Fall Harvest Granola

This Fall I’ve decided to only shop at thrift stores. It’s cheap, and you never know what you’ll end up coming home with. Plus, most thrift stores usually benefit a good cause.

There are some really great stores to explore in D.C., but over the weekend John and I were able to hit up Goodwill and Martha’s Outfitters. We came home will some real gems (and a couple turds).

I swiped up any black sweaters I could find because that’s my uniform at work, and John bought an ill-fitting suit (it was only $8). I also picked up some dishes and other photo props because my goal is to set up a home photo studio like this. John bought a Super Nintendo because he’s a boy.

At Goodwill, John spotted a vintage wet bar and we both had visions of setting it up in the living room and having sophisticated Mad Men-style cocktails served from it. We came home without it, but later that afternoon, John went back, bought it and hauled it home with a friend.

Well, it looks terrible. What looked vintage-y in the store, just looks old and banged-up in our place. The proportions are all wrong for the room and really, how often do we make cocktails or have any bottles of liquor to store in it? It’s still in our house but I’m trying to convince John that we should just sell it on Craigslist for a profit.

Between all the thrift store trips, I made a big batch of this granola. I love making things that are just basic recipes and have endless possibilities for variations. This Fall Harvest version is full of dried figs, cranberries, pumpkin seeds and toasted pecans. The cinnamon brings it all together for a yummy fall breakfast since it is not quite cold enough to make a pot of oatmeal. I’ve also heard that peanut butter and granola sandwiches are good, but I have yet to try it. (Disclaimer: I heard this from my BFF who puts green beans in her lasagna and makes her enchiladas in a bowl).

This recipe makes quite a bit but it is easy to put half in a tupperware and share with your neighbor (or culinarily-creative BFF).

adapted slightly from A Cozy Kitchen

Note: I’m thinking of making another version which will have apricots, banana chips, and coconut with hints of vanilla and crunchy almonds.

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (the green ones, also called pepitas)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt (less if using table salt)
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup agave syrup (other sweeteners will work but I like the neutral flavor of agave)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or more if you like)
1/2 cup dried digs, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, pecans, pumpkin seeds, brown sugar and spices.  Toss to mix it all up.
3. Add the olive oil and agave and stir to coat everything.
4. Spread on a baking pan in an even layer and bake for about 35-45 minutes until nice and toasty.  Stir every 5-10 minutes, especially towards the end of baking.  Be careful not to burn the nuts!
5. Let it cool completely on the pan and stir it around a few time.  It will get crunchier as it cools.

Ginger Pecan Scones

I have a crush on the weather man.  His name is Doug, and he has great eyebrows.  Yesterday, alone on my couch, I found myself smiling whenever his reports came on, and I even laughed out loud at one of his jokes.

We have so much in common.  He used to report on the weather in Orlando and Jacksonville; I’m from Florida.  He went to college at the University of Northern Colorado; I went to the University of Colorado-Boulder.  He loves talking about the weather; I love talking about the weather!

Speaking of weather, we are slowly moving into spring here.  There are sweet little flowers popping up all over the neighborhood and the Cherry Blossom Festival is in full swing this weekend.

It’s still cool enough that the spiciness from the ginger in these scones is warm and comforting.

Wait, I’m not sure if I’m selling you these scones by talking about the stupid weather.  These scones are really awesome.  They’re tender and melt in your mouth with the richness of the butter.  The toasted pecans and three types of ginger add so much depth of flavor that it keeps changing on your tongue.

