inMYkitchen: Granola

Yesterday I made something so delicious, easy and amazing that I can't help but share it with you.

It's: GRANOLA!

I had this yesterday on top of yogurt as a snack.

I had it this morning with some milk for breakfast.

How have I never tried this before? IT'S SO EASY TO MAKE! Get ready to have your world rocked.

If you've been reading my blog since the beginning, then you probably remember this post AND this post where I explained how I feel about packaged foods, preservatives and the like. The great thing about making ANYTHING from scratch is that you can control exactly what goes in it. Not to mention, it's usually cheaper than buying it at the store.

To form the base of the granola you will need:

1 C Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

2 TBS Honey (I used local honey)

3TBS Vegetable Oil (not olive oil- it has to be a light oil, otherwise the granola will have a weird taste)

As for other ingredients, granola is totally customizable! It's part of what I love about it. 

Here's what I put in mine:

1/3 C Chopped Dates

1/4 C Chopped Almonds*

3 TBS Flaked Coconut

*Just because I always have them in the house, I used almonds roasted with dark cocoa powder in this. I think that the cocoa powder worked really well with the coconut, but I'm sure any kind of chopped nuts would have worked equally well. Also, none of these measurements in the second half are exactly exact, so feel free to play around with them.

What else could you use?

Chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, dried apricots, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds... the list is really endless.

In fact, I have a second batch in the oven right now with raisins and a hint of cinnamon.

Let your creativity run wild!

Toss all ingredients together, spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes (or until mix turns golden brown (stirring occasionally)

If you are using dried fruit of any kind, you can either add it to the mixture before baking or right after the mix comes out of the oven. Cooking the dried fruit will bring out the sugars but will also dry the fruit out more giving it a chewey texture. If you'd rather, you can stir any dried fruit in when the granola comes out of the oven, while it is still warm.

Enjoy!

On Recipes: Pasta Carbonara (with Leeks and Lemon)

Tonight I made this:

Ok, no, I didn't personally take this picture, but really... can you blame me?

I didn't have time. The Lieutenant and I were too busy scarfing down this delicious meal. 

This is Pasta Carbonara with Leek and Lemon from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine (and the photo was borrowed from her website). Now I know that people have rather strong opinions on Martha, but as I explained here, I feel that despite her recent bad press she is still a reliable source when it comes to cooking and home decor.

This recipe supports the above assumption. 

I halved the recipe for The Lieutenant and I and ended up with EXACTLY the right amount, which was somewhat of a triumph for me, as I almost always overestimate the amount of food I need to feed us. This recipe includes bacon which, let's face it, is a general man-pleaser. If you have a man in your life, try this recipe. Even if he isn't a pasta guy, I bet he'll like it. 

Traditionally (and in this case) a carbonara sauce is made with raw eggs that are combined with boiling water and then tossed with pasta. In theory, the eggs are partially cooked by the time they are combined with the pasta and consumed. I know that this recipe has been prepared this way for many years, but also understand that some people may be concerned about eating undercooked eggs. If it's something that bothers you, skip it and try one of the other recipes I've blogged about in the past. If you're looking for pasta, I recommend THIS ONE by The Pioneer Woman. :]

Modifications:

I used medium shells (conchiglie) instead of the orecchitte that the recipe called for, which worked out just fine. I think you could use any short pasta with this recipe and have a good result. Long pasta might not work as well, since it tends to soak up more sauce, and the sauce with this dish is fairly light. 

I put in about half (so 1/4 of what the original recipe called for) of the lemon zest and juice. I am not always crazy about lemon in savory dishes because I think it tends to overpower, but in this recipe I like the addition of the lemon (although it's not traditionally included in a carbonara) because it brightened up the dish and made it feel much more appropriate for a spring/summer day. I think halving the lemon in this recipe provided just the right amount.

And now a word about leeks. Leeks (like shallots) seem to be very trendy lately. Rarely do I see a recipe that calls for onions anymore, it's always leeks and shallots, leeks and shallots. Not that I have anything against these cousins of the onion (in fact I quite like them) but the fact remains that trendy can sometimes = pricey. For instance: I can buy a 3 LB bag of onions for $2.00 OR I can buy 2 leeks for $2.00. My point here is that if you are trying to conserve (as I'm sure most of us are right now) you can usually substitute. No the flavor won't be exactly the same, but if you take the time to caramelize the onions (I would use 1/2-1 whole onion depending on the size) you will still end up with a delicious end-result. Don't think you have to stick to the premium ingredients to end up with a great dish. 

