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.

Loco for Coco...

I love coconut, always have.  I love the smell of it just as much as the taste.  So much so that in the middle of winter when sunny days at the beach seem unfathomable, I open my bottle of sunscreen & put just a dab on my skin so I can breathe in the smell of coconut.  Before you judge, I know for a FACT that I am not the only one that does this...

The only thing that I don't love about coconut is trying to get it open & get to the good stuff, but luckily for me I am not a cast member on a survival show, so I needn't worry about all that...

To demonstrate my slightly obsessive love for this tropical treat,  a moment of full disclosure:
For breakfast I had coconut coffee and a piece of this coconut bread. 
Those you of that know me, know that I'm not very "gray"...  I either really like something or I really don't,  and I really like coconut.

A few weeks ago, I was in the mood for coconut bread so I started looking for recipes and found one in an old issue of Gourmet magazine that I decided to use as my jumping off point.  It was delicious as is, but I felt it could be slightly coconut-ier, so I tweaked it to add in extra coconut flavor and this is what I came up with...

Coconut Bread

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/8 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup toasted coconut
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Coconut oil

 1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 2. Warm coconut oil in a small saucepan, just until it melts and set aside.  (when buying, make sure to buy medium heat, organic, unrefined)

 3. Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs and cooled coconut oil.  Mix well to combine, then add in yogurt and sour cream.

4. Stir in toasted coconut.

5. Combine flours, baking soda & baking powder, and fold into the wet ingredients.

6. Tip batter into a loaf pan that has been lightly greased and bake for 45 - 60 minutes.

  *if bread is starting to brown too much before it has baked through, turn oven down to 325 degrees for the last 15 minutes.

Coconut Bread

The War on Cavities...

I have already disclosed the fact that I have a sweet tooth,  so this should come as no surprise.  One day at work, we were craving something sweet that was fast & easy and did not need cooking.

What we came up with was our version of an Almond Joy candy bar.  What we call them (still) is Crack Balls.  I know it's a bit lewd,  but there's a very good reason.  Once you try it,  you're hooked.

These are super easy to make and if you have kids, something they can help with since there is no cooking involved,  however I might refrain from calling them Crack Balls...  Coconut Truffles is what I call them when I'm telling someone outside of the kitchen about them.

Coconut Truffles

• 2 cups toasted coconut
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 -  14oz can sweetened, condensed milk
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups melted chocolate
• 2 cups chopped almonds or peanuts

1.  Combine coconut (both kinds), condensed milk and salt in a bowl.

2.  Using a small cookie scoop (or a teaspoon),  scoop out mixture and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

3.  Place them in the freezer for about an hour to set up.

4. Roll them in your hands to make a nice smooth ball.

5. Working quickly,  dip them in the melted chocolate and then into the chopped nuts and set on a clean sheet pan.  If they start to get too warm, put them back into the freezer for a few minutes. 

Once they are all dipped and rolled in almonds or peanuts, put them in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to set up.  DONE!

Next time there is a bake-sale at school, instead of staying up baking cupcakes, make these. 

You'll be glad you did.

Ice Cream Social

Every summer when I was a kid, our church held an ice-cream social.  I know it may sound a bit "Little House on the Prairie",  but it really was fun and coincidentally since L.H. is my favorite show of all time, quite fitting I suppose.

It was worth sitting outside in the sweltering heat and oppressive humidity of Midwestern summers... ice cream melting down my hand,  a sweet & sticky mess and completely content.

In the fall,  it was fresh-pressed hot apple cider and cake donuts which were also swoon-worthy, but more on that another time.

The ice cream socials were the highlight of the summer church events.  We would eat as much ice cream as we could get away with until we were nearly in a sugar coma.  If given the opportunity,  I could would still eat ice cream ad nauseam.

I don't just have a sweet tooth, I have an entire set. 

Strangely I don't normally like desserts that are cloyingly sweet,  I like them to bring a little something else to the table beyond pure sugar.

