Béchamel Sauce

This sauce deserves its own post because I have already made it outside of the lasagna context from which I got the recipe (coming soon). So easy. So fast. So delicious! 

Béchamel Sauce
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yield: approx. 4 cups sauce


Ingredients
4 cups skim milk
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 stick of butter (8 Tablespoons)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg


Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine milk and garlic and bring to a simmer. Once heated set aside.
2. In another medium saucepan, melt butter (if you like, until it become brown butter). 
3. Add flour and whisk vigorously. Cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking all the while. This is your your roux.
4. Gradually add the milk to the roux, whisking all the while, until you have added all of the milk. 
5. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, and keep whisking until your sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. 
6. Serve over pasta, use in lasagna. 

Vanilla Bean Pudding

Leave it to Deb from Smitten Kitchen to keep it simple: milk, sugar, cornstarch and an egg are all you need to get you started on the path to homemade pudding paradise.


When I was growing up my family would frequently host relatives visiting from the Dominican Republic, and my aunts and uncles would always be sure to bring with them a pile of traditional goodies. Among the treasures were queso de hoja (a wonderful, tangy white cheese), Double Bubble gum, these little green mints called Cristal Menta, all kinds of traditional confections, and, of course Maizena. Maizena is a brand of cornstarch popular abroad, and what I remember most were these little packets filled with differently flavored starches -- strawberry was my favorite -- to which you could add warm milk and create what I have since come to recognize as pudding. The recipe I made today, which is a real "back to the basics" kind of recipe, took me back to those times, and you know, come to think of it it's not so surprising. To my mind, pudding and childhood go hand in hand.


Vanilla beans, by the way -- they are somethin' else. I am completely sold on using them whenever possible in place of extract. 


Vanilla Bean Pudding
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yield: Six 1/2 cup servings


Ingredients
2 2/3 cups skim milk, divided
1/3 or 1/2 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you'd like it
3 Tablespoons or 1/4 cup corn starch, depending on how firm you'd like it
1/4 teaspoon salt
Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean (yum!) or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg


Directions 
1. Set 2 cups of milk over medium heat to boil. 
2. Meanwhile, in a medium heatproof bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla bean seeds (unless using extract... hold on for that). Feel free to throw the vanilla bean pod into the heating milk for added flavor. 
3. Slowly whisk in 2/3 cup milk a bit at a time in order to avoid lumps. 
4. Whisk in the egg.
5. Once milk has boiled, remove vanilla bean pod and slowly whisk milk into the bowl of mixed ingredients.
6. Return the mixture to the original saucepan, and bring back to a simmer while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula. 
7. Once it's simmering, cook for one more minute to ensure fully cooked egg and cornstarch. Don't jump the gun and take it off the heat before it thickens, though!
8. Remove from heat, add vanilla extract if you are using it in place of the beans.
9. Divide into small bowls (I ended up being generous and using just 4 lil bowls), and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm.
10. Enjoy warm pudding goodness from the bottom of the saucepan to hold you over until you can get your hands on the cool pudding!

I love those flecks of vanilla bean!

Ginger Snaps

To me, ginger snaps are--along with anything pumpkin--a must-have of the holiday season. They're 1) easy to make, 2) full of spicy goodness, and 3) beautiful when covered in sparkly sugar. Now, I've recently heard about ginger snaps with a firey kick of black pepper... but that will have to be for another year. For now, these cookies have gotten me through the last three holidays of baked gift-giving, so it's about time I put them up here!

Ginger Snaps

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

small bowl sugar (turbinado makes for extra pretty cookies) for rolling

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using a hand mixer.

2. Stir in the molasses and egg using a spatula.

3. Next, add 1 cup of the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves, stirring until combined.

4. Add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated.

5. Chill your dough in the freezer for 15 minutes. This will make it easier to shape.

6. Shape your dough into 1-inch balls, then roll them in sugar to coat the outside.

7. Bake on a greased cookie sheet (or on parchment paper) for 10 minutes in a 375 degrees F oven.
8. Enjoy with milk or pack up to send off as gifts.

Super-Moist Pumpkin Muffins

I know I'm not alone in this, but I really do enjoy all things pumpkin. This year I was lucky enough to score a couple of real pumpkins for free and tried my hand at roasting them and turning their sweet flesh into puree for baking! I'm pretty sure the high water content of the homemade puree added to the moistness of these muffins, and I'll be hard pressed to use canned pumpkin in the future if I can avoid it. Here's to autumn lasting as long as possible and holding winter at bay!


