Tasty Tuesday!

Reposting this for Tasty Tuesday since I just remembered it (from last year) and it's sooooooo good!

Last night I made my first ever batch of homemade granola! My sister (who used to have the nickname "Granola" because she was a serious tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, no-sugar-eating fanatic!) gave me a few tips, and combined with a basic recipe that I found online...well, I have to say - it's FABULOUS!!! I will never buy pre-made granola in bags/boxes at the grocery store again.

I really wish I'd thought to take pics of the making of the granola, but it was late and I just didn't think about Tasty Tuesday being today...so please forgive me for only having pics of the finished product.
My recipe is a version of the one found here.

I used maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup, ladies!), vanilla extract, canola oil, steel cut oats, thick cut oats, large unsweetened coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries....(you can even some semi-sweet chocolate chips if you like - and who doesn't?!) YUMMMMMY!! And all organic for around $6.00 a batch (and it's a big batch!)! I got my ingredients in the bulk section of Earthfare - I now want to LIVE in that store, btw. No need to get a huge bag, just get what you need for a batch at a time since it's all organic and doesn't have all those nasty preservatives. BTW, I saw some tiny bags of pre-made granola there for $3.89 and up...puhlease! No way! Not when my house can smell that good while it's baking - and the homemade stuff taste SO much better!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together except for the dried fruit. Set the dried fruit aside.
2. In another bowl mix the sweetener, oil, and extract together.
3. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The liquids will be absorbed and the granola will become darker and shinier.
4. Spread the granola in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for ten minutes. Use a spatula and turn the granola on the baking sheet. Place the granola back in the oven and bake for another ten minutes or until fairly dry and starting to brown. Remove the granola from the oven and stir in the fruit.

Tips

1. Granola will become crispier and crunchier as it cools.
2. Because of the oil, granola will not stay fresh long. Store in an airtight container and use within two weeks. Freeze for longer storage.

Yummmm...breakfast!

Click over to Balancing Beauty & Bedlam for more amazing recipes!

Easiest Chili Recipe Ever!

With Autumn in the air, it's time to get out the crockpot and enjoy some delicious hot meals that will be ready when your family walks in the door. This recipe is courtesy of my step-daughter, who gave it to me when she was 16 years old (I think she got it from her ex-b/f's mom). She's now 24, and I've been making this regularly for the past 8 years. It's always a hit, and SUPER easy!

• 1 lb ground beef , chicken, or turkey - browned & drained
• 1 large can light kidney beans (I use the big cans of Hanover brand)
• 1 large bottle of salsa (the bigger the bottle, the better - I usually use 2 because I can't find any huge bottles)
• 1 family-size can Campbell's tomato soup
• 1 can Rotel tomato/chilis

You can also sneak some extra veggies in this by grating zucchini, carrots, etc. The kids will never know. ;)

Dump it all in the crockpot and cook on low until warm. Serve with tortillas, cornbread, topped with cheese - however your family likes their chili!

Check out more great crockpot recipes here!

Nana's Biscuits

One of my fondest memories was watching my Nana create her amazing homemade biscuits - every morning and evening, and sometimes at lunchtime. She would sift the flour, throw together the ingredients in her aluminum mixing bowl (never measuring anything) and mix and knead and then - my favorite part - cut them out with her silver biscuit cutter with the wooden handle.

Ok, I'll admit, my real favorite part was after they came out of the oven, but I did think it was so cool how she could always cut those biscuits and never once did they stick to the little metal ring! (I was an easy kid to amuse)

Nana tried to teach me how to replicate her biscuits. I'd put in just what she said, exactly like she told me. I'd knead it with her watching over my shoulder and instructing - but they never, ever turned out like hers. I think there is just something about the years and years of making them that makes them perfect...

When Nana finally had to go to the nursing home and we were cleaning out her home, the only thing I wanted was to make sure that her aluminum biscuit mixing bowl and sifter stayed in the family and didn't get donated/sold/given-away to someone who wouldn't appreciate all the memories that they hold. Luckily, no one in the family objected to my keeping them. :)

So, in an effort to make the perfect biscuit by the time I'm a grandmother, I'm starting now to try and perfect this - before my kids start bringing theirs over to
visit and have some of "Nana's biscuits". I'll use her bowl and sifter, and search for a cutter with a little wooden handle like the one she had. And I'll try to mix up some memories for my kids and grand-kids...I only hope I can be as successful at this as she was.

This is a basic buttermilk biscuit recipe that I found online. Yes, I asked Nana for hers, but as I said she never measured, and now at nearly 99 years old, said she doesn't even remember what ingredients she used in them way back when...

