Top whole grain bread with this awesome fruit spread, packed with anti-oxidants, vitamins A and B6:

Ingredients:

1 cup prunes (or dates!)

1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend. Store in refrigerator.

I really love this bread recipe. This is a robust loaf with molasses, wheat germ, oats and of course ... 100% stoneground whole wheat flour from Bob's Red Mill. A Malhuer County Fair winner, enjoy this recipe brought to you from the kitchen of L. Burdic, Ontario, Oregon.This one takes some time because you sprout the wheat, but you can leave the sprouts out and the bread is still to-die-for.

Ingredients 1/4 cup sprouted Wheat, Hard Red Berries 1 cup Water 3 cups Warm Water (110 degrees F) 4-1/2 tsp Yeast, Active Dry 1/3 cup Molasses 1/3 cup Walnut Oil 2 tsp Sea Salt 1 cup Wheat Germ 1 cup (divided) Oats, Rolled, Quick Cooking 2 cups White Flour, Unbleached 4 cups Whole Wheat Flour

Directions

The Wheat Berries: Two or 3 days before baking bread, soak berries in 1 cup of cold water for 6-8 hours in a sprouting jar. Drain well and rinse several times. Invert or place jar on its side in a warm location 70-80 degrees. Water seeds 3-4 times a day by covering with tap water and then draining well. Your sprouts are ready when they have a 1/4" top and 1" roots. The Baking: Place sprouts in a blender with 2 cups of warm water and blend on high until the water looks very milky. Strain this milky water into your bread bowl (reserve the sprouts). Add one more cup of warm water to the bowl (total of 3 cups). Add yeast to the liquid and let stand until bubbly. Add salt, molasses, sprouts and oil to the liquid and begin mixing by hand or bread hook. Add wheat germ, mix well. Add 3/4 cup of oatmeal and mix well. Add whole wheat flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Finish bread dough by adding white flour, one cup at a time until mixture can be turned onto a bread board and finished by hand. Add 1/4 cup of oatmeal and knead in. Oatmeal may still be seen when mixing is complete. When the dough is elastic and smooth, place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat, cover and allow to rise 1-1-1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Punch down and shape into 3 loaves. Place dough in greased bread pans and cover. Let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Mix one egg yolk and 1/8 cup of water and 1/8 cup of olive oil to form an egg wash. Brush to tops of each loaf just before placing in oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake loaves for 1 hour or until tops are nicely browned and the loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove baked loaves from their pans and cool completely on wire racks before slicing or storing in plastic bags. This bread will keep longer if stored in the refrigerator. Makes 3 loaves (13 slices each). Optional: Add 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds to recipe. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Serving Size: 1 Slice (53g) Calories 110, Calories from Fat 20, Total Fat 2.5g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 20mg, Total Carbohydrates 20g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 2g, Protein 4g.

I have 30+ years worth of magazine clippings of interest and recipes, all compiled in 6 hefty binders.

Here is one of those recipe clippings, making these tasty, portable snacks, a cross between a cookie and a granola bar. Any of the seed/nut/dried fruit combo can be replaced with whatever you like, or to just give this recipe endless variety.

Makes 20

• 3/4 cup white quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup shelled raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup shelled raw pistachios, chopped
• 1 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve; drain. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa; return to a boil. Stir quinoa; cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until most liquid is absorbed and quinoa is slightly undercooked, about 12 minutes; transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, fluffing with a fork occasionally, until pale golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in a large bowl.
2. Spread oats on baking sheet; bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add oats to quinoa. Spread seeds on baking sheet; bake until lightly toasted, about 7 minutes. Add to quinoa mixture; let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
3. Toss nuts, apricots, sugar, and salt with quinoa mixture. Beat honey, oil, and vanilla into eggs; stir into quinoa mixture.
4. Line a 12-by-17-inch baking sheet with parchment; lightly coat with cooking spray. Spoon 1/4 cup batter onto sheet for each cluster; space 3 inches apart. Flatten to 1/4 inch thick. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until crisp, about 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Store, loosely covered with foil, up to 2 days.

From Martha Stewart Living, October 2004

Couldn't resist adding a couple more pictures of glorious Montana. May it always be kept pristine. We can't take any of our beautiful country for granted. We were appalled when some jerk threw his cigarette in Dickey Lake, right where we were swimming. My terrific niece energetically dove in and swam to retrieve it! I was so impressed. I liked the quote the Amish had posted: "Its the 'unity' in 'community' that gets the job done". We are all in this together!

We just returned from my beloved Montana, my namesake and home. We visited the beautiful West Kootenai Amish village, a place of grace and beauty. A beautiful young lady, "T", showed us around on her lunch break from the wood furniture shop. She had sawdust on her nose and a bright, cheerful smile. She is 19 years old, single, but she proudly told us she owns her own home, no doubt through her hard work and resourcefulness.

She shared some of her family recipes. Of course I bought some of their bread at the Kootenai Craft and Grocery. Boy, they know how to bake! All their goods were to die for.

Here is one of many recipes I will be sharing from these good people:

TOMATO BREAD

2 c. tomato juice

3 T. sugar

1 pkg yeast, dissolved in 1/4 c. ketchup

1/2 tsp. oregano

7 c. flour

2 T. butter

1 tsp. salt

1/4 c. warm water

1/2 tsp. basil

1/4 c. grated cheese

Heat Tomato juice and butter till butter melts. Add other ingredients, except yeast and flour. Cool to lukewarm. Add yeast and 3 c. flour. Beat well. Add remaining flour. (If you have a Bosch mixer, you can add flour all at once) Mix well. Shape and lay in two loaf pans. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. ---This recipe is from Mrs. Freeman Troyer

V-8 DRINK

2 bundles celery

2-4 red beets

6 carrots

4 onions

2 gallons tomato juice

Cook everything until very soft. Mash and strain. Add the juice of 3 lemons. Add salt to taste. Cool and can be served with ice, garnish with tender veggies. --This recipe is from Mrs. Sammy Yoder