Super-Moist Pumpkin Muffins
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I bet I could have subbed in apple sauce for a bit of this)
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soday
forgot to use 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (whoops) but got a very nice rise anyway
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice: 
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
sprinkle of ground cloves
2 Tablespoons sugar + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon for topping
optional: top with roasted pumpkin seeds


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2.In a large bowl whisk together pumpkin, 1/2 cup sugar, oil, vanilla extract, Splenda, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda (and I'm guessing baking powder as well) and salt until smooth.
3. Add flours and whisk til just combined.
4. In a small bowl combine 2 Tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
5. Fill your muffin tin with the batter, only about 3/4 full in each well. Top with cinnamon sugar and pumpkin seeds if using. 
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. 

Snickerdoodles

The chewiness of these cookies each time you take a bite is unbeatable. 

Snickerdoodles
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen 

Ingredients
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cups olive oil (in place of 1 cup butter)
1 cup sugar + 3/4 cups splenda (in place of all sugar)
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 large eggs


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Using a sieve, sift together flour, cream of tartar and baking soda into a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In a larger bowl, cream together olive oil (or butter) and splenda plus 3/4 cup of sugar using a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Scrape down bowl and add eggs and beat using mixer.
5. Scrape down bowl using rubber spatula and add dry ingredients, stirring to combine. 
6. Once you've formed a dough, place bowl in the freezer for a few minutes until the dough is manageable. 
7. In a small bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon.
8. Using a Tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop out dough and form into balls. Toss the balls, a few at a time, into the bowl of cinnamon sugar to coat.
9. Place cookies about two inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or less, until they crack in the center -- again follow your nose! Mine got a little extra crispy on the bottom because I ignored my senses :( These babies smelled delicious about 2 minutes before the timer went off, so I should have known, sigh. 

Dark as Midnight Cocoa Brownies

This recipe's from the end of the summer, back when I made those incredible chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and at the time I thought, "this has GOT to STOP!" This was the second game-changing recipe I'd found in short order, a recipe for a food I'd never really fancied before but has now finally and completely understood. 


Today's case in point: brownies.


I know part my previously "meh" attitude towards brownies has to do with the fact that my mom never made boxed cake mixes, or even cookies. In fact, she rarely made sweets, but when she did they were always traditional Dominican ones. But what I'm starting to realize as I expand my cooking and baking repertoire, the biggest problem, as I've noted before, is simply never experiencing a proper specimen. 


Before I tried this recipe, I always associated brownies with those overly-sweet, often-dry confections found at catered events. You know, the ones at the office brought in for you to snack on while your meeting runs over in the conference room, or a school-sponsored event made for schmoozing. The brownies were always too rich, too sweet, and to be honest, kinda boring. 


So what inspired me to try this recipe? I'm not really sure. Maybe I knew, deep down, that unless I tried to make these myself, I would never really know what good brownies could be.  And these brownies are RIDICULOUSLY GOOD! Dense but not overly sweet, and if you're big on freezing baked goods the way I am, you'll love knowing that if you microwave them straight from the freezer for 15 seconds, they are simply divine. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you may as well call it a life. I still have a few in the freezer, and I have to say it's pretty easy to keep myself from eating them: I don't want them to finish! 


Do yourself a favor and make these brownies. Slice 'em up into tiny squares so that when the craving strikes, you won't feel so bad about giving in. 


Dark as Midnight Cocoa Brownies 
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen


Ingredients
10 Tablespoons (1.25 sticks) unsalted butter
1.25 cups sugar
3/4 cups + 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (either natural or Dutch-processed is fine... I used Dutch-processed)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or a heaping 1/4 teaspoon sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cups walnuts (I think I used more like 1/3, because this is optional and I just wanted a bit of something to cut the richness of the chocolate)


