My Sister's Granola

My sister makes the best granola that I have tasted. She's no granola, far from it, but she knows good granola. The recipe makes a HUGE amount, so I've reduced it by half here.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup coconut
1 cup nuts i.e. sunflower seeds, walnuts( I like almonds)
1 cup dried fruit, any kind(I like unsweetend pineapple, apricots...)

Mix all of the above in a large bowl.

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup honey
2 t. vanilla

Heat oil and honey to a rolling boil. Turn off heat and add vanilla. Pour over granola mixture and blend well. Spread on a baking sheet.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, stirring the granola every 5 minutes while baking to ensure even browning. Watch it closely as it can burn fast. For softer granola do not bake as long. This is a great basic recipe add or subtract ingredients according to your taste. You can use less sugar if you like, increase the amount of wheat germ, add flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, raisins, it's perfect for experimenting. I'm going to go make some right now.

photo: Williams-Sonoma.com

Do Not Forget to Vote...

The contenders are in, it is time to cast your vote for the next Haagen Dazs limited edition flavor. Click here to cast your vote and see the 10 flavors vying for your consideration. ( The last contest winner, Sticky Toffee Pudding, showed up at my doorstep last summer, free of charge, because they felt so sorry for me that I had moved to podunk RI.) I am trying to decide between Ginger Cashew Crunch, Caramelized Pear & Toasted Pecan, or Lillikoi Butter & Macadamia Nut. Which flavor will you choose?

P.S. Lindsey, I suggest you get in on the next contest, you would for sure win.

Chocolate Sparkle Cookies

Here is the recipe for the cookies I've been promising Liz and Michelle. The recipe comes from this bakery in Vancouver, Canada. I've never been there personally, but I've made the cookies enough to know that it would be worth the trip. They are lovely and chocolatey and rich and you don't even miss the flour. I usually buy the almond meal at Trader Joe's, but you can easily do it yourself with some almonds and sugar and a food processor(just subtract the amount of sugar added to the almonds from the recipe). Make sure the almonds are really cold when you process them or you will get almond butter, which isn't such a bad thing really.

One good thing...

This is the one good thing about living in Rhode Island so far. The Passion Heart (King David)- molded white chocolate heart filled with a fresh passion fruit and milk chocolate ganache, and the Helena (Peaches and Cream) - a peach pate de fruit layer over a vanilla ganache made with fresh vanilla beans, enrobed in milk chocolate may make life worth living here.

Fat Tuesday

I couldn't let today go by without mention of this holiday dedicated to gluttony and the worship of food. Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day...for as many names it has there are an equal amount of food traditions. In some countries they eat pancakes and have pancake races. Other countries eat split pea and ham soup and go sledding. Here in this country, I believe savory dumplings are the delicacy of choice. My favorite tradition though, happens to be doughnuts; paczki(paunch-key) to be exact. In Poland , if you don't eat at least one of these jelly- filled doughnuts on this day, things are not going to bode so well for you in life. I think the idea is to eat as many as you can. What a great holiday, no? I think I was only able to down three in one sitting. I heard tale of a certain sister missionary downing 12 at one time. I don't know if that is really true, but it's a good story. Whatever the case may be, it's a good day to stuff yourself silly.

Why I Love Julia

I have been reading, My Life In France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme. One of the reasons I love Julia so much is because she can say things like this,"...in [my] day the American housewife had to juggle cooking the soup and boiling the diapers...'if she mixed the two together, imagine what a lovely combination that would make!'" My favorite quote by far! She was so endearing. She was a master, but still humble and teachable. She was the queen of classical French cooking in America, but would never turn her nose up at a tuna casserole. I watched her on PBS every chance I had when I was a kid. She turned me onto many other cooks and showed me that cooking is cool. Cooking, while a necessary evil for some, has turned into a bit of a passion for me. I am glad to have someone like Julia to look up to and share in that passion. And I am double glad that I don't have to boil diapers.

Chalupa

These boats are known as chalupa in one Mexican dialect, or so I am told. They're quite pretty, but I want to talk about the kind of chalupa that you eat, and NOT the Taco Bell version. My good friend Misa makes a mean chalupa filling. Most of the recipes for the filling seem to have a lot in common, but what makes Misa's recipe so great is that you dump everything into the crock pot and go. Misa has to feed a family of 8 and then some, so the recipe accomodates her quite nicely. I have to pare it down and make half to feed my little brood.

