Saturday, November 23, 2013

Linden: Granola Recipe


When I lived in Cambridge, it was freezing and the best way to stay warm on the weekends without heating guilt was to cook; I wasn’t eating a lot of processed food and I had a lot of free time on the weekends so I did a lot of tweaking of a granola recipe from TheKitchenSink.

And now, Mama has been ironing out her breakfast regime, and has moved towards what is apparently a Swiss breakfast, which I think should involve Cuckoo clocks but apparently just involves yogurt. And I had just made a batch, so Kathleen granola-muled some home to Mama on the way to some conference.

Here’s my version of the recipe – basically the same as the original minus the refined sugars (original recipe here: http://thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2008/08/29/when-the-mountains-call/)

Be warned, it makes your kitchen smell amazing. (...no pictures, because I sent it all to Mama.)

 

Cherry-Almond Granola

4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweeteend
3 tablespoons flax seeds (or whatever you have, I am currently using linseed)
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup almonds, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons whole almonds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon honey (optional – it makes the granola stick together.)
1 tablespoon almond extract
2 cups dried cherries (make sure that there’s no added sugar)

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the dried fruit. Stir well to incorporate.

Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out into an even layer. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the depth of goldenness you’re looking for), stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the granola from the oven and and cool completely, in its pan, on a wire wrack. Once the granola is cool, mix in the dried cherries.

 

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Jenny: English muffins!

Mom sends this photo of her English muffins!


Me wanty!

They look like a cross between American buttermilk biscuits and English muffins, i.e. way better than English muffins.  We need a new name for these.  Biscuimuffins?  Vongsamuffins?

Actually, maybe this is the way English muffins are supposed to be.  I kind of assumed the English muffin was a bad take on a regular American muffin, just like the English doughnut is a bad version of the American donut.  But it could go in reverse.  Maybe Americans can create good foods out of bad English foods.

I am not going to bother checking any of the relevant food history to support my theory. Instead, let us simply agree that, whatever the case may be, this is far better than the alternative where American and English foods get Frenchified.


(Why must everyone french their lamb racks?!?  STOP!  STOP IT!  That stuff is delicious!)

(And toad in the hole definitely should not croak...)