Smitten Kitchen Thick and Chewy Granola Bars

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats (if gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oats)
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (use more for a sweetness akin to most purchased bars; use less for a mildly sweet bar)
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruits and nuts (total of 10 to 15 ounces)*
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (I used peanut butter) (optional)
6 Tablespoons melted butter (may be able to substitute canola oil for some or all)
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup (I used maple syrup)
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup (I used dark because that’s what I had and it was fine)
1 Tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry (and peanut butter, if you’re using it) until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of wax paper can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. [Updating to note, as many had crumbling issues:] If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan of them further in the fridge for 30 minutes which will fully set the “glue”, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried pples or even chocolate chips. Deb’s mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1 cup dried cherries, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes. Deb says “Because my pieces were all pretty coarse, I pulsed them in the food processor a few times to break it up a little, though this isn’t necessary if you don’t mind yours chunkier.”

Kristin’s mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1 cup dried tart cherries, 1 cup whole almonds. I did not break them up in the food processor.

To Try: Christmas Fettuccini

From simplyscratch.com. Thank you, John!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

• 3/4 pound dry fettuccini noodles
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, finely minced
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled & finely minced
• 1 large roma tomato (2 if small), seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc)
  I will substitute 2 T white balsamic vinegar
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• minced fresh parsley, for serving
• torn basil leaves, for serving
• chili flakes, for serving

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, sauté shallot and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the diced tomato and cook until the tomato starts to caramelize on the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Deglaze with wine and simmer until the wine is reduced by at least half, about 2 to 3 minutes. (Or add white balsamic vinegar and cook and stir for a minute or so.)

Once the water boils add the pasta and cook following the package directions.

To the sauce, add the butter and cream, stir until melted and creamy. Add the parmesan cheese and stir until melted. If the sauce gets too thick, add a little pasta water. Taste and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Immediately add the cooked fettuccine to the sauce and gently toss to combine.

Serve with more Parmesan, parsley, basil, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt.

To Try: Nancy Kaplan’s Nut Cake Ring

1 cup butter
2 and ¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 and ¾ cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (can go a little heavier if you want like maybe an extra 1/4 cup).

Prepare in the usual way you would a cake! Cream the butter and sugar together and then add the liquids. Mix the dry ingredients together. Combine it all together. Best to use a cake mixer for a couple minutes.

Bake in a greased tube pan at 375 degrees for about 45-50 minutes…. until it passes the usual tests for doneness!

 

Orange Icing

¾ stick butter
¾ small can of frozen concentrated orange juice (which I believe to be 4.5 oz…. they don’t do small cans anymore it seems)
¼ teaspoon salt
confectioner sugar to the right consistency, standard butter cream, easy to spread (which I measured once to be about 4 cups and 4 heaping tablespoons)

The icing also comes out better if you use a mixer on it.

 

Movies to watch

Thanks to Attaboy Clarence!, and The Secret History of Hollywood, two absolutely marvelous podcasts.

Blonde Crazy

The Body Snatcher
SJPL Link+ Recommended!

The Canary Murder Case

Cat People (1942)
SJPL Link+  Recommended, especially after listening to The Secret History of Hollywood: Shadows – The Val Lewton Story  9-7-19

The Devil-Doll (1964)
SJPL Link +  Recommended!  Really quite well done.  9/7/19

Doorway to Hell (1930)

The Ghost Ship
SJPL Link+ Recommended!

I Walked With a Zombie
SPJL Link+ Recommended!

It’s Love I’m After
Recommended!  Quite funny and the always-terrific Eric Blore gets a lot of screen time.  8/2019

The Leopard Man
SPJL Link+ Recommended

The Man with Two Faces
SJPL Link+ Requested 10-11-19

The Murder Man

Night Has a Thousand Eyes

Night Key

The Roaring Twenties (rewatch)
5 Stars.  Cagney & Bogart!  SJPL Link+ 9-2-10

A Slight Case of Murder
SJPL Link+ Requested 10-11-19

Stand-In

Supernatural (1933)

 

 

 

Roast Pork Loin

Pat pork dry with paper towel. Salt & pepper the roast.  Place roast in a shallow pan and roast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes per pound, until internal temperature on a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees. Remove roast from oven; let rest about 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

Just for fun: Disneyland & California Adventure Food Reviews

Grand Californian Hotel Storyteller Cafe Character Brunch
Can be a madhouse but lots of fun for kids and those who like to see the characters.  The lines can be long but the food variety and quality are good.

California Adventure:  Flo’s V-9 Cafe
Fin-Tastic Tuna Sandwich has onions mixed into the tuna which my son didn’t care for but I enjoyed it.

Ramone’s Low & Slow Club was tasty.