I just know Doug would love these.

from Bon Appetite

3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and placed in the freezer
1 1/3 cup pecans, toasted and then chopped
1/2 cup chopped, crystallized ginger
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
1 1/2 Tbsp buttermilk
1 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp crystallized ginger, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 425° F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, 2/3 cup of sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
3. Add butter and using fingers, blend butter into the flour mix until it is pea sized.  Toss in pecans and 1/2 cup crystallized ginger.
4. Whisk 1 cup buttermilk, grated fresh ginger and vanilla in medium bowl.  Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk.  Stir with s fork until moist clumps form (use hands if you need help bringing it together).
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead once or twice until dough comes together.  Divide in half.
6. Form each half into a 6-inch disk.  Cut each disk into 6 wedges.  Transfer wedges to the baking sheet.  Brush with 1 1/2 Tbsp buttermilk, 1 Tbsp sugar, and 3 Tbsp crystallized ginger.  Press the ginger lightly into the scones.
7. Bake until scones are golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Bacon Cheddar Crumble Muffins

This week I joined a gym and am impressed with how often I have gone.  I really love the group fitness classes and even woke up at 6:00 this morning to go to a spin class! As a reward and to balance out all those calories burned, I made Bacon Cheddar Crumble Muffins.

These are definitely the tastiest muffins I have made in a long time.  I love making muffins because they are such an easy breakfast or snack to grab when I have a busy day.  I was super excited when my friend sent me a cookbook in the mail called Muffins Galore.  It’s filled with really great ideas, but I’m afraid I may have already made the best recipe from it.

Savory muffins are a nice change from the usual, sweet, cake-like ones, and these particular muffins are nice and hearty from the bacon and whole wheat flour.  My favorite part of these muffins, however, is not the bacon.  It is the savory crumble on top.  You blend finely grated cheddar cheese, butter and flour into a crumbly mixture and sprinkle it on top before they are baked.  I can think of so many different uses for it.  It would add great flavor and texture to any other savory baked good, and I can’t wait to try it as a topping for macaroni and cheese.

adapted from Muffins Galore

4 oz bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp freshly grated black pepper
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk
6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled

Crumble Topping:
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.  Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or use paper liners.
2. For the crumble topping, rub butter into the flour in a small bowl until it is mealy but still has some large crumbs.  Blend in cheddar cheese.  Set aside.
3. Mix flours, sugar, baking powder, mustard and salt together in a large bowl.  Stir in cheddar cheese, parsley, and bacon.  Add black pepper.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk and melted butter.  Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a rubber spatula, just until mixed.
5. Spoon batter (I like to use an ice-cream scoop) into muffin cups and sprinkle the crumble mixture over tops.  Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly brown and well risen.  Cool in pan for a couple minutes and then turn onto wire rack.  Eat warm, or reheated in microwave for 10 seconds.

The Best Biscuits

There are very few recipes that I have memorized, and this is one of them.  I found the amount of buttermilk and yogurt I like best on the fourth version and now they are perfectly baked in my brain.  They have a lovely golden yellow hue and the best flaky texture.  The tops and bottoms are sturdy enough to hold up to any toppings but the middle is melt-in-your-mouth tender.

You can drizzle them with honey.

Or you can splurge and go buy some brie and raspberry jam because it’s snowing outside, and that means you deserve a treat.

Stay tuned for an awesome meaty recipe that uses this biscuit dough.

adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

2 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into little pieces
1/2 cup plain yogurt (fat free is fine)
1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Stir dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Add butter pieces and combine with the flour using your fingers until completely incorporated and no large chunks remain.
3. Add yogurt and buttermilk to flour mixture and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until it mostly comes together.  Use your hands to knead the dough a few times to get it into a nice ball.
4. Turn it out onto a floured surface and pat it out into a square that is about 3/4-1 in thick.  Cut it into 9 squares and place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 450° for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

I made it through my first week of culinary school!  It wasn’t as hard as I expected, but I think that’s because we only had to make two recipes over two days.  There are going to be weeks when we make more than a dozen.  We started with the basics: white stock and brown stock.  But now that we have those richly flavored bases in the freezer, we can make our sauces, mashed potatoes and grains taste amazing.

My chef for this class is great.  He has tons of energy, which really helps us get moving and excited about cooking at 7:15 in the morning.  He’s also very enthusiastic about using items from the “use me” cart in the store room.  This meant that even though we were only supposed to make stocks last week (and therefore have nothing to eat at the end of class), we ended up making fried chicken, spinach salad, biscuits and mashed potatoes and gravy!

