Homemade granola bars

I've made granola before so I figured granola bars couldn't be that hard. I found a version of this recipe on the interwebs. It's super quick and easy. The only somewhat fussy part is mixing in all the oats, nuts, fruit, etc. with the syrup/nut butter but you can usually make it work when you press it into the pan...

2 c. rolled oats
1/2 cup nuts
1 c. nut butter (I used natural almond butter. I imagine the oilier the better.)
1/2 c. brown rice syrup
salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. puffed rice cereal (I used that puffed kamut hippie cereal because it was cheap)
1/2 c. dried fruit (I used chopped up dates and raisins)

UPDATE: I made them again and added 4-5 tablespoons (I think) of honey. They turned out better--sweeter and more chewy.

Preheat oven to 350. Spread oats and nuts on a baking sheet and put in oven. Stir occasionally till toasted and brown but not burnt. Combine nut butter and brown rice syrup in a nonstick sauce pan (large enough to accommodate all the other ingredients too) over medium-low heat until combined.
Add salt to taste (don't add a lot if nut butter is salted) and vanilla.
Take the nuts/oats out and reduce oven to 200 degrees.
Add oats and nuts to syrup mixture. Combine it as well as you can (I used 2 wooden spoons). Make sure everything is coated or the bars will crumble apart.
Press really firmly into a greased 9 x 13" pan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes in the 200 degree oven.
Allow to cool and cut into bars. (I cut them when they were still just slightly warm and it worked well. It seemed like it'd be tough after they totally cooled because they harden up).
YUM.


Maybe somebody can post something about oh... menu planning or mole sauce. I'm just throwing something out there. I've heard someone named pj makes a mean chocolate ganache too...

Crock Pot Chicken Masala

Since the weather's cooler, I have dusted off the Crock Pot. I've realized this is the greatest invention for a busy person who cooks for one. This recipe is pretty good and kind of authentic-tasting. It would be great with some naan (I think some stores sell it frozen) or some cool cucumber sauce. It's hot (pleasantly warm) but not spicy. I put in juice from a whole lemon and it was a bit much for my taste. I didn't use milk either but just one of those small 6 oz. plain yogurt containers but I'm sure it'd be better with that fancy Greek yogurt. I also stirred everything together in a bowl first before putting it in the pot.

1 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast diced into large cubes
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 ounces milk
5 ounces natural yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small (8oz.?) can of tomato sauce
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 can chopped green chilies
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

A French Loaf

This is kind of a retroactive post, just to get things going, about a fun project we did over winter break in Minnesota. 

The following is a recipe for a French loaf that Greg's, ironically, Dutch neighbor Andrine gave us. It's fabulous but has a lot of steps. Once you get the hang of the timing, it's really easy. It's possible to prepare it the night before you want to eat it and then just do the rest of the steps early in the morning. 

You need a 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven for this bread. It's worth it though.

(makes 1 1/2 pound loaf)

3 cups bread flour plus more for dusting

1/4 teaspoon yeast

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 5/8 cup water

Step 1:

Mix dough and let rise--in a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water. Stir until blended; dough will be sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest for 12-18 hours (we found 18 hours worked best) at a warm room temperature or until dough surface is dotted with bubbles. 

Step 2:

Folding dough--lightly flour work surface. Place dough on surface. Sprinkle with a little more flour. Fold dough over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes. 

Step 3: 

Shaping dough--Using just enough flour to keep your dough from sticking to the work surface or your fingers, gently and quickly shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth!) with flour. Put dough, seam side down, on the towel. Dust with more flour. Cover with another cotton towel. 

Let rise for 2 hours or until dough is more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with your finger. 

Step 4:

Preparing the oven/pot--About 30 minutes before your dough is ready, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. 

Step 5:

Cooking dough--When the dough and oven are ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Slide your hand under the towel. Turn the dough over into the pot, seam side UP. (It might look like a mess at this point but that's OK. Shake the pot a bit so it settles in. It will straighten out as it bakes). Cover with the lid. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid. Bake for 15 to 30 minutes more until loaf is browned. Cool on a rack and enjoy its awesomness. 

This bread is great with just some cheese, some peanut butter or jam. Nothing fancy. 

Below is our first attempt--kind of dense. Didn't let it rise enough. 

This one was the winner. Really crusty and airy. 

This is what it looked like on the inside.

What's a booze pie?

One Thanksgiving, our family got together in Denver. My brother had the brilliant idea to make several pies. As lovers of both pies and beer, we decided to combine the two--and thus the booze pie was born. We made a bourbon pumpkin pie and an oatmeal stout pecan pie. Since we have scattered to all corners of the country, we still try to get together every Thanksgiving and cook for days, inventing new recipes or reviving old dishes from our youth. Hopefully this blog will allow us to share our culinary escapades year 'round.