Cranberry-Almond Granola

This recipe for Cranberry-Almond Granola is the same basic recipe I always use, often substituting raisins, dried apricots, or dates for the cranberries, and swapping pecans or walnuts for the almonds, sometimes throwing in pumpkin seeds, chia, or coconut. This recipe will work for whatever you want to add to your granola — but always remember to add fruits AFTER cooking, otherwise their (and the granola’s) consistency is ruined. Granola is fantastic on top of yogurt, with milk, or just by itself.

Ingredients:

Yields approximately 9 cups

– 1/2 c. oil

– 2 Tbsp. honey

– 2 Tbsp. high-quality maple syrup

– 1/2 tsp. vanilla

– 1/4 c. brown sugar

– 3 c. oats

– 1/2 c. millet

– 1/2 c. sunflower seeds

– 1/4 c. flax seeds

– 3/4 c. shaved almonds

– 3/4 c. unsweetened dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, combine oil, honey, syrup, vanilla, and sugar. Heat until sugar is dissolved and liquid is uniform consistency.

3. Combine all dry ingredients, EXCEPT cranberries in a large bowl

4. Pour liquid over dry ingredients, stirring gently

5. Spread granola evenly over an aluminum or parchment lined baking sheet

6. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally with a spatula. (Keep an eye on it though — it can burn quickly!)

7. Allow to cool, mix in cranberries and enjoy! Store in an airtight container.

Black Rye Bread

Been looking for a rye bread recipe so bad-ass and robust it makes regular rye taste like Wonderbread? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try making your own loaf of Black Rye. Variations of this recipe are found throughout Russia, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans, but the characteristic flavor in this loaf comes from rye flour, cocoa, molasses, caraway, and coffee. Sounds weird, right? Wrong! It’s delicious…

This is a very hearty bread, perfect for cold winter weather. Enjoy it like they do in Lithuania, fried in oil and smeared with garlic (kepta duona); the Latvian way, with raspberry or apricot jam and sweet cream (rupjmaizes kartojums); like they do in throughout Scandinavia with sliced cheese, boiled egg and/or pickled vegetables (variations of smorbrod); or just enjoy it simply smeared with butter or dunked into your favorite soup. It’s delicious whatever you do with it.

Ingredients:

Yields 1 small loaf

– 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

– 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

– 1/4 oz. package active dry yeast

– 2 tsp. caraway seeds

– 2 tsp. salt

– 1 Tbsp. butter or butter substitute

– 1/4 c. unsulphured molasses

– 1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

– 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

– 1 c. strong brewed coffee

– 1 3/4 c. rye flour

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine flour, cocoa, yeast, caraway seeds, and salt

2. In a small bowl mix butter, molasses, brown sugar, and oil into hot coffee (mixture should be quite warm — 100-115F — but not scalding)

3. Add liquid to dry mixture

4. Stir until well-integrated, frequently scraping down bowl, and then mix vigorously for 2-3 minutes

5. Stir in 1 c. of the rye flour and then gradually add remaining 3/4 c. using hands

6. Knead on a clean, lightly floured surface for 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic

7. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place 1 hour, or until doubled in size 8. Punch dough down, knead briefly, and shape into a small oval loaf

9. Place loaf on a greased baking sheet and brush with oil. Slash top of loaf with knife *Optional: sprinkle with oats and caraway seeds

10. Cover and set in a warm place to rise, 1 hour or until doubled in size

11. Uncover and bake at 400F for 25 minutes

12. Remove from baking sheet and place on a rack or towel to cool

Cinnamon Raisin Rolls with Vanilla Icing

Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert, who doesn’t love a good cinnamon roll? These have raisins in them, but you can certainly use this recipe to make plain cinnamon rolls. Similarly, other dried fruits, nuts, citrus zest, or chocolate could be added to the filling.

You can easily halve the recipe without issue for a smaller batch as I did here. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Yields 12 large rolls

Dough:

– 2 1/4 tsp. yeast

– 1/2 c. warm water

– 1/2 c. scalded milk (you can simply place milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes)

– 1/4 c. sugar

– 1/3 c. butter

– 1 tsp. salt

– 1 egg, beaten

– 4 c. flour

Filling:

– 1/2 c. melted butter

– 1/2 c. sugar

– 1/2 c. brown sugar

– 2 Tbsp. cinnamon

– 1 c. raisins

Icing:

– 4 Tbsp. melted butter

– 2 c. powdered sugar

– 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

– 4 Tbsp. milk

Directions:

1. Place warm water and yeast in a small bowl and set aside

2. In a large bowl combine milk, sugar, melted butter, salt, and egg

3. Add two cups of the flour and mix well

4. Add water and yeast

5. Add remaining 2 c. flour and mix well. Dough will seem quite “loose” before kneading.

6. Knead dough on a clean, well-floured surface for 5-7 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.

7. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Place somewhere warm to rise for 90 minutes, or until doubled in size

