My Current Take on Granola

I rarely have complaints with Alton Brown recipes.  Usually, they are simple, with readily available ingredients and just plain good.

Alton Brown's Granola is way too sweet and too salty for my taste.

Here's is my current recipe

3 cups regular old fashioned oat meal, not the quick cook type.

1 c. filberts, aka hazel nuts  (A local product) 

I like them coarsely chopped with a knife, rather than putting them in the food processor.  I like the texture of them.

And a 1/2 cup sun flower seeds, raw and unsalted.  This is from Sumner WA

A cup of shredded coconut (Alton's recipe calls for sweetened, the kind in the bag in the baking aisle.  But I've been getting the unsweetened from the bulk aisle.

1/4 c. of canola oil or your preferred kind and another 1/4 c. of maple syrup in the same cup up to raise the level of the cup to 1/2 c. total.  The advantage of the two in one cup is that it comes out easier and cleans up easier.

1/4 c. brown sugar and mix it well.  Add a cap full of vanilla (Vanilla is optional, but I like it in this.)

1/2 t. salt.  This is less that Alton uses.  I rarely cut back salt in recipes.  It's one of my guilty pleasures.  Love salt.  But it doesn't improve this for me and I may use less next time. 

Slowly start pouring the oil / maple syrup mixture into the dry ingredients.

Stopping to mix and break up any clumps. The first batch I made.  Well the first batch I made I burned.  The second batch was too clumpy.  Now I break up the clumps. 

Preheat the oven to 250 (only; no more) degrees.  Turn the granola onto a sheet pan and cook for 1 hr 15 minutes.  Take the time to turn it and stir it several times during baking.  Nice and dry and nutty.  Crunchy in a good way.   I don't like raisins cooked into the granola. 

I've been adding a c. golden raisin after it's finished.  Good with milk in the morning.  Step granddaughter likes it.  Had it this morning stirred into yogurt with blackberry jam.  Just saying. 

Banana Crumb Muffins

 I think muffins were among the first things I was taught to make.  They are lesson packed, measuring, mixing, recipe reading.  They are fast and don't make a mess.  Make a muffin today!  Or better yet, teach someone else how.

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour.  I don't sift.  Do you? I scoop it in, then level it off. 

 You don't want to pack it.  Keep it as light as possible. 

Now 1 t. baking soda, 1 t. baking powder and 1/2 t. salt

Same process, dip in and level off straight at the top.

3 large ripe bananas or 4 medium to smallest ones.  mash them with a fork. 

Not a pretty job, but it can be fun.  Are you having fun?

 Add 3/4 c. granulated sugar, 1 egg and 1/3 c. butter melted.

There's that whole beautiful melted butter thing.  Can we have a moment of silence? 

Oh, and my favorite sous chef stops by just in case I need some help.  Or drop something good on the floor.

By now, you may be getting tried of pictures of the baby.  If so, you'll need to find another blog to read because I can't get enough of this kid.

And no, he isn't sticking out his tong.  He is giving me the raspberry.  Who teaches him this stuff.  In his hands, he has a shot glass inside a jam jar.  I couldn't make up this stuff.

When they are ready, maybe I could have one, Meemaw.

And here he is with the action end of the turkey baster.  Blowing and humming into it like a kazoo.  Who needs any other entertainment than a baby and a cat?

Now the topping for the muffins.  1/3 c. brown sugar.  You pack brown sugar into the measuring cup with the back of a spoon.  1 T. flour.  1/8 t. cinnamon, 1 T. melted butter.

Put a paper muffin cup in each cup.  Fill each cup about 3/4 full.  They use ice cream scoops on the food channels, which is cute.  But I use a measuring cup.  Sprinkle the topping over each muffin.  Bake at 375 degrees for 18 minutes.  Cool for a few minutes then move to a wire rack. 

I don't remember where I got this recipe, so I can't give proper credit.   It was during my yellow index card and blue gel pen phase and that's been quite a well ago.  I've been making it for a while.  

Remember to teach someone to make muffins. 

Apple Bran Muffins

It's good to have a gallon zip lock in the freezer with muffins or breakfast cookies in it.  It's good for me to have something wholesome to throw in my bag on the way out the door.  It's good to have something to hand out to visitors, big and small. 

Now a secret.  One of my guilty pleasures:  blueberries muffins from Safeway.  But they are huge and very sweet.  It's got to be about like eating a piece of cake.  We really don't need much cake.

So I started out my morning meal planning for the week and making Apple Bran Muffins.  This is not an original recipe.  It was in a Taste of Home magazine this year.

Apple Bran Muffins
3 c. AP flour
2 t. baking powder
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1 1/2 c. milk
4 eggs
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. canola oil
2 t. vanilla extract
3 c. All-Bran cereal
2 c. peeled and finely chopped tart apples
1 c. walnuts (optional)  I left them out because daughter-in-law has some concerns about the kids and nuts
1 c. Raisins (optional) Another secret:  I don't really like raisins

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  With a big spoon stir to combine, turning the mixture inward, just until all dry ingredients are moistened. 

Put muffin papers into the cups of the muffin pan.  I use an ice cream scoop to fill them.  If you don't use muffin papers, spray the pan well.  But the muffin papers work well when you are planning to freeze them or use them later.  

I decided I wanted them a little fancier so I made my muffin topping and sprinkled on half before baking.  Gave me some nuts and a nut less version

Topping:  1/3 c. packed brown sugar, 1T. all purpose flour, 1/8 t. cinnamon, 1T. butter soft or melted, 1/4 c. finely chopped walnuts or pecans. 

Bake these at 350 degrees for 18 - 20 minutes.  Cool thoroughly before packaging for the freezer.

 

Just in time for a little bit of baby sitting.

What a good boy you are, Caleb.  Meemaw loves you, Caleb.  Now close the cabinet door.  Yeahhhh,  (clap, clap)  Good job, Caleb.

And Caleb likes the muffins. He ate several stubby little fists full.  Or the dog did.   This is such as serious picture.  Caleb is going to be an actor or an athlete.  As long as you are looking at him, he usually has a huge smile on his face. 

A package went home to Caleb's parent's house and a package went into my freezer for the week ahead.  No stops at Safeway for us this week. 

 Remember the small things.

Banana Crumb Muffins

My basic thesis is that the simpler things are usually better and cheaper.  I reject that fast food or prepared food is cheaper and it is certainly not good food.  That premise denies common sense - that a company can produce food cheaper than I can.  There may be economies in bulk buying and bulk production, but every company makes a profit or goes out of business.  Every business plan attempts to add value to a product and charges for the value added. 

So make it yourself.  If you don't know how, learn.  The process of learning is rewarding and improves the quality of life.  Costco muffins are (1) not good, (2) not cheaper and (3) does not improve the quality of life. 

Banana Crumb Muffins
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt.
1 cup ripe banana, mashed with a fork (2 or 3 bananas)
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
1/3 c. butter, melted

Topping
1/3 c. packing brown sugar
1 T. all-purpose flour
1/8 t. cinnamon
1 T. butter, melted.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Combine bananas, sugar, egg and butter and mix well.  Stir into dry ingredients.  Filled sprayed muffin cups 3/4 full.  Combine the topping ingredients.  Divide it evenly over the top of the muffin batter.  Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until done. 

Rice and Raisins / Breakfast at the Osbornes

I meant to blog about Easter which was spent at Step-son's house.  He prepared his barbecued ribs which we all enjoy and look forward to.  He has a special homemade sauce.  I meant to blog about this, but I was so caught up in feeling good that day that I did not take the photos.  I did not plan the blog the way I normally do.  

Well here is just a hint. But blogging about Josh's ribs and Josh's barbecue sauce is surely coming soon.

We ate Josh's ribs and tri-tip for three nights since.  So the other night, I came home from work and made a pot of rice and a caeser salad and heated the ribs.  I had the thought that breakfast was already handled. 

When I was a kid, treats were humble.  There was no McDonald's in the town I grew up in until my teens.  We had the occasional bakery doughnut, but we didn't go out for breakfast.  In fact we didn't go out at all very often.  No, treats were humble and at home.  One favorite breakfast treat was cinnamon toast.  I remember fondly the hot toast coming out of the broiler with the carelized sugar with cinnamon crusty and crinkly on it.  Mom cut it cross-wise and gave us triangels with glasses of milk. 

But tomorrow is Rice and Raisins for breakfast, which was another treat from my childhood.  I went to Diane's Produce yesterday.  Along with the produce I purchased, I bought a jar of local honey.  But I prefer brown sugar with this. 

Easy done.  Bowl of cooked white rice.  Small handfull of raisins.  Brown sugar.  Add milk like you would with cereal.  Into the microwave and cook until its steamy hot.  Tomorrow will be a good morning. 

Remember to keep it simple.  

Breakfast at the Osbornes

Husband doesn't eat breakfast.  When he does, he doesn't eat lunch that day.  I think I can get more nutrition in him at lunch time.  Breakfast is about me. 

I have little baby spinach plants in raised bed 1, so I'm planning on a crop, but I'm buying it now. Here is my current favorite egg dish for breakfast.

A big handful of spinach leaves cleaned and ripped into bite size pieces and a half a baked potato left over from last night.  I removed the peal from the potato and cubed it.  I heated a skillet with a little canola oil and added the vegetables.  I cooked them until the spinach wilts.

Remove them to a bowl. In another bowl, 2 eggs and a little milk whisked together, then into the skillet to scramble. 

When the eggs are nearly as cooked as you like, add back the vegetables.  A little salt and pepper.  A little squirt of my favorite Asian sweet chili sauce.

Breakfast is ready.  Add a piece of toast with homemade apple butter (the next blog) and I'm ready to start my day.

 Remember to eat breakfast.