Cinnamon Cranberry Almond Granola

About 8 weeks ago, a dear friend of mine, Amy had her 7th baby (nope, not a typo!), so of course I made her a HUGE pan of baked penne to hopefully feed her crew for a few days.  Last time our mom's group had a bake sale, I made up a few containers of granola, and was told they sold like hotcakes.  Amy bought some herself and jokingly said,

"Can I put my order in for some of that amazing granola when I have the baby?"  

Well of course you can...I aim to please.  Postpartum mothers deserve special treatment! ;-)

So I made not one, but 3 batches of granola, because I knew if I didn't make enough for us at home, my Rebecca would never forgive me.  Well...she would...eventually.  But I honestly wanted plenty for myself too...it's perfect over plain, Greek yogurt.  Trust me...it really is. 

Cinnamon Cranberry Almond Granola

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

3 cups old-fashioned, rolled oats (not the instant kind!)

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small pot, combine with olive oil, honey, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon over low heat.  Stir occasionally until all the sugar has dissolved.  It can bubble a bit around the edges, but don't let it boil.  Turn off the heat and set aside. 

Now in a large bowl, combine the oats, cranberries, almonds, and coconut.  

Carefully pour the sugar mixture over the oats mixture, and immediately toss...toss, and toss some more, until all the dry ingredients are evenly coated. 

Spread the granola out in a fairly even onto the prepared baking sheets.  Make sure to divide it as evenly as you can...otherwise it won't bake up properly. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, then rotate and switch the pans out (from top to bottom and front to back).  Again...this helps it bake evenly.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Ovens can vary temperature wise...so be sure to watch it the last 10 minutes or so...you don't want it too dark or burnt (dark coconut is quite bitter!). 

Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then peel it off the foil...it may come away in big pieces.  Just break it up with your hands as you pull it away. 

Serve alone with milk, or sprinkle a generous portion over plain yogurt.  It's also yummy over frozen yogurt or ice cream.  Just sayin'. ;-)

David and Rebecca eat this stuff straight out of the container...it was gone in less than a week.  I may have to quadruple the recipe next time!  

Happy crunching, and God bless your table tonight!

Banana Scones with Chocolate Chips

I got on a scone kick a couple of weeks ago.  I stumbled across this recipe for strawberry scones, and they were so good, I decided to try them again with bananas and chocolate chips.  Well, let me tell you, they were yummy!  Next time, I want to try shredded apples and cinammon chips...doesn't that sound good too?  The possibilities are endless! 

However you decide to make your scones, the basic recipe I found is now my "go-to" favorite.  I honestly don't think I will ever stray away from it.  Scones are best eaten the day they are made, but they will keep for 2-3 days on the counter.  Take my advise...make a batch, eat some, and freeze the rest.  Reheat in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave, and they will taste freshly-baked. 

Banana Scones with Chocolate Chips

3 tablespoons sugar (granulated)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
2/3 cup half-and-half or cream or cold buttermilk
1 medium, lightly speckled banana, not too soft, not too firm
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Additional sugar to toss fruit and sprinkle on top

Dice the banana and toss with 1/2 tablespoon of sugar.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Use a pastry cutter or your hands to work in the butter until it is evenly distributed into the flour mixture, with a few small, pea sized bits of butter visible. 

Make a well in the middle of the mixture, and add the buttermilk all at once.  Gently stir dough together (the hands are the best tool for this job!), until everything is moist.  Add in the bananas and chocolate chips, and again, very gently knead the dough just until it comes together.

Dump the dough out onto a floured work surface.  Use just enough flour to keep the mixture from sticking but try not to overdo it...too much flour makes tough scones. 

I learned that lesson when I accidently sprinkled one batch too liberally with flour...they baked up beautifully, but the scones were slightly tough and chewy, instead of soft and flaky. 

Pat dough out carefully into a circle, about 3/4" thick.  You can sprinkle the top with a bit more flour if it's too sticky. 

Cut into 8 wedges...you can make 2 discs of dough, and cut them to make mini-scones if you'd like. 

Carefully transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet, keeping them about 1/2" apart.  If any chocolate chips or banana bits are peeking out, gently push them back in so they don't fall out during baking.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Pull the sheet out, and sprinkle each scone with a bit of sugar...it makes a nice, crunchy topping. 

Continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the scones spring back when touches, and are lightly brown on top.   Watch them carefully...they will overbake easily, and dry scones are not good! 

When they're done, wait a couple of minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely.  Serve the same day, or freeze and reheat as needed. 

