The Granola Goddess

Hello Sweets,

I guess all the productiveness from yesterday made for a sore body today :(  Not to mention the migraine I had was a little ridiculous, lol my poor landlord had to stop by and felt horrible.  I told her it was okay that she stopped by as I knew it was going to be quick, and that I was also going back to bed :p  Thankfully I had leftovers from yesterday, so at least I didn't have to strain to make sure I ate.  Although I haven't eaten any of it yet, but I managed to get a banana and some crackers down so far...yayyy!  I'm going to try eating some soup here soon, so let's think positively lol.

Thankfully I did make something last night after I finished my post :D  Unfortunately I forget that I didn't pick up any eggs yet, so I couldn't make any muffins.  So obviously that made figuring out another recipe a bit of a challenge, until I made a snack that is.  Probably one of my favorite snacks right now is yogurt and granola, it makes me happy lol.  So that got me thinking, why haven't I made my own granola yet?  Clearly I had no good reason, so that made my decision to make some that much easier.  I looked at some recipes to determine whether or not I had everything I needed, and although I didn't have some things I had some other interesting substitutions :)

Canuckette's Granola

Ingredients

6C rolled oats

1/4C dark brown sugar

1/2C olive oil

1/3C honey

2tsp vanilla

1/4C coconut flakes

1/2C raisins

1/2C dried cherries

1C pecans, chopped

 

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix rolled oats and brown sugar together. 

                          

2)  In a separate bowl; whisk together the oil, honey, and vanilla. 

3)  Pour over dry mixture, stirring well to coat thoroughly.

 

4)  Add in chopped nuts (and seeds if you want) at this point.

 

5)  Spread on a sprayed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.  Stir frequently (every 5 mins) to ensure even baking.  It should be golden brown when done.

 

6)  Add dried fruit and coconut once it's done cooking.

7)  Let cool on baking sheet, then break up any large pieces.  Store in an airtight container.  Stores for 3 weeks.

Not only did my house smell amazing, but it tastes great too!

Not only do you know exactly what goes into it, but it tastes a million times better because it's fresh.  You can also personalize it for everyone in your family :)  Don't like coconut, leave it out!  Big fan of flax seed, add it in!  You could even add in chocolate chips to it if you're a chocoholic.  What ever you do make it your own, that way you'll enjoy eating it.

First thing I'm doing tomorrow is getting some eggs, lol let's face it I'm going to need them.  As long as I do that the sky's the limit tomorrow!  Now to make that limitless list, a little shorter ;)  For the rest of tonight I'll be relaxing and talking to the love of my life, and if my migraine will permit it maybe a little painting too!  Until next time....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

Save the Date....for Cake!!

Hello Sweets,

I am very happy and excited to say I've had a wonderful day :D  I was worrying about somethings, but today I found out that everything will be just peachy keen and therefore I'm a happy camper.  I should have just listened to Nathan because he kept reassuring me that everything would work out, he's usually right about the things that worry me (although let's keep that between you and I ;) ).  I still have an ear to ear smile from being relieved *cue happy dance*

When I was growing up my grandmother would sometimes make date squares around the holidays, then my mom and I made a HUGE batch from Christmas a few years back.  I was craving them a few weeks ago and I decided I wanted to give them a go, thus the research began.  I only had raisins in the house and since I'm on a budget I decided they would be just as good.  I came across a recipe that looked pretty tasty (but I can't remember where I got it), and knew it would be a big hit.  A big reason I love to bake is to provide my nephew with some yummy treats, and since raisins are one of his favorites I knew this would be a hit for his little tummy.  During my research I discovered that date squares are what some Canadians call it, to the rest of the world it's called matrimonial cake.  It's not cake like at all, and I personally would not want this for my wedding dessert lol.  Don't get me wrong it's tasty, but it will never replace an actual cake.

Matrimonial Cake (aka Date Squares)

Ingredients

filling;

1 1/2C raisins (or dates)

3/4C sugar

rind of 1 orange, grated

1 1/2C boiling water (of half OJ and half water)

top/bottom;

1C butter, softened

1 + 1/4C brown sugar

1 + 1/2C all purpose flour

1Tsp baking powder

1/2Tsp salt

1 + 1/2C rolled oats

 

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 325F.  Put the raisins (or dates), rind, sugar, and boiling water into a saucepan and gently cook until it becomes a jam-like consistency.

