Granola of all Granola

If you are familiar with Northern Michigan, then you are probably familiar with "Addictive Granola," made at Breadworks (one of my all time favorite bakeries).  This is many attempt...well really it took many attempts...at their crack granola.  You can really add anything you want to the oats.  In this version, I went with dried cherries, pecans, and almonds.  Other times I have added dried blueberries, raisins, walnuts, etc.  Be creative!!

Granola of all Granola Recipe:

1/2 c of butter
1/3 c of honey
1/3 c of brown sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
2 c of oats (I just buy them in bulk at a hippie store, but Quaker oats work just fine as well)
3/4 c dried cherries
about 1 c coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 c almonds (mine are whole, but any variety works)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the brown sugar, honey, and cinnamon.  Stir until smooth.  Let sit until mixture starts boiling.  Stir one more time and remove from heat.

3. Add oats and stir until they are fully coated with mixture.
4. Add your "toppings" until everything is nice and covered in the yumminess.

5. Grease a large jelly roll pan (aka-the biggest cookie sheet you have).
6. Evenly spread the granola mixture over it.

7. Pop in the oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Depending on how crunchy you like it and how much granola is on the sheet in can take upwards to 35 minutes.  Use your best judgement :)  Enjoy!!

Carrot Cupcakes

To start things off, let me confess...I do not like cake. I know what you're thinking...I'm crazy. But having said that, I loooove carrot cake. This recipe comes from Southern Living, so you know it's good! I made my tweaks to it and you can too. The frosting is my own recipe, and can also be adjusted according to how sweet you like it. These were fun to make and decorate, hopefully you give it a try!!

Carrot Cupcake Recipe
Yield: 24 cupcakes

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of canola oil
3/4 cup of plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup of skim milk
3 tsp vanilla
2 cup of grated carrots
1/2 cup of golden raisins
1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 finely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
2 sticks of butter at room temp
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
4 cups of powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a bowl and set aside

2. Best eggs in mixer until blended.

3. Add sugar and oil.
4. Mix the greek yogurt and milk together in a separate bowl until blended well. Then add 3/4 cup of the yogurt/milk mixture to your egg/sugar/oil blend.

5. Mix well and then start slowly adding dry mix. This is what it will look like before the dry ingredients are added.

6. Once blended, fold in carrots, raisins, coconuts, and walnuts.

7. Pour into muffin tins with liners.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until they are brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean after inserted into cupcake.

Frosting Steps
1. Cream the butter and cream cheese together.
2. Slowly add powdered sugar
3. Mix in vanilla
4. Frost your cupcakes!
5. I like to too some f mine with toasted walnuts as well :)

If you want to reference the original recipe, here it is....

http://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/top-ten-five-star-layer-cakes-00400000040180/page5.html