This recipe comes with the recommendation of The Lieutenant, who has added it to his new favorites list

To view the entire recipe, click here

On Recipes: No knead bread.

Let me tell you a secret.

I love bread.

Actually, it's no secret. Anyone who knows me will tell you how much I love bread.
Bread is delicious. I love soft bread, crunchy bread, warm bread, sourdough, wheat, garlic bread...
My love for bread knows no bounds.

Unfortunately despite my avid love, I know nothing about baking bread.

My mom, who is a great cook, grew up in South Philly. With an Italian bakery on every corner, buying was more economical than baking. Hence, the art of bread-making was never passed down to me. That's why this recipe is SO EXCITING! It's SO easy, even a bread-novice (aka me) can make it!

I baked my FIRST LOAF OF BREAD TODAY and it was delicious!
And yes, it came out looking just as rustic and amazing as the above picture. Thanks to Steamy Kitchen for sharing this awesome recipe to begin with!

If you've never baked bread before, don't be scared. All you need is:

3 cups bread flour  
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 
1 teaspoon fine table salt 
1 1/2 cups warm water

When I made it, I didn't even use bread flour, just unbleached all purpose. The recipe also says you can use whole wheat flour, which I intend to try as soon as I finish eating this entire loaf all by myself

Now, if you'll excuse me...


Photo borrowed from Steamy Kitchen. For the entire recipe click here

On Recipes: Cajun Chicken Pasta

Let me tell you a little story:

Today while at the supermarket The Lieutenant asked if we needed any pasta. When I replied affirmatively he picked up two boxes. Which brought our pantry-pasta store to a grand total of 11 boxes. (Upon returning home and discovering this fact, The Lieutenant promptly restricted me from buying any more pasta until we use what we already have)

The moral of this story is: I love pasta. I love all shapes and sizes. I love Rotini, Linguine, Capellini, Penne Rigate... I even love elbow noodles, in spite of the fact that they don't have a cool Italian name.

Don't judge me.

In honor of my love I want to share this recipe with you. I borrowed it from my friend The Pioneer Woman and let me just say, it's DELISH. It's not really what I would call a traditional pasta recipe- in fact, my Italian mother would probably never prepare this dish in her kitchen- but that doesn't change the fact that it's DELISH (did I mention delish?)

The recipe is Cajun Chicken Pasta: a perfect blend of creole seasoned chicken and vegetables tossed with pasta in a creamy, wine based sauce. Admit it, that description sounded tempting. You can customize the flavor to be as hot or mild as you'd like, depending on how much Creole seasoning you use. The Lieutenant likes anything spicy, so I like to kick up a little bit with this one. The cream does a great job of balancing out the spice and giving the sauce a velvety texture. (ok, now I'M hungry...)

I don't usually deviate from this original recipe too much with this one, which I know may shock you, so I'll just leave you with a few comments.

Firstly, I don't have a cast-iron skillet, so I use my Cuisinart stainless cookware, which works just fine. However, if you're looking for another kitchen piece to invest in, I would suggest purchasing a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet. My mother cooks exclusively with cast iron and I have to say, it is definitely superior to most other cookware. The heat retention is amazing and I find that there is nothing quite like the sear that you can get from cast iron. At the same time, the seasoning on the pan makes the surface non-stick, which means you can also use it for eggs or any other generally sticky foods. Plus they can double as baking dishes. They are kind of magical. But enough about that.

The only other substitution I sometimes make is to use diced canned tomatoes instead of the fresh roma. I find that where I live tomatoes are REALLY difficult to find out of season and quite frankly, I'd rather use canned than fresh if fresh = mealy. I take a 16oz can of diced Hunts, drain the juice (DON'T forget this, or your sauce will be soupy), and add it in place of the tomatoes. Works like a charm.

One more pointer: I'm all for lightening recipes up if possible but PLEASE don't try to substitute for the heavy cream. I often substitute half-and-half for cream in recipes but for this dish that trick will not work. The sauce will be runny, you'll be disappointed, The Pioneer Woman will be angry and I will come hunt you down to say "I TOLD YOU SO".

If you're looking for something to make for dinner tonight, I highly recommend this recipe. It won't disappoint.

Photo borrowed from The Pioneer Woman.com
For the entire recipe go to: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/cajun-chicken-pasta/comment-page-4/

On Recipes: Pumpkin Custard

I love pumpkin. So I made a pumpkin recipe and it was delicious.
The end.

What a good story.

