By far my best granola

As I indicated the first time I posted a granola recipe, I have been experimenting with granola. But I haven't been posting those experiments. Probably because I'm lazy. The recipe I am posting today is by far my favorite. I've done several variations of it and it just keeps getting better. This last time, I let it bake for a bit longer, so it ended up crunchier and WOW. It's awesome. But I have to say it was good softer, too. I just love homemade granola.

Here is the basic recipe (with parentheticals explaining exactly how I made it this time), but feel free to modify by putting in different nuts or dried fruits.

Preheat oven: 300.

In a really big bowl, combine:

5 c. rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick)

2-3 c. raw nuts (I put in about 1 3/4 c. chopped walnuts)

1 c. raw sunflower nuts

3/4 c. flax seed (some use sesame seeds here)

In a saucepan, over low-medium heat, combine:

3/4 c. applesauce

1/3 c. maple syrup (or brown rice syrup, or barley malt syrup)

1/4 c. honey

2 T. canola oil

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

1 t. salt

I let this sauce mixture simmer for a little, while stirring continuously.

Pour the sauce over the oat mixture and stir well.

Spread granola mixture over large cookie sheet. If you don't want to have to do two separate batches, you can use two baking sheets and just rotate them when you take them out to stir the granola. I have done it both ways.

I usually set a timer initially for 10-15 minutes before I take out the pan to stir the mixture for the first time. You can do whatever time allotments you want, as long as your total baking time is about 30-40 minutes-- depending on how brown/crunchy you want yours to be.

After it's done, I put in a bag of dried cranberries.

Store in a big airtight container and enjoy it every morning. My guilty pleasure is putting a little half and half in after I fill my bowl with milk. Creamy goodness.

Pumpkin Spice Bagels and Maple Nut Spread

I love pumpkin. I love bagels. And what better combination could you have?

Note: This recipe is also available for those have a bread machine. I do not, and so did it the good old fashioned way. If you do and want me to send you the other version, let me know!

Pumpkin Spice Bagels

2/3 water (110-115 degrees)

1 pkg. (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1 t. salt

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

3/4 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. allspice

1/2 t. ground cloves

3 c. bread flour

1 egg white

2 T. water

1 T. cornmeal

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water.

Add pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, and spices; mix well.

Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough. (For me, this was just under 3 c.)

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.

Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hr.

Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface.

Shape into 9 balls. Push thumb through centers to form a 1 inch hole.

Stretch and shape dough to form an even ring. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, flatten rings slightly. Fill a pot with water and bring to boil. Drop bagels, two or four at a time, into boiling water. Cook 45 seconds per side.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Whisk egg white and water. Brush over bagels.

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and a dusting of cornmeal. Place bagels 2" apart on prepared pan.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Maple Nut Spread

1 carton (8 oz) spreadable cream cheese

3-4 T. maple syrup (I say 3-4 because 3 definitely wasn't enough for my taste)

1/8 t. cinnamon

1/4 c. finely chopped walnuts, perhaps toasted

Beat it all up. Serve with delicious pumpkin spice bagels. Swoon.

Ginger Spice Cookies

There are some recipes that are nearly perfect and you have to make them several times a year because they're that good. This is one of those recipes--it is the perfect fall cookie--tastes like a ginger snap, but it's soft and chewy and buttery. It's really to die for. The original recipe was from Bon Appetit. I modified the recipe to include a little less shorting and a little more butter, and less cloves. Enjoy!

Ingredients
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger (optional, but it's really good)
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
• Sugar for rolling

Preparation
Combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Mix in crystallized ginger. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, shortening and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add egg and molasses and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and mix just until blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 2 baking sheets. Spoon sugar in thick layer onto small plate. Form dough into 1 1/4-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat completely. Place balls on prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies until cracked on top but still soft to touch, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets 1 minute. Carefully transfer to racks and cool. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Apple pear butter

2 lbs. apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 lb. pears " "
3 c. sugar
Juice of one lemon
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

I brought it to a boil and then cooked it over medium heat in a 5 qt. pot until the liquid dropped off a spoon in thick, heavy drops. I then pureed the mixture in the blender.

