Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Blueberry Breakfast Bars

My husband and I are die-hard snoozers.  We are guilty of carelessly hitting the snooze button time and time again just to catch those extra nine minute intervals of doze time.  (And a nine minute snooze?  Don't even get me started on that).  It's stupid really.   But it means that we're often running out the door; beginning our days without breakfast in our bellies.  So I was quite excited to happen upon a recipe for breakfast bars.  They are not exactly the most nutritious breakfast as, though they have fruit and oats, they are no stranger to sugar.  
crust ingredients
I suppose you could cut down on the brown sugar and substitute organic honey, but heck, they just wouldn't be the same.  They are not only delicious with a dollop of healthy yogurt, but were a welcome addition to our throw-'em-in-your-bag-and-out-the-door-you-go-breakfast of banana muffins routine.


They're, as I have come to affectionately describe them, a cross between a crumble and a fruity sandwich cookie.  
the base, baked

blueberries, rinsed
Baked in two parts:  


First, the lower layer.


Then the fruit middle and 'crumble' topping.


Easy enough to whip together before making dinner and yummy to boot.  The original recipe called for raspberries, but as I had heaps of blueberries in my freezer, I made the simple substitution.  I'm confident that any berry or reasonable fruit substitution could be made and the recipe would hold up (and by reasonable I mean the obvious no-no's like watermelon).

For the crust and crumb: 

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the fruit filling:

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp flour
1 pound blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

Make the crust and crumb: Preheat oven to 350°F.  Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of a 9x13 glass or light-colored baking pan the pan, letting the parchment extend up the sides and end a bit.  (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked).  Butter the parchment.

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor.  Pulse in short bursts until combined.  Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.  (As a lazy side note, if butter is melted and mixed with dry ingredients, a nice crumb can also be formed).  *Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and set aside.  Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and push crust into an even layer.  Crust should touch the sides of the pan.  Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool.  Keep oven on.

Make filling: in a bowl, whisk sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, and flour together. Add fruit, lemon juice, and butter.  Toss gently until fruit is evenly coated.

Assemble and Bake: spread filling evenly on top of the cooled crust.  Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.  Bake for 35-45 minutes, rotating the pan once or twice, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool.  Cut into squares and serve.  


I wrapped the bars in parchment and chucked them in the freezer with our other quick breakfasts.  They're particularly yummy, and actually quite reminiscent of dessert crumble; I kind of feel like a kid sneaking a treat when I eat these for breakfast.

Monday, December 27, 2010

The Perfect Cookie

I have, in my search for the perfect cookie, tried many different recipes whose origins range from library books to foodie blogs to family recipes.  I am, as already noted, a big fan of just winging it; never following a recipe to the 'T'.  That often doesn't work out so well with cookies, but every once in a while you get lucky.


So, as I was perusing the Smitten Kitchen blog, as I am oft to do, I found a fabulous recipe for Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies.  I figured they were definitely worth a quick whip together while I was making my Amped Up Beer Nuts (otherwise known as Sugar-and-Spice Candied Nuts).


orange zestSoft in the middle, crispy on the outside, and with a very grown-up hint of orange zest..... 








 oatmeal cookies .... these cookies have most certainly earned a place in the family recipe box.  
And though I was slightly taken aback when the recipe produced three dozen morsels of goodness, I was so very thankful as my first bite of warm, chocolately-crunchy-yum assured me I had found the perfect cookie.  These cookies were so good, they made me wonder if I'd missed my true calling.


And while I consider myself a perfectly reasonable person, I am choosing to keep this recipe to myself.  If I gave it to you, you wouldn't love it nearly as much as when I surprise you with a plate full of what may very well become my signature cookie.  Yes, you could find the recipe online if you did a bit of searching, but the mystery would be gone and I can't have that, now can I?

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Amped Up Beer Nuts

My husband often gives me a hard time that once I find something I love, I'm a complete addict.  Of course, I would fervently deny that I have, in any way, an addictive personality.  


Me?  


I have, however, come to realize that he's dead right.  Did you hear that my love?  You were right.  I was wrong.  


I cannot deny it any longer, when I find something fabulous, I am a woman on a mission and I cannot be stopped.  


So when I found this Texas-themed honky-tonk Sugar-and-Spice Candied Nuts recipe, I knew I was in trouble. They are, as accurately described on the Smitten Kitchen blog: dangerous.  Read it again and believe it.


DAN-GER-OUS!



I also have the 'bad' habit of never following a recipe to the 'T'.  It's probably some deep-seated aversion to following direction, or a wonderfully creative streak ;)

I'm inclined to think it's more of the latter!  So, instead of using merely pecans and almonds, I went all out and used a nut mix which also included hazelnuts, brazil nuts, and cashews.  They were sinfully easy to prep and bake and a mason jar full of 'em will make quite the holiday gift.  They're sweet, crispy, and have just the right amount of kick.  They are delicious with a beer and the game and will be terrific while mingling at the New Year's Eve party.  

Often, I'm torn between sharing a recipe I love by shouting it from a mountain-top and guarding it with my life because I want to keep the fame that automatically follows the smile that sweeps across your face.  But these nuts need to be shared.

Let's face it, it's candied nuts, you could probably figure it out!

