Make Ahead Breakfast Cookies

Need something quick for those busy mornings? Grab one of these delicious breakfast cookies as you are going out the door and you’ll have a great start to your day!

I’m always looking for nutritious things to feed my husband and since he has a legendary sweet tooth, it’s a challenge to put "good for you stuff in him". He would have chocolate cake for breakfast if I let him. His rationale is that it has all the things people normally have for breakfast, Eggs, Flour (bread), Milk, but it is wrapped up in a convenient package.

One of his favorite cookies is oatmeal raisin, so I started experimenting with the dough. I love carrot cake so I thought I would try to incorporate those flavors. I added shredded carrots, cranberries (cause they are a super food), and the beer is a nod to my Irish Grandmother who thought that a little nip in the morning never hurt any one and the only beer worth drinking was Guinness Stout.

These cookies have become one of my favorite things to keep around. Not only are they good for breakfast, they are also good for lunch, or for that much needed 3:00 boost, or for an after dinner desert, or a midnight snack.

They are also great to pack in school lunches. We even put them in our backpacks and take them fly fishing with us. When the fish aren’t biting we snack on the cookies.

Carrot Cranberry Oatmeal Stout Cookies

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups Rolled Oats
1 cup shredded carrots

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 pound unsalted butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon molasses

3 tablespoons Guinness Stout

1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir in oatmeal, carrots and cranberries. Set aside.

In work bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in egg, molasses, Guinness Stout, and almond extract. Add dry ingredients, a little at a time, until well combined. Do not over mix.

Drop rounded spoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until done. Let cool for 2 minutes then carefully remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Makes 24 cookies

Frost On Sister!!

My niece and her friends just finished a Wilton cake decorating class at our local Michaels Craft Store. She sent me some pictures of her "final" exam, so I thought I would post them on the Saucy Bird. I think that the cakes came out really good. I know she had a great time with her friends and they had some really good cake to take to her office.

Frost On Sisters!!!

Rum Raisin Glazed Carrots

I love carrots! Raw, shredded, cooked, any way you can think to cook them I’ll eat them. I always have fresh carrots on hand and make them at least 3 times a week.

Think about how great the carrots cooked in the juice of a pot roast taste. Or how about the cool crispy sweetness of a shredded carrot raisin salad?

This is my idea of a shredded carrot raisin salad. It has all of the elements of that great summer time salad, but I added my own little twist. By adding dark rum and the zing of soy and ginger, I came up with this delicious asian style side dish. It's perfect for a quick weeknight side and it's a good way to get some extra fruit into your diet. Serve it over rice with chicken or pork, everyone will love it!

Rum Raisin Glazed Carrots

1 pound fresh carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch coins
1 cup raisins
1 8 ounce can pineapple tidbits
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 tablespoon grated ginger

In a medium saucepan on medium heat add the carrots, raisins and the pineapple (including juice). Cover and let steam about 10 minutes or until the carrots are just beginning to soften. Add a little more water if necessary. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Return the pan to medium heat and add the soy sauce, honey, rum and ginger. Bring to a boil and cook until thick and bubbly. Return the carrot mixture to the pan and cook until carrots are done. Enjoy!

TASTY TAKEALONGS!!

I'm always looking for something different to take when we go over to our friends house for dinner. We always need something to snack on before dinner is ready and we usually have the same old stuff. You know what I mean, like crostini, chips and salsa, maybe even some sort of cheese and fruit platter. Those things are all really good but they don't really generate any

excitement for me any more.

When we were invited over to our friends house last weekend, I started trying to think of something I could bring that would be a little different. Well, I rummaged through the pantry and found a box of Jiffy cornbread mix, (my personal favorite). Eveyone likes cornbread, but we are all so used to eating it as a side dish I thought I could use it to try a new appetizer.
I used the mix and put it in mini muffin pans, topped it with Birds Eye Mexicali Corn mix, some Cheddar Jack cheese, Salsa and fresh Cilantro and--------Wala!!!

Mini Nacho Cornbread Cups

1 box Jiffy Cornbread Mix
1 egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup Birds Eye Miexicali Corn
1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack cheese
Your favorite Salsa
Fresh Chopped Cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray mini muffin tins with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl mix together, Cornbread mix, egg and buttermilk. Using 2 teaspoons, place about 1 teaspoon cornbread mix into the bottom of muffin tin. Top with a rounded teaspoon corn and a rounded teaspoon cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and top with a small amount of your favorite salsa and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Makes about 30 mini naco cornbread cups.