Xmas Granola

In a very large bowl combine 15 cups of oats, lots of toasted and chopped pecans, walnuts and cashews, a few handfuls of salted whole almonds, 2 cups flax meal, 2-3 cups wheat bran (can do combo of wheat bran and wheat germ but I was out of wheat germ), and 1 cup packed brown sugar.

Helpful hint: For the pecan, walnuts, and cashews I toasted them and then put them in a plastic bag and used a meat hammer to crush them into bite sized pieces. Much easier than a knife!

In a sauce pan combine 2 1/2 cups honey, 1 cup canola oil, 2 Tablespoons vanilla, and 1 1/4 cup water. Heat until bubbling.

Pour over oat mixture. Mix until evenly coated and then bake in batches on baking sheets at 325 for 20 minutes, stirring in the middle. I have a convection oven so I could two sheets at a time.

Let cool and then add lots of good dried fruit. I used fancy raisins.

Cranberry Orange Cornmeal Cake

Preheat to 375. Grease a 10 inch springform cake pan.

In one bowl combine
2 cups flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 T baking powder
1/2 t soda

In another bowl mix together
3 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 T vanilla
1/4 cup plus 2 T oil

In a third bowl mix together
3/4 cup plus 2 T (1 3/4 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 t salt
zest of 1 orange

Incorporate egg mixture into butter mixture
Add 1/2 of flour mix and mix quickly. Then the rest of the flour and
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/4 to 2 cups cranberries

Mix all together, but do not overmix

Pour batter into pan and top with
1 1/4 cups cranberries and 2-3 T sugar

Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Baked Flounder

Put the fish on a foiled baking sheet. Sprinkle with lemon, breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, salt and pepper, herbs, etc. Drizzle olive oil, sprinkle paprika. Bake for 12 minutes, until flaky, at 375, in the toaster oven if you've got that kind of toaster oven.

Transcontinental Hustle

This dish starts out just like the cous cous with steamed vegetables and sausage, but the transcontinental flair is added when, searching the pantry, you find that you're out of cous cous. Make an emergency substitution of quinoa. Now we're talking Incan supergrain!

By now if you're feeling pretty good, with that quinoa on the stovetop, go ahead and add olives, dried apricots, and prunes into the saute pan, with the sausage and everything else.

Serve with lemon, salt, hot pepper. Suggested pairings to maximize transcontinental impact include croque-monsieur, kimchee, a pint of Fosters, the music of Gogol Bordello.

No bake cookies

Melt some dark chocolate. Throw in crunchy chow mein noodles, raisins, butterscotch chips, and peanuts. Scoop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in cookie-sized scoops. Allow to harden in fridge. Inhale.

pumpkin pasta

Using 2-3 small pie pumpkins cut off the top and scoop out the seeds. Using a knife and sturdy spoons, cut/scrape out as much flesh as possible while still keeping the shell intact. Stick the shells in the oven to bake at 350 for 40 minute until softened. Meanwhile saute the pumpkin flesh with garlic, a sliced onion, an inch of peeled ginger root for about 10 minutes. Add zucchini slices and cook for another 5. Add a big can of tomatoes, 1 lb of pasta and broth to almost cover. Cook until pasta is tender. Stir in 1/2 cup ricotta and chopped fresh basil and parsley. Scoop into pumpkin shells to serve.

apple coleslaw

Using the grater attachment of your cuisinart, grate a few apples, lots of cabbage (red and green for color), and carrots. Toss in some raisins, craisins, and toasted pecans. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar. You can add plain yogurt if you like it creamy. Enjoy.