Sean enjoyed Flo’s Famous Fried Chicken.

California Adventure:  Pacific Wharf Cafe
Anna enjoyed her Loaded Baked Potato Soup in a Sourdough Bread Bowl

Turkey Pesto Club sandwich was great, and the sourdough bread was so fresh and delicious.

Order ahead on the app!

California Adventure:  Ghirardelli Soda Fountain
Same delicious quality as the original in San Francisco. You can’t go wrong here!

Disneyland:  Hungry Bear Cafe
Crispy Fish Sandwich was fantastic.  The House Slaw’s main ingredient is kale, and it was great on the sandwich.  Choose fries for your side.

Order ahead on the app!

Disneyland:  Blue Bayou
We splurged on dinner and I was completely blown away by how good the food was.

Fried Calamari is our family’s favorite appetizer and this one, while not the best we’ve ever had, was quite good.  The addition of Hen of the Woods Mushrooms was delicious.

Sean and Sam enjoyed the Bone-in Ribeye.

The Surf & Turf (petite filet with cabernet sauce, split lobster tail, spicy potatoes au gratin and green beans and zucchini) was excellent.  I didn’t bother eating the potatoes, which were nothing special, but everything else was spot on.

Nearby:  Marri’s Pizza & Pasta
1194 W. Katella Avenue
Good pizza, friendly staff.

 

Lime Cake with Blueberry Filling

filling:
2  1/2-pint baskets blueberries
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

cake:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (spoon lightly and level off)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
2 sticks salted butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 eggs at room temperature
1 1/3 cups lowfat buttermilk
zest of two limes

frosting:
1 stick salted butter, softened
scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
zest of one lime
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
3  1/2 cups powdered sugar, run through a sieve, 1 cup at a time
blueberry filling to reach desired color/flavor
up to 1 Tablespoon milk, cream or buttermilk to reach desired consistency

For the filling:
Combine berries, sugar, and lime juice in a small heavy saucepan.  Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Reduce to 3/4 cup, stirring occasionally and mashing berries coarsely with a fork, about 15 minutes.  Chill filling uncovered until cold, about 30 minutes, or overnight.

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place oven rack in the center position.

Spray two 9″ cake pans with cooking spray, line with parchment circles.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Cream the butter, canola oil, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.  Scrape down the bowl.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Scrape down the bowl.

Add the lime zest.  Alternate flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 stages each, mixing just until combined.  Scrape down the bowl.  Divide batter evenly between pans, tap pans firmly on the counter to remove air bubbles.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with no wet batter on it (crumbs are okay).

Place cake in pans on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.  Turn out of pans and cool right side up on wire racks.

For the frosting:
Cream the butter until smooth.  Add the lime juice, lime zest and salt and beat thoroughly on low.  Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.  Add blueberry filling, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, as needed to achieve desired color.  Add more milk, cream or buttermilk, 1 teaspoon at a time, as needed to achieve a soft and spreadable consistency.

Assemble the cake:
Place one cake layer right side up on your cake stand or cake plate.  Spread half the frosting over the layer, letting it stick out past the edges a bit.  Spread the filling over the frosting. Place the second layer on top, right side up, centering it over the first layer.  Frost with the remaining frosting.

Storing:
Store covered at cool room temperature for up to three days.  Refrigerate for longer storage.

Sweet 16 and Fantastic 14 Birthday Party

July 1, 2018

mint water

Swedish Neighbor Cake

homemade vanilla ice cream

Chocolate Ice Cream

Significantly modified version of a recipe in Sweet Cream & Sugar Cones.

4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup Baker’s sugar
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa, measured then sifted
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup non-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks with half the sugar.

In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, combine the cocoa powder with the other half of the sugar.  Whisk in about 1/4 cup of the milk to make a paste, adding a little more of the milk as needed to make it smooth and uniform.  (If you add the milk all at once, the cocoa will be lumpy).  Whisk in the remaining milk, the cream, and salt and put the pan over medium-high heat.

Continue with the method as described in Vanilla Ice Cream

Sam’s Tuna Salad

1 small carrot
1 can tuna
mayo

Wash the carrot.
Peel the carrot.
Grate the carrot with the fine grater (the one with the black handle in the crock).  If it’s a big carrot, grate half of it.
Open the can of tuna.  Press out the water with the lid and give the water to the kitties.
Using a fork, get the tuna out of the can and into a small metal bowl.  Break up the tuna with the fork.  Add the grated carrot and stir it up.  With a large silverware spoon (but not a serving spoon) get a spoonful of mayo and add it to the bowl.  Stir it up.  Make a sandwich with it, or scoop it up with crackers or corn dippers.  Yum!