Happily Homemade: Fruity Granola

Ever since I was served homemade granola by my friend Rachel during a visit to her place a while back, I've been kind of obsessed with making my own granola. I've poured over granola recipes. I've compared ingredients. I've experimented. I've accidentally allowed a couple batches to get a little too toasty. And I've eaten a lot of granola.

After all of that, I think I've finally landed on the composition of my favorite homemade granola. It has everything I was looking for: a bit of crunch, a bit of chew, a dash of spice, low in fat, high in fiber, and just different enough to keep me from getting bored with granola. It's also super easy to make, open to alterations as you wish, and quite inexpensive. Without further ado, here's my favorite Fruity Granola:

First, preheat oven to 250. In a large bowl, measure out 2 1/2 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup quick oats, 2/3 cup ground flax, and 1/2 cup crisped rice cereal.

Add to that 1/4 cup raw sunflower meats, 1/2 cup sliced raw almonds, and 1 cup dried fruit (I used currants, golden raisins, and snipped apricots) and mix well.

In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup (or small bowl), stir together 2 Tb canola oil, 2 Tb maple syrup, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, and 1/4 cup brown sugar until sugar is dissolved and mixture is well blended. 

Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients in the bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the granola mixture into an even layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes until nicely toasted, stirring the granola and rotating the pan every 10 minutes. When fragrant and toasty brown, remove from oven and allow to cool in pan. When cool, store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

I love this granola with milk as cereal, with fresh fruit and yogurt as a parfait, or just by the handful as a snack. The pomegranate molasses and cardamom set this apart from regular granola by lending a certain fruitiness. If you can't find pomegranate molasses, or don't have cardamom, have fun experimenting with substitutions until you discover your own favorite granola concoction.

Destination Date Night: Marrakesh

When we got married, the Hubs and I set aside Friday evenings as our regular date night. Sometimes date night means we go out; sometimes it means we stay in and do something special together at home. For Christmas, I gave the Hubs a DVD set that I found at Costco: Jamie Oliver's Food Escapes. It's a 6-volume set in which Jamie Oliver (a.k.a. The Naked Chef) travels to various cities to experience and introduce the viewer to the local customs, culture, and cuisine. My idea behind it was this: for those weeks when a low-budget date night is in order, we'll stay in, watch one of the travelogues, learn something together, and enjoy a home-made (or perhaps take-out) dinner representative (or at least somewhat resembling) the cuisine of the featured country.

This last Friday was our first of these "Destination Date Nights," in which we savored a Moroccan-inspired dish (keep reading for the recipe) and went along with Jamie on his adventures in Marrakesh. The evening ended with an SDP (spontaneous dance party), attended by Brutus (who is still adorned with the ornaments of the season). He's a bit of a wallflower, though.

Moroccan-spiced Chickpea Chili

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup diced carrot
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 ground cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (29-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tb lemon juice

Heat oil in a dutch oven over med-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic to pan; saute 5 minutes. Stir in spices (cumin through cayenne); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and lemon juice. Salt to taste.

This chili has a nice heat to it without being too spicy (for my tastes). Besides being a low-budget wonder, it's also vegetarian (if you use veg broth) and gluten-free (if that's a concern for you). 

Best. Appetizer. Ever.

I don't remember exactly when I fell in love with bacon-wrapped dates, but I do know that from the moment I let that first scrumptious bite melt in my mouth with all of its warm, sweet and savory, fruity and bacony goodness, I have never been the same.

In the early years of my love affair with bacon-wrapped dates, I limited my encounters to infrequent visits to tapas restaurants (such as Cafe Babareeba, the Chicago dining establishment where I met the Hubs for the first time, and where I've been known to polish off an order of BWD all by myself). No more. Now I make them myself. And once you see how incredibly easy it is, you will too. The next time you have people over and need an appetizer, whip up a batch of these. Then stand back and watch with satisfaction as the unsuspecting, uninitiated pop that first bite into their mouth...you'll see their eyes widen in surprise, then roll back in their head as they release a soft moan of pure satisfaction. Or something like that. If you've never tried one, trust me on this: they're that good.