It's pretty sweet, so I might cut some of the sugar in the future (maybe by 1/2 c.?). I think it would be good on ice cream, too.

Butternut Squash Soup

I love love love love fall food—soups and bread and cider, oh, my!

For the lovely Meg's shower today, I made butternut squash soup. It turned out quite tasty. I've cobbled it together from a few different recipes, and we think it's the bomb shizzle.

Ingredients:

For squash:

1 very large butternut squash (or two smaller ones)

Melted butter, kosher salt

For base:

3 Yukon gold potatoes

3 large carrots

1 large parsnip

6 c. chicken stock (more as needed to get soup to desired consistency)

All the rest and so forth:

3/4 c. heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

Kosher salt and cracked white pepper, to taste (these are the sort of things I don't measure, and add until it "tastes right," an amorphous and unhelpful description, I know)

about 1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg

1 Tbsp. honey (a good squeeze from the plastic bear is usually good)

1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar

1/2 tsp. truffle-infused baslamic vinegar (available at Caputo's . . . optional but delicious)

1 tsp. lemon juice or more if you like more acidity

A pinch of pimente d'espelette (or cayenne if you can't find the pimente d'espelette)

Directions:

1) Set oven to 400 degree F. Peel raw butternut squash with a sharp vegetable peeler. Slice off top and bottom to make it easier to stand up. With a very sharp knife, cu in half along the middle (not horizontally; you want two large round cylinders). Cut bottom half (the large, rounded base) in half down the middle. Scoop out the seeds. Cube into one-inch chunks.

NOTE: This is a bit more labor intensive and requires a very sharp knife. You can alternatively just cut the squash in half (so you have two open halves like a sandwich) and roast it that way and scoop out the flesh. I prefer the first method because it means not having to try to handle the fiery hot squash to get the flesh out.

Place the squash on a parchment-lined jellyroll pan (or I use my Silpat—makes cleanup a breeze). Brush with melted butter and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Roast in the oven for an hour.

2) Meanwhile, back at the ranch, get the rest of the veggies going. Peel and finely chop the potatoes, carrots, and parsnip. Barely cover in chicken broth in a 5 qt. pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until the veggies are soft but not mushy. (By the time I've prepped the veggies, the timing with them finishing cooking is usually around the time the squash is done).

3) When the squash is done (soft, but not blistered), add to the rest of ingredients. Slowly add the cream. Puree using either a stand blender or an immersion blender until very smooth. Add stock as needed to reach your desired consistency. I like it fairly thick, but feel free to mix around with what worked for you.

4) Add the seasonings and feel free to tweak them to suit your tastes. If you like a sweeter soup, add more honey and cream. The white pepper has a slightly sharper taste and looks better than black pepper because it blends in (no little black speckles). Black pepper will work just fine, though. Fresh ginger tastes a lot better in this soup, but it doesn't take very much.

5) Serve warm and swirl in a bit of a finishing-grade olive oil into the individual bowls. Now put on your fuzzy slippers and curl up with some David Sedaris.

Goat Cheese and Spinach Quinoa

1 ½ cup quinoa

1 T olive oil

1 T Butter

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

½ cup white wine

1 lb spinach

4 oz goat cheese

Parmesan, parsley and lemon zest for garnish

Directions

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine metal sieve until your water turns clear.

2. Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Sauté spinach until tender. Set aside.

3. Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender. Add garlic and cook for one minute.

4. Add quinoa, wine and cayenne pepper. Cook until the wine is almost evaporated, stirring frequently.

5. Add enough broth to cover quinoa. Simmer uncovered over medium low heat. Add broth as the liquid absorbs and stir frequently. Cooking quinoa will take about 15 minutes

6. Stir in spinach in last two minutes of cooking.

7. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper and 3 ounces of the goat cheese. Stir.

8. Crumble remaining goat cheese, parsley, lemon zest and parmesan over the quinoa.

For the love of all that is good in this world

make THIS.

Make it. Tonight. And revel in its deliciousness.

I want more and I am stuffed. You know that's a good sign.