At the end of the week I have Management class.  It was pretty weird because I was the only student in class that day.  Everyone else was at the freshmen seminar that I was exempt from.  It turned out to be really fun because I got to know the chef instructor, and she had some great job hunting tips for me.

For now though, I’m going to take advantage of my afternoons off and keep baking delicious fall treats like this pumpkin coffee cake.  I went through two versions of this because I had something very specific in mind, and the first version just didn’t deliver.  It was mushy and tasted like pumpkin baby food.

This version that I came up with is just right.  The streusel topping is sweet and crunchy and the pumpkin swirls are moist.  I like a strong spice flavor in my pumpkin dessert, so I made sure to have a heavy hand with the ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.

based on the Cardamom Coffee Cake from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Streusel

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter, cut into 8 pieces at room temperature

Cake

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.  Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, dust with flour, and tap out excess.
2. For the crumbs: Put all ingredients except the butter in a bowl and toss them together with a fork. Add the butter and using your fingers or the fork, mix everything together until you’ve got different-size crumbs. Put crumbs in refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and sugar in a large bowl.
4. Mix the butter, eggs, milk, sour cream and vanilla in another bowl and whisk them to blend.
5. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir until just moistened.
6. Transfer half of the batter back to the wet ingredient bowl and gently mix in the pumpkin and pecans.
7. Scrape some of the plain batter into the pan. Plop spoonfuls of pumpkin batter, then spoonfuls of the rest of the plain batter on top. Stir and swirl the batters just a little to even out the surface.
8. Top with a thick, even layer of crumbs. Bake for 30-45 minutes until the cake has risen, the crumbs are golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Banana Muffins with Nutella Frosting

Cold showers are not much fun.  John and I are on day five without hot water.  My list of excuses for not taking one is getting longer and more unreasonable than it normally is.  For example: “I don’t need a shower because the dog still smells worse than me.”

We can’t get the gas company to turn the correct meter on.  I’m not sure how it could be so difficult since there are only two meters.  Also, what’s up with them saying someone will show up between 7 and 5.  That’s 10 hours!  Can’t they narrow it down a little?!

Sorry, but now that that’s off my chest, John and I made it to DC!  We are so excited to be here and love our new home.  Even though it’s a basement apartment, there’s lots of light, high ceilings and plenty of room.  We are settling in slowly, making lots of trips to IKEA and hanging out at the park most days.  The weather is great; I can’t wait for Fall to come and to see snow again.

We are just a few blocks from Lincoln Park, which is great because Motu loves it.  People go and just let their dogs off their leashes to run around and play.  That is, until someone yells “Park Police! Grab your dogs!”  Apparently, it’s not a city-sanctioned dog park, just a gathering of law-skirting citizens who want their dogs to leave them alone for a little bit.

It’s a great place to meet people, however.  In the half-dozen times John and I have been there, we’ve met a Gator alumnus (I could tell because Motu was playing with his dogs and they were wearing Gator collars), a fellow Art Institute culinary student and a friend I know from working in Moorea.

These muffins are one of the last things I made before leaving Gainesville.  They may look like cupcakes, but the cake part is not too sweet and really, neither is the frosting.

Since I made the muffins as is from Simply Recipes (without the nuts) and they were great, I will just link to it.  And the frosting is only three ingredients with the amounts based on taste preference, so lucky me, I don’t have to type much up!

Banana Muffins with Nutella Frosting

Banana Muffins from Simply Recipes

Nutella Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup Nutella, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar, more or less to taste.
Banana chips (optional)

Beat cream cheese in electric mixer with paddle attachment until smooth and a little fluffy.  Add Nutella and beat until well mixed.  Add confectioners sugar (turn off mixer, add sugar, then turn back on slowly) until incorporated.  Mix on medium high until lighter in color and texture.  Let sit in fridge for 10-20 minutes until it firms up.  I put mine in a zip-lock bag and cut off one of the corners so I could pipe it on the muffins.  Garnish with banana chips if you like.

Sausage Feta Calzones

Operation Washing-Tons of Fun 2010 is well under way.  We have a visit planned to find an apartment and an awesome high paying job for my boyfriend (who will be supporting my sweet ass), and my culinary school plans are almost finalized.

