Wheat

It's wheat harvest time, which marks the end of normal meals as we know them. When my husband gets in from the farm and I get in from the garden, etc. (well after dark) -it's all we can do to have a sandwich, salad, or bowl of cereal. Nothing blog-worthy, for sure.

Apparently wheat harvest also marks the end of other good things. . .
The Busy Bistro (our favorite restaurant in Quincy) closed last Friday and the little grocery store in town quit selling glass bottled milk from a local dairy. Clearly, these things are not actually related to wheat harvest, but they did coincide with the timing. I'm bummed.

We did have a nice, causal dinner on our deck Saturday night (before wheat harvest madness began) - BBQ chicken drumsticks, green bean gremolata (recipe coming soon), salad, French bread, and chocolate marscapone cupcakes.

Until wheat harvest is over - or until it rains - we'll be enjoying our fast and easy late night meals (I'll try to make something fun for the 4th of July).

I love fresh mozzarella . . .

. . . but it doesn't keep very well (at least in my experience), so I'm always looking for new recipes that include fresh mozzarella. I'm practically addicted to [my version of] insalata caprese, so I have fresh mozzarella on hand almost all the time during spring and summer.

My insalata caprese is something like this:
2 parts grape tomatoes (sliced in half) to 1 part fresh mozzarella (cubed)
add fresh basil (chopped), if available - use basil from a tube (Gourmet Garden) if not
drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar
sprinkle with sea salt

There are a few shows on the Food Network I really like - Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa and Everyday Italian with Giada DeLaurentiis. The other recipe featured here is Giada's Crostini Alla Romana. I have to be honest: as much as I like Everyday Italian, I did not love this recipe. It had to do with the prosciutto - either I had bad prosciutto . . . or I should have roasted the prosciutto to get it crispy before using it in this recipe. I'm not exactly sure. I think I'll keep looking for another fresh mozzarella recipe I like as much as insalata caprese!

Barefoot Bloggers: Chicken Parmesan

Wow, why haven't I made this before? That is exactly what I was thinking when I sat down to sample my Chicken Parmesan - the latest Barefoot Bloggers recipe. It was simple and quick, and best of all - my husband liked it . . . lemon vinaigrette and all! Kudos to the Barefoot Contessa for another great recipe (and to Barefoot Bloggers for making me try something new).

I loved the lemon vinaigrette on the salad - but next time I'll either use a little less dressing or avoid topping any of the chicken with the salad . . . it made the top a little soggy by the time I took pictures and finally tasted it. Nevertheless, this makes a perfect weeknight meal!

Parmesan Chicken
4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil
Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

Recipe from The Barefoot Contessa - Family Style, courtesy of The Food Network

Garden Update

Quick garden update: I have a mole . . . causing quite a lot of damage. Strawberries, zucchini, peppers, corn, and more have fallen victim to the mole. As soon as I can find that little rodent, I'm going to kill it! I bought poisonous worms and mole repellent . . . but I'm having a few issues: a) I don't want to expose my garden (or our dog) to a lot of chemicals and b) I can't figure out which tunnels are the most recent . . . they're everywhere! Help!

The plants not destroyed by the mole are doing pretty well:

My largest pepper









Basil









Tomatoes (grape & others)

perfect summer dessert or breakfast

This berry parfait originally started as strawberry panzanella, as seen on 101 Cookbooks. I intended to make the panzanella (a bread salad). . . but after sampling the delicious brown sugar-glazed cubes of bread, I didn't have enough bread to make panzanella! Just kidding - but they are really good! Inspired by a breakfast dish on my recent trip to Aspen, I decided to add blueberries and raspberries, which led me to a parfait rather than the panzanella.

