Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Homemade Granola

Priscilla's Homemade Granola 

In a large bowl mix
6 cups rolled oats 
2 cups whole wheat flour (I use Heckers)
1 cup wheat germ (Kretschmers)
1 cup unsweetened coconut (Bob's Red Mill unsweetened flakes)
Flaxseed meal (I eyeball 1/4 cup or so)

In a jar or bowl with a tight fitting lid (for shaking) pour
1 cup honey (I use Swords into Plowshares, a locally grown New Haven brand from Milford Shop Rite) 
1 cup canola or sunflower oil (Jamie suggests coconut oil - I plan to try it!)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup water
2 shakes of salt
Replace lid and shake until well mixed. 

Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and stir well.  Add whatever suits you...chopped walnuts, almonds, pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried fruit...
Spread on parchment on three cookie sheets and bake at 250 degrees for at least an hour.  I usually press down and don't stir while baking.  (I get moister chunks in the middle and dried crunchy clusters on the outskirts of the pan.)  If you like it crunchy bake longer than the hour.  If you like cinnamon you can sprinkle it on before you bake.

Store in airtight container.

Caution...if you eat too much, you will get a belly ache.  Also, the recipe halves well.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Blueberry Sour Cream Pie

Blueberry Sour Cream Pie

Recipe From: http://www.food.com/recipe/blueberry-sour-cream-pie-51257
Prepared by Joyce
Ingredients
  • unbaked pie crust

Filling

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • tablespoons flour
  • cup sour cream
  • egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Topping

  • tablespoons flour
  • tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • tablespoons finely chopped pecans
Method
   1    Mix sugar and flour together in bowl.
  1. 2
    Beat in sour cream, egg,vanilla and salt together until smooth (about 5 minutes).
  2. 3
    Fold in blueberries.
  3. 4
    Pour into pie crust, and bake at 400F for 25 minutes.
  4. 5
    (May need to adjust temperature and time for frozen berries).
  5. 6
    Meanwhile, combine topping ingredients.
  6. 7
    Remove pie from oven after the 25 minutes, and sprinkle on topping.
  7. 8
    Return pie to oven and bake 10 minutes more.
  8. 9
    Chill before serving.

Strawberry Honey Cornbread Muffins

Strawberry Honey Cornbread Muffins
Recipe From: http://www.errenskitchen.com/strawberry-honey-cornbread-muffins/
Prepared By: Karen P


Ingredients
  • 2 cup/250g all-purpose/plain flour
  • 2 cup/250g fine cornmeal
  • ¼ cup/50g granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups/120ml milk
  • 1 stick/120g salted butter, melted
  • 4 tablespoons/60ml vegetable oil
  • 1 cup/60ml honey
  • 1½ cups diced fresh strawberries

Method
  1. Pre-heat oven to 425 f/ 220c
  2. Prepare a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners.
  3. Dice 1½ cups of fresh strawberries and set some aside to top the strawberries after adding the batter to the pan.
  4. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl and form a well into the middle of the mixture.
  5. Mix egg, milk, melted butter, honey and oil in a large mixing bowl. Pour into the well of dry ingredients; mix well.
  6. Fold in the strawberries.
  7. Divide batter into the lined muffin pan, filling them ¾ of the way. This makes a large muffin. (12 – 15 muffins).
  8. Add the reserved strawberries to the top of the batter of each muffin.
  9. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Original Recipe From: http://amandascookin.com/2010/07/blueberry-breakfast-cake.html
Prepared By: Jessica C.
Image result for winner


Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
TOPPING:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (I didn't use these this time!)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold butter 
DRIZZLE
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of milk (more or less to get to a drizzling consistency)
Method
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder. Add egg, milk, butter and lemon peel; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the blueberries Spread in a greased 9-in. square baking pan.
For topping, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, (and walnuts if using them) in a mini food processor or bowl. Add butter and process, or cut in if doing by hand, until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake tests done.
For drizzle, combine the powdered sugar and milk. If too thick, add a few drops of additional milk at a time until it reaches drizzling consistency. Drizzles over the top of the cake and allow to sit until sugar solidifies.

Double Berry Ribbon/Swirl Yogurt Pound ‘like‘ Cake

Double Berry Ribbon/Swirl Yogurt Pound ‘like‘ Cake
Prepared By: Jessica O.

adapted from Martha Stewart, with my revisions
Makes one 9-inch by 5-inch loaf cake

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan (or 1/2 cup neutral oil, like canola or coconut)
3 ounces blackberries (about a scant 3/4 cup)
3 ounces raspberries (about a scant 3/4 cup)
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt, room temperature
NOTE:  I split the berry puree-batter mixes in half, using half of each for swirling into both layers of plain batter.  I did this to make two cakes.  Using all the berry purees in one cake is ideal, but either way is delicious!


DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides; butter parchment. In a food processor, puree blackberries with 1 tablespoon sugar. Wipe out processor and puree raspberries with 1 tablespoon of sugar.  Pour/scrape into separate bowls and set aside (you can strain them into the bowls if you don’t like the light bite of seeds that do not break down).  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter (or oil) and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with Greek yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
3.  Stir two to three tablespoons of the cake batter into the bowl with the blackberry puree until uniform.  Stir two to three tablespoons of the cake batter into the bowl of raspberry puree, until uniform.
4. Pour half the plain batter into the pan and dot with 1/2 of the blackberry puree -batter and half the raspberry puree-batter. It will seem like it takes over all the plain cake batter, but don’t worry, it all works out in the end. Swirl/marble lightly using a skewer or knife.  Top with remaining plain batter and dot with remaning raspberry and blackberry batter as you did with the first layer. Again, swirl the puree-batter mixes into the plain batter – pushing a skewer or knife all the way to the bottom for a full marble.
5. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours. Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 30 minutes. Lift cake out of pan and place on a serving plate; let cool completely before slicing.