Last week I receive my exorbitant financial aid statement for the Culinary Arts Associates Degree and almost threw up a little in my mouth.  So the new plan is to get the Baking and Pastry Diploma.  It is only a year long and I will still get the basic introductory class in culinary techniques.  I reread the descriptions for the classes I will be taking and can’t wait to learn about the ethnic and international desserts, garnishing and plate decorating, and petit fours.  The final exam for the class is a grand dessert buffet.  A GRAND DESSERT BUFFET.  I can’t wait for that one.

I also can’t wait to make these calzones again.  I started out trying to come up with a portable breakfast for John to take to work in the mornings and I basically ended up with pizza.  Not really a problem since John loves cold pizza for breakfast.

The fennel and onions in the filling  gave it a nice sweetness while the fresh parsley and feta kept it lighter than a normal gooey calzone filling.  I also used whole wheat flour in the dough and the nuttiness from that helped it feel a little more like breakfast.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 packet instant yeast (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a food processor.  With the machine running, add the water and olive oil through the feed tube.  Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time, until the dough forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch.
2. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a few minutes to form a smooth round dough ball.  Put the dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
3. When the dough is ready, gently punch it down and divide it into 8 pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and let them rest on a baking sheet covered with a damp dishcloth or plastic wrap for about 20 minutes.

Sausage and Feta Calzones

filling adapted from Martha Stewart

4 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound sweet Italian pork sausage (removed from casing if necessary)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 head of fennel trimmed, cored, and sliced thinly
pinch or two of red pepper flakes
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Dough from recipe above
Flour for dusting
1 egg for brushing
whole fennel seeds for sprinkling

1. While your dough in rising in the recipe above, you can make the filling.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat, and break the sausage up into it.  Stir occasionally until the sausage is cooked through and evenly browned.  Transfer sausage to a paper towel lined plate.  Drain pan if necessary.
3. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and onion to pan and cook for about two minutes, or until onion is softened.  Add fennel and red pepper flakes.  Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until vegetables are cooked through, about 8 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook until their juices are released, 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the reserved sausage.  Let this mixture cool to room temperature.
4. When mixture has cooled down, gently stir in the crumbled feta and parsley.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
6. When your 8 balls of dough have rested, roll each one out on a lightly floured surface into a 6-8 inch circle.  Beat egg with a little bit of water (less than a tablespoon) and brush around edges of circle.  Put a heaping 1/4 cup of filling onto one half of circle and fold the other half over.  Pinch and twist the edges inward to seal them.  Place on a baking sheet or pizza pan coated with cooking spray.  Brush tops with more egg wash and sprinkle with fennel seeds.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown all over.
7. Cool on wire rack until you can’t resist them any longer.

Mother’s Day Brunch

Last weekend I cooked a low-key brunch for my mom, boyfriend and brother.  It was a beautiful day and we were able to eat out on the back deck.  My brother almost fell backwards off the deck and kicked the whole table over, but we needed a little excitement to wake us up.

It wasn’t hard to decide what to cook since smittenkitchen.com had amazing looking dishes posted last week.  The menu I chose was:

Homemade Poptarts

Spring Asparagus and Pancetta Hash

Fruit salad (berries, melon, and banana)

Bellinis

Mom has a beautiful kitchen and I love being able to go over to her house and cook there.  Unlike my kitchen, she actually has counters, drawers and a DISHWASHER!

Motu helped by laying right in the middle of the kitchen floor.

The Poptarts were so much fun!  I love making little things that look special.  The dough was easy to work with and I took the suggestion from smittenkitchen to make the left over crust pieces into cinnamon sugar snacks (just sprinkle the leftover cinnamon sugar over the pieces of dough and bake until golden).  I don’t think I’ll ever throw scraps of dough away again.

I filled these with blueberry jam and cinnamon brown sugar.  They were so flaky and the perfect size treats to go with the rest of the meal.

Asparagus, potatoes, pancetta, and an onion.

The only thing that could make that better was a fried egg on top.

The party was small and tasteful, just like the poptarts.