Here's what I think is a perfect dessert - or breakfast - for summer:

Fruit Panzanella Parfait
1 dense, hearty loaf of bread (16 oz.), cut into 1-inch cubes
(really tasty if it is multi-grain and includes seeds/nuts)
3/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 to 1 1/2 pint strawberries, washed and quartered
optional: 1/4 cup sugar
blueberries and raspberries to taste
1 small container plain (or vanilla) yogurt

Leave bread out, uncovered, overnight. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add brown sugar and salt to butter and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add bread cubes; toss to coat. Pour coated bread cubes onto a rimmed baking sheet (I suggest lightly greasing or using non-stick spray on the baking sheet); bake 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until pieces become golden brown and crispy.

Mash half of the strawberries with a potato masher (or fork) to make a sauce. Add sugar, if using (my suggestion: use sugar if serving for a dessert; skip sugar if serving as breakfast). When bread cubes cool, layer bread, yogurt, strawberry sauce, sliced strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Alternate layers as many times as serving dish allows. Top with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.

I think this recipe could easily serve 4-6, depending on serving size (and how many strawberries and bread cubes you snack on during preparation:).

Mmm . . . this is my kind of fruit salad!

Barefoot [Contessa] Bloggers: Pasta, Pesto & Peas

A couple of weeks ago, I joined a new blogging group - the Barefoot Bloggers. The name of this blog has created a little confusion among my friends . . . "barefoot - as in barefoot in the kitchen and . . . . . ?" Uhh, NO! Let me clear this up: Barefoot as in "The Barefoot Contessa." You know, Ina Garten's show on the Food Network? That kind of barefoot.

Now that we have the barefoot issue cleared up, on to the recipe: Pasta, Pesto, and Peas. If I were assigned to give this recipe a tagline, it would be "perfect for spring." It was a perfect accompaniment to a warm evening, a bottle of white wine, and a good group of friends. I recommend inviting several friends, actually, because this recipe makes several servings. The four of us barely put a dent in the bowl and we weren't eating light. You can keep the leftovers covered in the refrigerator overnight, but I found it to taste the best immediately after preparation.

Pasta, Pesto, and Peas

3/4 pound fusilli pasta (I used penne)
3/4 pound bow tie pasta
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 cups pesto, packaged or see recipe below
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups good mayonnaise (you could easily use less, and/or possibly substitute light mayonnaise)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
1/3 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to12 minutes until each pasta is al dente (I cooked all the pasta together at one time and it turned out fine). Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignolis, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature. 8-12 servings

I used store bought pesto, because our [rural] grocery store didn't have fresh basil and the basil in my garden isn't ready yet. If you would like to make it from scratch, here is the recipe:

Pesto:
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Recent Acquisitions

I might have mentioned this before . . . I have a little bit of a cookbook obsession. There are worse things, right? Here are my most recent acquisitions:

The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper
I love this book. LOVE it. I don't always agree with the "political" positions, and certainly don't support some parts of their activism, but I can overlook those things. The recipes are great, the information is interesting, and it is beautifully designed. First things to try: ribbons of greens salad; the 65-degree egg; retro garlic bread; black pepper honey steak; and greenbean gremolata.

The Most Decadent Diet Ever
Unfortunately, between gardening and low-carbing, I haven't actually made any of Devon Alexander's recipes yet, but they look amazing - in fact, it's hard to believe it's a 'diet' cookbook! On my list: warm brie chicken breast sandwich; chicken enchilasagna; Godiva brownie sundaes; and peach shortcake. Did I mention this is a diet book? I keep forgetting.

Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals
Simple, yet sophisticated, quick recipes. I found this book in the bargain bin - Sara Moulton probably wouldn't be glad to see it there, but I was! I might not have noticed it on the regular shelves of Barnes & Noble or in the cyber-depths of Amazon. Some of the things I intend to make: quick asparagus lasagna; exotic mushroom pot pie; two-melon, prosciutto, and feta salad; and pineapple flambe.