Bacon-wrapped Dates with Cider Gastrique

What you'll need for the BWD:
A package of dates*
A package of bacon (avoid thick-cut, which is harder to wrap around the date)

*There are several different varieties of dates, which affects their size, color, and degree of sweetness. Medjoul dates are probably the most widely known by name in the U.S., but they can also be the most expensive. Use what you can find at the grocery store. I've found that once you wrap a date in bacon and bake it up in the oven so that the sugars caramelize and turn the date flesh to a soft, melt-in-your-mouth consistency, the variety of date doesn't matter too much. 

Yes, that's all it takes for the BWD themselves. The name pretty much says it all. 

However, you'll also need: 
A large, rimmed baking sheet
Aluminum foil
Oven-safe cooling rack
Toothpicks
Patience

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line the baking sheet with foil (this makes clean-up so easy!). Place the rack in the baking sheet. (You don't have to use a rack, but doing so allows the grease to drain off and helps your bacon get crispier all around.)
2. Cut the package of bacon in thirds. (Since raw bacon is on the slimy side, I find it easiest to use kitchen shears or a sharp knife and cut it up all together, packaging and all.)
3. If your dates didn't come pitted, pit your dates. Use a paring knife to make a slit in the side of the date, pull out the pit, then squish the date back together.
4. Take a date, wrap it in bacon, secure the bacon with a toothpick, and set it on the rack in the baking sheet. Repeat until you run out of dates or you run out of bacon, whichever comes first.

5. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip dates using tongs, rotate pan, and return to oven for another 10 minutes or until bacon is crispy.
6. Allow to cool slightly before serving. (This is where patience is required. The dates will smell AMAZING and you'll want to pop one in your mouth right away, but trust me...you'll burn your mouth and then your taste buds will be ruined for the dates to come.)

Now, you can stop right there and have a truly delectable appetizer. Or, while the dates are in the oven, you can go the extra mile and make a cider gastrique to drizzle over the BWD that will add a subtle complexity to the flavor and make you feel all chef-like because then you can say "I made a gastrique." And then your guests will ask, "What exactly is a gastrique?" and you can tell them:

A gastrique is a classic French reduction sauce made from a base of vinegar and sugar. Gastrique is the French word for “gastric,” pertaining to the stomach, from the Greek word for stomach, “gaster.” While the term first appeared in 1656, the word “gastronomy” wasn’t coined until 1800, when French poet Joseph de Berchoux created it as the title of a poem on good living. 

What you'll need for the Gastrique: 
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
a small saucepan

Instructions:
1. Dissolve the sugar in 1 tablespoon of water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Increase heat and boil, without stirring (don't even think about it), until amber, about 5 minutes.
3. Add vinegar (mixture will bubble vigorously...it's kind of exciting) and stir until all of the caramel bits dissolve and the sauce thickens slightly.
4. Remove from heat; sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Once you've nicely laid out your slightly cooled BWD on a serving platter, drizzle them with your mostly cooled gatrique. Then try not to make a noticeable dent in the platter's contents before your guests arrive.

If you give this a try, have any questions, or simply want to share your love of BWD, please leave a comment!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ever since my friend and former co-worker Tirzah shared this recipe with me, these cookies have become a MUST every time autumn rolls back around. I was asked to bring a dessert to a church function last night, and I knew these would be perfect. True to form, my plate of cookies was one of the first ones empty. That's just how good these cookies are. Make them and you'll see!

Ingredients: 
2 cups shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 15-oz can pure pumpkin
4 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 12-oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, mix in the eggs, then the pumpkin. 
3. Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 
4. This is a fairly wet dough. Chill in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes and it will be a little easier to work with. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350.
5. Drop by tablespoon-full onto cookie sheet. (I use my medium-size cookie scoop for these.)
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until center of cookies no longer look wet. Let set for 2 minutes on pan, then remove to cooling rack and cool completely. 

A couple notes: 

1. This recipe makes about 5-6 dozen cookies.You can easily halve the recipe if you don't want that many cookies; I make it this way because if I only use one cup out of a can of pumpkin, I never know what to do with the rest, and don't want it to go to waste.
2. The final consistency of these cookies is more soft and chewy (cake-like) than crumbly and crunchy (cookie-like). And that's a very good thing.