3 lb. pork loin roast - browned (i didn't brown it and it was still good), you can also use chicken
4 - 15 oz. cans of beans - any mixture will do i.e. pinto, kidney, black, etc. drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-4 oz. can chopped green chilis
2 garlic cloves - minced
1 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
1 T. salt
1 t. oregano

Dump the above ingredients over the meat and mix a little bit. Cook in crock pot until it falls apart, on high for half day or low for all day. Shred with a fork and mix well. This makes a LOT, so you may want to make half. Now for the boat part. Fry up some tortillas in a little oil and place over a bowl to cool thus making the shape of a little boat. Or you can omit that step and just serve in a soft tortilla and roll it up, burrito style. Fill with pork filling and other toppings if desired i.e. cilantro, cheese, salsa, sour cream, etc. Although I have to say, these are outrageously good on their own and don't need a lot of extra fuss. Thanks Misa.

Funnies

I have this little four year old who has the funniest things coming out of his mouth. It's just the age where they are repeating every little thing they hear. I have had to turn my head and laugh silently most of the time. I often make notes of what he's said on my calendar so I can remember to tell his Dad when he comes home from work. Before I throw last year's calendar away, I want to jot these things down here so I don't lose them for good. He's growing all too fast and pretty soon he'll start making sense and then it won't be so funny anymore.

-"I am not dealing with this right now, I'm dealing with you, Mom!"

-"Try these, they're lovely." (pocorn kernels)

-"I'd be delighted to."

-"Mo-om! I am trying to concentrate on my food!" (while I was using the too loud blender)

-"Did Soph have a go?"

-"Christian's not clever enough."

-"I'm just going to snuggle up."

-"How do you take your hot cocoa?"

-"That would be successful." (anything that is a good idea)

-"Are these biscuits? I want a biscuit."(said in your best British accent)

-"Now YOU cooperate!"(said in your best Mom voice)

-"This is the life!"(on getting into the tub)

-"Can I have butter on my doughnut?"**

-"Whoever wins is me, and whoever loses is you."

-"Mom, did you say that I could say 'it sucks'?"

-"When you lick the sugar it is TOTALLY, COMPLETELY goooood." (on eating grapefruit)

The Caesar closet= The cedar closet

The Celebration Army = The Salvation Army

-"Binga Binya-ah" = Viva Pinata

-"Stunkin' " = anything bad

-On the way to the doctor one day you said, with your monster truck in hand,"If anyone wants to play with my toy then I'll just use my karate skills on them." I say,"How about you just tell them nicely that you don't want anyone to play with your toy?" "No, I'll just use my karate skills on them." Well, we go to the doctor, we wait, you play, no kids are even in the waiting room. We get checked up, we go home. On the way home it suddenly dawns on you..."Awwwwwww, I didn't even get to use my karate skills...oh man!"

and this one is from his sister, age 7 on going to New York for a visit..."You know when you're so excited that you just want to stretch and put your teeth together??!!" Yes, I know the feeling.

**my personal favorite

More Dolly

Just in case you can't get enough of her, Dolly has come out with a new cookbook. She sings AND cooks, what a woman! You can find it here. Can't you just see me and my main man singing Islands in the Stream in a karaoke bar on Valentine's Day?? Now THAT would make for a steamy V-Day for sure! Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Valentine's Day Cookies

I have what I think to be a pretty unique recipe for Valentine's Day cookies. I have sampled a lot of different kinds of cookies in my life and have never come across any like these but from my Mom's kitchen. The original recipe calls them Birthday Cookies, but I have always known them as the Valentine Cookies with the Red Hot Frosting. The frosting is what makes them really special, the color is almost a hot pink, and the taste is not like any ordinary frosting. Try them and you'll see.

