Sorghum Granola [Secret Recipe Club]

Every month I look forward to trying out new recipes from other bloggers who are part of the Secret Recipe Club.  There's just something about the surprises involved that I love--I don't know who has cooked from my blog, and the other blogger doesn't know that I've been assigned to them until reveal day.  And this month I got an even bigger surprise...I was assigned a vegan blog: We Heart Vegan!  My family has a pretty strong love affair with bacon and sausage, so it's pretty unlikely that we'd go as far as changing our diet to a vegan one, but I've always been fascinated with the vegan lifestyle, partially because of all of the interesting ingredients used to balance the diet.

I wasn't sure that I'd find something that my family would dive into when I was assigned the blog, but Brittany and Julie do a great job at making their recipes simple and accessible for all diets.  I really wanted to make their Black Bean and Avocado Salsa, but I've been traveling a lot this month, and I was just scared it would go to waste, so I settled on something a little more storage- and travel-friendly: Omega Granola.  I'm not sure my version would fit into the Omega part of that title, but what I ended up with tasted delicious!  I had never made my own granola before, and I'll definitely think twice before buying it in the store.  It was an easy process and tasted so much fresher than what I typically buy.

As I mentioned, I did make a few adjustments.  I had a hard time finding some of the ingredients in our local grocery store, so I just omitted them.  I also adjusted the nut ratios since I'm a picky nut eater.  And finally, I used Kentucky's version of molasses: sorghum.  I've never used this ingredient before, but happened to pick some up the week before, so decided to use it.  It's not quite as strong in flavor as molasses is, but it was a great substitution!  (If you're not sure what sorghum is, you can find out more here or check out fellow Kentucky Food Blogger Rona Roberts' book, Sweet, Sweet Sorghum.)

I will be making this again for sure...and I thank We Heart Vegan for introducing me to the vegan lifestyle so gently and beautifully!

Sorghum Granola
Adapted from We Heart Vegan
Makes about 5 cups

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/6 cup uncooked red quinoa (regular would be fine here too)
1 small ripe banana, mashed
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/6 cup sorghum
Pinch of Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoons dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the oats and quinoa evenly on the sheet.  Place the sheet in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir the oats/quinoa and add the nuts and seeds.  Toast in the oven for 6 more minutes.  While the granola is toasting, prepare the wet ingredients.  In a small bowl, combine the mashed banana, sesame oil, vanilla, sorghum, salt, and cinnamon.  Once the granola has toasted for 6 minutes, pour the wet mixture over and add the raisins and dried cranberries.  Mix until most of the granola is wet.  Bake for another 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the baking sheet cool on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes or until the granola becomes crunchy.  Once it's cooled, break apart (using the parchment paper to help) and store in an airtight container.  This will last a while in the cupboard.  (Mine is going on two weeks and is completely fresh still.)

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Lemon-Blackberry Yogurt Loaf

Wow...has it been over two weeks since I last posted?!  It's been a crazy summer, and until last Friday, I was home alone for three weeks with my kids.  And then suddenly everyone started arriving!  My parents arrived on Friday morning for a short visit from California, and my husband returned home after being in Germany and Belgium for three weeks.  I had a great visit with my parents (as did the kids!), but it didn't leave much time for keeping up the ol' blog.  I'm back, though, at least for now, as we leave for England and Scotland for a week on Saturday.  Yahoo!

But in the meantime, I'd like to whet your appetite with this little gem.  I've been working on perfecting this recipe since May, and I think I may have finally hit the nail on the head!  This Lemon-Blackberry Yogurt Loaf is quite simple and great for potlucks and breakfast alike.  If you don't happen to have wild blackberries lying around, feel free to substitute regular blackberries, blueberries or raspberries.  (I happen to have some frozen wild blackberries leftover from picking last summer.)  Or you could just leave them out for a basic lemon loaf--I think the best version I made, though, was with the berries.  :-)  Either way, I recommend doubling your batch because the first cake will go quicker than you'd like!

Lemon-Blackberry Yogurt Loaf
Makes one loaf

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, separated
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Juice from 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup wild blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray the inside of a loaf pan with cooking spray or coat with butter.  Dust with flour and tap out excess. 

Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the sugar and lemon zest.  Mix with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened.  Add the lemon juice, yogurt, vegetable oil, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla extract and mix to blend.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended.  Coat the blackberries in 1 tablespoon of flour and then add them to the batter.  Mix gently until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top.  Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean, about 50 minutes.  Let the cake cool on a wire rack for a few minutes and then remove from pan.  Let it cool completely on the wire rack.

