the Lanfords

I love to snack. I love to bake.
And my kids do, too.
I try to find new snacks and baked goods that are healthy, too.
Sometimes, it’s struggle.
Sometimes, I happen upon something like these tasty treats.
They’re packed full of oatmeal and dried fruit – and they’re delicious!
They pack well into school lunch boxes, and they’re handy to have on the go.

Oatmeal Bars
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 cup wheat germ (If you have it, great! If not, don’t worry!)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 cup dried fruit
(cranberries, raisins, apples, whatever you wish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter with wooden spoon until creamy.
Stir in sugars and beat until light and fluffy.
Stir in egg and 1 tablespoon of water.

In a medium bowl, toss oats, wheat germ, flour, cinnamon and salt.
Add fruit.
Stir dry ingredients into butter mix.
Firmly pat dough into greased 9×13″ pan.

Bake for 25 minutes.
Let cool completely and cut into 24 bars.

My apologies for skipping the Feast last Friday. I thought about it, and before I knew it, I was washing dishes Sunday evening.
A few weeks ago, I made these donuts for breakfast. Every time I make them, I’m reminded of being in a gaggle of 9-year-old girls, extremely sleepy from a night full of movies, popcorn, make up trials (and misses), prank phone calls and gossip. These donuts were a staple of my childhood. Sleepovers were planned around them; and my friends and I devoured them. By the dozen.
My mom was always happy to make more, and I love passing this recipe onto my girls.

I don’t make these often, because they are so poppable. You make ‘em, and you pop ‘em in your mouth. Before you know it, you’ve eaten a whole batch by yourself.
And the possibilities are endless. I just dust them in powdered sugar. But think how tasty it would be to drizzle honey or chocolate with (or without) sprinkles. I’ve also thought about leaving the middle intact, and piping in some  Bavarian cream. And then dipping the top in chocolate.
Oh. My.
I can feel my blood sugar rising just thinking about it!

I’ll leave you to your own devices with the toppings and fillings. The recipe is simple as can be – and kids can help, too.
Just keep two things in mind: buy the generic brand of biscuits. It works better for some reason.
And don’t buy the flaky biscuits; buy the butter-me-not variety. The flaky version just doesn’t do this recipe justice.

Here’s your starter recipe. Enjoy!!!

DIY Donuts
1 container refrigerated biscuits, “butter-me-not” variety
Powdered sugar (or other toppings as you see fit)

Heat canola oil in a large skillet; enough oil to cover half of the donuts.
Remove biscuit dough from cans.
If you wish, you (or your kiddos) may remove the middles with the twist-top of a soda bottle (wash it thoroughly first).
Save the holes – they’re tasty, too!

Place biscuits & holes in oil, fry until golden brown. Flip. Brown the other side.
This should take less than 2 minutes per side if your oil is hot enough.
Remove from oil and place on paper towels to remove as much oil as possible.
Once cool (about 10 minutes), dust with powdered sugar – or other toppings.
I find it’s easiest to place the powdered sugar in a large ziploc bag and add a few donuts at a time.
Let the kids shake it – it’s fun!

These don’t keep very well – so don’t make a ton if you’re not sure you can eat them in the first day or two.
But trust me, you shouldn’t have a problem…

After a longer-than-anticipated hiatus, we’re back on track with the Friday Feast.
And so many of our friends and family members were generous to provide fabulous meals to us the first few weeks after Chad’s surgery. We are forever thankful.

I’ve been back in the kitchen for a while now, but my exhaustion didn’t do much for a real menu. We’ve been eating out of convenience. If it was quick and easy, it was on the table. After all, our family can only eat so many cans of Spaghetti-os before the day-glo orange food coloring starts to affect your vision. I’m pretty sure that my children don’t have an orange glow reminiscent of Oompa-Loompas.

Last week, I made one of my favorite meals. It felt good to prepare something from scratch, and even though this recipe can be a little labor intensive in the beginning, it’s well worth it in the long run.
Make it. You’ll see what I mean…

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

Alfredo Sauce Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2/3 medium onion, chopped
2/3 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
2/3 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground pepper

The Rest of the Ingredients
Lasagna noodles
1 1/3 cups Ricotta cheese
1 1/3 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed
10 oz fresh spinach
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 small carton fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp parsely

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cook noodles 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Sauce: Melt butter in a large sauce pan.
Saute onions and garlic.
Stir in flour and salt, simmer until bubbly.
Mix in broth and milk, stirring for 1 minute.
Stir in 2/3 cup of Mozzarella and 1/2 c up Parmesan.
Season with herbs. Stir well. Set aside.

Filling: In another saucepan, saute peppers in EVOO.
Saute until crisp-tender. Add mushrooms and chicken.
Saute for about 3-5 minutes.

Spread 1/3 sauce on bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
Layer noodles, chicken mixture, ricotta,
Layer noodles, sauce, spinach.
Add remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan.
Top with remaining noodles, then sauce.
Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Bake 45 minutes.