Bacon is breakfast food. Granola is breakfast food. But, I had never encountered bacon in granola until I found this recipe on Honestly Yum. I was intrigued and thought it would be right up my husband's alley.
I think I might have liked this more than my husband. There's something about the crunch of sunflower seeds, with the smoky hints of bacon and slight sweet from the apple that really worked for me. (And, it appears we ate this without taking any pictures. Or I can't locate the pictures now in the jumble that is our lives currently. Honestly Yum had pretty pictures if you need a visual.)
Savory Bacon Granola
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
4 slices thick-cut bacon
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup dried apples, diced
1 egg white
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
Preheat oven at 325°F. Cut bacon into small cubes, and cook in a pan over medium high heat
until fat renders and just begins to tan around the edges. (I used mostly pre-cooked bacon crumbles that we purchase from Neuske's. Best bacon ever.) Remove bacon
from pan, and drain on paper towels.
Combine oats, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, dried apple and bacon in a large bowl, and toss to combine.
Whisk an egg white in a small bowl until frothy. Add maple syrup and oil to the bowl of the oat mixture, and add egg white. Toss to coat. Pour evenly on baking sheet lined with parchment, and bake for 25 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely, and store in an air-tight container. Makes about 4 cups.
October 9, 2014
Minion Birthday Cake
We did a belated birthday celebration for our 1-year-old son since for some odd reason our entire family didn't join us as Crater Lake on vacation to celebrate on his actual birthday. With the hoopla of moving to a new place shortly after our 3-week vacation, we decided to combine his birthday celebration with his brother turning 3. I realize this is probably the only year I will get away with a joint celebration since their birthdays are nearly 2 months apart ... but it sure was nice to have the chaos just once.
We had a blast with the birthday and went with a "yellow minion" or Despicable Me theme. We didn't go overboard with decorations, but my favorite was the cake. I was extremely pleased how it turned out. No recipe for this post, although I used a riff of a previous graham cracker cupcake with a whipped cream cheese frosting. I followed Bakerella's post for the minions. Her work is amazing ... mine, not so much. I was still impressed with these as a first attempt at cake pops.
Here are some pics of the cake:
We had a blast with the birthday and went with a "yellow minion" or Despicable Me theme. We didn't go overboard with decorations, but my favorite was the cake. I was extremely pleased how it turned out. No recipe for this post, although I used a riff of a previous graham cracker cupcake with a whipped cream cheese frosting. I followed Bakerella's post for the minions. Her work is amazing ... mine, not so much. I was still impressed with these as a first attempt at cake pops.
Here are some pics of the cake:
Smoky Shrimp and Gouda Grits
My mom spent a couple days with us, helping supervise our fledglings while we juggled a few appointments. She stayed one more day than she originally planned, citing that she wanted to be available if the boys were sick the next day and unable to go to their sitter. I personally think my husband's Tequila Sunrise Margaritas are the real reason she stayed ...
Regardless, I decided to make this recipe from How Sweet It Is the last night she was here. My mom is a huge fan of seafood and Southern food, so it worked out perfectly (since my husband omitted the shrimp and used leftover chicken to make chicken and grits ... yeah, that's not the next big thing). The shrimp pack a lot of flavor, and the grits are fantastic. I cannot wait to combine the leftover grits with a fried egg this morning for breakfast.
Smoky Shrimp and Gouda Grits
Gouda Grits
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup quick-cooking grits
8 oz. gouda cheese, freshly grated
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Smoky Shrimp
1 pound raw peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
4 Tbsp. butter
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, add the grits, and whisk constantly until they are fully mixed into the stock, about a minute or two. Reduce the heat to low, and cover, stirring once or twice more, until the grits are thicker and creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the grated cheese, salt and pepper.
While the grits are cooking, pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels. Once dry, season them with the salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder and cumin. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the butter. Once the butter begins to sizzle, add the shrimp (in batches to avoid overcrowding), and cook on both sides until pink. When the shrimp are finished, stir in the garlic, and cook for a second. Remove shrimp from the skillet, and pour the remaining butter into the grits. Stir to combine.
Spoon the grits into a bowl, and add the shrimp on top. Makes 2-4 servings.
Regardless, I decided to make this recipe from How Sweet It Is the last night she was here. My mom is a huge fan of seafood and Southern food, so it worked out perfectly (since my husband omitted the shrimp and used leftover chicken to make chicken and grits ... yeah, that's not the next big thing). The shrimp pack a lot of flavor, and the grits are fantastic. I cannot wait to combine the leftover grits with a fried egg this morning for breakfast.
Smoky Shrimp and Gouda Grits
Gouda Grits
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup quick-cooking grits
8 oz. gouda cheese, freshly grated
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Smoky Shrimp
1 pound raw peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
4 Tbsp. butter
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, add the grits, and whisk constantly until they are fully mixed into the stock, about a minute or two. Reduce the heat to low, and cover, stirring once or twice more, until the grits are thicker and creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the grated cheese, salt and pepper.
