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.

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!

A Vacation Alphabet - Part 7

S is for Street Food

A love a good open air market. The small town of Minturn, not too far from Vail, has a nice market every Saturday morning during the summer. We enjoyed wandering through the aisles of vendors, which offered wares ranging from jewelry, specialty pasta, clothes, accessories, kitchen goods, dog paraphernalia, and even "Dope on a Rope" (soap made from hemp). There were also a good number of food stalls, and picking just one was difficult. Travis and I settled on the crepe tent and shared a savory creation brimming with good things. I don't remember exactly what was in there, but I think turkey, tomatoes, spinach, and cheese were involved.

T is for Treacherous Trail

Descending the exposed ridge after reaching the summit of Mt. Sherman. Yikes.

U is for Unexpected Beauty

Scattered amidst the Rockies' harsh terrain are little patches of color and beauty for those who will notice.

A Vacation Alphabet - Part 6

P is for Pizza

If you ever find yourself near Leadville, Colorado, stop in for a pizza (and some crazy good garlic bread) at High Mountain Pies. Trust me (and Travis, and all the 5-star Yelp reviews) on this one. 

 Travis and I shared "El Hidalgo," which featured a garlic oil base topped with thinly sliced beef sirloin, dried cherries, caramelized onions, blue cheese, and arugula--a delicious combination.

 My parents chose their own toppings: a basil pesto base, topped with roasted chicken, roma tomatoes, and mozzarella--modeled loosely on my homemade version, of which my mom especially is a big fan.

Q is for Quandary 

 quandary (noun): a situation from which extrication is difficult, especially an unpleasant or trying one; a state of uncertainty or perplexity

Yes, Mt. Quandary is aptly named.

R is for Reflection

A Vacation Alphabet - Part 5

M is for Maroon Bells

At Dave's suggestion, we took a day trip to the Maroon Bells, which are near Aspen. The Maroon Bells are touted to be the most photographed location in Colorado, and a visit there makes it easy to see why. It's absolutely gorgeous. Because we visited in the late afternoon, the sun position unfortunately wasn't the best for photos of the bells themselves. That didn't stop me from snapping away while we were there, and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the area a bit before the encroaching nightfall compelled us to continue on our way.    

 

This water rushing down the mountain was so cold it looked icy blue.

The iconic Bells

N is for Nature 

  "I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in."

~George Washington Carver

O is for Organic

At the Boulder Farmers Market, people take their organic produce seriously. I just took pictures of it.

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!