Sugar-and-Spice Candied Nuts 

Adapted from Elizabeth Karmel of Hill Country


1/3 cup dark-brown sugar
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I might up this by a 1/2 tsp. next time for more of a sweet/salty balance)
Generous pinch of cayenne pepper (I swapped this with 1/4 teaspoon of hot smoked paprika)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound walnut or pecan halves or whole peeled hazelnuts
1 egg white, room temperature
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix sugars, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps; set aside. Beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add walnuts, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, pour the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.


sweet and smoky-spicy nuts

I dare you to put these out at your next party.  They will disappear before your eyes and you'll be the talk of the game.

As for my newest addiction, I blame my friend.  She introduced me to the Smitten Kitchen Blog and I'm hooked.  My Tuesday night was filled with not only nuts, but cookies and bars too.  Yes, I made three delightful goodies, all inspired by Smitten Kitchen.

But I couldn't possibly give away the other two recipes now... you'll have to wait for the next blog!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Grandma's Shortbread

When my husband and I were living overseas, we did our best to celebrate the holidays by surrounding ourselves with friends and hold on to as many of the traditions we grew up with.  It was, however, quite difficult to replicate Christmas without snow or readily available Christmas treats like candy canes and boxed chocolates.  There was no early eggnog gracing the shelves in November, no gingerbread houses to be decorated, no trees strapped to the roofs of cars, or a schwack of holiday parties to keep you busy.  No.  Turkey and eggnog was only to be found after an hour-long plus trek to a Costco (and back!), candy canes and gingerbread kits were sent from Canada, and holiday parties consisted of school plays and potlucks with lots of KFC.

So, one year, we decided to throw a real Canadian Christmas for all of our friends.  It took 12 hours to roast the smallest turkey I could find in my toaster oven (the largest available).  We made two bigs pans of stuffing, enough mashed potatoes and gravy to serve an army, and a big salad.  Did I mention I only had burners?  Roasted veggies was just not an option.  Rum and eggnog, a first for friend from Australia, flowed freely.  Cheese and wine graced our bellies all night.  And my friends finished their made-with-care-and-holiday-spirit dinner with my Grandmother's shortbread.


I called my mom and asked her if she would refresh my memory and share the family recipe with me again.  She responded by not dictating the recipe, or sending an email.  Rather, she sat down at her table, and wrote in her perfectly beautiful cursive the recipe that my grandmother used when making our Christmas cookies.  And then she tucked it in a box with a special surprise and shipped it all the way to Taiwan.  I opened that box weeks later, nervous that I had not received a cookie recipe for our party, and found not only my mother's note, but two of the cookie cutters my mother and I used year after year to make our family shortbread.  A bell and Rudolph.  I had been looking for traditions everywhere and there, in a small box, all the way from Canada, I stared at a treasure.

I made my grandmother's shortbread for my friends and they smiled with every, melty bite they enjoyed.

This year, as we're back home in Canada, I made them again; but with different cutters, as I begin to build my own traditions.

During this holiday season, may you keep old traditions and form new.

And may you be surrounded with loved ones and lots of shortbread.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

                                      xoxo

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Hello New Friend

I realize it's been a long while since I've posted and I have no good reason for not keeping up with it.  I have most certainly been cooking away and trying new things. 

I have been making particularly yummy things with my new KitchenAid Stand Mixer.  First, before I go into the details of how much I love (literally, l-o-v-e) my new mixer, I should say that if you do not have one, get one.  Put it on your Christmas wish list, ask for it as your anniversary present, heck, go buy it for yourself.  You will not regret it.

I had my heart set on the mixer for awhile and I think I used it three times on the first day I had it.  My friend once, let's say 'questioned' rather than 'criticized', my use of the mixer on Thanksgiving day to whip my potatoes rather than just use a plain, old masher.  Well.  Why wouldn't I?  They were scrumptious garlicky-herby clouds of yum.

I truly use it for so much more than just mixing cakes and whipping soft peaks into whites.  No, I use it to whip up a quick batch of pancakes for my sleepy husband on a Sunday.  I use it to mash up those back-of-the-fridge avocados that have just been waiting to become gaucamole.  I have made countless dozens of banana muffins for the freezer, or to keep the kids occupied while the girls chat over brunch.  I've brought back a friend's long-forgotten childhood favorite: yorkshire pudding.  I don't even need to go into the cookies galore that have been made.  And did I mention I prepped a wicked meatloaf in about 5 minutes flat?




But one thing that I was pleasantly surprised to see come out of my beautiful new mixer, was a recipe that I borrowed from another blog.  I made "buckeyes" from the Smitten Kitchen blog and they were fabulous!  


http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/10/buckeyes/
The recipe, however, made about a million little balls of deliciousness; I took them to work, I gave them to family, I tucked some away in the fridge, and I still had enough to feed a small army.  They are sweet, tiny balls of homemade-peanuty-goodness but they aren't for the faint of heart when it comes to sugar.  I didn't have any cream cheese so I substituted eggnog, which, in hindsight, may not have been the best substitution since I had to more, yes MORE, sugar.  But they turned out just as yummy as hoped.


And now that it's the holiday season, I can't wait to make my Grandma's shortbread and a newfound addiction; rum cake.   Mmmmm.


So, as I said.  Go get yourself the one thing that is not only going to revolutionize your kitchen, but your life!