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French Toast--My Vacation Breakfast

I am currently on vacation.  We're at the beach in North Carolina, and it's quite luxurious.  Our house is on the beach, and at night, I leave my window open to listen to the waves.  I also have time to make real breakfasts.  My typical routine is too crazy for fresh breakfasts, so we often do cereal or bagels or frozen (homemade) pancakes.  But during vacation, we actually get breakfasts that are hot from the stove, like this French toast.  My kids love it, and although I don't make it daily, it's relatively simple.  It also makes a lot of French toast, so I freeze the leftovers to serve during my busy non-beach life.  :-)

French Toast
Makes 8-10 pieces

4 eggs
1 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 heaping teaspoon apple pie spice (or a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and/or cloves)
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
8-10 thick slices of challah bread
1 tablespoon butter

Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat.  Whisk the eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, spices, and lemon zest and juice in a shallow pan or wide bowl.  Melt the butter in the pan.  Place the slices of challah in the egg mixture, making sure to allow the bread to soak up the custard.  Let the excess drain off of the bread and place on the griddle.  Cook until the bread is golden on one side and then flip carefully.  Cook for another few minutes until the other side is golden.  Serve hot with syrup, powdered sugar or fruit.

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Bourbon Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A couple of weeks ago, one of my newfound Kentucky food blogger friends, Judy from The Southern Lady Cooks, posted an awesome-looking recipe for a Bourbon Pumpkin Spice Cake.  I had just bought a beautiful pumpkin from Marksbury Farm and thought, "This would be perfect!  I have all of the ingredients on hand.  I can whip it up this weekend!"  Two weeks later I finally found the time and energy to make it, but when I did, I found that I hadn't held enough pumpkin out for the frosting, that we were down to our last dregs of bourbon, and that my toddler son had finished off the raisins.  Not to be deterred, I forged ahead with what I had, and lo and behold, the cake was still delicious! 

Now Judy calls it a cake, but in my family, it's called breakfast.  We've been eating these mini bundt cakes all week for breakfast, and three days later, they are still moist and scrumptious.  If you want the version with bourbon-soaked raisins and a pumpkin and bourbon frosting, then head on over to the original recipe, but if you're like me and only have the basic staples, this is your cake!

Bourbon Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from The Southern Lady Cooks

Cake:
1/2 cup bourbon
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 Tbl cream cheese, softened
3 Tbl buttermilk
1-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cake:
Place the bourbon in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat.  Reduce to about 1/2 of the original amount.  Turn off the flame and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray your pan with cooking spray or butter and flour it.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil and buttermilk until well mixed.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, allspice and salt and mix until everything is incorporated.  Add the pumpkin and the reserved bourbon and mix well.

Pour the batter into the mini bundt molds (about 2/3 of the way full) or pour all of the batter into a full-sized bundt pan.  Bake mini bundts for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Bake a full-sized cake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let rest for about 25 minutes in the pan.  Remove carefully and drizzle frosting over cake(s).

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Whisk the cream cheese and buttermilk until smooth.  Add about one cup of powdered sugar and whisk.  Taste for sweetness.  If you'd like it sweeter, add a little more sugar until desired sweetness.  If it's too thick, add a tiny bit of milk until it's thin enough.  If too thin, add a little powdered sugar until you reach the desired thickness.

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Blueberrry Pancakes: A Nice Welcome Home

**Don't forget about my Austrian goodies giveaway!  The giveaway closes on July 13th at 10pm EST.**

After many flights (and rearranging of said flights), I am now back in the United States!  I miss Europe already, but luckily I know that I will return--being married to a German professor does have its perks!  :-)

It's hard to get back to blogging after a break in Budapest and Vienna.  And when I sat down to think about what I'd write about today, my mind immediately went to something European.  And then it drifted to the pancakes I served my daughter this morning.  And I thought, "Bingo!"  It's the perfect post for jetlag and post-travel blues. "Why?" you may ask.  (There's a lot of dialogue in this post...it must be the jetlag!)  Because I had some in the freezer.  Yes, in the freezer.  Whenever I make these pancakes, I make a double batch and then freeze them in single layers on parchment paper.  Then they go into an airtight container to await their fate: quick, homemade breakfasts for those busy weekdays.  I just reheat them in the microwave (30 seconds on 80% power on each side), and voilà...I'm the world's best mom...who doesn't have to get up a half an hour early to make fresh pancakes from scratch!

My family loves pancakes, and we actually have them for dinner more than we have them for breakfast.  I love making them from scratch--the flavor is so much better than the boxed kind and they're pretty easy to whip up.  My favorite recipe is from The New Basics Cookbook; it calls for lemon zest, which for me makes all the difference.  The lemon zest gives the pancakes a light, fresh taste that just can't be beat.