Directions
1. Position rack in lower third of oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F. 
2. Line a square baking pan (bottom and sides) with parchment paper or foil, allowing extra paper or foil to hang out of the pan (all the better to pull the brownies out in the end). If you don't have a square baking pan (I don't), here's an easy fix: use a rectangular pan, and fold your parchment as if you did have a square pan -- fill the extra space in the rectangular pan with beans or lentils, and this will serve as a "fourth wall" of sorts for what you're about to bake. 
3. In a medium, microwave safe bowl, combine butter, cocoa, sugar, and salt and microwave for about 30 seconds or until melted (a double-boiler method would also work). Your mix will be a bit gritty/crumbly, but all's well. Go on to step 4.
4. Using a rubber spatula, stir in vanilla.
5. Add eggs, one at a time and stir vigorously until smooth and shiny.
6. Now add the flour and blend until it is invisible, then give it a good 40 strokes (that's what the recipe says!)
7. If using nuts, add them now and stir a bit to combine.
8. Pour into pan and spread evenly.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a fork poked in the center comes out clean. 
10. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before pulling the parchment out of the pan and lifting out the brownies, or place the whole pan in the fridge for a few minutes to speed up the process. 
11. Cut into bite sized squares and freeze in a ziplock if you're like me and need help curbing the urge to down them all with a big glass of milk. 

Fall Back

September Pizza

This weekend, in honor of my being thisclose to completing final revisions for a major fellowship application due in 9 days, I've decided to allow myself some time to update my digital cookbook. Judging by the Digest, you'd think I haven't made anything in the last couple of months, and that would suggest I've come up with a better coping mechanism for stress than baking and cooking. 

Neither is true.  

I just have this bad habit of wanting to set aside time to compose my blog entries, to add a little anecdote to remember the meal by, rather than just adapting a recipe, slapping on a couple of pictures and calling it a day. But you know what? Sometimes a quick post is better than letting the recipes pile up. 

Yes, the semester's been extra busy, but let's keep it moving, shall we?

Let's.

Oat and Maple Syrup Scones

Natural lighting really is as magical as they say it is.

Scones. I see them at Starbucks but never get them because I can't bring myself to pay so much for just one of something I could make several of for a fraction of the cost. Plus, who knows how long they've been sitting under that fluorescent glow?

So a couple of weeks ago, I made scones by combining two recipes (I didn't have enough of either set of ingredients) and hoped for the best. I enjoyed the results, and here they are, for your viewing, reading, and snacking pleasure.

Oat and Maple Scones
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and The Joy of Baking


Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 very heaped Tablespoon baking powder
1 heaped Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg for eggwash


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Whisk together all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. 
3. Using your fingers, combine the butter with the dry ingredients until the blend is breadcrumb consistency. 
4. In a small bowl combine milk and syrup, then add this to the dry ingredients.
5. Using a spoon or rubber spatula, combine the dough until it all comes together -- now you're ready to form the scones!
6. To form scones, roll out dough to a thickness of about 1.25 inches, and form into a circle. Next, cut into wedges (say, 8?) or whatever size you find appropriate. Just don't make them too thin or you won't get their characteristic quasi-fluffy rise. You could also use round cookie cutters if you prefer your scones biscuit-shaped. 
7. Separate the wedges a bit and place on a parchment lined pan. Brush on the egg wash for a golden finish.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, and please, as always, follow your nose! If it smells really good in the kitchen, it might just be time to take the goods out of the oven, regardless of what the directions say!

Chocolate Chip Cookies, two ways

Chocolate Chip & Double Chocolate. 
Even after freezing these to avoid temptation, I couldn't help myself.

I'm not gonna lie. I never really liked chocolate chip cookies.


I'm sorry, but it's true.


When I share this fact with others, I almost invariably get some sort of disapproving look or comment, like something's wrong with me. Literally, someone recently reacted with "What's wrong with you?!?!" Ridiculous, I think.


To be honest, I'd just never had a really awesome chocolate chip cookie. And there was something about their ubiquity at bake sales that helped them lose their novelty, so I started to dislike them even before I had a chance to form any kind of appreciation.


This first recipe changed my mind. These are your traditional chocolate chip cookies, kinda soft, perfect dunked in milk, and delicious frozen -- which, I found out only after freezing them in an attempt to keep myself from eating them... and that didn't work. While I don't see myself craving these cookies anytime soon, let's just say that if I ever need to make a housewarming gift or something else to give away, this one will be a top contender, if only so that I can have the extra few that I'll inevitably make. Just to make sure the recipe worked, you know?


The second recipe in this post.... Oooooh boyyyyy. 


