Granola from your slow cooker

Granola from your slow cooker Easy way to make a family favorite By Lisa Boykin Batts Times Life Editor I enjoy making my own granola. I love mixing in my favorite nuts and adding sweet honey and brown sugar. Yum. What I don’t like is worrying if I’m going to burn it when I cook it in the oven. You basically have to babysit granola while it bakes — taking it out of the oven often and stirring it, being careful not to let it spill out of the pan when you stir. The stirring helps it bake evenly and keeps it from burning around the edges. Granted, you still run the risk of burning granola in the slow cooker, and you need to stir it occasionally, but I think the burn risk is lower. You also don’t have to heat up the kitchen if you are using the slow cooker. When I tried this recipe, I adapted one I had posted a few years ago made with almonds and pecans. It’s my favorite granola recipe. But for the slow cooker version I also added Rice Krispies and ground cinnamon, and I used applesauce instead of apple juice. I used coconut oil the first time I made this slow cooker recipe but used canola oil the second time; both versions were delicious. Right away, as the granola started to warm, I knew I had made the right decision with the cinnamon because the kitchen smelled so good. The little pieces of Rice Krispies got crunchy and almost burned. I wasn’t sure I’d add them when I made the recipe a second time, but my daughter really liked it that way, so I included them when I repeated the recipe Monday. My problem with making this granola is the moisture that builds up in the slow cooker while the granola cooks. After I made it the first time, I was unhappy with the texture and ended up putting it in the oven for a few minutes to dry it out. But from reviews on other slow cooker granola recipes, I found that the best way to avoid excess moisture inside the crock is to leave the lid slightly ajar. If it doesn’t work by sliding over the lid a bit, then prop open the lid just a little with a spoon or rolled up piece of aluminum foil. I’ve done this with a number of slow cooker recipes to thicken a sauce or gravy. Anna likes the granola with a fresh fruit and a little milk added in, so she doesn’t mind if it’s not real crunchy. I like it crunchy! After your granola has cooled, add in dried fruit or even chocolate pieces if you’d like. In addition to eating granola with milk and fruit, try this recipe with yogurt or ice cream or just eat it out of your hand for a snack. lisa@wilsontimes.com | 265-7810 Slow Cooker Granola  4 cups old-fashioned oats 1 cup Rice Krispies 3⁄4 cup chopped almonds (I used roasted almonds) 1⁄2 cup chopped pecans 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla 1⁄4 cup canola oil or coconut oil 1⁄2 cup honey 1⁄4 cup applesauce Add all ingredients to slow cooker crock and stir to combine. Cook on low for around 3 hours, depending on your slow cooker. Stir several times while cooking and monitor if it’s cooking too fast. The first time I cooked this, I stirred every 30 minutes. The next time, I wasn’t at home, so it cooked without stirring the first 21⁄2 hours. Only a few pieces were too brown. To avoid moisture build-up and soggy granola, prop open the slow cooker lid with a spoon or rolled up piece of aluminum foil or leave it ajar. Once granola has cooked and cooled, add in dried fruit or chocolate chips if desired.