Blueberry Pancakes
From The New Basics Cookbook

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup half-and-half
6 Tbl milk
3 Tbl packed light brown sugar
2 Tbl unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, toss the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In another bowl, stir the the half-and-half, milk, brown sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth.

Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients until almost smooth.  (There may be some lumps.)  Fold in the blueberries and let the batter stand, loosely covered, for about 20 minutes.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat and butter or spray it lightly.  Drop the batter by 1/8-1/4 cupfuls and cook until the bottoms are golden and bubbles are popping on the surface.  Turn and cook on the other side until it is golden brown.  Repeat, using all of the batter. 

Slather with your favorite pancake topping(s)!

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Green Chile Chicken Tamales

 

I grew up eating tamales for breakfast.  We'd often spend short vacations in northern Mexico, and every morning, my dad would take one of us kids to the local pastry shop so we could help choose the pastries for the morning.  The real treats, however, were the tamales tucked away in the back of the store.  My dad would get a dozen or two, and when we returned to the house, we would feast on Mexican pastries and tamales. 

 

Although I love these meat-filled, cornmeal-dough-wrapped cylinders of goodness, I had never attempted making them.  Suddenly, right before Christmas, I got the urge to try, and I talked my mom into helping me make them when I was visiting for the holidays.  I had heard that they were difficult and time consuming to make, but I had time--I was on vacation!  It turns out that they aren't difficult once you get the hang of stuffing them, but they are time consuming.  My suggestion would be to make the fillings a day ahead and then stuff them the following day.  Extra hands cut down on the work, as well, so if making these, make it a tamale party!  (My mom would like for me to point out here that her shopping skills and hands were crucial to this enterprise.)  And make extras--they freeze well, and you'll definitely want more of these! 

We made green chile chicken tamales, which aren't typical.  Most are made with beef or pork, and although we did make a batch of beef tamales, the chicken ones were the hands-down favorite.  The combination of the chiles and the tomatillos created a deep, rich flavor that works well with the chicken and corn masa.  If you've never had tamales, I encourage you to try them...just make sure to discard the corn husks before eating!

You will need to either invest in a tamale steamer, which is a large, tall pot with a steamer insert that sits a couple of inches above the bottom of the pan, or create something similar with gadgets you already have.  If you're cooking a big batch, I recommend investing in one of these, but if not, you could always use a steamer insert.  We were able to find a very large pot for about $20 at the local Mexican tienda, and if you don't make tamales very often, it could also be used to make stocks and soups. 

We didn't make the masa below because the local Mexican tiendas also sold freshly-made masa by the pound.  If you have that option, I highly recommend it--they make it every day and know exactly what the consistency should be.  If you don't have this option, then you can try the recipe below.

Buen provecho!

Green Chile Chicken Tamales
Adapted from Bon Apétit, May 2003
Makes about 2 dozen

1 8-ounce package dried corn husks (This can be found in the Mexican aisle of your grocery store or at a Mexican tienda.)

Filling:
1 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
4 3-inch serrano chiles (or other spicy chile), stemmed and chopped (This can be adjusted for your level of heat.  When making the sauce, start with 1 or 2 chiles and add more to get it to the right heat level for you.)
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 Tbl olive oil
2 cups chicken broth (Homemade is preferable, but if you don't have any, use low-sodium.)
4 cups (packed) coarsely shredded cooked chicken, about 1 lb. (I poached chicken breasts, but you could also use a roasted or rotisserie chicken.)
2/3 cup chopped cilantro

Masa:
1 1/3 cup lard or solid vegetable shortening
1 1/2 tsp salt (omit if the masa already contains salt)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (omit if the masa already contains baking powder)
3 1/2 cups masa harina (can be found in the Mexican aisle at your grocery store)
2 1/4 cups warm water
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Place the corn husks in a large pot or bowl and cover generously with water.  Place a heavy plate on top to weight them down.  Soak for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat the broiler.  Line a baking sheet with foil and place the tomatillos on the sheet.

Broil until the tomatillos blacken in spots, turning once, about 5 minutes on each side.  Move the tomatillos and juices to a food processors and allow to cool.  Add the chiles and the garlic to the processor and blend until a smooth puree forms.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the tomatillo-chile puree and boil for about 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add the broth, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon thickly and is reduced to about 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.  Season with salt.  Add the chicken and cilantro.  (This can be made one day ahead.  Cover and chill if using later.)

If making your own masa, mix the lard or shortening with a mixer until light and fluffy.  Mix the masa harina and the warm water, then add it to the lard in four additions.  Reduce the speed to low and beat in 1 1/2 cups of broth, forming a tender dough.  If the dough seems firm, add more broth, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough is softened (similar to a very light cookie dough).

