Ingredients :

· 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 2/3 cup oats
· 1/2 cup cornstarch
· 1/2 cup confectioners’ (icing) sugar, sifted
· 3/4 cup butter, softened

Cooking Procedures :

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare ungreased cookie sheet and some cookie cutters. Set aside.
2. Combine flour, oats, cornstarch and confectioners’ (icing) sugar in a large bowl. With large spoon, blend in butter. Work with hands until soft, smooth dough forms. Shape into ball. If necessary, refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.
3. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheet. Decorate if desired. Place cookie sheet in the center rack of the oven. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes or until edges are lightly browned (time will depend on cookie size).
4. Remove from the oven. Cool for 5 minutes on sheet and then transfer to rack and cool completely. Store in tightly covered container.

Ingredients :

· 2/3 cup uncooked oat bran cereal
· 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
· 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
· 1/2 tsp. baking powder
· 3 tbsp. softened margarine
· 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
· 1 egg white, lightly beaten
· 2 tsp. water
· 1/4 tsp. vanilla
· 2 tbsp. raisins

Cooking Procedures :

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix together oat bran, rolled oats, flour and baking powder.
3. In another bowl, beat together margarine and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Stir in egg white, water and vanilla, mixing until thoroughly incorporated. Add flour mixture and mix well. Fold in raisins.
4. Drop by level tablespoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheet. Using a fork or the bottom of a glass flatten slightly. Place in the center rack of the oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until bottoms are slightly browned.
5. Remove from the oven. Cool on sheet for 3 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Ingredients :

· eggs
· milk (or half and half)
· butter
· salt and pepper, to taste

Cooking Procedures :

1. Use a 10 oz. bowl or custard cup for 1 to 2 eggs; use a 1 quart bowl for 4 to 6 eggs.
2. Beat eggs and milk together with a fork until well blended. Cut butter into small pieces and stir into eggs.
3. Microwave, uncovered, at (Power Level according to the times given in the chart below. Break up and stir eggs with a fork every 30 seconds. Cook until nearly set.
4. Let STAND and covered loosely for 1 to 3 minutes to complete the cooking. Stir and season to taste.

Making pancakes is among the simplest of culinary feats. To start, you need the right ingredients. Fortunately, the best flour for pancakes is also the most readily available – good old all-purpose. High-gluten flour makes tough, chewy pancakes, while pancakes made with cake flour get soggy when syrup is poured over them. For a change of taste, substitute cornmeal, buckwheat flour, or whole-wheat flour for half the all-purpose flour called in a pancakes recipe.

01.    When leavening with baking powder/soda, mixing the batter is critical. There are two stages: whisking together the dry ingredients, and whisking the wet ingredients into the dry. In the final step, don’t whisk the batter to a smooth, uniform texture, or the gluten in the flour will develop and produce tough pancakes. Instead, mix the wet and dry ingredients together only partially, leaving lumps of unmoistened dry ingredients. The interaction of the liquid and the pockets of dry ingredients during cooking will results in fluffy pancakes. Yeasted pancakes require no such care, but unless you want to wait for the batter to rise in the morning, mix it the night before, and let it rise in the refrigerator.

02.    More butter does not mean better pancakes. A thin film covering the griddle prevents puddling and browns the pancakes evenly. After melting the butter on the griddle, wipe the surface with a paper towel. Too much melted butter on the griddle will result in “fried” pancakes – crispy on the outside and undercooked on the inside.

03.    For fruit pancakes, place fruit on top of the batter right after it’s poured onto the griddle. This allows the fruit to be evenly distributed in each pancakes. Mixing the fruit in before the pancakes are on the griddle will thin the batter.

04.    When is the time to flip? When the batter surface is covered with little bubbles, some of which have begun to break, the leavening agent has created enough carbon dioxide to lift and lighten the dough. The bursting bubbles, though, are letting that gas escape, so flip the pancake just at this moment, before too many have popped. Bubbles will appear first at the edges, which may begin to look dry before the rest of the surface is covered. Avoid the temptation to flip the pancake until some of the interior bubbles have burst.