Basic Homemade Biscuits

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450°F. Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Sifting is important, it helps loosen up the flour so the lard and milk mix into the flour quicker with less kneading. Cut in lard with a pastry blender or a couple knives.

Once you cut in the shortening or butter into your flour mix, stir in milk only until distributed. The dough should be sticky. You want your dough to be as moist as possible, yet able to retain its shape.

Dump your biscuit dough onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the sides of the dough gently towards the center of the dough. Flour the surface again and flip the dough. Fold one more time, very gently. Then flip the dough and press out with your finger to the desired thickness and cut out rounds.

If dough if is too sticky to roll out, you can pinch off individual pieces of dough and shape each piece with floured hands.

For crusty biscuits, place biscuits on a greased baking sheet 1" apart. For softer biscuits, place biscuits in a large casserole dish with the sides touching. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Brush tops with butter for a brown finish, if desired.

Tasty Tuesday

I wish I could give you all some grand, spectacular recipe to drool over today but... I'm recovering from a very busy holiday weekend, and frankly just too tired to have planned anything in advance. Oh yeah, and I have to go back to work today.

So...I'm doing a very simple dinner in the crockpot today:

Lazy Workday Pasta Dinner

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
Large jar (2lb 13oz) of Chunky Ragu tomato, garlic & onion pasta sauce

Place chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray first)
Pour whole jar of Ragu over chicken.
Cover & cook on low all day.

To get ready to serve:
Cook one box of whole wheat pasta of your choice (I used spirals)
Drain.

Shred chicken & mix in with sauce.
Mix pasta with chicken/sauce mixture.
Top with shredded cheese (I used cheddar).
Replace cover and let cheese melt.

Told you - very lazy!

When I get home, I'll shred the chicken and mix it in well with the sauce for pasta topping.


UPDATE: This turned out to be FABULOUS!!! Seriously, it was one of the best meals I've "cooked" in a long time. The family loved it!

Memorial Day Meat?

This is a strange post for a day that is traditionally celebrated with cookouts featuring moist hamburgers, perfectly grilled hotdogs, thick steaks, and so on... But I'm just not in a meat mood lately. I'm seriously considering going vegetarian. Not vegan, I can't begin to imagine giving up cheese! But using beans and other high protein foods in place of meat-filled meals, and eating lots more fresh fruits and berries and veggies. Perfect time for that, right? With the gardens about to overflow with fresh produce!

Sometimes just the texture of meat turns me off - I've been known to spit out a bite when the thought crosses my mind "This is something's flesh I'm chewing!" (don't worry, I do spit it out in a napkin, and have mastered the art of making it look like I'm just wiping my mouth) It's funny, I called my sister today to ask her a question about making homemade granola and she told me that she has been feeling the same way lately about eating meat. Not that it's a protest against animal cruelty, or even for health reasons (though that is certainly a benefit!) - but just cuz it seems ....well....gross lately. Maybe it's age? Anyone else change your eating habits for no apparent reason the older you got? Please share!

Anyway, I went to Earthfare today and got some really yummy, organic stuff to make my granola. And I got my very first wheatgrass shot! I had seen some show on tv where the people were drinking it and gagging and like it was just the nastiest thing EVER. But I was pleasantly surprised. It was kind of a ...well...grassy taste. LOL Fresh, not bitter, went down very easily - and I got a little psychological boost for doing something "healthy for my body" (even though some people debate the claims of many "wheatgrass pushers", one thing is for sure - it's packed with vitamins and minerals by all accounts).

I've also been drinking green smoothies for a few weeks now, and I can REALLY tell when I don't have one in the morning. I didn't have time today, and after running my daughter and her friend all over the place shopping, I was a little sluggish by the time we got home. I'm almost certain if I'd had my green smoothie before we left, I'd have had a lot more energy. My favorite smoothie is just a combo of mixed frozen berries (blueberry, strawberry, blackberry), a little OJ to help it mix up, and all the spinach I can stuff in it. I use my Magic Bullet and it makes the perfect, single-serving every time. Blend the fruit and OJ first as a base, then just keep adding organic spinach and blending until you have a full serving. Sound like it would be pretty nasty - but it's one of THE best smoothies I've ever had - and a lot cheaper than buying one at some expensive smoothie bar! Try it yourself and play around with flavors you like - I bet you'll be hooked. :) Oh yeah, don't be alarmed if your berry green smoothies don't turn out green - they still taste great! (I've had a couple that were more like a brown...but they were also the yummiest!)


Anyway, not really sure why I felt the need to share all of that here...I guess I don't really have much else to report these days. Been a really busy weekend, but nothing very interesting. So...for Meatless Monday - I'm

Melinda, signing off and going to make some granola! :)