If you can't stand the heat...

...bake in your crock pot. Really! Whether you are skeptical or intrigued, read on...

Here's the scenario that confronted me today: Two brown speckled bananas hanging on the banana tree. Ninety-one degrees outside. Eighty-four degrees inside, even after running the (ancient) living room AC unit and 3 fans all morning.

Those bananas were just asking to be mashed and folded into some banana bread (and my stomach thought that sounded like a great idea), but there was no way I was going to turn on the oven today. To the rescue: CrockPot Lady Stephanie O'Dea and my own trusty crock pot. It's so crazy simple you'll be amazed:

1. Follow your favorite banana bread recipe (see link to mine below) and pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. (I used an 8"x4" metal nonstick loaf pan, which fits perfectly into my 6 qt oval crock pot. Stephanie advises that if all you have is a round crock pot, you can use a round baking dish that fits snugly into the stoneware. Be sure to test out the fit before you fill a pan or dish with batter. Learned that one the hard way.)

2. Prop the lid open just a tad to let out some of the steam. (I used a clean ballpoint pen. You could also use a chopstick or anything with similar circumference.)

3. "Bake" on high for 4 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Carefully remove the hot pan from the stoneware. Let cool 5 minutes in pan, and then remove loaf to wire rack and let cool completely.

Full Disclosure: Your bread may not get that nice peaked crown it would get in the oven. But come on, you just baked bread in your crock pot! Cut it some slack. And then cut yourself a slice, 'cause it's gonna be tasty.

That's all there is to it! No sweat. (Yep, pun intended). And as an added bonus, you get to enjoy the scrumptious smell of bread baking for 4 hours instead of just one!

This Mix & Match Quick Bread guide from Food Network Magazine has become my go-to recipe for banana bread (and many other quick bread varieties). Today's loaf was banana chocolate chip.

Rise and Shine...and Bake

If your home is like mine and doesn't have central AC, you know that the best time to attempt any baking during the summer is in the early morning, after a cool night. This morning was an ideal occasion: I had four very ripe bananas hanging on the banana tree, and the rollicking storms that passed through the Chicago area last night cooled things off quite nicely after yesterday afternoon's humid 88 degrees. What's more, I had a reason to bake (though I don't always need a reason): later today and this week I'll be visiting a good friend who recently had a baby, as well as friends and family who are on the verge of out-of-state moves. And one of the ways I say, "I love you" is "Here, I baked you something."

Given the overripe bananas, this morning's baking session produced Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies (with Fiber Boost). And I must say, they're delicious! This recipe makes a big batch (about 5 dozen), perfect for sharing (and for still having a few left for yourself and your husband who gets disappointed when you bake and then give it all away).

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
(with Fiber Boost)

1 1/2 cups shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium; the riper the better)
3 1/2 cups quick oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 12-oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or chips)

1. In large bowl, combine oats, flours, flax, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In another large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar on low speed. Add eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until smooth. Add banana and mix on low speed until just incorporated.
3. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture in thirds, mixing each time on low and scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go.
4. Stir in the chocolate chunks. Let the dough chill in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 350.
5. Drop dough by heaping spoonfuls* onto ungreased cookie sheet** leaving at least an inch between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and just set in the middle. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. (Although I recommend sampling one while the chocolate is still ooey-gooey warm!)

Note: The "fiber boost" comes from the whole wheat flour and flax seed meal (which is also a "one-two good-for-you" punch to your cholesterol when paired with the oatmeal). If you'd rather not boost the fiber, or don't have those ingredients, just omit them and use 3 cups AP flour instead.

*Beloved Kitchen Gadget plug #1: If you make drop cookies with any regularity, you should really invest in a cookie scoop. These things are great. Mine are by Oxo and I have two different sizes: small (2 tsp) and medium (1 1/2 tb). They make it so easy to produce cookies that are consistent in size and shape, and eliminate the need for multiple spoons or the employment of fingers for scraping the dough onto the sheet.





**Beloved Kitchen Gadget plug #2: I bake just about everything on a Silpat now. I love the perfectly browned, no-stick results and easy clean-up. To the people who purchased these for me off my bridal registry: THANK YOU!