Of course, my Rebecca LOVED these scones, as did Gabriel and my hubby.  Oh, and I did too. ;-)

And in case you're wondering...here's a pic of the strawberry scones I made first.  I'm tellin' ya...they were good.  So good, they disappeared in less than 2 days.  I'm not going to tell you how many I had.  Nope...not gonna tell! :-)

Scones take no time to make, and it's fun to try different fruits. Blueberries, diced peaches, raisins, are some other ingredients I'd like to try. And you don't have to stick to sweet scones. How about some savory combinations, like ham and cheese, rosemary and garlic, or blue cheese and walnuts? If you try something different, let me know...I'd love to hear from you. I knowI'll be on a scone kick again soon!

God Bless your table tonight! 

Blueberry Muffins (and other blueberry delights)

Ever since we got back from our 4th of July trip, I've been washing, sorting, and freezing blueberries. We went out to a blueberry farm in Canton and picked 2 gallons of blueberries.

So far, I've frozen about 20 cups worth of blueberries, but saved some to make blueberry pancakes (made 'em from a mix, and threw the berries in while they cooked on the griddle),

blueberry cobbler, and blueberry muffins...yum!

I'd made blueberry muffins from scratch before, but they were too delicate, and fell apart just getting them out of the muffin tin. I'd seen Alton Brown's recipe before, and knew I wanted to try it.

There are a few things you should know before you make an Alton Brown recipe. First of all, he doesn't measure by volume when he's baking, he measures by weight. This makes a difference, because baking is a science, and requires precise measuring. You can add a little more or little less when your cooking, but you really can't do that in baking.

So, if you don't have a kitchen scale, you will have to go get one before you make these muffins. When you measure out the flour, weight the bowl you're using first--put it on the scale and "zero the scale." This way, you're only weighing the flour, not the bowl and the flour together.

I read all the reviews for Alton's recipe on Food Network. A number of people said their muffins came out dry and heavy--I am guessing it's because they didn't weigh the flour, used all purpose flour (instead of cake flour) or their baking powder/baking soda was too old, and didn't react with the rest of the batter to help it rise in the oven. My advise is to follow the recipe exactly, and if in doubt, throw out your baking powder and baking soda and buy fresh replacements.

You can use all purpose flour if you don't want to buy cake flour, but you will have to adjust your recipe slightly. For every cup of cake flour, substitute 7/8 of a cup of all purpose flour and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. I haven't tried this yet, as I usually have cake flour on hand, so if you try it, please let me know how it worked :-).

One more thing...I didn't use cupcake liners, although I was tempted. I am glad I didn't...the muffins had a nice crust all the way around (not just on the top), and browned beautifully. My oven runs a tad hot, so I baked mine for 24 minutes at 360 degrees, and it was just right.

I made 2 dozen muffins, some to eat (David took some into work today), and some to freeze for later. What do you think?

I can honestly say I really liked this recipe...and will definitely try it again.

God bless your table tonight!

Eggs Benedict For Father's Day

I wanted to get this up in plenty of time to make for your favorite Dad on Father's Day. Poached eggs may seem intimidating, but there's really not so much technique to it as there is timing. I made Eggs Benedict for the first time last year and served them on toasted English muffins with smoked salmon...it was heavenly ('cause of course, I made myself a plate too)! And yes, please cheat and use a prepackaged hollandaise sauce mix...it makes me feel less guilty for not making it from scratch...thanks, I appreciate it!

I think Dads deserve breakfast in bed just as much as Moms do, so get ready to crack some eggs. If you're still unsure about poaching eggs, have a practice run before Sunday ;-)

Classic Eggs Benedict

Makes 1 serving

1 package hollandaise sauce mix

butter and water for the hollandaise sauce mix

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon salt (for the water)

2 large eggs

salt and fresh black pepper

4 thin slices deli ham

1 English muffin, split in half

fresh dill for garnish (if desired)

Fill a large, deep saute pan with water, to within an inch from the top. Don't use a pot if you can help it...the eggs will take longer to hit the bottom, and they may not cook up as nicely. Crank the heat up to high...we want this baby to boil.

Meanwhile, make the hollandaise sauce according to the package directions. I just used this one from Walmart.

Please do not skimp on the amount of butter it calls for...it really is necessary to make the sauce rich and creamy. You can work off the calories later. Once the sauce is done, turn down the heat to the very lowest setting (as low as you can get it) to keep it warm, and cap with a lid.

Now for the eggs. Once you have a good boil on the pan of water, turn your heat down slightly so you have a nice medium boil. Add the vinegar and salt, and stir to combine. The vinegar helps the egg whites stay together once it hits purgatory, and the salt adds flavor.

