Granola

Granola 

Hi everybody :)

Granola is one of my favorite snack foods. I've seen many granola recipes flying around on Pinterest lately. I found this one in Flour cookbook. I decided to use it because it has the ingredients of my favorite Oatmeal Cookies: oat, coconut, walnuts, cinnamon, and dried cranberries or craisins.

I changed a few things about the recipe. I omitted the sesame seeds because I didn't have any, so I added a few more sunflower seeds. The sunflower seeds I used were honey roasted so I added them after cooking. I used coconut oil instead of canola oil because it's healthier and tastes good. And for the secret ingredient: ..... drum roll....YOGURT RAISINS! I LOVE THEM!!

My favorite way to eat granola is with vanilla yogurt and fruits.


  

MOM'S GRANOLA  adapted from Flour
2 1/2 cups (270 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick cooking)
1 1/2cups (200 grams) wheat germ
1/2 cup (60 grams) sweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons sesame seeds (I omitted this, added a few more sunflower seeds)
1/3 cup (40 grams) sunflower seeds (I used honey-roasted sunflower seeds, so added them after cooking)
1/2 cup (50 grams) chopped walnuts
1/2 cup (50 grams) sliced almonds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt (omitted because of the salt on the sunflower seeds)
3/4 cup (150 grams) canola oil (I used coconut oil, & store granola in the refrigerator)
3/4 cup (255 grams) honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80 grams) dried cranberries
I also added  2  8 oz. bags yogurt raisins

MAKES ABOUT 10 CUPS

■ Position a a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

■ In a large bowl combine the oats, wheat germ, coconut, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, and salt and mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until the dry ingredients are evenly coated.

■ Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Stir the granola with a spatula or wooden spoon several times during baking to ensure even browning. Let cool completely, then add the cranberries and mix to distribute them evenly.

■ The granola can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

What I Think:
If I do this recipe again, I'm going to lower the temperature to 325 degrees and bake it for about 30 minutes instead. The taste of the granola was okay, but I do think they bake too long. I set my timer for 45 minutes and took them out five minutes earlier. To salvage it, I had to redo the coconut by itself :(  I also would decrease the wheat germ to 1/2 cup and increase the oatmeal to 3 1/2 cups. Because of the coconut oil and the yogurt raisins, I stored this in the refrigerator and freezer.

ENJOY! Come again....

Beefy Macaroni-Stuffed Tomatoes

Beefy Macaroni-Stuffed Tomatoes  

Hi everybody :)

I love the idea of edible containers. Today's recipe is about good ol' comfort food: beefy macaroni stuffed in tomatoes, sounds delicious... MMMmmmmm, doesn't it? :) It's a new twist on the old Classic Mac & Cheese. This recipe comes from one of my cookbooks; I'm still working on that mission of cooking at least one recipe from each book :)

Beefy Macaroni-Stuffed Tomatoes From: CREATIVE COOKS' KITCHEN COOKBOOK

You Will Need
FOR THE TOMATOES
6  Large tomatoes (I only did two)

FOR THE FILLING
12 ounces elbow macaroni
1 pound  lean ground beef
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese (I omitted this)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I omitted this)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
I added 1 can diced tomatoes

FOR THE SAUCE
2 15oz cans tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

FOR THE TOPPING
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

SERVES 6

PREPARING TOMATOES
To hollow out tomatoes, slice off the stem end of each tomato. Using a spoon scoop out the seed and core.

Preheat oven to 375'F. Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions, but do not add salt. Drain in a colander. While pasta is cooking, prepare beef. In a large non-stick skillet, cook beef over medium heat, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain beef in a colander. In a large bowl, combine pasta, beef, mozzarella, ricotta and parsley. Mix well.

MAKING THE SAUCE
In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, oregano, basil, garlic powder, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix well. Add tomato sauce to pasta mixture. Mix well.

FILLING AND BAKING TOMATOES
Spoon pasta mixture evenly into each tomato. Top with Parmesan cheese. Place tomatoes into a casserole dish. Cover with foil. Bake until heated through, 30-35 minutes. Serve immediately.

A great kitchen tip is to use a grapefruit spoon or dinner teaspoon to scoop out the seed and core the tomato while keeping the skin intact. For a lighter version, to all you dieters out there :), ground turkey can be used in the place of  the ground beef. If your tomatoes are not standing level, slice a thin layer off of the bottoms before stuffing and baking. You can also fancy this up by cutting a saw-tooth edge around the edge of each tomato opening.
Do Ahead
The macaroni filling can be prepared in advance and stored for up to 1 day in the refrigerator. When you're ready to make them, spoon the filling into the hollowed tomatoes, top with Parmesan and bake as directed.

To complete your meal, serve this dish with hot and crusty garlic herb or Italian-flavored bread sticks.

Variations:
Stuffed Peppers: Instead of tomatoes use bell peppers, just prepare as directed and sub out tomatoes for peppers.
Home-Style Favorite:  Spoon the macaroni filling into a casserole dish and bake as directed.

What I Think:
This turned out to be quite delicious, despite the fact that the tomatoes didn't hold up their shape when the time to lift them. Maybe I overly-stuffed them a little... hey what can I say, I love mac & cheese :)  I only did 2 large tomatoes and put the rest of the filling in a pan to finish it.

On a sad note :( ... my daughter is going back to law school tomorrow...

Alas... I'm eating this sundae to cheer myself up.

Brownie - recipe  here
Ice Cream - vanilla (store-brought)
Cool Whip
Strawberry
Butterscotch topping













From: CREATIVE COOKS' KITCHEN COOKBOOK

ENJOY! Come again....

Linking to:
Beef Blog Hop @ Katherine Martinelli 

Cherry Cheese Danish - Breakfast Is Served

Cherry Cheese Danish - Breakfast Is Served

Hi everybody :)

Don't you just enjoy breakfast in bed at least once a week?... Of course you do. Breakfast is my favorite meal. If you're following me on Pinterest, I'm sure you can tell that from my Breakfast, Brunch, and Brinner board. If you're just tuning in to my blog you're in for a special announcement: I've decided to do a Breakfast Is Served Sunday :) So every Sunday I will post a breakfast meal just for you :)

Today's recipe is a pretty special one. I won a contest on Michelle's Blog, Brown Eyed Baker for a gift basket of jams and jellies by Sugarcrafter Sweets. Two really GREAT blogs, you must check them out! As soon as I heard the news, my mind went into overdrive, thinking about what I can make with my delicious goodies.

Jams from Sugarcrafter Sweets.

One of the jams was Bourbon Cherry Jam. Cherries are my favorite fruit, so I  knew I had to use this one first. When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be perfect for the jam!

Cherry Cheese Danish adapted by Life as a Lofthouse

Recipe By: Pillsbury

1 tube (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

8 teaspoons  Bourbon Cherry Jam

Glaze:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon cream cheese

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons milk

Sliced Almonds, optional

Directions:  Separate dough into four rectangles. Seal perforations. In a small bowl whisk together cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spread 1/4 of the mixture onto each rectangle. Roll up from long side; pinch edges to seal. Holding one end, loosely coil each.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Top each coil with 2 teaspoons of jam. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or golden brown.

For glaze, in a bowl, combine powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and milk. Stir until smooth and drizzle over each danish.  Sprinkle with sliced almonds, if desired. Makes 4 danishes

What I Think:
The danish was delicious, AND THE JAM, OH BOY, WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD !!! I could just eat it by the spoonful. I'm thinking of what I going to make with it next. So stay tuned in you don't want to miss it! :)

BTW, this is my own opinion; I'm not being paid to say any of this.

ENJOY! Come again.....