Doubly Virtuous...

It's that time of year again.  Shopping for school clothes,  temper tantrums over getting up early once more, begging and pleading "please don't make me go", etc...  and that is just the teachers.

Granola is hardly a revolutionary breakfast, but it is a great way to start your day & when turned into bars it's a hand-held portable breakfast which can come in very handy when you've hit "snooze" one too many times.

Now, before you roll your eyes at the mere mention of granola, let me preface it by saying you do not have to be a Birkenstock wearing, tree hugging, peace-lovin' hippie clad in tie dye to appreciate it. 
(Just because I happen to be a few of those things has nothing to do with it...)

It's that perfect mixture of oats/almonds/coconut toasting in the oven & the scent of it lingering in the kitchen that really gets me excited for what's about to happen.  Then, it becomes a bit of a treasure hunt.  I've stated before how I buy things, put them away and then stumble upon them when I'm looking for something else...  well, this is where that comes in handy.

Most of us have some sort of dried fruit tucked away in a pantry and in the baking cabinet there are always lovely additions lurking in there somewhere.   I happened to have some of these ingredients already on hand so I threw them into the mix and others I actually had to go out for. (the OATS!)

The list of ingredients is a suggestion.  I used a ton of dried fruit because I had it.    The recipe is very flexible, you can add in or take out whatever you like.  If you have kids,  get them involved with making this.  They are more likely to eat something if they've had a hand in it...  literally.   They can help measure the ingredients, mix the granola, etc.

Making your own granola ensures that it has exactly what you want in it and a fraction of the sugar that the store-bought variety contains.  Sprinkled over a bowl of Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey on top,  it is breakfast perfection.


Granola

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (can be made GF, make sure the label says gluten-free)
• 1 1/2 cups coconut
• 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, small dice
• 1/2 cup dried figs, small dice
• 1/2 cup pitted dates, small dice
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine oats, almonds, coconut and salt in a large bowl.   Add oil, then honey to a 1 cup measure and pour over mixture.  Oil will prevent honey from sticking and it will all pour out easily.   Stir to evenly coat oat mixture.

Bake, stirring once, for approximately 25 - 30 minutes until mixture is golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool, stir occasionally or it will become a solid mass.
(I learned this the hard way the first time I made granola, so I'll save you the heartache)

Once mixture is cooled, combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stir to thoroughly combine and store in an airtight container.


Granola Bars

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter + extra for baking dish
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 6 cups granola

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Coat bottom of an 8x8 glass baking dish with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper.  Butter parchment paper inside baking dish & set aside.

Melt butter, mix in honey and brown sugar. 
In a large bowl, combine granola & melted butter mixture.  Stir to combine.

Pour mixture into prepared pan & with wet fingers press down firmly on granola.

Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, cool completely and let set for 3 hours before cutting into squares.  I usually let mine set up overnight before I cut them, but if you can't wait make sure they are completely cooled before cutting them or they will fall apart.

Can't Stand the Heat...

Summer time is when I really enjoy salads.  The anemic tomatoes of winter are happily forgotten and replaced with gleaming, juicy, bright red beauties.  The delicious, but boring cucumbers can go on hiatus along with their carrot friends. 

The same ol' stuff that routinely finds its way into your salad can go by the wayside to make room for things like stone fruit! 

Sometimes we are on auto-pilot and occasionally get stuck in a bit of a rut. Considering all of the amazing things available to us in the summer, this is the time to branch out and mix it up.

Making a salad for dinner is a great option. The clean up is pretty minimal and the ingredients are merely a suggestion.  Use it as a jumping off point for an idea;  if you don't like an ingredient, swap it out for something you do like...

Perhaps the most important reason to go with a meal that takes about 10 minutes from start to finish:

Generally speaking, most of us are less inclined to spend hours in front of a stove during a 90+ degree heat wave.  The air is stagnant.  It just hangs there... completely still, while your tolerance for anyone within a 5 foot radius decreases exponentially by the minute.


Spinach Salad with Nectarines & Blue Cheese
serves 1 hungry girl

• 3 oz fresh baby spinach (a little more than half of a 5oz container)
• a handful of toasted, sliced almonds
• 5 -6 dried figs, sliced in half or quarters
• 1 ripe nectarine, pit removed & thinly sliced
• 2 oz blue cheese, broken into bite size pieces

Mis-en-place

There are only 5 ingredients in this salad, so make sure they are of the best quality you can get.  Spring for the good cheese, don't buy the stuff that is already crumbled.  It tastes like Styrofoam.  Make sure the nectarine is ripe & luscious, under ripe fruit doesn't have any flavor.

Normally when I make this salad, I add in crispy prosciutto.  Place a few paper-thin slices of prosciutto on a non-stick (Silpat) silicone baking sheet if you have one or parchment paper if you don't, put this on a rimmed baking (cookie) sheet and bake at 350 degrees until super crispy.