When you are ready to put your tamales together, fill the bottom of your tamale steamer with water so that it almost reaches the bottom of the steamer insert.  Line the insert with some of the corn husks.  Tear some of the other husks into long, thin strips (about 24 or enough to tie each tamale) and set aside. 

Using a very large husk or two smaller husks overlapping slightly, spread about 1/4 cup of the masa onto 2/3 of the husk, leaving about an inch at the widest part on the top and 1-2 inches at the narrow part on the bottom free of masa.

Spread about a heaping tablespoon of filling along the edge of the masa.

Fold the the long edge of the husk over the filling and roll, lifting the edge of the husk when the masa meets, and then rolling the rest of the way.

Fold the bottom part of the husk under the rolled tamale.

Lay the folded part onto a husk strip, pull it around the tamale and tie it gently into a knot.

As you finish each tamale, place it into the pot, open end up.

Continue placing them into the pot until the filling is used or the pot is full.  If the pot isn't full when you are ready to start cooking them, fill the empty spaces with loosely crumpled foil to prevent the tamales from falling over.

Bring the water in the pot to a boil.  Cover the pot and reduce the heat just enough so that the water doesn't boil away, but keep it high enough to continue to create steam.  Steam the tamales until the dough is firm and comes away from the husks easily, about 45 minutes.  Add more water to the pot as necessary as they cook to make sure that you don't burn the bottom of your pot.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Tamales can be served warm or at room temperature. 

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Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

This blog has set some high standards for me when it comes to visitors. No one really believes that most mornings I eat cereal or an organic pop tart. Most of my friends think that I cook complicated meals three times a day, seven days a week. People even apologize when they serve me meals at their houses because what they cook is not "fancy." I don't always cook intricate meals as I mentioned (and I'll be focusing on this more in the future), but when family comes to visit, I do try to whip up something fun and new.

Enter this Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread. When I saw it on Joy the Baker's site, I knew I had to make it, but it's just time consuming enough that I needed a special occasion to make it. My in-laws' visit last weekend was the perfect excuse. :-)

This bread was impressive--beautiful, unique, and delectable. It took time to make, but I made it up to the end of the first rising the night before to save me some time in the morning. I served it hot with coffee and tea. I can't tell you how to store the leftovers as there wasn't a crumb left. Try this today and thank me later!

**Sweet As Sugar Cookies has asked if I'd contribute this post to her Sweets for a Saturday.  Go by and see what other sweets are posted!

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread
from Joy the Baker


For the Dough:
2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Filling:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted until browned (1/2 stick)

In a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer, whisk together 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter until the butter is just melted. Remove from the heat and add the water and vanilla. Let the mixture stand for a minute or two until it cools a little. If you have a thermometer, it should read between 115-125 degrees F.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a dough hook (if using a stand mixer) or with a spatula. Add the eggs and mix until the eggs are completely incorporated. This will take a little time. Add the remaining 3/4 cup flour and stir for about 2 minutes with the dough hook or the spatula. The dough will be sticky.

Place the dough in a large lightly-greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm place and let rise for about an hour or until the dough doubles.

**After the dough has risen, it can be placed in the refrigerator overnight and used the next day. Just take the bowl out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before the next step.**
While the dough rises, mix the dry filling ingredients (sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg) in a small bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan until browned. Remove from heat and set aside. Grease and flour a loaf pan. (A 9x13 pan was recommended, but I used a 5x13 European-sized loaf pan, and it worked great.)

Once the dough has risen, deflate it and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for about 5 minutes. On a lightly-floured work surface, roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it measures about 20 inches by 12 inches. I found the dough to be resilient, so I also held it up with my hands to use a "stretch method" I sometimes use for pizza dough.


Once the dough is rolled out, brush the melted butter over the top with a brush. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the butter. Using a pizza cutter, cut 6 long strips. Stack them on top of each other (being careful not to lose too much of the sugar!) and then cut into 6 even squares.
Hold the pan up on its end and stack the dough squares carefully in the pan. Mine didn't completely fill the pan, but that's okay. Just spread them out a little (carefully!). Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm place for about 30-45 minutes until the dough has risen to almost double its size.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the loaf pan on the middle rack and let bake for 30-35 minutes or until the bread is deeply golden brown. The deep golden brown will ensure that the bread is cooked in the middle.

Remove the bread for the oven and let rest for a few minutes. (The original recipe suggests 20-30 minutes, but I only waited 5 minutes!) Run a butter knife around the edges and carefully invert the pan over a board. Place the plate, stand or board you'll be using to serve it on over the loaf and invert so that it's right side up.

Serve!

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