Check it: Chocolate cookie with chocolate chips. I'm a dark chocolate fanatic, so the intensity of these are right up my alley. Microwaved, they become almost cake-like, and the secret added ingredient completely seals the deal for me. This is the perfect baked gift for a chocoholic for sure. But why chose? Make both on the same day! You can't go wrong :)  

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

I love the lighting in this photograph.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar 
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Using a sieve, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl cream together melted butter and both sugars using a hand mixer until well blended.
4. Beat in vanilla, egg and egg yolk, then mix in dry ingredients until just blended. 
5. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips, then drop cookie dough 1 Tablespoon at a time onto the cookie sheets (if you're like me and only have one, that's OK -- just drop the cookies onto sheets of parchment, and each time you finish baking a batch, pull off the parchment with the baked cookies, place the new, cookie-dough-laden parchment onto the cookie sheet, and place back in the oven. Repeat until you're done.)
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are just toasted. 
7. Allow to cool completely before attempting to freeze -- this will keep the cookies from becoming misshapen and the precious chocolate chips from smearing all over your containers or ziplock bags.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Double Chocolate. Need I say more? 

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1.5 cups  white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups natural cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
and the secret ingredient: 1/3 of a teaspoon almond extract


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer beat together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla and almond extract until light and fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Stir dry ingredients into the butter mixture until well combined. 
5. Using a spatula or large spoon, stir in chocolate chips. 
6. Drop onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet, one Tablespoon at a time.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then allow to cool before storing, as above, and enjoy :) 

Check out that partial print. Proof that these are handmade.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

Pancakes are my favorite weekend breakfast. They take a bit of time to put together, sure, but it's so satisfying to dig into that delicious mound of carbs and sweet syrup, knowing that you don't need to rush off to school or work.  

Pancakes take me back to when I was a kid. Growing up, my mom and I would make them together on Saturday mornings whenever we felt inspired; Aunt Jemima was our favorite mix and "syrup" back then. I remember feeling so proud when I finally mastered the art of pancake flipping, knowing exactly when they were ready to turn. I loved how easily they unstuck from her cast iron skillet, and it was one of the few cooking tasks my mother would let me take charge of. These days I don't make pancakes too often, but when I do I always remember being a kid, my mom letting me serve her food for a change. 

Here's a heartier pancake recipe than the one I used to keep as an instant mix, for when you want to feel like you're doing something good for yourself even while you indulge. 

Oatmeal Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes

Adapted from a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman on the New York Times

Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons canola oil
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries


*If you don't have buttermilk, you can use this easy substitute: Add 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to each cup of milk you use. Let sit for 5 minutes. Et voila -- buttermilk!



Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine milk and rolled oats and set aside.
2. Using a sieve, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs then whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla extract and oil.
4. Add the flour mix to the wet ingredients and whisk together, being careful not to overbeat (it's OK to have a few lumps).
5. Fold in the milk & oats. The original recipe suggests letting this sit for an hour or to refrigerate overnight. I just waited 15 minutes and had excellent results.
6. Since investing in a cast iron skillet I find I don't really need much oil to keep my pan nonstick, but feel free to spray your griddle with some cooking spray. Next, drop 1/4 cup of batter into your pan at a time, adding as many blueberries as you like (try not to overload it, though, otherwise they'll get heavy and hard to flip successfully. 5-6 is a safe bet.).
7. Cook until large bubble break through the top, approximately 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for about a minute more, until golden brown.
8. Serve warm with maple syrup, butter, or, as my mom likes them best, a slice of American cheese :) 


Tips: 
A. To make sure your pancakes stay warm as you keep cooking, you can either turn the oven light on and store your cooked pancakes in the oven, or you can lightly cover your cooked stack with some foil, just to keep the heat in.
B. After you make a batch, freeze in ziplocks in packs of three. Then you can thaw them in the microwave for a pancake breakfast during the week!

Variation on a Theme: Oatmeal Bread

I swear, I don't just make baked goods! The thing is, I started this blog as a sort of digital cookbook, so that whenever I wanted to revisit a beloved recipe I wouldn't have to search up and down the internet to find the instructions. It's not my fault that the kinds of foods that have the most detailed set of rules are muffins and scones and bread!

Here's an oatmeal bread recipe one of my old housemates in Maryland used to make on a weekly basis. [Note, I made another version of oatmeal bread that involves buttermilk and honey way back when, and I keep meaning to return to it, but after tasting my house mate's version I really just wanted to perfect hers first].