Ingredients :

· 1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 3/4 cup granulated sugar
· 1 tbsp. baking powder
· 2 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
· 3/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds
· 2 eggs
· 1/3 cup olive oil
· 1 tsp. vanilla
· 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Cooking Procedures :

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare greased cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and almonds. Make a well in the center.
3. In another bowl, whisk eggs, oil, vanilla and almond extract. Pour into well and mix until soft, sticky dough forms.
4. Divide dough in half. Shape into two rolls about 10 inches long. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Place in the center rack of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes and then cut into slices 1/2 inch thick. Return to sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn slices over and bake for another 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Ingredients :

· 1/4 cup unsweetened powdered cocoa
· 1/4 cup sugar
· 1 cup water
· 3 cups milk

Cooking Procedures :

1. In a 1-1/2 quart (1.5L) glass bowl, combine cocoa and sugar. Add water.
2. Microwave on High (Power Level 10) for 1-1/2 minutes, stirring once.
3. Add milk. Heat on High (Power Level 10) for about 3 minutes or until piping hot, but not boiling.

Ingredients :

· 2-4 eggs
· water, for boiling

Cooking Procedures :

1. Place eggs in a deep saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Remove from heat and cover. Let stand off heat for 14 to 16 minutes.
3. Transfer to an iced water bath (or set saucepan in the sink and run in cold water to cool eggs quickly. This makes eggs easier to shell and keeps yolks from turning dark around the edges) and let cool completely.

Helpful Tips
- To shell hard-cooked eggs tap to crack shell. Roll between hands to loosen shell. Hold under cold water as you peel shell.
- Unpeeled eggs can be refrigerated for up to a week.

Ingredients :

· 4 slices white sandwich bread (Pullman), about 1/2 inch thick
· 2 oz. Monterey Jack cheese cut in 1/8 inch thick slices
· 2 oz. Cheddar cheese cut in 1/8 inch thick slices
· unsalted butter, room temperature

Cooking Procedures :

1. Heat a large cast-iron or heavy metal skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Place two slices of bread on a work surface, and cover each with a layer of Monterey Jack and a layer of cheddar cheese. Top with the remaining slices of bread.
3. Generously butter both outer sides of the sandwiches, spreading butter all the way to the edges of the bread.
4. Place the sandwiches in the skillet, and press down only lightly with the back of a spatula. Cook until golden brown on each side, 3 to 4 minutes per side, and the cheese has completely melted.
5. Remove from the skillet. Cut in half lengthwise, and serve immediately.

Ingredients :

· 2 cups quick-cooking oats
· 4 cups hot water
· 2/3 cup chopped dried apricots or raisins
· 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light)
· 1/4 tsp. salt
· 1 tbsp. butter
· 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
· 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
· 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
· dash ground cloves or allspice

Cooking Procedures :

1. Combine oats, water, dried fruits, sugar and salt in a 2 quart casserole.
2. Cover. Microwave at (Power Level 10) for 5 to 6 minutes or until oatmeal thickens, stirring twice.
3. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to blend. Cover and let STAND 3 minutes before serving.

Ingredients :

· eggs
· butter (or bacon fat or vegetable oil)
· salt and pepper

Cooking Procedures :

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add butter (or bacon fat or oil). When it is moderately hot, break egg and add into the skillet (or by using a saucer – slip into skillet). Season with salt and pepper.
2. Reduce heat to low. Cook slowly, spooning fat over egg until whites are set and a film forms over yolks and the bottom is lightly brown for about 3 to 4 minutes. You can turn over the egg, if you like. Cook until yolks are, as you want them.
3. Remove egg and drain with paper towels. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately.

Helpful Tips
- It is easier to keep the yolks whole if you slip the eggs one at a time from a saucer into the skillet.