Cookie:
1 cup butter, room temp.
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1 cups oats (old fashioned)

Beat butter, powdered sugar, egg, and vanilla together until creamy. Then add the dry indredients. If dough is too sticky to work with at this point, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in freezer for a few. Preheat oven to 375. Roll to about 1/4 inch thick and cut with heart shaped cookie cutters. ( My Mom uses a heart with a scalloped edge, I think that makes the prettiest cookies, I hope she wills that cookie cutter to me someday!) Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 8-10 minutes. Do not let them get brown. While cookies are cooling, make the frosting.

Frosting:
1- 8oz. package cinnamon red hot candies(a.k.a. imperial hearts)
1 stick butter
1 pound powdered sugar
water

Put red hot candies in pan with just enough water to cover them, stir constantly. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and then simmer with the butter until all of the candies are dissolved, keep stirring. This may take awhile. Take off heat and add powdered sugar and stir until it thickens just a little. You want it to be a bit runny because it will thicken as it cools. Ice cookies immediately. You can do this by dipping the cookie face down into the frosting(it is more of an icing) or with an offset spatula or knife. The icing will set up nicely on the cookie. Gotta go make some.

I will never, not ever, eat a raw oyster, ever

The other day I was talking to my husband about his dislike for lotion. He says that the greasy residue that it leaves is like lard. This immediately reminded me of the time I was forced to eat fresh, homeade lard that my host's cat had just licked. Then I was reminded of all of the disgusting foods I have ever eaten in my life. Most of these foods were consumed while living in another country and I had no choice really, but to eat or commit the ultimate offense. I am not a very adventurous eater, I love good food, but I do not consider myself a "foodie" because I refuse to eat certain things like head cheese and sweetbreads. Oysters are on that list of things I never want to try. The reason that I am so afraid of oysters is because of a little thing called kisiel. Kisiel (pronounced: key-shell) is the Eastern European equivalent of Jell-O. The only difference is that kisiel has the consistency of sputum, yet comes in a variety of different fruity flavors. Imagine my luck to be served gooseberry flavored kisiel one day. Not only was it the color and consistency of snot, but it tasted just like it too. I don't really know how I was able to get it down, because everything in my body said that this should be going up, not down. The gag reflex was in full force as I tried to stuff more cucumber and kielbasa sandwiches down with it, but it still wouldn't go (heave!). My host, seeing my difficulty asked if I would like a drink? Please, even that hibiscus tea would help get this down!!!! But what should she bring?? no it wasn't the old stand-by, hibiscus tea. How about a nice toasty mug of warm milk to wash it down?? Nothing like a little extra mucous production to help things along. I should have hid the stuff in my warm milk, but I didn't want the woman to discover it after I had left. I wanted to feed it to the dog, but he only wanted my kielbasa. My companion was having the same trouble I was, so I couldn't give her my portion. The only choice we had was to slurp it, oyster style, in one big chug. We held our breath, tried to imagine it was a big bowl of ice cream, and down the hatch. It was a fight to the finish, but we came out victorious and lived to tell about it. I have to say that it was the most disgusting or maybe most difficult things I have ever eaten. I have eaten carp that has lived in a bathtub for a few days, then cooked and served with aspic (a close relative of kisiel). I have eaten tripe, which smells and tastes like poop. I have eaten pickled herring, fresh lard, parts of meat that are usually reserved for other uses, raw octopus, grass soup, and some pretty scary things, but none of it compares to kisiel. I imagine raw oysters to be of the same texture as kisiel, so I am never eating one, ever. I know they are a delicacy. I know they are supposedly an aphrodisiac. But I am not eating one. I know I am a wimp, a lightweight when it comes to eating, I know there are those of you out there who have eaten a plethora of more adventurous (read:disgusting/unpalatable) things that can't be touched by my measly selection. So, let's hear it...what are some of the most disgusting things you've ever eaten??

Chocolate Shortbread

Today I made this. Yes, amidst all the blogging I've done today, I actually had time to bake! This is great to make when you have no eggs or vanilla in the house and need a quick chocolate fix. I didn't make the icing, it is divine on it's own or with a little melted chocolate dipped or drizzled. We cut out little heart shapes(and a sleigh for Max) when it came out of the oven and it looked so much more appetizing than the picture shown here. Warning, save some of the dough for baking, you might eat it all out of the bowl like I almost did.

