From: America’s Test Kitchen – Simple Weeknight Favorites 

I used 1 1/2 to 2 cups salad mix, 1 cup grapes, 1 orange, 1 granny smith apple, and 2 cups of ice

– blend – serve.

This is a quick and easy snack that helps prevent me from eating processed junk. I added a bag of Parker’s Peanuts (Virginia gourmet), a few tablespoons of Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (soy and dairy free), dried cranberries or cherries, pumpkin seeds (I like “Go Pumpkins!” dry roasted organic lightly salted pumpkin seeds), golden-honey raisins, slivered almonds, and sunflower seeds. Make sure not more than one of your ingredients have added salt or it will be a sodium-loaded snack. Other than my pumpkin seeds I like to make sure none of the other ingredients are processed or prepared in any way and that they do not have any added ingredients. This snack takes under 5 minutes to prepare.

Parker’s Peanuts are the best peanuts I have ever tasted. They have no additives or preservatives. (Virginia Peanuts, Inc. Courtland, Virginia 23837)

I start by adding 1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s quick cook steel-cut oats plus 2 1/4 cup of water to a pot. I turn the heat to high until it starts to bubble and then I turn it down to low. 

While the oats are cooking I prepare the fruit: I wash and chop 1/2 carton of organic strawberries, I chop 1 to 2 bananas, and I wash 1/2 carton of blueberries. 

In a separate bowl I add a heaping tablespoon of Shaklee fiber, 4 tablespoons of ground walnuts, 4 tablespoons of flaxseed meal, and 1 teaspoon of chia seed. 

When the oatmeal has finished cooking I add a couple shakes of cinnamon and the walnut mixture and give it all a stir. Then I add in the prepared fruit and serve immediately before the fruit starts to cook. 

This is how the finished product looks. 

I find that America’s Test Kitchen and The Editors of Cook’s Illustrated rarely if ever let me down. This is another fabulous example of a meal they tested again and again so I can’t go wrong. Although I must admit, my Mom did most of the work on this one 🙂

I used the Trader Joe’s jarred Morello cherries and the turbinado sugar per the recommendation in the book. This was amazing and well-worth the effort.

From The Editors of Cook’s Illustrated – The Best Skillet Recipes – Page 312

Cherry Cobbler:

Biscuit Topping

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Cherry Filling

3/4 – 1 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Pinch Salt

2 (24-ounce) jars Morello cherries, drained (about 4 cups cherries), with 2 cups juice reserved

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

1. For the biscuit topping: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the buttermilk and melted butter until a dough forms. Cover and set aside until needed.

2. For the Cherry Filling: Whisk the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet. Whisk in the reserved cherry juice and vanilla. Set the skillet over medium-high heat and cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture simmers and is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the cherries.

3. Using a spoon, scoop and drop 1-inch pieces of the dough, spaced about 1/2 inch apart, over the cherry filling in the skillet, then sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is thick and glossy, 25 to 30 minutes.

4. Using a potholder (the skillet handle will be hot), remove the skillet from the oven. Let the cobbler cool in the skillet for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Since I really don’t like runny or undercooked eggs at all, I cut them in half to make sure they are completely solid. 

My husband loved this meal and it was super-easy to make.

From: America’s Test Kitchen – Simple Weeknight Favorites

This was delicious. However, make your own cornbread. I bought a cornbread mix to make this against my better judgement. The mix was not filled with the fresh ingredients I like to use and I did not like the mix. This would be a company worthy meal if you make your own cornbread!

From: America’s Test Kitchen: Simple Weeknight Favorites