 

2)  In a mixing bowl; cream together the butter and sugar.  

 

I accidentally melted the butter :(

3)  Then add the rest of the dry ingredients, mixing until crumbly.

 

4)  Pat half of the oat mixture into the bottom of a buttered 9" square pan.  Spread the date mixture over the base, then cover with the remainder of the oat mixture.  Bake for 45 minutes.

These are soft and chewy, and not sweet at all but I find them very filling so a small piece should do just fine.  Miguel loved them so much that I ended up sending a second little batch over with my sister, I can't say no to his little dimples!  This was the first time I've made them with raisins and I actually prefer them this way, it's a milder flavor than the dates can be sometimes.  But I still say this is not a cake or a wedding cake!!!

For a change tomorrow I will be posting a recipe that is gluten and processed sugar free O_O  It's not something I would normally make for myself but I did a trade with my mother and that's what she requested.  I did try what I made and it wasn't bad, but alas I am a flour junkie so it just wasn't the same to me.  I've also been toying with the idea of making tiny fruit tarts, but not sure what or how yet just another thought rolling around in my big ol' brain lol.  Until next time.....................................


Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxoxo

A "Spicy" Pear

Hello Sweets,

I hope you all are having a fantastic Friday, after all it's the weekend!!  I'm going to see my grandparents this weekend, and I am going to make them an offer that I'm pretty sure they won't refuse.  I'm going to offer to make them dinner a few times a week. They choose the protein and I will take it from there :)  They are the best grandparents you could ask for, so I figure it's the least I can do, not to mention it allows me to expand my cooking skills because anyone who has to cook for someone knows it can be a pain.  Not to mention my grandmother is from an English background, so she doesn't like to experiment with spices, or even stray from cooking instructions for that matter lol, and my grandfather is from Malta (close to Italy) so he is the complete opposite.  I think it will be fun, for me, for them, and it will give my readers more variety, so everyone wins!!

I know that I said today's post would have some type of reminiscence to my childhood, but since I didn't get any sleep last night, I ended up flipping through a cookbook that was given to me at Christmas from our friend Dave (you know from Impact's Views).  It's funny, every time I can't sleep I end up eating better and getting some things done, but I think a lot is that because my body never goes into rest mode so I'm burning calories that I don't really have.  As I'm flipping through the cookbook I remembered that I had pears in the fridge that I wanted to use in a new way, and I had this weird random craving for oatmeal. Then, like a sign from the kitchen gods, I flipped to the perfect inspiration:  Spicy apple and oat muffins. They even had an option to make it with pears at the bottom.  Now of course I didn't follow their recipe, but I'm not going to take complete credit when they were my inspiration for them after all :)

Canuckette's Spicy Pear and Oat Muffin 

(inspired by 1001 cupcakes, cookies and other tempting treats)

Ingredients

6Tbs coconut oil, plus extra for greasing

1C all-purpose flour

1Tbs baking powder

heaping 1/2C dark brown sugar

2C rolled oats

 1 1/2 pears, cubed

2 eggs

1/2C light half and half

1/2C fresh apple juice

heaping 1/2Tsp allspice

heaping 1/2Tsp cinnamon

heaping 1/4Tsp ginger

(I ended up omitting the salt)

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 400F.  Grease 12 cup muffin tin.

2)  Sift together the flour, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger into a large bowl.

3)  Stir in the sugar and 1 2/3C of the oats.

4)  Chop the unpeeled pears into bite size pieces (or smaller if preferred), discarding the core.  Add to the flour mixture and stir in.

5)  Place the eggs in a large bowl or container and beat lightly, then beat in the milk, apple juice, and oil.  

 6)  Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the egg mixture.  Stir gently until just combined; do not over mix.

