I adapted the recipe slightly from this one from Smitten Kitchen. They are incredibly easy to make, easy to adapt, and really really easy to eat them all in a couple of days. An 8×8 pan makes 12 granola bars (you can probably get more out of it, but I like a good, substantial bar). They are the perfect snack to bring to school, and were a huge help at the end of the semester – make a pan for the week and you’re guaranteed a tasty treat every day.

It’s also a very versatile recipe. As long as the fruits/nuts equal 2-3 cups total, you can play with any number of combinations. Listed below is my favorite so far. I’ve also used honey and maple syrup as the liquid sweetener with equally tasty results. They can be a bit crumbly, so make sure you pat them in the pan with a fork really well, let them cool completely in the pan, and then place in the fridge to firm up for at least 30 minutes. After that they should be fine to cut and store at room temperature.

Granola Bars

1 2/3 c quick rolled oats
1/3 c oats processed to a powder
2/3 c sugar
¼ tsp salt
A few dashes cinnamon
1 c dried cherries
1 c dark chocolate mini-chunks
1/3 c walnuts
1/3 c roasted, salted pepitas
1/3 c sesame/flax seeds (equal amounts each)
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¼ c honey, plus 2 tbsp
1 tbsp vanilla
1tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8x8x2-baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix with a fork till consistent. Spread in the pan, and press the mixture down firmly with a fork so it’s even in the pan and in all the corners.

Cook for 30-40 minutes, till brown around the edges. Cool in the pan on a baking rack. When cool, remove them using the parchment paper. If crumbly, place the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes to help them set. Cut using a serrated or bench knife.

Makes about 12 bars

The original recipe included those crunchy, fried Chinese noodle things. They have trans fat, so in an effort to eat healthy I don’t use them. Feel free to use them or add something else with a crunch. Also, the dressing makes about double what you need for this amount of lettuce/chicken. I save the remainder and use it on other salads/dishes.

[This is a de facto post - no photo as dinner is long gone!]

Asian-ish Chicken Salad

2 small heads romaine lettuce, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 clove garlic
1 inch hunk ginger
½ c sugar (or less – I used about 1/3 c)
½ c white vinegar
½ c salad oil (canola)
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Sesame seeds (toasted, optional)

Poach chicken breasts in boiling water with the garlic and ginger. Simmer for about 15 minutes, drain and cool. Cut into bite sized pieces. Mix all dressing ingredients and chill.

Place lettuce, scallions and chilled chicken pieces in a large salad bowl. Pour on chilled salad dressing and toss. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Serves 2 very hungry people

I have two small winter squash that I want to use before the last farmer’s market (tear) this Thursday so I can stock up on some more, and it is just cool enough for soup. I also have an obscene number of apples sitting in a bowl (no, I didn’t go apple picking. My eyes are just bigger than my bag when it comes to buying at the market). Apples, squash, a little coconut milk and some curry. Sounds like a good fall soup to me. Maybe some biscuits on the side? We’ll see.

Curried Winter Squash and Apple Soup

2 small winter squash (acorn and kabocha)
A few tbsp butter, divided
1-2 tbsp brown sugar
1 sweet onion, diced
2 apples, peeled, cored, diced
1 14-oz can light coconut milk
1-2 tbsp red curry paste
Water/vegetable stock (~4 c total)

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Cut each squash in half. Remove seeds. Butter the cut sides and sprinkle with brown sugar. Place on a baking sheet, skin side down. Roast in the oven for about an hour, until the flesh is tender.

When the squash is done roasting, let them cool till they are cool enough to handle. While they are cooling, sauté the onion and apple in a tbsp of butter in a large pot. Cook for about 10 minutes. When the squash is ready, scoop out flesh into the pot. Add coconut milk and curry paste and bring to a simmer.

Remove pot from heat and using an immersion blender, puree. It will be very thick. Add water/stock a cup at a time, pureeing after each addition. Add till the desired consistency is reached. Bring to a simmer again, and add salt to taste (and curry paste, if needed).

Garnish with seeds and/or apple pieces, if desired.

Serves 6(?)

I enjoy having people over. I enjoy cooking. I enjoy cooking for the people that come over. It’s an excuse to make something that I might not ordinarily whip up. When the opportunity presented itself Saturday to have a couple of classmates over to work on a group project, I jumped at the chance. Not because it was a crummy day and I didn’t want to leave the apartment, but because I really wanted a good excuse to bake something. Being back in school, I really don’t have the time to cook/bake like I would like. This was just what I was looking for.

As I thought of what to make, I looked around at what I had. Being in school, I am also on tighter money and time budgets than before. I didn’t have the time to run to the store to pick up any ingredients, and I also didn’t really have the money to buy them. My eyes landed on the bowl of pears sitting in the kitchen. Perfect. Surely I could find/come up with a fall, pear treat for my classmates.

Using this recipe as a guide, I made some adaptations based on what I had in the kitchen. And this is what emerged, a simple, incredibly tasty, pear cake. Really, it’s delicious. Not often do I eat something I’ve made and only have positive things to say about it, but this was it. I made it yesterday, and between my classmates, Colin, and myself, it’s almost gone. Perfect for a fall afternoon treat…

Pear Cake
1 c whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cloves
¼ tsp salt
½ c butter (1 stick), at room temp
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla
2 Bosc pears (1 peeled, cored, small dice; 1 cored and cut into eighths, lengthwise)
Cooking spray/butter for greasing pan
All purpose flour for dusting pan (~ 1 tbsp)
Vanilla sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Spray 9 inch round spring form pan with cooking spray or brush with melted butter. Dust with a thin layer of all purpose flour, and tap/shake out excess.

In a large mixing bowl, combine whole-wheat flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cloves with a fork. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides. Add the eggs, and beat again till well combined. By hand with a rubber spatula, add in the dry ingredients. Mix till just combined. Add in the diced pear and mix to incorporate.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the sides. Place the pear spears on top, skin side up. Sprinkle some vanilla sugar over the top, if using. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until the top is browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes before removing.

Serves 8-10

Usually if I’m going to attempt a new dish, I will look up some recipes online right before leaving work to see if I need to pick any ingredients up on my way home. I suppose I was feeling particularly spontaneous today (or forgetful…) and I didn’t look anything up at work. As I walked home, I figured some nice buttery bread, eggs, cream, sugar would probably be the key ingredients, and that I could wing the rest. I would say it worked fairly well.

The bakery on the way home didn’t have full brioche loaves, so I got 4 muffin sized brioche… buns? I looked up some recipes once home, and this is the closest one that mine resembles. I used all 4 brioche buns, and the specified amount of custard filling in the recipe. The amount of bread was good, but I think maybe it needed a little more custard. And definitely more fruit on the bottom. There’s always next time.

Blueberry-Cherry Bread Pudding

4 brioche buns

1 c light cream

¾ c 2% milk

4 eggs

½ c organic sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

a handful cherries, pitted and cut into pieces

a couple of handfuls blueberries (total amount of fruit barely covered the bottom of the dish in a single layer)

a couple of tbsp large grain vanilla sugar (optional)

non-stick spray

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat the bottom of a baking dish (maybe 8×8 or 9×9?) with spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Let sit for a little till the bubble subside. While waiting, tear the brioche into pieces, and then add to the custard mixture. Mix gently till the brioche pieces are completely coated.

Places the berries and cherries in an even layer in the baking dish. Pour the brioche/custard mixture over the berries, trying to keep the berries under the brioche. Pat the brioche down with a fork, making sure they cover the entire surface (poke any berries back under the brioche). Sprinkle all over with vanilla sugar. Place the dish in the refrigerator for 10- 15 minutes.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until custard is set and the bread is golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm.

Serves ~6

Kale Pesto Sandwich

1 bunch kale, rinsed and thick part of stems removed

a couple of handfuls pine nuts (toasted if desired)

2 cloves garlic

¼ – ½ c olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 loaf ciabatta bread

¼ – ½ c ricotta cheese

2 tomatoes, sliced

4 leaves of lettuce

Tear the kale into pieces and place in the food processor. Add garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Process and then slowly add the olive oil while the processor is running until it comes together. Taste and add more salt/pepper if needed. Set aside.

Slice ciabatta bread into 4 sections and then cut each in half to make sandwiches. Spread ricotta cheese on one half of each sandwich and top with a leaf of lettuce and ½ tomato. Spread pesto on the other half of the sandwich, and top the sandwich with it.

Makes 4 sandwiches (with leftover pesto)

While I am incredibly excited to be part of a CSA this year, I still look forward to the Thursday afternoons at the farmer’s market. Yesterday I picked up a bundle of asparagus and a zucchini (along with 2 more pints of strawberries and some cherries!). I hadn’t been to the grocery store in a while so had no real plans for the zucchini/asparagus. This is what came out:

Asparagus and Zucchini

1 lb asparagus

1 medium zucchini

1/3 – ½ white onion, medium dice

A couple tbsp good extra virgin olive oil

1 package Parmesan Couscous

Salt and pepper, to taste

Grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp butter (optional)

Wash and pat dry the asparagus and zucchini. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into half coins, about ¼ inch wide. Break/cut off the tough ends of the asparagus (save them to make soup). Cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces, on the diagonal.

Over medium/med-high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet (large enough to hold all the veggies in a single layer). When the oil is almost ready, add the butter (if using). Add the onions and sauté till translucent (a few minutes). Add the zucchini/asparagus to the pan. Cook a few minutes, till crisp tender and still bright green. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Meanwhile, prepare couscous according to package instructions.

Remove from the heat. Divide the couscous between the bowls, and top with the veggie mixture. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.

Serves 2-3

Last weekend Colin’s parents dropped off some fruit, including two grapefruit. I don’t particularly enjoy grapefruit. It’s too tart. But I have really tried to branch out and eat/cook outside of my comfort zone  and I really, really don’t like throwing away food. Knowing that I wouldn’t eat them as is, I got to thinking about how I could use them in a dish.

Salmon with some sort of grapefruit sauce was the first thing that came to mind. I knew that I wanted to sweeten the sauce, so thought some honey and fruity wine would go well. And for an added layer, some fresh ginger. Round it out with some quinoa and spinach and you’ve got yourself a meal!

Grapefruit Ginger Salmon with Spinach and Quinoa
2 6 oz. Salmon fillets, skin removed
2 large grapefruits
½ c Riesling or other sweet white wine
~1 ½ inch hunk of fresh ginger, peeled
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 tbsp honey
A couple of dashes rice wine vinegar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar (optional)

¾ c dry white wine
¼ c water
½ c quinoa (rinsed if needed)

2 large handfuls baby spinach

Using a microplane zester, grate the ginger (about 1 tbsp) and zest one grapefruit (about 1 tsp). Slice the grapefruit in half and juice it (about 1 cup juice). Remove any seeds and pour the juice into a large Ziploc bag. Add the zest, ginger, wine, honey, shallots, vinegar, salt and white pepper. Close the bag and give it a few swirls to combine all the ingredients. You might have to work the honey a bit to get it mixed in.

Add the salmon to the bag and seal. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes – 1 hour.

Slice a small section off the top and bottom of the second grapefruit so that it stands flat. Peel it using a paring knife, running it down the sides, following the curve of the grapefruit. Make sure to remove all the white, pithy parts. Hold the grapefruit over a bowl in one hand, and slice out each section, leaving the membranes. Place the sections in the bowl, along with any juice that has accumulated. Set aside.

In a pot, bring the water, wine, and quinoa to a boil. Cover and turn down to a simmer for 15 or so minutes (or till all the liquid is absorbed).

Meanwhile heat a skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the salmon and all the marinade. The liquid should almost cover the salmon. Cook a few minutes on each side, turning carefully once. The salmon should still be pink in the middle (or cook longer, till desired doneness). When salmon is cooked to your liking, remove to a plate. Bring liquid to a boil (should be close to a boil already) and reduce liquid to about ¼ cup, about 5-7 minutes. Near the end, taste the sauce and add a little brown sugar and juice from the 2nd grapefruit if desired. Remove from heat.

Set a large handful of spinach in the center of each plate. Drizzle with a couple of tbsp of the hot sauce to wilt it a little. Top each spinach mound with half the quinoa. Drizzle a couple more tbsp sauce on the quinoa. Place one piece of the salmon on top of each spinach/quinoa pile. Pour the remained sauce evenly over the salmon. Place a few of the grapefruit slices alongside.

Serves 2

I love Christmas. The holiday season starts the day after Thanksgiving. I pull out a bin full of Christmas placemats, candles, bowls, and hand towels. December 1st means it’s time to start the countdown with the advent calendar. Soon after we go out to pick a tree, and then Christmas season is in full-swing. You just can’t beat sitting in front of a fresh Christmas tree, snuggled under a blanket, drinking egg nog sprinkled with nutmeg, listening to Christmas carols/watching a Christmas movie while it snows. And of course, all those holiday treats…

I found this recipe for bittersweet chocolate and cardomom cupcakes on the Tartelette blog. I wanted to be able to color the frosting, so didn’t make the chocolate ganache in that recipe, opting for a white mascarpone one.  Instead of cardamom in the cupcakes I used freshly ground nutmeg, which gave a nice warm smell and taste to them. I also made them a little more healthy (key word being little) by using organic cane sugar and using half whole wheat pastry flour and half regular. I used organic powdered cane sugar for the frosting, and I also couldn’t find enough mascarpone cheese for the full recipe so used half mascarpone and half cream cheese. I don’t usually like cream cheese based frostings, but this was pretty good. Actually, it was really really good. So was the cupcake batter. It had the texture of mousse. Amazing. I could have eaten it straight (and did have a couple of spoonfuls). I baked the cupcakes for almost exactly 21 minutes (20-25 recommended) and would cook them a couple minutes less next time. I thought they were a touch dry, probably due to the whole wheat flour. But still delicious.

One little tidbit, I had to use A LOT of red food coloring to get the frosting from pink to red. I put in at least 60 drops (I stopped counting after the first 25) which made the frosting a bit runnier than I would have liked. Maybe try to find powdered food coloring or just be wary of this when trying to frost.

Here are the recipes with my variations. For the real deal, check out the links above (and for much nicer photos).

Bittersweet Chocolate and Nutmeg Cupcakes
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated organic cane sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and salt and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar on medium speed until airy and creamy (a few minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (scrape down the sides if necessary). Still on medium speed, add the chocolate and mixing until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Make sure that all the ingredients are well incorporated but do not overbeat. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat.

Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the tin for a couple of minutes then remove to a rack for cooling. Frost when completely cooled.

Makes about 24 cupcakes

Mascarpone/Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick butter, at room temperature
4+ c organic powdered cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
~ 50-60 drops of red food coloring
~15 drops of green food coloring

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat butter, cream cheese, and mascarpone cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add 4 cups of the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add more sugar, little by little until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like. If the frosting gets too stiff, add some milk, one teaspoon at a time.

Separate the frosting into two somewhat equal halves. Add the red food coloring to one batch, and the green to the second. Adjust the amount of coloring till the desired hue is obtained. Spoon the red and green frostings into individual large ziploc bags (or real pastry bags) and snip the tip off. Decorate your cupcakes as you like. 

Four lonely, neglected bananas sat on top of the refrigerator. At first I told myself I would eat them. Then two days became four, and then six. Before you know it they were brown. And ugly. No longer edible straight, or even on cereal. So sad. But as I watched them shrivel and darken I could see their destiny unfolding in front of me. Banana bread. It was only a matter of time before they were perfect banana bread material. They reached that pivitol moment of no return yesterday (Sunday, of course).

This is adapted from Tyler Florence’s recipe. There were two main changes. The first being that I used walnuts instead of pecans. Not really a big deal. The second was that I had no baking soda! Gasp! I realized this too far into the process to scrap the idea. I also had the oven on, bananas and sugar creamed, so I couldn’t just run to the store (at least a 20 minute process). Colin was at the library studying for exams so I couldn’t ask him to run out while I kept at it. What to do?!? I did some quick Googling and found some site saying that in a bind you can substitute baking powder for baking soda at a 3:1 ratio. They also mentioned that a 2:1 ratio works and keeps the taste more true. So I went with that. The bread rose fine and looked normal, but I thought it had a bit of a metallic aftertaste, perhaps due to the baking powder? I would like to try this again, but using baking soda

And really, what goes better with fresh, warm banana bread than vanilla ice cream?

Banana Bread
4 overripe bananas
2 c all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ c sugar
¼ c brown sugar (lightly packed)
¾ lb butter (1 ½ sticks), melted then cooled
2 large eggs
¼ – ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ c walnut halves

Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a glass loaf pan.

Place the walnuts in a small pan and place over medium heat to toast. Keep shaking them every few minutes so they don’t burn. After 10-15 minutes remove them from the heat. Place them in a plastic bag and give them a couple of good whacks with a rolling pin till they are broken into small pieces. (Alternatively, buy walnut pieces and toast as above.) Set aside for later.

Peel two of the bananas and place them in a small bowl. Mash them a bit with a fork till they loose their shape but not till they are a puree. They still want some texture to them.

Peel the other two bananas and place them in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add both sugars and whisk for about 3 minutes till you get a light and fluffy cream.

While the bananas and sugars cream, mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

When the bananas and sugars are done creaming, keep the mixer going and add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and nutmeg. Then add the dry ingredients and whisk to incorporate.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the mashed bananas and the toasted walnut pieces with a spatula. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and give it a couple of raps on the counter to let out any air bubbles. Place in the oven and cook for about an hour and 15 minutes or till the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let rest in the pan for about 10 minutes. Turn it out onto a cooling rack and let cool another 10 minutes before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf