I’ve recently been making granola, taco soup and pumpkin pancakes. My granola recipe is an easy recipe that’s almost identical to my mom’s. Taco Soup is so delicious on a cool autumn day. Pumpkin is a good addition to pancakes. If gives them a beautiful golden color plus they will be super moist.
Easy Granola
- 8 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 cups unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1 t salt
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 cup honey
Add any of following after toasting granola.
- nuts
- raisins
- dates
- dried-fruit mix
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Mix ingredients in large mixing bowl.
Pour onto greased rimmed baking sheet.
Toast in oven 35 to 40 minutes; stir granola twice while baking.
Stir in optional fruit; set aside to cool.
Serve with milk for breakfast or snacking, or use as a topping for yogurt or ice cream.
Taco Soup
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion
- 1 medium bell pepper
- 5 cups tomato juice
- 1 pint sweet corn
- 15 ounces black beans
- 1 package taco seasonings
- splash of hot sauce
Fry ground beef, onion and pepper together in large saucepan.
Add remaining ingredients; simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Serve with corn chips, shredded cheese and sour cream.
Pumpkin Pancakes
- 1 cup flour
- 2 t baking powder
- ½ t salt
- ½ t cinnamon
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 T butter, melted
- 2 eggs, separated
Mix together dry ingredients in small mixing bowl.
Whip egg whites until stiff.
Mix together milk, pumpkin, egg yolks and butter.
Combine with dry ingredients.
Gently fold in egg whites.
Pour pancakes onto hot greased skillet.
When pancakes have lots of little bubbles flip them.
Fry until center puffs up just slightly.
Remove from pan; serve hot with maple syrup.
Cherlyn Beachy lives near St. Ansgar in northeast Iowa with her husband, Mervin, and their son and daughter. They have a large garden and raise their own chickens, beef, pork and eggs. She’s a stay-at-home mom who loves to cook and enjoys photography. “I cook like many of you – no special equipment, no exotic ingredients and no one else to wash the dishes,” she says. “I’m always on the lookout for tasty easy-to-prepare seasonal food.”
