Homemade Granola

I can eat bags and bags of granola and feel like I'm not eating a thing. It's weird - and dangerous. I've tried before to make my own granola, but I failed miserably by burning the whole thing and having to dump it in the trash can. This time I somehow managed to get it right, and ration it out for many breakfasts. Oh, happy day.

Granola

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup agave

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp peanut butter

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup cranberries

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cinnamon

1. Melt butter. Add peanut butter while hot and stir to mix. The peanut butter will melt into the butter.
2. Next add agave and vanilla to butter mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, mix other ingredients.
4. Add the liquid to the dry and mix until well combined.
5. Spread the mixture in one layer on a baking sheet sprayed or coated with oil.
6. Bake on 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

twd: Chocolate Cheesecake

This holiday season has flown by.
Seriously, all the things that have happened in the past few weeks are smudgey and blurred.
So when I realized I hadn't made the past couple of twd recipes I got a bit dizzy.
And determined...to make this weeks pick of Chocolate Cheesecake by
I'm not a big fan of cheesecake but I did enjoy this a lot. I did mix it up a bit. I used short read cookies instead of graham crackers for the crust. Instead of melted chocolate, I added fudge. Quite good.

twd: Sables

Sables = French shortbread cookies
As soon as I broke it down like this, I knew most of the cookies would be going in the freezer until the next time my mom visits. She's a shortbread freak and I wouldn't feel right not sharing.

But first, the cookies, picked this week by Bungalow Barbara. We've had a lot of cakes lately so a cookie sounded perfect! Plus, I just moved to a new apartment in a new city and started a new job. And helped my brother move. Lots of moving and decision made me squeak with delight when I saw how simple these Sables are. And squeak again at how delicious they are.

I opted for the spiced version with cinnamon, ginger, & cloves. There ain't no going back now! I want all my shortbread spiced!

My cookies came out a little crispy. I think the oven was too hot. Its the first time I've used it & now know it cooks hot hot hot. My last gas stove was the same way. Is it something about the gas as opposed to electric? Hmmm.

Neiman Marcus Cookie Mix

These are my favorite chocolate-chip cookies of all time. As a kid, I didn't even like chocolate-chip cookies. I thought they weren't sweet enough. But I never had these.

This is a recipe that my sister got from somewhere, attached to a lovely, potential urban myth about a lady wanting to buy the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe. The waiter said it cost "two" and she said "Done." The recipe came, then the bill, with an actual price tag of $200.00 or $2000.00 depending on the telling. So revenge is sweet when you freely spread the recipe around.

Regardless, it's divine. My sister teaches in China and chocolate-chip cookies just aren't really part of the life there as they are here. Well, our lives anyway. So I decided to send a bag across the big wide ocean. The mix would work well as a gift, too, in a pretty jar. The baker just needs to add one egg, .5 cup butter, and .25 tsp vanilla to the dry mix.

Neiman Marcus Cookie Mix

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cup oatmeal

6 oz chocolate chips

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup nuts (optional)

Whole Wheat Pancakes for One

I'm not a big pancake fan, but one morning I had a craving. There's a box of Aunt Jemima in the cabinet, but I wanted to try to make them somewhat 'healthy' (or "healthified" as an email I got said about some pumpkin cheesecake recipe - what a word). They were also quite tasty!

The recipe makes one serving of two large pancakes.

Whole Wheat Pancakes for One

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 Tbsp ground golden flax seed
2 pinches of salt
1/4 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 cup chopped walnuts
oil or butter for pan

1. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
2. Add vanilla to milk and mix.
3. Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Fold in nuts.
5. Cook over medium.

Enjoy!

twd: All in One Holiday Bundt Cake

I've been looking forward to this pick by The Nitty Britty for a whole month!

Once it came out of the oven, I couldn't wait anymore and I dumped the cake out too early.

It wasn't cool enough. It came out looking like Jekyll and Hyde - one side smooth and brown, the other a hot mess!

But it all tasted oh so good!

This is the perfect way to begin a Thanksgiving week.

Flu Soup

No, I don't have H1N1. No need to close your browser and disinfect your internet connection. I don't really have the flu at all, but a few weeks ago I felt a bit under the weather. Soup seemed the only thing I wanted, and this one left me feeling much better. It's made in the tradition of all great soups in our house - thrown together from the pantry.

FLU SOUP

1 can condensed tomato soup

2 cans of water

2 garlic cloves

1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated

1 red banana pepper

oregano, salt, and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup (dry) Ditalini pasta, or other small shape

1 can garbanzo beans/chickpeas

2 carrots, sliced

two handfuls of fresh spinach

1. Combine soup and water in a large pot. Add garlic, ginger, pepper, and seasonings. Boil.
2. Once it comes to a rolling boil, add pasta and cook until almost done. Add chickpeas.
3. Once pasta is al dente and the chickpeas are hot, add spinach and stir to incorporate. Cook another minute, remove from heat, and enjoy!