Learning to cook

Learning to cook Students get lessons at ENCSD camp By Lisa Boykin Batts Times Life Editor What a treat it was to watch students learn how to cook at a Deaf Immersion Camp Tuesday morning. The Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf hosts the two-week camp to expose middle and high school students across the state to new things including masonry and carpentry. They can also learn about theatrical arts and physical education. I got to sit in on a cooking class where students were preparing breakfast foods: banana bread and sausage and egg casserole. Teachers Randi Pakula, Morgan Shrieves and Faith Tabron instructed the students on such things as reading the recipe completely through before starting, browning sausage and going back after you’ve finished and reading back over the recipe to make sure you didn’t forget an ingredient. Shrieves, who teaches high school history at the school, said cooking classes are important for these students who are working toward independent living. Some ENCSD students might not get cooking instructions at home, she said, maybe because parents don’t know sign language and can’t communicate. Residential students are also away from home during the week when families are preparing meals. Student Shai-Ann Faulker of Fayetteville said she learned how to cook from her mom and can make banana pudding and cook some meats. She said it’s important that she learn to cook for herself so she doesn’t have to depend on family. It’s also a good skill if she’s babysitting, she said. I agree with Shai-Ann. We all need to know how to feed ourselves! Shai-Ann liked the food she and her group prepared Tuesday morning and said she would make it again. The teachers worked one-on-one with their students Tuesday, making sure they had things right. They pointed out how to measure 4 tablespoons on a stick of butter, showed them a spatula to use when pouring batter into a pan and demonstrated how to crack an egg. “I’ll show you one, then it’s your turn,” Shrieves told one boy, who said he’d never cracked an egg before. Before the camp is over, the cooking class students will also make a cauliflower crust pizza, a pasta dish, Rice Krispie treats, stromboli, a pound cake and cookies. lisa@wilsontimes.com | 265-7810 Banana Bread  8 tablespoons butter  1 cup sugar 2 eggs 3 mashed bananas 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 11⁄4 cup flour 2 teaspoons baking soda  Mix ingredients and pour into loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.  Egg and Sausage Casserole  1 pound pork sausage 1 (8-ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough 8 eggs, beaten 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1 teaspoon dried oregano Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with crescent roll dough and sprinkle with crumbled sausage. In a large bowl, mix beaten eggs, mozzarella and Cheddar. Season the mixture with oregano and pour over the sausage and crescent rolls. Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allrecipes