8. Punch down dough. Roll into a long rectangle, approximately 15” by 9”

9. Use a pastry brush to cover surface of dough with melted butter

10. Mix sugars with cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the dough

11. Sprinkle evenly with raisins

12. Starting at the length, carefully roll up your dough

13. Pinch edges together

14. Slice roll into even segments

15. Grease a baking pan and place cinnamon rolls close together — you want to select a pan small enough that the rolls will be packed together after the second rising and baking

16. Allow rolls to rise. About 45 minutes or until doubled in size

17. Preheat oven to 350F

18. Bake rolls at 350F for 25 minutes

19. Mix together melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk (add milk slowly to ensure that you get the desired consistency – eg if you like a thicker icing you will not need all 4 Tbsp.)

20. Pour icing evenly over cinnamon rolls. Serve immediately.

Adapted from The Modern Family Cookbook, 1942

Natural Stained Glass

I am doing a lot of homemade gifts for the holidays this year: picture frames, TONS of baked goods, a music-writing journal for my dad, and this artsy-crafty piece for my sister. The idea was to create an art piece, a “stained glass” if you will, by utilizing the beauty of the natural world. I pressed autumn leaves to make this piece, and when the sunlight comes through it the effect is rather like a stained glass window.

However, this project can not only be done with pressed leaves, but with many things found in nature — flowers, pine needles, grasses, insects, sand, etc. It could also be done with inorganic things to a similar effect, such as crepe paper, gossamer or other thin fabrics, etc. Get creative!

This entry outlines my method for this project, which you can easily follow or adapt according to your chosen materials.

What You Will Need:

– An old picture frame or window — I used an old sign with a glass panel that I found at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, but you can use anything that has a pane of glass (or that you can put a pain of glass into). If you use an old window you can pour resin directly onto glass panels, if you use a frame, remove glass and refit to frame once epoxy is dry

– Your decorative materials — leaves, flowers, paper, etc.

– Pour-on high-gloss epoxy resin and polyamine hardener — I prefer EnviroTex Lite, which can be found in many artist supply and craft stores. A note of caution here: it is better to overestimate how much of this you need, than to underestimate and run out!

Directions:

1. Collect and prepare your materials. I took a long walk with my daughter one afternoon, stopping to collect anything that caught my eye and wound up with a bag full of leaves! I pressed these between two pieces of cardboard, weighted down with heavy items and left them for two weeks. The process is shown below, but not everything requires this amount of time and preparation — if you are using things that do not need to be pressed to be preserved you can get right to work!

And stored safely out of the way, under the bed

2. Clean your frame/window. Make sure glass is clean and smudge-free

3. Arrange your material onto the glass into a pattern that pleases you — checking your layout with a strong light-source behind it is recommended

4. Once you are satisfied with your layout, prepare your resin. Pour evenly over glass and material

5. Allow to dry completely (this will take hours — I suggest leaving it overnight)

6. Fit glass into frame. Glass can be secured using superglue, caulk, or brads.

7. Admire your work!

No light:

Light!:

Wildflower Honey Challah

Happy-almost- Hanukkah! Here’s a kick-ass recipe to get the challah-day started… Anyone?

 

Ingredients:

– 3 1/2 c. white flour

– 1 c. wheat flour (optional — can use all white flour, but I like the density and heartiness that the wheat flour adds, though it is not traditional)

– 1 tsp. kosher salt

– 1 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

– 1/4 c. canola or vegetable oil

– 2 eggs

– 3 Tbsp. wildflower raw honey

– 3/4 c. warm water

– 1 beaten egg yolk, plus 1 Tbsp. water for brushing

– 1-2 Tbsp. sesame or poppy seeds for sprinkling, if desired

 

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, and yeast

2. Add oil, beaten eggs, and honey

3. Gradually mix in warm water until a soft dough forms. FYI — it will seem very dry and crumbly, but kneading will take care of that

4. Knead dough well on a lightly floured surface, for at least 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic

5. Place dough back into bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave somewhere warm to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size

6. Knead tough again on lightly floured surface. Divide into 3-6 equal pieces (number depends on you and how many pieces you are comfortable braiding — you can also always just coil your dough to form a simple spiral)

7. Roll pieces out into ropes

8. Braid pieces together, working from the outside in

9. Pinch ends together and gently fold under

10. Place loaf into a greased bread tin, cover with oiled cling film and leave somewhere warm to rise for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size

11. Preheat oven to 400F

12. Remove cling film and brush thoroughly with egg yolk, making sure entire loaf is well-coated.

13. Sprinkle with seeds, if using

14. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, or until rich brown in color and loaf makes a hollow sound when tapped with fingertips. Do not over-bake your challah!

15. Allow to cool 5 minutes, and then carefully remove from tin to finish cooling. Enjoy!

Pecan Shortbreads with Maple-Caramel Filling

Some of my favorite memories of my time in Argentina (surprise, surprise) involve food. Pizza napoletana in El Centro, empanadas from the vendors on Puerto Madero, bon-o-bons in every bodega… But one of my favorite foods I discovered in Argentina was the alfajor. Alfajores are essentially two rich shortbread cookies sandwiching a gooey layer of the ubiquitous Latin American treat dulce de leche, and often covered in chocolate, coconut, or powdered sugar. Yeah…

This recipe is a riff on the Argentine alfajor, but it can easily be divided to provide a quick and simple recipe for pecan shortbread, and/or a recipe for caramel that can be cooled on a sheet tray and cut into candies. One point of caution however: if you do use the caramel recipe for candy-making you may want to substitute the maple syrup with light corn syrup. The maple syrup in this recipe makes a far less chewy, much softer and yet more toothsome caramel. It is perfect for sandwiching between cookies, and is delicious on its own, but this recipe will definitely make a different caramel candy than you are used to.

 

Ingredients

Yields 15-20 cookie sandwiches or about 3 dozen individual cookies, depending on size

For the shortbread:

– 1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

– 3/4 c. powdered sugar

– 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

– 2 1/3 c. flour

– 1 c. finely chopped raw pecans

 

For the maple-caramel:

– 1/2 c. butter (1 stick)

– 1 c. sugar

– 1 c. whole milk or cream

– 1/2 c. good quality maple syrup

– 1/2 tsp. vanilla

 

Directions

For the cookies:

1. Combine butter, powdered sugar, and salt. Beat until smooth.

2. Add flour and pecans and mix until just combined — do not over-mix

3. Form dough into a long log, about 2” in diameter

4. Wrap tightly in wax paper

5. Freeze until firm (about 30 minutes, but can be made ahead of time and frozen for 3-4 weeks)

6. Preheat oven to 350F

7. Remove paper and slice into thin disks, about 1/4” thick

8. Place disks onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, at least 1” apart (they won’t spread much)

9. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, or until golden around the edges

10. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets at least 5 minutes before transferring to towels or a rack to finish cooling

 

For the maple-caramel:

1. Over medium-low heat melt butter in a medium saucepan

2. Stir in sugar, milk, and maple syrup, increase heat to medium and bring to a boil, stirring often

3. Cook until a candy or oil thermometer reads 245F. This will take a while — probably about 30 minutes — but it is very important to continue stirring frequently so that your caramel does not burn

4. Once caramel has reached 245F remove from heat and promptly stir in vanilla

5. Allow to cool.

— For these cookies you want your caramel to be moderately cooled, but not so cool that it becomes hard and sticky and difficult to work with; about 30 minutes should be sufficient but you can check the consistency as it cools and begins the sandwiching process where you are comfortable.

— If you are making candies on the other hand, you will want to pour your caramel, immediately after adding vanilla, onto a greased and parchment lined sheetpan and allow to cool completely. Use a knife or clean kitchen scissors to cut into pieces and wrap in wax paper.

Welcome to the festival of cookies! Overdo it much?!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce – 3 Ingredients, 3 Steps

Making your own cranberry sauce REALLY could not be any easier. And let’s be honest — who really wants that weird gelatinous stuff that comes in a can? Homemade is a-bajillion times more delicious and so much better for you. And when it’s this easy to make, why not do it? Happy Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:

– 1 c. sugar

– 12 oz. fresh whole cranberries

– 1 Tbsp. grated orange zest (or I use tangerine!)

 

Directions:

1. Pour sugar into 1 c. of water and bring to a boil in a medium saucepan

2. Add cranberries and orange zest, reduce heat to a gentle boil

3. Cook for about 10 minutes

That’s it! Allow to cool before serving or cool and refrigerate for later use. SO much better than the gunk in a can!

 

Perfect and Simple Cornbread

This is a simple, fool-proof and absolutely delicious recipe for traditional cornbread. Just slightly sweet, this bread would be perfect for use in a cornbread stuffing, though it is also wonderful eaten alone with a smear of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup…..

 

Ingredients:

– 2 c. yellow corn meal

– 2 c. flour

– 1/2 c. sugar

– 2 Tbsp. baking powder

– 2 tsp. salt

– 2 1/2 c. milk

– 5 Tbsp. melted butter

– 3 Tbsp. oil

– 4 eggs, lightly beaten

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F

2. In a large bowl combine corn meal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder

3. In a small bowl combine milk, butter, oil, and eggs

4. Add liquids to dry ingredients

5. Stir wet ingredients into dry until just combined

6. Pour batter into a well-greased 13x9x2 baking pan (you can use another size but baking times may vary)

7. Bake at 375F for 35 minutes, or until top is golden and a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean

Enjoy! If using for cornbread stuffing make at least 24 hours in advance — you want the bread to be just slightly stale so that it doesn’t get too soggy when you add your stock and other ingredients!

 

 

The New Sweet Potato Casserole

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and as we’ve been planning our holiday menu, one dish in particular kept giving me trouble: the sweet potatoes. Growing up my mother made sweet potato casserole every year without fail. Now, I love my mom, and although she seldom cooks, I do love her cooking. However, that casserole was one thing that I always put on my plate only out of politeness and sensitivity — not because it was bad, but simply because it was just too sweet. The sugar, the marshmallows, the cinnamon, the already sweet tubers; it was just too much of a good thing. So in trying to determine this year how I should prepare my own sweet potato side dish, my mind automatically went to a casserole, but I knew that I wanted to balance that sweetness somehow. The answer: salt and heat.

I did a trial run of this dish tonight (just a half-recipe), and it was ah-mah-zing! Yep. The salted nut crust on top and the subtle warmth of cayenne within collaborated with the traditional recipe to make something at once sweet and salty, creamy and crunchy, familiar and unexpected, and altogether balanced and delicious. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you — may your holiday be filled with joy, love, and gratitude.

 

Ingredients:

Yields 8-10 Servings

– 4 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 4 medium sized tubers)

– 1/2 c. evaporated milk (or almond milk for vegan)

– 4 Tbsp. melted butter, plus 2 Tbsp. for topping (or butter substitute, such as Earth Balance)

– 2 tsp. vanilla extract

– 1/3 c. sugar

– 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

– 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

– 1/4 tsp. white pepper

– 1/8 tsp. cayenne

– 2 eggs, beaten (optional — the eggs are a binder, and make for a stiffer casserole, but personally I think this dish works just as well without them)

– 1 c. salted nuts — I used pecans and peanuts here, but walnuts and cashews would also be excellent, however, the peanuts were especially complimentary to the flavor of the sweet potatoes

– 1/2 c. light brown sugar

– 3 Tbsp. flour

– 1 c. miniature marshmallows

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Wrap in aluminum foil and place in oven directly onto rack.

3. Roast sweet potatoes at 400F for approximately 1 1/2 hours, or until soft and a fork or knife can glide through easily

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool

5. Reduce oven temperature to 350F

6. Place sweet potatoes into a large bowl and mash well

7. Whisk in evaporated (or almond) milk, the first 4 Tbsp. of melted butter (substitute), vanilla, sugar, salt, and spices

8. Add eggs if using and mix well

9. Transfer mixture to a 2 qt. baking dish and spread evenly

10. Finely chop your nuts

11. Place nuts in a small bowl and add brown sugar, flour, and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter. Mix well.

12. Sprinkle nut mixture evenly over the top of sweet potatoes

13. Top with the miniature marshmallows

14. Bake in a 350F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through and nuts and marshmallows are golden brown

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Best Apple Pie

This apple pie recipe is about as classic, simple, and delicious as it gets. This recipe is super-easy but sure to impress — the perfect pie for Thanksgiving, or just any cozy autumn evening you want something comforting and special.

Ingredients:

– Pie dough (you can use store-bought crust here, but if you do, you must use two)

– 7-8 medium sized apples (about 3.5 pounds) — I used a mix of Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Braeburn, and Granny Smith

– 1/4 c. butter or butter substitute

– 2 Tbsp. flour

– 1/2 c. granulated sugar

– 1/2 c. brown sugar

– 2 tsp. cinnamon

– 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Prepare pie dough according to recipe. Put in refrigerator to chill at least 30 minutes

2. Preheat oven to 450F

3. Peel, core, and slice apples

4. Melt butter, then pour over apples and toss to coat

5. Combine flour, sugars, and spices

6. Sprinkle dry mixture over buttered apples and mix well

7. Separate pie dough into two equal parts. Roll out one half of dough to about 1mm thick and fit to pie pan

8. Put apple filling into pie. Don’t worry if it seems like there are a lot of apples — they should mound over the top of the crust/tin and will reduce when baked

9. Roll out second piece of dough

10. Carefully place dough on top of pie to cover. Roll top edges over the overhanging dough from the bottom piece and pinch into place

11. Use a sharp knife to cut several holes into the top crust so that steam can vent

12. Bake in oven at 450F for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325F and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until golden brown

13. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Can be baked ahead of time and reheated at 200F for 15 minutes before serving

14. Enjoy! We enjoyed ours so much I forgot to take pictures after we cut into it! 🙂