Saturday, March 13, 2010
Ok, internets. Matt and I eat a lot of granola bars. They are a great quick easy snack that helps hold us over to the next meal. So, obviously, I tripled this recipe so I could go longer than a week without making them. My batch made 24 good sized bars, so I’m sure with a single batch you’d get about 8. Unless, of course, you want a bit smaller snack and then you could probably get 16 out of a single batch.
I adapted this recipe from smitten kitchen. For some reason they taste like Girl Scout Samoas (or Carmel Delites, depending on where your girl’s troop gets their cookies) even though there is no coconut or caramel involved in this recipe. I’m certainly not complaining though. Deb from smitten kitchen says these freeze well, and even though I made a huge batch, I have no idea if this holds true because of the sheer number of granola bars we eat in this household.
You’ll need:
1-2/3 cup quick oats
½ cup white sugar
1/3 cup oats processed to a fine flour-like texture
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 ounces milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tbsp water
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the ends of the parchment paper to come up two opposite sides. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together vanilla, butter, liquid sweeteners, and water. Toss wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread into the prepared baking pan and press down to mold granola to the shape of the pan (you may want to use some plastic wrap or wax paper to protect your hands from the sticky).
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the edges have browned (it’s ok if you let them go a little long an the tops get some color too). Cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes before cutting. Using the exposed ends of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Use a long bread or serrated knife to cut even squares or rectangles. Store in an airtight container or package individually in snack sized sealing plastic bags.
*note: I used a 11X15 half sheet cake pan for my triple batch. They also cooked for about 50 minutes instead of 30-40.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Last week I went to the Farmer’s Market and my eyeballs were bigger than my brain and I somehow left with way too many zucchini. Which normally wouldn’t be a problem because I know of several ways to use it, except I’m just not feeling like myself in the kitchen lately.
So, what do I do? I find a zucchini bread recipe in my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook bible. It’s sweet and spicy with a delicious crispy crust. I altered it a little, so I thought I’d share.
You’ll need:
1½ cups self-rising flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 ¼ teaspoon allspice
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
¼ cup canola oil
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease the bottom and sides of a 8×4x2 inch loaf pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and allspice. Mix well and set aside. In another medium bowl, combine egg, sugar, zucchini, and oil. Mix well and add to flour mixture all at once, stirring until just moistened (batter will be lumpy). Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool completely and store in an airtight container or bag.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Today’s dreary forecast of a rain/snow mix was the perfect day to complete this month’s Garden Gourmet Challenge. February’s challenge was crock pot soup or stew, and having a soup recipe in my family that has to be cooked all day long provides the perfect opportunity to alter it slightly in order to let it simmer all day in the crock pot while we work. It seems like a lot of work, but it is in fact quite simple.
This soup has been in my family for as long as I can remember. My great grandmother used to make it when we visited in the winter (and sometimes summer too!). It is the ultimate comfort food and I always got beyond excited when my dad announced that was what was simmering on the stove. Every time I eat Pastina it brings back so many great memories from my childhood.
When choosing a roast for this recipe, you want a Chuck roast that has marbling similar to that of a sirloin steak. The end result will be shredded beef that is just perfect for this soup. Don’t be scared of the fat–it provides tons of flavor. You need about 1 pound of roast, so get a larger one and cut it in half or thirds to get a 1 pound chunk.
Another important part of this soup is the pasta. Barilla makes a pasta called Pastina (which is why we call this soup Pastina) but it’s a bit hard to find. I ended up buying a pasta made by De Cecco called Acini di pepe. If you cannot find either, you want a very small pasta (but not couscous). We have used alphabet letters and stars before due to not being able to find the correct pasta. I suppose it doesn’t really matter what kind it is, but large pastas will definitely make a difference. So find the small stuff. Pastina are small round bb-like pieces of pasta.
You’ll need:
1 pound boneless Chuck roast
½ head celery
1 pound carrots
2 boxes low sodium chicken broth
8oz can tomato sauce
½ of a 1 pound box Pastina or Acini di pepe pasta
1 tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper (to season roast before searing)
Parmesan cheese
Preheat skillet and crock pot to high heat. Season both sides of your roast with salt and pepper, and place in preheated skillet. Sear both sides (don’t do the short edges–you want some of the flavor to be able to escape) until each are golden brown. Place seared roast in the bottom of your crock pot. Reduce heat to low.