Fresh mozzarella works beautifully in this salad if you don't like blue cheese.  As with the blue cheese, get the good stuff, not the shredded cheese in a bag that you would throw on a pizza.

Fig Vinaigrette

• 1/2 shallot
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 3 tbsp fig balsamic vinegar (not the sweet, reduced balsamic glaze)
• 1 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a blender (or with a stick blender) combine all ingredients EXCEPT oil.  Blend on medium speed until thoroughly combined, then lower speed and slowly drizzle in olive oil. 

(If you are fighting the urge to do your worst Bill Cosby impression, then clearly your dressing resembles chocolate pudding and you've taken your vinaigrette too far.  Thin it out with a splash of vinegar or a tbsp of water.)

Devour.



.

My Darling Clementine...

There is something inherently "Christmas-y" about clementines.  I suppose it has something to do with their season being around the holidays or perhaps because every Christmas for as long as I can remember my Mom put an orange in the toe of our stockings...

The bright citrus aroma of this sweet little seedless fruit just makes the house smell festive and when the mercury drops and you are puttering around the house,  this is the perfect baking endeavor. 

This cake really isn't much work at all; the food processor does all the chopping for you and all you are left with is a little stirring and let's be honest, that isn't very taxing at all.

This recipe is basically Nigella Lawson's with a few slight changes, who got her inspiration for this cake from Claudia Roden.  I discovered this cake over a decade ago and I've made it every Christmas since then.  It is perfect with  coffee or tea, great as a light dessert or pretty much anytime you want a little sweet.  I find it gets even better the next day, if you can stand walking past it for 24 hours without diving into it.

Clementine Cake

• 4 - 5 clementines (1 pound total weight)
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups  sugar
• 2 1/3 cups ground almonds (almond flour)
• 1 heaping tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• powdered sugar

1.  Put the clementines in a pot with cold water to cover, bring to a boil and cook for 2 hours. 

2.  Drain clementines and when cool break in half and remove any seeds (if there are any) then put entire fruit into the bowl of your food processor and let it rip until the fruit is reduced to a pulp.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan.  (You can use the ground almonds for this as well)

beautiful blue heirloom eggs



4.  Beat the eggs.  Add the sugar, almonds and baking powder.  Mix to combine and add the chopped clementines.  Stir until thoroughly combined.


5.  Pour the cake mixture into prepared pan and bake for an hour, covering after 40 minutes or so to prevent the top from burning.  Pierce with a skewer or knife to check for doneness. (It should come out clean).  


6.  Remove from oven and leave to cool in the pan.  When the cake is cold, remove from pan dust with powdered sugar.
If you feel like channeling your inner domestic goddess, make a glaze for the top with powdered sugar and orange juice and lightly drizzle over the top in lieu of dusting.

My Darling Clementine

Tiers of Joy

It's been awhile since I've had dessert and with the holidays right around the corner, that streak will be coming to a screeching halt.
Making a dessert like this is generally not too time-consuming which is a game-changer during the holidays when we are all pressed for time and running on empty.

This particular trifle comes together fairly quickly since there is no cooking to speak of, just a bit of manual labor and even that is minimal.
Trifles are a bit like window shopping... because they are usually served in a clear vessel, you can take a look at what you are getting before you decide to plunge in.

They are lovely with all of their layers and I like doing these individually so everyone gets a beautiful dessert all to themselves. (and the fact that I don't own a proper trifle dish has something to do with that decision as well...)

Amaretti Trifle

• half of one store-bought pound cake, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 1/4 cup black currant or seedless blackberry jam
• 8 oz mascarpone
• juice of one lemon
• 2 tbsp milk
• 4 tbsp. powdered sugar
• 4 oz. amaretti cookies
• 6 tbsp Kahlua
• 2 tbsp. toasted, sliced almonds

1. Make little sandwiches out of the pound cake and the jam.  Cut them into 1 inch cubes and set aside.
2. In a food processor,  reduce the amaretti cookies to crumbs. (or if you are having a bad day, put in resealable plastic bag and whack with a rolling pin)
3. Combine the lemon juice and the powdered sugar.  Mix well so the powdered sugar dissolves.  Add milk and 2 tbsp Kahlua, then add to the mascarpone.
4. Using an electric mixer, whip mascarpone mixture until it is light and billowy.
5. Brush the little sandwiches generously with the Kahlua.
6. Place your tipsy pound cake into the glass and press them down into the bottom.  Cover with some of the amaretti cookie crumbs. Dribble a little more Kahlua over the cookies.
7. Spoon in the mascarpone to cover the soused cookies.
8. Add another layer of amaretti crumbs and finish with a layer mascarpone.
9. Sprinkle with amaretti crumbs and toasted, sliced almonds.

serves 4