggs to make them over-easy to over-medium done.

Place 4 cooked eggs in each corner of the pizza crust and one egg in the middle.

Crumble or cut bacon and sprinkle on top of the eggs. Then, grate fresh Parmesan cheese all over the eggs (generously).

Chiffonade basil leaves and sprinkle on top of the pizza.

Cut pizza into quarters and serve. Use crust to soak up any egg yolk that runs off the pizza.

Serves 4.

 

Coconut Oil Baking Powder Biscuits

I love biscuits, but dislike shortening, so I tried biscuits with coconut oil instead! Works great and has a slight hint of coconut if you know it is there. These also have whole wheat flour to make them a little more "whole" food. I found a great deal on organic cold-pressed coconut oil at Trader Joe's. If you've never worked with coconut oil, remember it melts at a lower temperature than shortening, and this recipe requires the oil to be in its solid form.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 c. + 1 Tbsp. coconut oil (solid)
3/4 - 1 c. milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place pizza stone in the oven to preheat.

Mix dry ingredients, add coconut oil and use a pastry blender to cut the oil into the dry ingredients until oil is well blended. Add milk (start with smaller amount and add more so dough is moist, but not sticky) and turn out on a floured surfaced. Knead slightly and pat out dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Use biscuit cutter to make about 10 biscuits.

Place biscuits on a heated stone and bake about 9-11 minutes. If desired, brush with melted butter and serve warm.

For Buttermilk Biscuits - decrease the baking powder to 2 tsp. and add 1/4 tsp of baking soda. Use buttermilk in place of the milk. If buttermilk is very thick, you may need to add more.

Chewy Oatmeal Granola Bars

6 Tbsp. soft butter
1/4 c. raw honey
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2- 1 c. added flavorings, such as nuts: sunflower seeds, chopped pecans, almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, or dried fruit: raisins, chopped dates, dried cranberries, or even some sweet deliciousness: chocolate chips, vanilla chips, butterscotch chips, toffee. Try combining several together or use just one.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat an 8x8 glass pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine butter, honey, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Add oats, flour and baking soda and any added "flavorings" and mix well until combined. You may find it easier to use your hands to mix this up.

Press mixture into the pan firmly and bake for 18-22 minutes or until slightly brown. Cook 10 minutes, then cut into 9-12 bars. Cool completely in the pan and store in a plastic storage bag.

These have chopped dates added.

Gourmet SOS (Steak on a Shingle)

1/4 c. butter
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/4 c. crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. red onion, diced
dash cayenne pepper
dash nutmeg
1 tsp. kosher salt (more or less to suit your taste)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. AP flour
1 Tbsp. dry sherry
2 cups warm milk
8 oz. leftover steak (cooked) and sliced thinly (we used leftover Ribeye steak)

Melt butter in large skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium burner. Add mushrooms and onion and saute until tender. Add spices and flour until it forms a thick paste. Add dry sherry and warm milk slowly, incorporating into the flour mixture. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add leftover steak at the end and heat until steak is warmed (about 1 minute).

Serve over toast, rice, croissants, or biscuits. Makes a great breakfast or lunch and uses up leftover steak!

4th of July Fruit Salad

Cut up a variety of fruit and mix together. It's that simple! 

I used:
1 pineapple
1 granny smith apple
1 cantaloupe
1/4 watermelon
1 pt. blueberries
1 qt. strawberries
1 large seedless orange
1 large bunch of green grapes, halved the large ones
2 nectarines
2 purple plums
2 cups bing (sweet) cherries
2 peaches
2 kiwis

Add apricots, mango, raspberries, red grapes, honey-dew melon, etc.

I avoid bananas unless I add them only to the portion we eat that evening or it gets brown and mushy. I usually just leave it out.

 Make sure the fruit is ripe and cut up fruit. It will become juicy after a day, so you might want to eat this within 3 days of making it. Tastes great for breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snack! Be sure to refrigerate any leftovers!

Pecan Swirls

I made these when I first moved to Indiana. Twenty years later, I made these for my son, Nathaniel's 15th birthday breakfast. An instant hit! We decided they are better than Panera Bread's Pecan Spirals.

2 cups flour
2 Tbsp. sugar (I used organic cane)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter (1 stick) - slightly softened
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. milk
1 Tbsp. melted butter
3 Tbsp. finely chopped pecans
3 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 2 Tbsp. sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender (yes, one of those handy things you put in your drawer and wonder why you have it), cut in 1/2 c. butter. Be sure the butter is hard and not too soft or it won't work. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. The smaller the "peas" the better it will turn out. Combine the mil and egg and mix. Pour into the dry flour-butter mixture and stir quickly until it clings together. It should be soft, but not "batter." You will need to add a little flour as you knead it, so don't worry if it is soft.

Knead gently about 15-20 strokes on a floured surface. Roll or pat out dough into a 15"x8" rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Combine chopped pecans, dark brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough.

Fold dough in half to make a 15"x4" rectangle. Cut into 1-inch strips (15). Holding each strip at both ends, twist in opposite directions, twice to form a spiral. Place on greased baking sheet and gently press both ends down to hold. Continue doing this until all strips are swirled.

Bake in middle of the oven for 8-10 minutes, just until tops are browned. While baking, combine powdered sugar and milk so that you have a drizzling consistency. Remove swirls from oven and cool for 2-3 minutes. Drizzle the swirls with powdered sugar mixture. Cool another minute and eat. They are quite tasty!

Red, Blue and Fruit Parfait

I made this up for Memorial Day. Light and easy, it is an excellent dessert or fruit salad to go with your favorite picnic meal.

12 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c. dark brown sugar (loosely packed)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup low-fat French vanilla yogurt (Trader Joe's brand)
Fresh blueberries
Fresh raspberries
Fresh strawberries, sliced

Cream together the cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in yogurt and mix well. Taste to adjust flavors (if you want it sweeter add more brown sugar). Chill in refrigerator.

Wash and dry the fresh fruit. I used 1 pt. blueberries, 1/2 qt. strawberries and a half pint of raspberries for 4 parfaits.

Using a parfait glass, place a small amount of cream-cheese mixture in the bottom, layer blueberries, then more cream cheese mixture and then sliced strawberries. Top layer should end with raspberries and a small blob of cream-cheese mixture. Chill until ready to serve or eat immediately. Tastes light and fruity for a summer treat.

Optional: Sprinkle with nuts or granola just before serving for an added crunch.