Weird

Does anyone else think this story is suspicious, or is it just me? Hmmm...August wedding, May baby...I know it is possible, but it is really close, eh? Sounds pretty fishy to me.

You're It

I have been tagged, so I guess I am supposed to reveal 5 things about myself that you might not otherwise know. Here goes:

1. I am a long-time(no longer in the closet) Dolly Parton fan. How can you not love Dolly?
2. I am not an animal lover, dogs esp. scare me because they can smell the fear plus they stink, shed, sniff you, and lick you, horses also bother me, they could eat me if they really wanted to.
3. I am afraid of Jaws coming to get me, esp. if I am the only one in the pool.
4. I secretly hope my son's tarantula dies. Don't tell!
5. I secretly hope my daughter's
Tamagotchi dies and never spawns a new generation.

There you have it, now you know my secrets. I think I am supposed to tag some people now...hmmm whose secrets do we want to know??? I tag Jodi of Jodisblog, Erin of LeeLouAnn, Amanda of fancypantsmom, and the newest blogger on the block, my sister of ShaunaNaner.

The Edible Schoolyard

This is Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. I've been impressed with her efforts in The Edible Schoolyard.
I am glad that there are people like her, who see a need and make it happen.

Rhode Island-ish

My first indication that I was in foreign land was when I registered my children for school this past fall. The secretary intoduced herself as, "Mahsha". "Mahsha" I tried to repeat, not knowing if this was some mix of Madge and Marcia or Magda, better yet, how would I even spell that?? Her last name was Polish, so I assumed that was the origin of her first name too. Come to find out her name is Marcia, just plain Marcia with a New England twist. Of course! I didn't think that moving just two states away would require me to try to understand a new language, forget about speaking it, I think they can understand me just fine. Or can they? My oldest child is in third grade. The teacher was explaining words with the -AH- sound, as in lost, not, awesome...you get it...she asked the class what sound the word b-e-c-a-u-s-e makes. My son raised his hand and pronounced it like this --bee-kuhz-- Wrongo! The girl next to him raises her hand and pronounces it this way --bee-kawwwz-- Bingo! Huh? Well, then they all went to get a drink from the bubbler and then they played tag and had to run to goo or else they were out! If you don't believe me, ask my friend Lisa to tell you why she failed so many spelling tests in this great state! My first grader is having a bit of trouble in this area as well. One student in her class spells park this way p-a-k and why shouldn't she?? That is exactly how it is pronounced! We are trying to invent a new version of Hooked on Phonics for my daughter so she won't be tricked on this weeks spelling words caught and bar.

Sprinkles

I wish I could go here.

Lemon Chicken

Michelle asked for a good lemon chicken recipe. I saw this made on Food Network a long time ago and it intrigued me because it uses lemon curd, one of my favorite ingredients. It is really quick and easy to make and tastes really good. I know there are thousands of good recipes for lemon chicken out there, but this is the one I keep going back to because everyone seems to love it (even though it's from Rachel Ray and my husband can't stand her because of her striking resemblance to an ex-girlfriend!) Serve with rice, and broccoli and you've got yourself a pretty mean meal. Use a good lemon curd or you can make your own. Don't know how to make lemon curd?? Of course you do, it's the same stuff you put in lemon bars.

Landslide!

I read this book when I was a kid and absolutely loved it. I recently introduced it to my older kids and just finished reading it again and still love it. The image of these five children trapped under the earth, in a house for their entire Christmas vacation, has always stayed with me. I remember trying to imagine myself in that same situation and trying to think of ways to get out/survive. How awful! I tried to find a copy in my local library, but it doesn't seem to be in circulation any longer. I did buy a library bound copy from amazon.com for a really great price, though. Maybe you read this as a kid too?

Could it be???

Look what I saw today in the store! I kid you not, before Valentine's Day could even begin to poke its head out....the eggs are here!!!! And oh yes, I bought a tiny bag and yes, they were good. If we were lucky enough to live in the UK, we might get them year round. I saw a picture of some Christmas eggs on E-bay for sale. Because you know, Christmas and chocolate eggs go so well together. Really, chocolate eggs, if they are of the Cadbury Mini Egg variety, go with just about everything!