Food goodness

From: Honest Fare We ate muesli almost every morning when we were in Ireland a couple of years ago, and it was so much better than muesli I've been able to find here in the States.  Weaver's in Lancaster now makes a version of it that you can buy in quart-size containers, and theirs is pretty good.  It's kind of expensive, though, especially if it's going to be an every-morning kind of thing.  So, I decided to make my own.  I'm kind of using this post from Honest Fare as a basic formula, and I like her instructions regarding the order to add the ingredients so the dates don't clump together and everything gets dusted with cinnamon, etc.  Obviously you can mix up the ingredients to your taste.  I added some dried apricots instead of raisins, and pepitas instead of sunflower seeds.  I'll be eating this for breakfast this week.  I also recently figured out that I like muesli even better when I add the milk the night before and let it soak overnight...

From Brown Eyed Baker I have never made homemade granola bars before, but now that I know how easy it is, and have this handy formula, I see a lot of homemade granola bars in my future.  I mostly followed the recipe for Fig, Date and Almond Bars , but I subbed out the dates for dried apricots because I didn't have any dates in the house. I also used a little sorghum instead of all the honey, because I didn't have quite enough honey and I did have a jar of sorghum from our trip to Tennessee last year.   But - look at all the possible combinations! I think you could also use different kind of jams, too, but I'm not sure if that would count as a sticky sweetener or a binder....hm.  Will have to keep trying different combinations.  I'm thinking of a dark chocolate, coconut and pecan version..... yum! Basic Granola Bar Formula: 1. Rolled Grains (2½ cups) Suggestions: Oats, Rye flakes, Barley flakes, etc. 2. Nuts, Seeds & Spices (1 cup) Suggestions: Almon...

Made with gooseberries bought at Hefk's Baltimore farmer's market this morning! I wasn't exactly sure what to do with them, but this non-recipe recipe (based on some weird old Gordon Ramsay recipe ; is he British?) made it worthwhile to turn on the oven for the first time this summer. A pound or so of gooseberries; I didn't have that many and augmented with elderly apricots and frozen blueberries Enough sugar to make the fruit sweet, and it's more than you think you need, because those gooseberries are tart little guys Old stale granola A little more sugar Cinnamon and nutmeg Butter or Earth Balance or whatever Preheat oven to 400 F. In a saucepan, mix together fruit and sugar and stir on medium heat, until everything is saucy and delicious. Pour into a loaf pan. In a bowl, mix together the granola, about another T of sugar, and the spices. Spread evenly over the top and dot with butter substance of your choice. Bake for about 20 minutes or until fruit is bubbling a...

I made these yesterday, and between the ones I sent home with my Nana today, the ones Ernie took to work, and the ones Katie and I ate this morning, I'm going to need to make more soon. Yum. That is all. I'll never buy granola bars in the store again, because these were super easy, and so good. adapted (slightly) from Smitten Kitchen (of course) 1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats 1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (use more for a sweetness akin to most purchased bars; use less for a mildly sweet bar -- my note: I used a little more than 1/2 and they were perfectly sweet. I'm going to cut it down a little next time ) 1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender) 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (you could use kosher or regular, I guess, but I like the way you get a little bit of salt with your sweet) 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 cups dried fruits and nut 1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (optional) (I used peanut butter, but will b...

Adapted from Mark Bittman and Nigella Lawson. 5 cups rolled oats 1/2 cup millet (uncooked) 1/2 cup wheat germ 1 cup slivered almonds 1 Tbs cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp ground allspice 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg dash salt 1/2 cup maple syrup (I used grade A--it's the only kind I have) 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 tbs canola oil 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup dried currants Preheat oven to 310 degrees. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet (or 2, I probably should have used 2) with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients down to the salt and mix well. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together oil, syrup and applesauce. Pour over oat mixture and stir well to coat. Pour granola onto baking sheet(s) and spread out into an even layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes to promote even browning. If you use only one baking sheet, it will take about 30 minutes. Pour in dried fruits and stir. Return baking sheet to oven f...

From Cooking Light, December 2007 2 3/4 cups regular oats 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1/2 cup dried cherries 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 1/3 cup golden raisins 1/2 cup honey 1/3 cup butter, melted Preheat oven to 350°. Combine oats, almonds, and next 4 ingredients (through raisins) in a medium bowl. Combine honey and butter. Drizzle honey mixture over oat mixture; toss to coat. Spread mixture in a single layer onto a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes; stir. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on pan. Break into pieces.

In Scotland flapjacks are like chewy granola bars. I made these for my brother's visit expecting them to last most of the week, but they had disappeared within about 24 hours. They're so simple and reasonably healthy - good for kids' lunch boxes, midmorning snacks, or even for breakfast on the go. The recipe comes from Waitrose.com, and I have put the original recipe and the conversions, so hopefully this will make sense. 150g / 5.5oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes 75g / 2.75oz light brown sugar 3 tbsp / 5-6tbsp clear honey** 250g / 9oz rolled oats (I think Quaker oats are rolled - not the instant ones) 170g / 6oz dried berries (I used cranberries and blueberries, but any kind of berry/raisin is nice) 50g / 1.75oz chopped nuts (I used almonds, but again, anything works) **I think the tablespoons here are much bigger - I used 4 US tablespoons, and it wasn't quite enough and bits were too crumbly - the honey helps it stick together, so it's worth using a fair amount ...

This is the first granola recipe I figured I'd try, because it's got cinnamon (which my mom requested when I told her I was going to bring her some granola) and dried fruits. I've tweaked the original recipe a bit, from some of the comments that had been posted. If you want the original, go here . Yum. It's good, and it makes the house smell good, too. FRUIT AND SPICE GRANOLA 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1 cup unsweetened unsulphered coconut 1 cup sliced almonds 1 cup pecans 2 teaspoons cinnamon, plus sprinkling on top 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter 1/2 cup honey (I used clover this time, but will try orange blossom next time) 2 cups mixed dried fruits such as cranberries, cherries, currants, golden raisins, apricots, prunes, and/or dates (I used dried tart cherries, golden raisins, dried blueberries and dried apples) Preheat oven to 3o0°F. In a large bowl stir together oats. coconut, nuts, and spices. In a small saucepan melt b...