7)  Spoon the batter into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with the remaining oats.  Bake for 18 minutes, or until well risen, golden brown and firm to touch, or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8)  Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

These muffins would be a great addition to your breakfast, or even as your mid morning snack. They aren't overly sweet and have a lovely spicy scent and flavor.  The pear recipe in the book called for pear juice but I decided to stick with the apple juice because the pears I got were sweet and I wanted to subdue that as much as possible.  This is definitely the type of recipe that can be tweaked with different spices, and you can most certainly use almost any fruit, it's the kind of muffin you can reinvent each season with the seasonal fruit.  I think I'll experiment with nuts and seeds as well, you can never have too much goodness can you?

Dave if you are reading this, thank you for the awesome gift, it is definitely getting used and has been a great source of inspiration and guidance.  Now I need to really delve into my wine course book soon, so that I can become a "wine snob" lol, not really, I just want to become more familiar with the different types of wine for when Nathan and I go out for dinner, or just to grab a bottle to enjoy by the fire :)  Life with Nathan is honestly perfect, and at the risk of sounding mushy and cheesy, I've never been happier in my life and feel very fortunate to have found my soul mate and my best friend all wrapped into one :)

So now I am going to enjoy a nice cup of tea with a muffin, do a little recipe research because I still have to dress up or "adultify" lol my childhood snacks.  Not to mention I have a bunch more fresh mint that I want to use as well.  Do any of my lovely readers have a suggestions for the mint?  I would love to hear from all of you, whether it is feedback on a recipe, a story, or even a suggestion. I'm never to busy to read comments and messages from you :)  Until next time...................


Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxo

 

Something Crisp to make the Crisp Nights Warmer

Hello Sweets,

I hope everyone had a productive Tuesday :)  I spent the afternoon with my grandparents, which is always nice, and then came home to prep for my day trip tomorrow.  Well, and of course bake something delicious! I bet you are all wondering where I'm off to for my day trip tomorrow.  I will be travelling to Toronto to see a neurosurgeon, ya not quite what you probably had in mind.  I'm looking forward to meeting this doctor, he comes highly recommended, but more importantly, to hopefully get some direction on how to manage my migraines.  I would be even more impressed if he can see where the problem is coming from.  I'll give you guys an update tomorrow.  Since I will be travelling most of the day tomorrow I won't be baking anything, but I'll have to get lunch from somewhere so perhaps I'll talk about that too!

Are you dying to know what my hearty fall treat is?  I decided to make a yummy old fashion apple crisp, with a Canuckette twist of course ;) (the twist is the cranberries and pecans).  It was very random why I chose to make the crisp; I was wandering the produce section in the grocery store looking for a new vegetable to try, when I came upon the large display of apples, all shiny and piled high.  I decided I would pick up a few and figure out what to make with them later, so of course I went home and put on my researching hat.  There are a million things you can make with apples, but as soon as I came across some apple crisp recipes, I remembered I have an old family recipe that needed to be used.  The more I thought about it, the more my mouth watered, and that was sign enough for me to know it was what was being made lol.  Let us get to this yummy recipe :)

Canuckette's Old Family Apple Crisp

Ingredients

2C tart apples, peeled and sliced (approx 3 medium)

1/2C dried cranberries

3/4C brown sugar, packed

1/2C all-purpose flour

1/2C old fashion oats (you can use quick oats)

1 Tsp cinnamon

1/2Tsp allspice

1/3C butter, cold

1/4C pecans, chopped

Directions:

1)  Place apples and cranberries in a greased 8" square baking pan.

2)  In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and allspice.

3)  Cut in butter until soft and crumbly, then add pecans.  Sprinkle over apples and cranberries.

4)  Bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes or until the apples are tender.  Of course enjoy!

It is so yummy!

This recipe is so simple and yummy, the hardest part is peeling the apples lol, but it is all worth while once completed.  The flavors of the apples and cranberries together scream fall to my taste buds, and satisfy the dessert craving without being overloaded with strong sugary flavors.  It is definitely a recipe for any level of baker, and you'll be very proud of your final product (I know I am).  Do you have a favorite fall dessert?  For those of you wondering, I did not use all four apples, I only used three and cut up the other for a snack :p

Having the day off tomorrow from the kitchen makes me feel both sad and okay, on the one hand I have to focus on my health tomorrow in hopes of answers, and on the other hand, I won't be creating tomorrow :(  But it does give me time to think about what I would like to do for Thursday, and I am thinking something along the line of simplicity (clearly I am already thinking of something lol), however it is going to be kept a secret.  