Cut the celery (use the entire head–leaves and all) and the carrots into 2 inch pieces, halving larger pieces long-ways so everything cooks evenly. Add the celery and carrots to the crock pot. Add the tomato sauce, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and add enough chicken broth to fill your crock pot to about half an inch from the top. Cook on low for 8 hours.
Turn the crock pot on high and cook the pasta as directed on the stove (it’s best to cook it al dente so that it doesn’t get too mushy in the soup). Remove the roast from the crock pot and shred it with two forks, then remove the vegetables (we usually just put our roast and veggies on a plate together). Add enough hot water to the crock pot to fill it back up to ½ inch from the top. Dish the meat and vegetables into bowls, spoon pasta over it, then cover with the broth in the crock pot. Top with Parmesan.
I will admit, Matt and I nearly polished off the entire pot of soup (because it is just that good), but this could easily feed 4 people.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
For Christmas in 2008, I was given my very first Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I didn’t realize until recently what a wealth of information this book is.
Not only are there hundreds of classic recipes, but there are many variations to the classics included as well. There are informational pages about herbs, mushrooms, beans, pasta, cheese, meat…it goes on and on. In the very beginning of the book, there is a whole chapter on kitchen basics–what to always have on hand (pantry staples and kitchen appliances, gadgets, and cookware) how to throw an awesome dinner party, and basic table manners. Inside the front and back covers are huge charts. One chart contains conversions, while the other contains emergency substitutions.
The informational pages about the different categories of food are probably one of my favorite things about this book. I don’t know about you, but every time I go to the grocery store, a different cut of meat is on sale–and even though these sales are great, I don’t always know what to do with the meat when I get it home. Sure, I know what to do with a chuck roast or steaks, but what if it’s a type of roast I’ve never cooked before? What if lamb is on sale? I wouldn’t know what to do without this cookbook. There is an entire spread in the meat section that lists each type of meat (with a picture, so helpful) and what to do with it to yeild the best results. And of course beef, veal, pork, and lamb are all included along with recipes for each category and then a chart at the end on how to broil, roast, and skillet cook meat (including how to prepare it, how long to cook it, and what temperature it’s supposed to be when done).
I think one of the first recipes that will come to be in my kitchen from this book will be Zucchini Bread. I went a little crazy at the farmers market last week and bought up more zucchini than I knew what to do with. Later, though, I am going to test my hand at sourdough bread. Excitement doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Whether you’re a true beginner or a self-proclaimed pro in the kitchen, the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook is bound to be your best friend in the kitchen. If you’re interested, you can buy the version I own here.
Please note: I did not receive any type of incentive or bribe to review this book. I truly love it, and reviewed it here on my awesome blog out of the kindness of my heart. I am willing to review items provided they are sent to me free of charge–but this was not one of them. Unless my mom works for Better Homes and Gardens. Which she does not.
Monday, February 15, 2010
This past Saturday, I got to hang out with the beautiful Krista from The Garden Gourmet. We took a trip to the Farmer’s Market, the grocery store, and headed back to her place with goodies to cook. Except I didn’t do anything but watch her. And taste test.
She made lots of wonderful stuff, and even sent me home with some scones (and a few other things, but we’ll talk about that later). Scones that are deliciously wonderful and that you should make as soon as she gets a spare moment to post the recipe.
It had been a long time since I sat and watched someone cook. We had excellent conversation that passed the time quickly, but it’s been since I was a little kid that I got to sit and watch someone cook without having to direct, instruct, or help the person cooking (ahem, Matt). And even though Krista made a huge mess (hello, she roasted two chickens, made two batches of scones and made home made biscuit dough for her awesome biscuit surprise) that made the OCD voices in my head go “HOLY SHIT DID SHE JUST DROP FLOUR ON THE FLOOR?” I still enjoyed just watching someone cook live in front of me. Definitely better than Food Network. Even HD Food Network.
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