I think I deserve a round of applause because as I have stated before, I am a horrible baker. I have no precision in the kitchen. I create things and mix ingredients while cooking and make decisions on a whim. Baking is scientific and I am not. Usually my attempts fail.

In this recipe I have, however, found a delicious pumpkin concoction that is somewhat fail-proof. This is a feat because most pumpkin recipes come in the form of pies, bread, cupcakes, muffins... all baked goods that I fear will flop. After trying it out, I have decided that this Pumpkin Custard recipe is a dessert made for failed-bakers like me and to prove so, I made it without measuring a single ingredient... and it was delicious. I especially recommend the crumble topping. To. Die. For.

I found the recipe at Tasteofhome.com. As far as my usual list of changes, there are really only two.

Firstly, I used 2% milk instead of the half-and-half. This was a decision based on necessity, as we had no cream or half-and-half in the house. If you have either, I would recommend it. The custard tasted delish with the milk but I imagine that cream or half-and-half would bring a richness and texture that it was missing. On the other hand, if you're looking to cut down on calories, it's nice to know that the milk substitute can be made without sacrificing all taste.

The second change I made is related to "pumpkin pie spice". I don't believe in buying pre-made spice mixes. Firstly, they are more expensive than buying the composite parts and secondly, they are limiting. Pumpkin pie spice, for instance, is made up of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, ground ginger and sometimes allspice. I can think of a few uses for each of those spices separately but only one for them once they are combined. Also, my mother has an aversion to nutmeg in food and mixing the spices myself allows me to add just enough that she won't notice it.

I'm sneaky like that.

Try this recipe, it's good!


Click here for the entire Pumpkin Custard recipe

On Recipes: Jalapeno Popper Dip

Today I am reviewing a recipe from my fellow blogger, Kevin of Closet Cooking. I chose this recipe because:

1. I enjoy reading Kevin's blog and can appreciate the challenge of cooking in a small space as I myself have lived in a few shoe-box sized apartments.
2. It is football season, which leads me to search out new recipes for what I call "kick-off food" (a not-so-nutritious but nevertheless tasty genre of cuisine)
3. The Lieutenant is inexplicably drawn to any dish that includes jalapenos, so I surmised that this recipe could not fail.

And now, on to the food:

This dip was everything that I thought it would be. It was spicy, creamy and just the right amount of h-o-t. I halved the recipe since I was not cooking for a crowd, however I could see this being a big hit at a party so if you're feeding more than two I would suggest sticking with the original recipe (you may even want to double it if your friends are really hungry). 

I made some slight adjustments to the recipe, some out of necessity and some because I am a terrible listener and do not know how to 100% follow directions

• I used only half of the fresh jalapeno that was called for (since I halved the recipe, that would be 1/2 of a pepper). I also removed the seeds and ribs, which is where most of the INTENSE heat is located. It is not noted in the original recipe whether Kevin of Closet Cooking did this... so I am not sure if he is a super-spicy maniac or if he left this step out.
• I left out the Parmesan Cheese. This gave the dish a creamier texture and it was still plenty cheesy.
• I used Extra Sharp Cheddar instead of regular Cheddar. Sharp Cheddar has an awesome flavor and I prefer it over regular Cheddar cheeses. I think it should be noted here that there is really no need to buy Cheddar cheese that is orange. Orange cheeses are colored by food dye. Go for the naturally white stuff- it's better for you. 
• I used Neufchâtel cheese in place of Cream Cheese. This is a learned behavior. Growing up, my mother always used this substitution to cut down on fat in dishes. I admit, it's not always a straight swap. In some dishes the flavor is compromised by not using the full fat Cream Cheese. In this dip, however, I think the Neufchâtel was a good substitute. The cheese and the mayonase lent a lot of flavor and the Cream Cheese was not missed. 
• I omitted the Panko bread crumb topping. This was a swap made from necessity. I was planning to do a substitution with regular bread-crumbs since that's what I generally have in my pantry. Alas, when I checked my stores, there were no bread-crumbs of any kind to be found so I settled for a cheese topping which I added during the last 5 minutes of cooking and popped under the broiler. I can see where the bread-crumb topping would add a little extra something though, so if you have the bread crumbs (Panko or otherwise) I would do it!

All in all, this recipe was a WIN. I plan to make it for The Lieutenant soon. Doubtless it will have him eating out of the palm of my hand in no time... at which point I will promptly ask if we can get a puppy. 

For the entire recipe click here!

Pictures borrowed from www.closetcooking.com