For whatever reason, the last two times I've made this my loaves don't rise as quickly or as much as I'd like, but for that reason I'll just mention that you (I/we/y'all) should make sure to wait until the pre-baked loaf rises to the top of the pan before putting in the oven -- it doesn't really rise too much after that when using active dry yeast. Next time I'll try subbing in instant yeast (at the right proportion) and see what happens. Either way, this is some tasty bread that's pretty easy to put together, (like most breads) freezes really well, and is just fantastic toasted.

Oatmeal Bread

Adapted from More with Less

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients
1 cup quick oats
3 cups whole wheat flour, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil or other vegetable oil
1 package dry active yeast
2.5 cups white flour
2 cups boiling water +1/2 cup warm water

Directions
1. In a large bowl combine quick oats, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt and oil.
2. Pour 2 cups boiling water over the mixture, stirring well to combine. Set aside until lukewarm (putting it in the fridge for a bit helps).
3. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water and set aside for a few minutes to proof.
4. Once your batter is lukewarm, add the yeast and stir in 2.5 cups whole wheat flour and 2.5 cups white flour.
5. Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed for 5-10 minutes until smooth.
6. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.
7. Gently deflate the dough, form into loaves, and place in loaf pans (~ 9x5x3") and allow to rise again.
8. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes.
9. Cool on a wire wrack before slicing -- this bread keeps really well frozen, so slice it up, wrap it in plastic and forget about it.. until the bread craving strikes!

 

Tempeh "Fries"

Tempeh topped with dill, paprika, and garlic powder

Tempeh "Fries"

It's easy, really. Just slice tempeh width-wise into thin strips. Then treat them just like baked potato wedges. 

Tempeh fries. It's what's for dinner. 

 

"Stage Two" Granola

 

"Not to diss your other granola, but I think this is the best one you've ever made."  - 'Chefski.

Yeah...  I don't think this recipe needs any more endorsement than that.

Whenever I want to look for something to make in the kitchen, I usually just hit up my favorite cooking and baking blogs for inspiration, but this time I decided to leaf through The Joy of Cooking -- which I really could spend hours reading cover-to-cover -- to see if there was any way to improve upon the last granola recipe I'd tried. Sure, I liked it, but it wasn't quite as crunchy as I'd dreamed homemade granola could be. 

 

Blame Small World Coffee in Princeton for schooling me on the art of granola -- I had maybe two of their vanilla yogurt-banana-granola parfaits in my time there, but man! They clearly made a lasting impression. Now that I find myself in "stage two" as a cook (Mark Bittman's category, for cooks who don't just follow recipes to the T, but rather mix n match a bit and know their preferences), I feel more comfortable looking at recipe and saying "yea.... I think I'll add some pepper.." or, "you know what? this would be GREAT with cinnamon and vanilla." I trust myself more, and blogging about culinary adventures has certainly helped.

I will add that Small World's granola was more like a roughly chopped bar, while this recipe's got clusters and looser oats/seeds. Nevertheless, I nailed that crunch. The sesame seeds are key, and next time I might try to give cashews, almonds and sunflower seeds a go (the latter two were in the original Joy recipe) and see if this lives up to my memory. And, as usual, I'll consider using a bit less oil next time. At any rate, this is my new go-to granola. 

It's the kinda thing that makes a gal feel like she accomplished something, you know what I mean?

Crunchy Granola

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I used pecans instead of almonds)

1 cup shredded coconut 

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup flax seeds (this was instead of sunflower seeds) 
1/2 honey (or maple syrup

1/2 cup vegetable oil (next time I'd use 1/4 cup)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Scatter oats over a large baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F. Be sure to stir and toss frequently.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine nuts, coconut, seeds, and cinnamon. Once your oats have toasted, add those to the bowl.

3. In a small saucepan, heat oil and honey/syrup for 5 minutes over low heat.

4. Once your sweetener is heated, stir it into your dry ingredients.

5. Spread your granola mix onto the baking sheet (if you've got too much to make a thin layer, use two baking sheets).
6. Use your judgement and bake for 30-45 minutes (i.e. don't burn it, but get it nice and toasty), stirring regularly to evenly bake.
7. Once you've taken the pan out of the oven, throw in some chopped dried fruit (I had a mix on hand that contained apricots, apples and pears) and toss to combine thoroughly. 