While I do border on needing a program for my insatiable sweet tooth  (Hello. My name is Cheryl.  I have a problem with sugar...)  My Achilles heal is ice cream.  

There is something about that sweet frozen yumminess. The unctuous "mouth-feel" of ice cream, the way it sits on your tongue and  freezes your whole mouth until the dreaded brain freeze sets in.

Some people like plain old vanilla, with nothing in it.  Not my style.  I'm more of a pralines & cream, or chocolate with ancho chili kind of girl.   The smooth richness of the ice cream is what pulls me in,  but the "goodies" are what keep me coming back. 

I like stuff in my ice cream,  whether it's nuts, cake bits, fruit, candy or (speaking of unctuous)  especially ribbons of salted caramel...  it needs texture.

I received an ice cream maker for Christmas a few years ago and have yet to use it, so I thought what better way to try it out than publicly through a blog on the Internet where if I screw it up I can look like an idiot for all eternity.   No problem.

When I was in high school, I met someone who would eventually become a good friend of mine.  She is from Lebanon and she introduced me to flavors that I had never had before.  To this day, her's is the best baklava I've ever tasted.  It was unique and not overly sweet, as most tend to be.  It was flavored with rose water and pistachios and these flavors remind me of her and they are still some of my favorites.

I wanted to make something unusual and beautiful but it had to be delicious,  so I'm taking the flavors from Nona's baklava and using them for my ice cream. 

The ice cream maker I have is a Cuisinart Flavor Duo.  It has side by side bowls that each hold 1 quart of ice cream.  The recipe will yield 1 quart of ice cream,  if your ice cream maker is larger or smaller, you will need to adjust the quantities.



Rose Water & Pistachio Ice Cream

• 1 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 cup half & half  (or heavy cream)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp. rosewater (find in Middle Eastern market or online)
• 1/2 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
• 2 drops red food coloring

1. Whisk milk & sugar together for 1 - 2 minutes until sugar is dissolved.
2. Stir in half & half, salt, vanilla, rosewater & food coloring.  Whisk another minute until everything is thoroughly combined and salt is dissolved.
3. Turn machine on,  pour liquid in through top and let it run for 20 - 25 minutes.
4. Add in the pistachios and let it mix for 5 minutes.   
5. Done!  Ice cream will be like soft-serve at this stage.  If you prefer it more frozen,  transfer into airtight plastic container and freeze for 2 hours.

and now, for the advanced class:

Coconut Ice Cream with Toasted Coconut

This ice cream requires a bit of cooking,  but nothing too taxing.   It is a variation on the base recipe from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer.  She is an ice cream genius based in Columbus, Ohio.

• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups half & half or whole milk  (+ 1/4 cup on the side for slurry)
• 4 tsp. cornstarch
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 3 tbsp. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c. shredded sweetened coconut, toasted
• Ice bath= a medium sized bowl filled with ice water

1. To toast coconut, place on sheet pan and bake for 3 minutes at 350 degrees.  Move it around and put back in for another minute or two.  It will go from golden brown to burnt very quickly, so keep an eye on it.
2. In a small bowl,  combine the quarter cup of milk and cornstarch.  Whisk to combine & set aside.
3. In a 4 quart saucepan, combine the coconut milk, half & half (or milk), sugar and salt; bring to a boil over med-high heat.  Cook for 4 minutes.  DO NOT walk away from the pot of boiling milk.  It can boil over very quickly, adjust the flame if it is too high to keep it at a steady low boil.
4. Stir in the slurry.  Return to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened. (about 2 minutes)
5. Place cream cheese in a bowl and pour a half cup of the hot milk mixture over it and whisk until smooth.   Whisk in the rest of the milk mixture.
6. Pour mixture into resealable plastic bag (ziplock) and seal, trying to get out as much air as possible.  Submerge bag in ice bath until chilled.
7. Snip corner off of plastic bag and pour into ice cream maker. 
8. When there is approximately 5 minutes left for ice cream to finish, add in the toasted coconut and let it mix to combine.
9. Transfer into plastic storage container and freeze until set.