I always expect that telling the story of my health to each doctor would get easier, but it never does.  I always end up getting emotional, which makes me worry about what the doctors will think.  Nathan always tells me I'm one of the strongest woman he knows, and that anyone else in my shoes would have crumbled under the pressure.  It is very sweet of him, and I now believe it as well, but it still doesn't take away the nervousness I get each night before an important appointment.  Best thing for me to do tonight is to my range of motion exercises (exercising helps me relax), and leave it in God's hands, as there is nothing I can do other than tell my story.  Anyways that's enough talk about stresses lol. I will fill you all in on the outcome from my appointment tomorrow, and I will tell you all about my Toronto experience (there is always something lol).  Until next time.........

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

With baking there is no fail, only lessons to be learned

Hello Sweets,

 Today's post is about the lessons that can be taught to you in your kitchen, and to show that all of us, both experienced and not, can make mistakes, and not let them discourage us from doing what we love!  I chose to venture down the road of homemade bread today.  This wasn't my first attempt, but it was sadly my first fail. :(  But I will not let this discourage me.  I will attempt this recipe in the next few days, but until the success, I have decided to still post about my fail in hopes that it will perhaps not only help others, but also encourage all of you to keep trying.

So what did I try to make you ask?  Whole Wheat Honey bread, similar to what they serve at The Cheesecake Factory.  Nathan took me there on our anniversary back in August.  I had never been there before, and he thought that was crazy considering my love of cheesecake (hmmm definitely another post topic lol), and needless to say, their food was delicious!  Our entrees were savory.  Nathan had the Southeast Asian Caramel Chicken, and I had the Chicken Fettuccine mmmm good!

This part is going to sound silly, but next to their AMAZING cheesecake, was the whole wheat honey bread they bring you when you sit down.  Usually I am more partial to the white bread served in restaurants, only because a lot of restaurant's brown bread is sort of dry, but at The Cheesecake Factory, their brown bread is to die for.  Of course being the ever loving girlfriend, I have been scouring the Internet for a recipe that comes close, and I think I finally got one worthy lol, and go figure, the first time trying was a disaster.  This will not be the last time you'll see this recipe (or one close to it), as I am determined to make this delicious bread!  Now onward to my silly little catastrophe :p 

Honey Whole Wheat Bread (via Raegun Wear)

Ingredients

3/4C warm water

1/4C molasses

1 1/8C all-purpose flour

3/8C wheat flour

1/2Tbs cocoa

1/2Tbs sugar

1Tsp instant coffee

1/2Tsp salt

1/2 packet of yeast (1 1/8Tsp)

1/2Tbs oil

1 egg white (optional)

oats (optional)

Directions:

1)  Dissolve the coffee in the water.  Add yeast and let bubble.

I think this is where I went wrong, I waited but never got bubbles :(

2)  Add sugar, cocoa, salt, and oil.

3)  Add 1/2 the flour and the molasses and knead.  Continue adding flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Doesn't exactly look appealing lol

Note:  You want sticky but manageable dough.  The stickier the dough the softer the bread will be.

Definitely sticky :)

4)  Allow the dough to rise until it doubles in size.

I was hoping it would rise, but alas it did not

5)  Shape into rolls or loaf.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with oats.  Allow to rise again.

my sad little brick lol

6)  Bake at 350F for 20-35 minutes (time depends on size of roll or loaf).  To tell if it's done, pick it up and thump the underside, it will sound hollow when finished.

FAIL!!

Well alas, sadly my bread did not end up rising and stayed a small little brick of ingredients lol at least I can laugh at my own mistake! Although it didn't rise as expected, it did however, turn out to be just as delicious as the bread I used as a template, if not more. 

I hope this "fail" blog shows everyone to never give up when you don't succeed, and don't ever let that be the 'end all be all' for your kitchen excursions.  And when you really feel frustrated, pull up this blog post and laugh at my silly blunder, and give yourself the credit you deserve and try again!  Until next time.....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo