Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Great recipe for granola

My sister-in-law sent me the following recipe, and I love it! The recipe is very easy and quick, it's much cheaper and fresher than store-bought granola, and it tastes DELICIOUS!

Put in a pretty container, this would also make a nice gift for a new mom, a busy friend, or anyone else that you would like to show some kindness.

1 box (6 cups) rolled oats - I used quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped nuts - I used sliced almonds
1 cup ground wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup honey (or honey mixed with maple syrup)
1/3 cup oil, any kind - I used coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup dried fruit, optional


Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Combine the first 5 ingredients. Warm the honey, add the oil and vanilla. Drizzle the honey-oil over the dry ingredients and toss to coat. Spread the mixture onto 2 cookie sheets. Bake about 30 minutes until golden, stirring every 10 minutes.

When done, remove from oven and stir in dried fruit if used. As the granola cools, it will lose its stickiness and become crunchy.

Makes about 9 cups.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Another bread recipe

Recently, I blogged about the recipe I use to bake all of our breads. It was taken from the book "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day", and it's true, it takes me no more time than that. Every couple of days, I make a batch of dough, bake 2 loaves of bread from it, slice both when they are done baking and cooling, and then stick one in the freezer and leave one out to eat.

However, this dough is not suitable for crusty breads like French bread, or for pizza crust. The authors of the above book came out with a new book recently, called "Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day". In this book, they give a great recipe for dough that works wonderfully for breads that need more crunch. It is not 100% whole grain, so if your family doesn't like whole wheat they may still like this one.


INGREDIENT
VOLUME (U.S.)
WEIGHT (U.S.)
WEIGHT (METRIC)
whole wheat flour
5 ½ cups
1 pound, 9 ounces
720 grams
all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 cups
10 ounces
270 grams
granulated yeast
1 ½ tablespoons
(2 packets)
0.55 ounces
15 grams
salt
1 tablespoon
0.55 ounces
15 grams
vital wheat gluten
¼ cup
1 3/8 ounces
35 grams
lukewarm water
4 cups
2 pounds
900 grams


I included the weights because rather than measuring my ingredients, I weight them with my digital kitchen scale, which is much faster and more accurate. I simply put the mixer bowl on the scale, pour in each ingredient, and then hit "zero" before adding the next.

Add all ingredients in a large bowl, and stir with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are combined. If using a Kitchenaid, mix with paddle (not dough hook) for about 1 minute. No need to proof the yeast, knead the dough, etc. The dough will be wetter than bread dough typically is, which will allow it to rise even without being kneaded.

Allow dough to rest for 1-2 hours, until doubled in bulk. At this point, you can either refrigerate your dough in a covered container for later use (for up to 2 weeks), or use it immediately. The dough is easier to work with if it has been refrigerated first.

To use, wet your hands, and tear off as much dough as you will need. This batch makes enough for about 3 baguettes/pizza crusts/small freeform loaves. Sprinkle dough liberally with flour, and shape into whatever you are making. Allow to rise until doubled, and then bake.

I let our bread rise on a pizza peel that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. When it is done rising, I slide it onto a pizza stone that has been sitting in the oven at 425 degrees, and bake until the top looks golden brown. Adding a glass bowl with water to a lower rack in the oven makes it come out even crunchier.

freeform loaf
tastes great dipped in olive oil as a side dish to pasta, or sliced with ham and cheese on top

For pizza, I roll the pizza crust out on the pizza peel that has been sprinkled with cornmeal, prick it all over with a fork, and then slide it onto the stone immediately without letting it rise. I bake it at the highest temperature on my oven for about 5 minutes, then take the crust out with the peel, add the toppings, and slide it back onto the hot stone in the oven until the toppings are done. The crust comes out fantastic!

chicken pesto pizza

Please let me know how you like the recipe if you try it.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

An inexpensive Christmas gift idea

If you have lots of little kids in the house, especially boys, you may like this gift idea. It is a book. A book on how to build practically anything from cardboard boxes:


Don't let the title deceive you, there is much more than castles and cars in this book. I can't even begin to list all the fun projects that it covers, but you can look inside of it on Amazon and check out the contents page. Some stuff is easy enough for a 2-year old to make, and some projects require the help of an older sibling or parent. Our boys have LOVED having this book from the library, and yes, they are getting a copy of it for Christmas.

In addition to buying the book for $11.07, there are a few other things that are handy to have on hand as your children will want to start making something from it immediately:

- cardboard boxes in all sizes - appliance stores usually give these out for free, but call around and ask, because not all do. We keep an assortment of sizes in stock year-round.

- box cutter - about $2 at the hardware store. Definitely for use BY ADULTS ONLY!!!

- big bottles of tempera paint - teaching stores usually carry these for $2/bottle. Tempera paint washes out of most fabrics, and it can be diluted with water if you are painting a large project and want to "stretch" your paint.

- mailing tape - the paper type used to seal packages is best, but the plastic will work, too, it's just a little harder to paint.

- cardboard tubes, milk jugs, pie tins, extra pieces of PVC pipe, blankets, and anything else that can be turned into something new.

For a total cost of less than $30, you can give a gift that will bring hours upon hours of constructive, cooperative fun. Sure, I could buy a video game for my son to play by himself and rot his brain, but why would I when instead he could be playing outside with his siblings and building something tangible. The real sacrifice with this gift is not that I throw down a bunch of money that my husband worked long and hard to earn, but that I will have to dedicate some of my time to help them build whatever it is they pick, rather than keeping up with the never-ending housework or taking a break.

I already shared a picture of the castle I built with the kids a few weeks ago, which they are still playing in (even though it's in a state of disrepair by now). Today, we made a behemoth of a "fireplace" out of three medium-sized appliance boxes. This project was not in the book, but I thought it was fitting anyway because it was just like all the stuff in there.


We have since added yellow and red tissue paper "flames", and I am thinking about a way to make them "light up". We also need to hang stockings this year, which is why the kids wanted a fireplace to begin with.

Enjoy your child(ren) today, they grow up too fast!