While the grits are cooking, pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels. Once dry, season them with the salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder and cumin. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the butter. Once the butter begins to sizzle, add the shrimp (in batches to avoid overcrowding), and cook on both sides until pink. When the shrimp are finished, stir in the garlic, and cook for a second. Remove shrimp from the skillet, and pour the remaining butter into the grits. Stir to combine.
Spoon the grits into a bowl, and add the shrimp on top. Makes 2-4 servings.
October 2, 2014
Blackberry Cobbler Biscuits
Oh my! These biscuits disappeared in no time ... as did the puff pastry treats I made with the leftover fillings. These are so delicious. The biscuits themselves are a perfect combination of buttery goodness with crunchy, slightly chewy edges.
I modified these from The Candied Appetite with a bag of frozen blackberries my uncle had shared with us. I don't have an exact recipe on the filling, but I'll do my best approximations. To minimize the amount of time I had to wait in the morning to shove these into my mouth, I made and refrigerated the filling and streusel overnight. Worked like a charm.
Blackberry Cobbler Biscuits
Blackberry Filling
1 quart blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon zest
Streusel
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oats
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
4 Tbsp. cold butter, diced
Biscuits
2 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 stick butter, cold and diced
1 Tbsp. honey
2/3 cup cold buttermilk
2 Tbsp. butter, melted for brushing
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. Combine all filling ingredients over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until desired consistency. Chill until ready to fill biscuits.
To make the streusel topping, in a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk until evenly combined. Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas. Set off to the side.
To make the biscuits, in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar. Add in the butter and cut in until it resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas. Stir in the buttermilk and honey until the dough comes together and no longer appears to be dry. Transfer to a floured work surface, and knead once or twice to gather it together. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle about half an inch thick. Spread the berry mixture onto one side of the rolled dough. (You will have extra of this as well as the streusel.) Top with the streusel filling, and then fold the dough over the berries and streusel, like a book. Press down on the edges slightly. Cut into 10 even pieces, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops liberally with melted butter.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown on the tops and edges. Allow to cool down slightly to avoid scalding yourself. Makes 10 amazing biscuits.
I modified these from The Candied Appetite with a bag of frozen blackberries my uncle had shared with us. I don't have an exact recipe on the filling, but I'll do my best approximations. To minimize the amount of time I had to wait in the morning to shove these into my mouth, I made and refrigerated the filling and streusel overnight. Worked like a charm.
Blackberry Cobbler Biscuits
Blackberry Filling
1 quart blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon zest
Streusel
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oats
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
4 Tbsp. cold butter, diced
Biscuits
2 cups flour
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 stick butter, cold and diced
1 Tbsp. honey
2/3 cup cold buttermilk
2 Tbsp. butter, melted for brushing
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. Combine all filling ingredients over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until desired consistency. Chill until ready to fill biscuits.
To make the streusel topping, in a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk until evenly combined. Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas. Set off to the side.
To make the biscuits, in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar. Add in the butter and cut in until it resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas. Stir in the buttermilk and honey until the dough comes together and no longer appears to be dry. Transfer to a floured work surface, and knead once or twice to gather it together. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle about half an inch thick. Spread the berry mixture onto one side of the rolled dough. (You will have extra of this as well as the streusel.) Top with the streusel filling, and then fold the dough over the berries and streusel, like a book. Press down on the edges slightly. Cut into 10 even pieces, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops liberally with melted butter.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown on the tops and edges. Allow to cool down slightly to avoid scalding yourself. Makes 10 amazing biscuits.
Marinated "Sun-Dried" Tomatoes
When my parents brought me some tomatoes before they headed on vacation, I remembered this recipe I found from Mouth From the South. These are so simple to make and taste delicious. I found myself munching on a surprising number of them before tossing them in the freezer for later, which is not my norm with tomatoes.
All of them are currently in the freezer for long-term storage, which is where they ended up before I snagged any pictures. Perhaps at some point I will manage a picture, but use your imagination or check out the original post.
Here's my ever-so-slightly modified version.
Marinated Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. rosemary, chopped
Smoked sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
5 cloves garlic
20 or more tomatoes, cut into slices
Mix everything together except the tomatoes in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, and marinate for at least several hours in the refridgerator. Remove tomatoes from marinade, and spread out on dehydrator trays, and dry until desired texture. I pulled mine when they were somewhat pliable but mostly dried. Since there's so much oil in the marinade, store the dried tomatoes in the freezer.
All of them are currently in the freezer for long-term storage, which is where they ended up before I snagged any pictures. Perhaps at some point I will manage a picture, but use your imagination or check out the original post.
Here's my ever-so-slightly modified version.
Marinated Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. rosemary, chopped
Smoked sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
5 cloves garlic
20 or more tomatoes, cut into slices
Mix everything together except the tomatoes in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, and marinate for at least several hours in the refridgerator. Remove tomatoes from marinade, and spread out on dehydrator trays, and dry until desired texture. I pulled mine when they were somewhat pliable but mostly dried. Since there's so much oil in the marinade, store the dried tomatoes in the freezer.
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