Crack your eggs into a couple of measuring cups with handles. This is the easiest way to get both eggs in at the same time. (If you need to make four eggs, use 4 cups).

Hold the measuring cups over the water...

and gently tip them in. They will turn white and start to cook immediately.

Poach the eggs for 3 to 4 1/2 minutes. If you like the yokes very runny, you're a 3 minute egg person. If you're like me, you are more of a 4 minute egg person, where the yolk is loose, but not all over the place. Everyone with me?

While the eggs are poaching, lay the ham out on the English muffin halves and toast. I do them together in my toaster oven.
It is very necessary to use a slotted spoon to lift the eggs out of the water once they're done. This helps cradle the egg gently so it doesn't break and drain the excess water away.

Hold the egg over the water for just a few seconds to let any water drip off.

Carefully place the eggs on top of the ham covered muffin halves...

and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.

Ladle the hollandaise sauce over the eggs...and be generous! Mmmm.....!

The fresh dill adds a nice layer of flavor with the lemony, buttery sauce. Usually, I will sprinkle it on, but I didn't this time (I did after I took the pictures ;-).

I cannot tell you how good this is! I feel like I'm on vacation at a nice hotel, on a Saturday morning with room service. Ahhh! (Okay...I had a craving too...but don't tell anyone!)

Now see...that wasn't so hard, was it? Hope you give this a try!

Happy Father's Dad to all our Dads and God bless your table tonight!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

I've been wanting to make these for a while, but 5 weeks of bronchitis held me back. I kept thinking about flour and my germs flying all over the place, because I knew I'd be coughing while I tried to bake.

So I'm sorry it took me a few days to get this post out. These biscuits were simple to make--just like regular baking powder biscuits, the only addition being a couple of spices and roasted, mashed sweet potato. Roasted the sweet potato brings out all its flavor, and natural sweetness.

If you don't have a biscuit cutter, a clean drinking glass or 15 ounce soup can will work just fine. Try these biscuits with a bowl of soup, or roasted pork, grilled chicken, or just some butter and honey. You'll see I made a double batch in the pictures, but one batch makes about 12 biscuits.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

1 medium sweet potato (about 14 ounces)

1/4 cup cold buttermilk

2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for patting and cutting biscuits

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

pinch cayenne pepper

pinch ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 black pepper

1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prick the sweet potato in several areas, and place on a foil-line baking sheet.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours, or until the sweet potatoes are completely soft.

When cool enough to handle, peel away the skin (it should come off very easily), and mash the flesh in a medium bowl. Add the buttermilk until well combined, and set aside.

David has discovered a wholesale spice store, Penzeys just down the street from his new office. I've already gotten smoked paprika, Mexican vanilla, whole coriander, and whole nutmeg, thanks to my darling husband :-). I used my microplane grater to grate the nutmeg. I'd heard freshly grated nutmeg was better than ground, and truly...it is. It smells so amazing too! Here's what whole nutmeg looks like, in case you were wondering.

Back to baking! In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, cayenne, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Now we need to incorporate our fat. I usually cut the butter up, and put it in the fridge while I'm gathering the dry ingredients, so it stays good and cold until I'm ready for it.

I should mention you can use a food processor to combine the butter and the dry ingredients, but I love to mix dough by hand...getting my hands dirty makes me feel like a real baker ;-).

Using a pastry cutter, 2 knives, or your hands, gently work the butter into the flour mixture. Overworking the dough will make your biscuits tough, so use a light tough. It should look like cornmeal, with pieces of butter no bigger than a pea scattered throughout.

Now gently work the mashed sweet potatoes in until the dough comes together, kneading it a few times if necessary...

when it's all done, it should be a pale, orange color...and rather sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface, and pat it out to about 1 inch high...this will make nice, high biscuits. At this point, you can preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Using a 2 1/2 inch round, dip it in some flour, and cut out the biscuits. It's important to push down firmly and lift the cutter straight back up, without twisting. This helps the biscuits rise nicely while they bake. Don't forget to dip the cutter into your flour after each cut.

Place the dough rounds on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Push the dough scraps back together, again...try not to overwork the dough, and continue to cut out biscuits until all the dough is used up.

Bake the biscuits at 425 degrees for 15-17 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown and deep brown on the bottom.

These biscuits taste best just slightly warm...the kids loved them with some butter and honey ;-).

I hope you give these a try...they're a really nice change from the usual. And...they smell FANTASTIC coming out of the oven. Gabriel hung around the kitchen for a good 10 minutes after the first batch was done, hoping and begging for a taste...and of course, Mommy obliged!

God bless your table tonight!