Summer desserts are easy to make

Sweets without the heat Summer desserts are easy to make By Lisa Boykin Batts Times Life Editor It’s hot outside, and you don’t want to turn on the oven and heat up the house even more. But you’re craving something sweet. No worries. There are plenty of cakes, pies, parfaits and puddings that don’t require much — or any — cooking! Like most of you, I have some favorite hot-weather desserts including a pie made in a graham cracker crust and filled with a mixture of cream cheese, whipped topping and powdered lemonade mix, and a simple parfait with layers of cherry gelatin, whipped topping, strawberries and blueberries. I know many of these ice-box cakes and pies show up at church picnics and covered dish dinners this time of year, so I pulled out a few of my church cookbooks to find some inspiration. I wasn’t disappointed! A pattern emerges as you flip through the pages or even look online at ice-box or no-bake desserts. Cooks use pre-made or no-cook homemade cookie crusts and fill them with all kinds of sweet treats using a combination of cream cheese, whipped topping, pudding mixes, ice cream or other add-ons including nuts and sauces. And don’t forget fruit; bananas, blueberries and strawberries are often worked into these dishes. Other favorites use pre-baked angel food or pound cake that’s broken up and mixed with any number of ingredients to make modified trifles. Many recipes repeat from one cookbook to the next, including various versions of frozen peanut butter pie made with cream cheese and whipped topping and topped with chocolate sauce. Lemonade pie is also a favorite and is made with lemonade concentrate, condensed milk and whipped topping. I made Donna Teague’s Cool Whip layered pie from the 2008 Hornes United Methodist cookbook. It took me about 20 minutes to make the dessert, which has a layer of cream cheese mixture topped with a chocolate pudding mixture in a cookie crust. Yum! Donna said the recipe was a favorite when she submitted it and that it’s also good made with lemon pudding instead of chocolate. I’m including several recipes with this column, giving my readers a chance to try something sweet and new this summer. Cool Whip Chocolate Layered Pie  4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used reduced-fat) 1 tablespoon milk 1 tablespoon sugar 1 (12 oz.) tub whipped topping, thawed 1 (6 oz.) chocolate pie crust (I used graham cracker) 11/2 cups cold milk 2 small packages chocolate instant pudding Mix cream cheese, 1 tablespoon milk and sugar until smooth. Stir in 11/2 cups whipped toping. Spread on bottom of crust. Pour 11/2 cups of milk into bowl. Add pudding mixes. Beat until thick. Stir in 2 cups whipped toping. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 4 hours. Garnish with remaining whipped topping. Donna Teague "Recipes to Warm the Soul” 2008 Hornes United Methodist Church No Bake Peaches & Cream Cheesecake  2 cups graham cracker crumbs 6 tablespoons margarine, melted 1 cup sugar, divided 4 packages (8 ounces each) Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less than fat cream cheese) softened 1 (4-serving) package peach flavored gelatin 2 fresh peaches, chopped or 1 (15 oz.) can drained peaches 1 (8 oz.) tub lite whipped topping, thawed Mix graham cracker crumbs, margarine and 1/4 cup of the sugar; press onto bottom of 9X13-inch pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling. Beat Neufchatel cheese and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Add dry gelatin mix; mix well. Stir in peaches and whipped topping. Spoon over crust; cover. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Betsy Davis "Recipes to Warm the Soul” 2008 Hornes United Methodist Church Pineapple Dream Pie  1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup sugar 11/2 cups frozen whipped topping 1 can crushed pineapple, well drained 1 (9-inch) graham cracker pie crust 1 can pineapple chunks, drained Mix cream cheese and sugar. Fold in whipped topping and crushed pineapple. Spoon into pie crust. Top with pineapple chunks. Chill 2 hours. May garnish with additional whipped topping. Mary Katherine Rowe "Another Taste of Homecoming” 2003 Little Rock Original Free Will Baptist Church Lemonade Pies  2 9-inch graham cracker pie crusts 1 small (6 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed 1 can condensed milk 9 oz. tub whipped topping, thawed Mix lemonade, milk and whipped topping together until well blended. Pour into graham cracker crusts and chill for 5 to 6 hours. Valerie Bunn "Still Saying Grace” 2012 Marsh Swamp Church Frozen Peanut Butter Pie  1 graham cracker pie crust 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup milk 1 cup whipped topping 1 cup powdered sugar 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened Chocolate syrup Combine peanut butter, milk and cream cheese in large mixing bowl on low speed. Add powdered sugar and whipped topping. Mix until smooth. Pour into graham cracker crust. Freeze until firm. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Store any leftovers in freezer. Lori Gunn Baker "Sharing Our Blessings” 1996 First Baptist Church Black Forest Cookie Dessert  1 large package chocolate chip cookies Milk to dip cookies 1 large carton whipped toping 1 can cherry pie filling Chopped nuts, if desired Use a 9X9-inch dish and make 1 day ahead. Dip cookies in milk and make layer on bottom of dish (don’t use all for this layer). Cover with half of whipped topping. Next, layer with cherry pie filling (save some for garnish if desired.) Add another layer of dipped cookies. Cover with whipped topping. Garnish with pie filling and nuts. Keep covered and refrigerated. Beth Carpenter "Sharing Our Blessings” 1996 First Baptist Church Peach Dessert  1 (12 oz.) tub whipped topping 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese 1/2 cup sugar 1 (16 oz.) can diced peaches 1 box vanilla wafers In a 9X13-inch dish, place vanilla wafers on bottom and sides. Pour peach juice over wafers. Combine whipped topping, cream cheese and sugar. Stir in diced peaches. Pour over vanilla wafers and sprinkle additional vanilla wafer crumbs on top for garnish. Rhonda Godwin "Another Taste of Homecoming” 2003 Little Rock Original Free Will Baptist Church Lemonade Cheesecake  1 8-oz package fat-free cream cheese, softened 1 teaspoon Crystal Light lemonade, low-calorie soft drink mix  ¼ cup cold milk (I use skim) 1 8-oz. Cool Whip fat-free or low-fat whipped topping, thawed 1 ready-to-use graham cracker crust Beat cream cheese and drink mix in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended and smooth. Gradually add milk, mixing until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate until firm. Kraft Foods My cousin Martha Cayton shared this recipe with me. It’s a family favorite. lisa@wilsontimes.com | 265-7810