Category: Baking

Granola Obsession

Sadie2 Comments

I used to think that granola was one of those things that you had to buy from a store.  I didn’t realize you could make it at home until I saw a post on the blog Chocolate and Zucchini in 2010.  It looked so easy and delicious that I decided to give a try.  The rest is history.  These days I make some serious granola.  I highly recommend giving it a try.  The great thing is that you can add, subtract, and substitute ingredients as you feel like it.  Beware, it’s addictive.

This is my favorite version:

Sadie’s Granola

Ingredients

  • 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (I add a half cup each of sliced almonds, pecans, and walnuts)
  • 1/2 cup seeds (I only use sunflower seeds, unsalted)
  • 2 Tbs oil ( I use olive oil)
  • 6 Tbs maple syrup
  • 1-2 Tbs honey
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp coarse salt
  • 1 Tbs vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 egg white
  • 3/4 cup chopped dried fruit (I use half dried cranberries, half raisons)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 300.

2. Combine oil, syrup, spices, salt, sugar, and honey.

3. Combine oats, nuts, and seeds.

4.  Add wet to dry and mix so everything is evenly distributed.

5. Add egg white.  (this will help make little clumps of oats and nuts, it makes a good texture)

6.  Spread mixture out on a greased cookie sheet.  (make sure the cookie sheet has sides, otherwise the granola will get all over the place)

7.  Bake the granola about 40 minutes depending on the oven, or until golden brown.  Check on it every  10  minutes or so and mix it up or turn it around in the oven to ensure that it bakes evenly.  You should be a little conservative because the granola will continue to crisp up after you take it out of the oven, you don’t want to over do it.

8.  Add the dried fruit when the granola has cooled off.  Allow to cool completely before you store it in a sealed container (you don’t want trapped moisture raining on your parade).

I like enjoying my granola with a little almond milk.

FYI: This is a great food-gift.  It’s my go-to hostess gift.  I buy a cute container like a mason jar, fill it with some fabulous home made granola and tie it with a pretty ribbon.  Voila!

Nothing Beats a Classic

Sadie1 Comment

First order of business: Happy Birthday to my Best Best Friend Karla!

Sometimes when I’m in the mood to bake and I haven’t gone shopping for specific ingredients, I play the pantry game.  What can I make (that I would want to eat) with the items that I already have?  I’m usually short on anything perishable, but if I have butter, the answer is usually: shortbread.  And frankly, it’s hard to get better than shortbread.  Delicious.  Plus you can eat it with some tea and pretend to be British and sophisticated.

Classic Shortbread

Adapted from Ina on the Food Network

yeilds 20 cookies (depending on the size you choose)

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb unsalted butter (that’s 3 sticks)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 8 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate (Ina uses bitter-sweet)
  • chopped nuts or sprinkles for decoration

Method

  1. Cream together butter and sugar with electric mixer.  Add vanilla.
  2. Sift in flour and salt.  Mix until dough starts to come together a little bit.
  3. Turn the dough out onto the counter and form into disks to chill in the freezer.
  4. Allow dough to chill for at least 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 350.
  6. Roll dough out to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch think and use desired cookie cutters to cut shapes.
  7. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.  These are probably better a little on the blond side.
  8. Allow cookies to cool.  Heat chocolate up in microwave for 30 seconds at a time.  Use a fork to stir chocolate and make it shiny.
  9. Use fork to paint chocolate on desired portion of cooled shortbread cookies.  Dip chocolate portion into chopped nuts or sprinkles.  (During the holidays these look great with red and green bead sprinkles)
  10. Stick them in the frige or freezer to help accelerate the cooling process.

Italian Easter Pie

Carrie2 Comments

A few years ago, I made an Easter pie or what the Italian’s call a pizzagaina. It was a lot of work but well worth it in the end. I do not have any Italian in me but I would like to make this a tradition for my family in the future. It is a great dish to add to your brunch menu on Easter. Think about giving it a try next year and let me know if you have a different recipe for one worth trying. I must admit that I am not an expert when it comes to Italian cooking but I sure do appreciate it!

Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs ham (sliced thick from deli-counter or cubed pieces of boiled ham)
1/4 lb prosciutto
1/4 lb pepper ham
1/4 lb capicola
1/2 lb salami
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese (1 entire brick of whole milk mozzarella, cubed)
1 lb Farmer’s cheese
3 lbs ricotta cheese
1 stick pepperoni (sliced)
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
15 eggs
4 lbs pizza dough

Directions:

Cube ham meat. Cut sliced meat by rolling & slicing or cutting with scissors. Cube mozzarella. In very large bowl, add ricotta & farmer’s cheese. Add 15 eggs. Stir with whisk. Add 3 heaping tablespoons Grated cheese. Stir in the cubed meat and cheese.

Brush pan with oil then melted butter. Roll out & lay dough. Add cheese/meat mixture. Add top layer of dough and pinch bottom & top dough seams together tightly.

Brush top with oil then egg. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake 350 for about 90 minutes. To check if it is done, stick a knife in the center and see if it comes out hot.

Remove from oven. Brush top with melted butter. Cool 2-3 hours and then refrigerate. Serve on Easter.