The Cookbook

Raspberry Oat Bars

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 (10 ounce) jar raspberry preserves


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Combine the oats, flour, salt and baking powder; stir into the creamed mixture. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the preserves over the crust. Crumble the remaining crust mixture over the raspberry layer.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

crackertoes

Bermuda Triangles

1 lbs frozen dough
2 lbs frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 large onions, chopped fine
1 large lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper
2 T+ olive oil

Preheat oven to 375.

Except the dough, mix all ingredients together, blending well, and set aside.

Roll dough into a tube of about 4”. Slice off from ends 1 ½” slices. Roll slices flat into circles. Put a generous helping of the spinach mixture in center of circle. Fold into a triangle, crimping edges well. Place up to 5 triangles on a greased cookie sheet (greased with olive oil). Bake 20 minutes until the dough almost begins to turn golden. Store airtight. May be served warm or at room temp.

crackertoes

Oven Baked Monte Cristo

1 to 2 loaves firm bread (like Earth Grains French)
One 8-ounce package of cream cheese
10 large eggs
1/2 C real maple syrup
1-1/2 C half and half
1/2 C any flavor seedless jam (We use peach or apricot jam, or lemon or orange curd imported from England - do NOT use preserves or jelly)
6 slices Canadian bacon, cooked
1 t vanilla extract
Butter or margarine


The night before: Grease a 9 x 12-inch baking dish with butter or margarine. Remove crusts from bread and cube it. Place in a closely-fitting single layer in the baking dish. Pinch off marble-sized lumps of cream cheese with your fingers, evenly distributing them over the bread layer. Dice the Canadian bacon and distribute it over the bread as well. Melt the jam in the microwave or in a double boiler until it is warm and fairly liquid. Do not boil it. Drizzle it over the cream cheese/Canadian bacon. Place a second layer of bread, cubed and closely fitted in the same way, over the cream cheese, etc., layer.

Beat the eggs until lemon-yellow and slightly frothy. Add the half and half, maple syrup and vanilla and stir until well blended. Pour this mixture over the bread layers. "Squish" it into bread with your hands. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (Can be refrigerated as much as three days before baking.)

In the morning: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until nicely browned on top. Slice in the kitchen and serve warm with more maple syrup, powered sugar, butter and/ or finely-chopped pecans.

NOTE: This recipe can be made "guilt-free" by substituting skim milk, margarine, and low- or no-fat cream cheese. Can also use a "meatless" Canadian Bacon and egg substitute for even lower fat. These substitutions do not affect the richness or overall taste, IMO.

crackertoes