8. Allow to cool completely -- you know, go read a book, relax for a while, and come back to find your granola crunchy! Will keep for a good while (a month) in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Cilantro-Lime (Brown) Rice

I love Chipotle. Love it. I wish I could make every item on their menu at home, but until I get the nerve to try and make my own burritos (I dunno, maybe it's the number of toppings and ingredients needed that's deterred me...), here's a recipe that is pretty much just like the rice they use inside. Incidentally, I usually ask the person preparing my burrito to omit the rice since beans + rice + all of the other delicious elements inside can make them a bit too filling, but I'll gladly make this again as a way to liven up a side dish. I'd go with a bit less salt next time (is it me, or is brown rice much more flavorful than white?), but I'm lovin' the brown rice in this instead of long grain white. 

Cilantro-Lime (Brown) Rice

Adapted from Skinny Taste

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons vegetable oil

3 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions

1. Place rice, water, and 1 teaspoon oil in a pot and bring to a boil on high heat. 

2. Once most of the water has boiled off, cover for about 15-20 minutes on low heat. Turn off the heat and leave covered for an additional 5 minutes.

3. In a bowl, combine lime juice, cilantro, and the rest of the oil. 

4. Throw in your cooked rice and toss together to combine.

5. Devour alongside your favorite protein, marveling at yourself all the while because you were able to recreate "fast food" at home.

Brown Butter Banana-Strawberry Bread

Brown butter. If you don't know, you need to find out.

Facts:

A) Yesterday I (mostly) ran 4.4 miles, outside, by the Hudson. After a few weeks of running across the George Washington Bridge, I can tell you the road/blacktop on the Greenway is much easier on my joints (did I just say that?) than the metal bridge. I like it.

B) I've realized that you should never decide that you don't like a fruit or vegetable until you've had an organic specimen, or at the very least one that's at the peak of ripeness.  This fact has helped me discover a true love of tomatoes and several other fruits. Today's strawberries may not have been organic, but all I know is that I really thought I hated those berries until I got these yesterday.

C) There are 16 Tablespoons in 1 cup, 8 Ts in 1/2 cup, and 4 Ts in 1/4 cup. Good to know. Especially when you've misplaced your 1/4 cup.

D) Brown butter smells soooooooooooo good! I see more (but not too much!) of it in my future.

About this recipe:

I love the tanginess the strawberries add to this version of banana bread, and I'm really digging the almost cake-like moistness. Knowing that I'd gladly consume all of this in one day, I did the right thing and sliced up the loaf, wrapped it in plastic and aluminum foil. This tastiness is freezer bound to be rediscovered as a surprise snack in a few weeks when I feel I've earned it.

I think next time I might cut down on the fat and sub in some apple sauce to compensate for the lost moisture I'd expect as a result, though even then, I think this could have been a bit sturdier and still been great. 

Brown Butter Banana Strawberry Bread

Adapted from Joy the Baker 

Ingredients

1.5 sticks/6oz/12 Tablespoons of butter, which will be melted and browned to about 1/2 cup

1 1/4 cup mashed banana (I used 3 medium bananas)

1/2 cup diced strawberries plus 1 very thinly sliced strawberry for topping (I think I went with more like a cup of strawberries)

 

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

The original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt, but About.com told me I could sub in 2 teaspoons baking powder and omit the salt, so I did that (I had no baking soday)

Wet Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt or buttermilk (I used yogurt)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and grease and flour a 9X5-inch loaf pan and set aside for later. (Since I'm using a glass pan, I reduced the temp to 325F)

2. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. The butter will foam and sputter at increasing rates as it melts, though this will slowly subside and evenually your butter will be browning. If you see some brown specks, don't worry! This is exactly what you want. Once you've got a lot of those lil specks, and you begin to smell a delectably  nutty scent, remove from heat and place in a bowl so that it can cool (I put mine in the fridge to help the process -- don't worry, it's not gonna solidify like melted butter would).

3. Since I knew I'd be making this since yesterday, I premixed the dry ingredients in a large bowl. If you lacked this foresight, do so now. 

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. 

5. Whisk in mashed bananas as well.

6. Once the butter has cooled, mix those into your wet ingredients too.

7. Add all your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients, folding together using a spatula until just combined (i.e. don't overstir). 

8. Fold in the diced strawberries.

9. Pour your batter into the prepared pan, and top with the thinly sliced strawberry. 

10. Bake for about 50 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick/ knife comes out clean. (Now, you gotta be careful whenever you bake in an oven you're not used to -- even at a lower temperature, I only baked mine for about 30 minutes before it was time to let it out, so trust your nose! If it smells amazing, you're probably almost done baking) 

11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before turning out.