Granola Lady

This weekend I also ventured to make my first batch of granola.

I ran across a couple problems:
1) Both wheat germ and oat bran are well stocked in grocery stores although I am unaware of their purposes outside of granola making. Shelled sunflower seeds however are apparently not an easy item to find. Thus I proceeded to hand shell sunflower seeds for hours before realizing I'd only gotten a fourth of the full cup necessary. I then subsituted other nuts for the remanding 3/4 cup.

2) 8 cups of oats is a lot of oats. Always make sure you have enough of all your ingredients before starting a recipe. I only had 2 1/2 so I once again added more nuts, a lot more nuts.

3) Although I followed the timing exactly as the recipe called for, my oven refused to cooperate and produced overly browned granola that tasted and smelled burnt. In the hopes that this evaluation was biased I proceeded to ask Victor several times if he thought it was burnt for which he responded "I'd eat it."

The second batch I monitored much more closely and cut the baking down by about 2 mins. The granola was crunchy, but not overly done. When asked to compare the two batches, Victor dutifully admitted the first was burnt, but that the contrasting batches was the only give away.

So after all that shelling, subsituting, and burning I ended up with a quart and a half of crunchy, tasty granola. It went perfectly with yogurt and strawberries this morning.

I'd rate this recipe with my changes a 4 out of 5. Will make again when I can find sunflower seeds and when I feel like doing that much chopping.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups wheat germ
• 1 1/2 cups oat bran
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

Tier-me-awesome

I made my first Tiramisu and although it was hardly perfect, it did come through with great flavor. The recipe I used called for rum, but I substituted in Godiva liqueur. Also, in search of ingredients, Victor and I discovered that both lady fingers and Mascarpone cheese are hard to find. We did eventually track them down in a close by Giant. Next time I'll be sure to buy an extra package of lady fingers as I ran out quickly and was unable to line the outside of the container to make the dessert look more presentable. I also made extra espresso in the middle of assembling as the recipe greatly underestimated the finger's absorbancy.

My major complaint with the Tiramisu was that it wasn't completely firm when we scoped into it, but mostly I blame Victor's impatience for this flaw. Victor claims I put too much cocoa powder on the top, but overall made comments like: "I'm addicted."

I rate this recipe a 4.5 out of 5 and will make again.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound mascarpone cheese
• 3 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
• 1/4 cup Godiva liquer
  
• 3 (3 ounce) packages ladyfinger cookies
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator 1 hour.
2. In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Whisk mascarpone into yolk mixture until smooth.
3. In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise and drizzle with coffee mixture.
4. Arrange half of soaked ladyfingers in bottom of a 7x11 inch dish. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, then half of whipped cream over that. Repeat layers and sprinkle with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until set.

Pumpkin Bread

As it is Friday and we have no food left in the apartment, both Victor and I had resigned ourselves to a dinner of scrambled eggs. However, Victor, brilliantly began to make Pumpkin Bread with some leftover pumpkin from our last batch.

I grew up eating this pumpkin bread and was always particularly fond of how moist it is and how easy it is to make. Because the recipe makes two loafs of the bread, my mother would often use half of the batter to make muffins, therefore creating the only thing better than pumpkin bread: pumpkin muffins.

This recipe will always be a favorite of ours and now that we know exactly where canned pumpkin is in the grocery store (in the baking isle, usually near the pie crusts) we make it at least once a month, never mind the time of year. It is also a work favorite as Victor has been asked by several co-workers for the recipe, which can be found in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.

Also, it makes a wonderful breakfast addition, especially with cream cheese.

'Till the next bite,
Megan

1st Post

I have decided to begin blogging about food for many reasons. Most importantly: I love food, my husband loves food, and I love to make food. However, the necessity of recording this love of food has come about because of my recent marriage. In the months before the big day I went on a crash diet and was unable to even look at the new baking books I'd been given as engagement gifts. I did however, explore many of the Low Fat recipes in my new Better Homes and Gardens Annual Recipes 2008. (In my short life of baking and cooking with my mother and on my own, I have found no better resource than the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book because it has so many easy and basic recipes, while also offering explanations and diagrams of techniques and ingredients.) With that said, I am excited to indulge in all the recipes in my cook books while keeping track of my results (successes and failures). Lastly, as a recently graduated English major, I hope to keep my writing abilities fresh by writing a little each day and since I always eat, I'll always need to write. I should also give credit to The Julie/Julia Project, since this obviously isn't an original idea.

So, that is my introduction to this food blog with just this small side note. I don't believe there is much reason to be a snob about food and although I'll be trying my darnedest to elevate my skills, I hope in this project to maintain a sense of normalcy in food and food preparation. In other words, I'll be trying new things that won't break my budget, expand my waistline (too much), or jeopardize my sanity. Also, I fully intend to include entries on eating out!

'Till next I cook,
Megan