The Fifth Taste
(hint: it's all about umami)
Okay, this cookbook, with recipes from '25 of America's Best Chefs,' doesn't actually belong to me. It's borrowed from work . . . but I'm still excited about trying out some of the recipes, such as: maxed-out meatloaf; asparagus salad with roasted peppers and shaved parmigiano-reggiano; green bean tempura; and truffle mac and cheese.

The Dean & Deluca Cookbook
My mom brought me the Dean & Deluca Cookbook recently. I remember wandering around, mesmerized by all the gourmet foods, in the Dean & Deluca in Kansas City every time we visited during my high school and college years. Although mom and I agree the book is a little dated, it has good basics. The only downside: no desserts. Not that I need any more dessert recipes . . .
On Memorial Day, I made the deep fried onion rings. They were so fantastic, we ate the whole batch and then decided to go on a temporary low-carb diet to make up for it. Now that we're eating carbs again, I'm definitely going to make the panzanella. You'll know I've turned into a true gourmet food snob when I start making recipes like terrine of foie gras and galician-style octopus. While that is highly unlikely, I know this book will be a good reference for classic recipes for years to come.

This is My Future Food

Welcome to my garden.









Please ignore the weeds and the untidy edges. It is the first garden I've ever planted . . . I have about 20 gardening books . . . it looks as if I should read less and weed more!

So far I have planted spinach, tomatoes (grape, beefsteak, early girl) bell peppers (several varieties), zucchini, snow peas, carrots, green onions, corn, strawberries, and sweet potatoes. I still have more things to transplant and plant. I also have some container plants, including several herbs. And I'm going to plant a big patch of pumpkins and ornamental corn (in a separate location). I'm a little behind. The weather has been uncooperative and the books don't really address how to fix the weather.

Despite the weeds and the planted-too-late plants, I'm pretty pleased with my garden.





I was beyond excited when I discovered this pepper!








Mmm . . . spinach . . . do you think this is ready to eat?




So now you know why I haven't been cooking and blogging as much . . . I've been reading and weeding. That and I decided to eat low carb for a week or two, which has completely zapped all motivation to cook. Don't worry, the low carb thing won't last long. First, I don't think it is sustainable for me . . . and second, I'm going to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen (wooooohooooo!) the middle of this month! No way am I going to obsess over avoiding carbs at the Food & Wine Classic!

Although I'm not inspired to cook much right now, I bet my trip to Aspen - and garden fresh vegetables - will probably get me back on track!

Ladies and Gentlemen . . .

We have TWO winners! That's right - not one Beef Month recipe contest winner, but two!












We have a very scientific method for picking winners when I have a blog contest . . . I write each name on a little piece of paper, put the paper in a bowl, and hold it up in the air for Ken to draw out a name (or two). So congratulations Megan and Erin - you will both receive a copy of The Healthy Beef Cookbook! (Erin - please e-mail me your address . . . Megan - I'll deliver yours)

Make sure to stock up on beef - you'll need it when you see all the healthful, delicious recipes in your new cookbook!

Final Beef Recipes

If you're looking for a new way to use ground beef, look no further! Three of the last four 'May is Beef Month' entries I received are tried and true, family favorite ground beef recipes. The contest is now closed, which means it's time for me to enlist help and draw for a winner . . . which will be announced by the end of the week!

In the meantime, enjoy these great beef recipes:

Dawn entered Green Onion Casserole

1 lb. ground beef, browned
Add: 1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 clove garlic
16 oz. tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
oregano and parsley, to taste
Simmer 15 minutes

Mix together: 1 cup sour cream
3 oz. cream cheese
6 green onions, chopped

Cook 8 oz. noodles as directed on package.

In a baking dish, layer - noodles, meat, sour cream/cheese,
& repeat. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

. . . and Italian Beef

5 lb. boneless chuck roast
2 tbsp. basil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tbsp. oregano
2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. salt
5-6 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups water

Place roast in a heavy pan. Add spices and water. Cook on low for 3 hours (or until done). Alternatively, can be prepared in Crock Pot on low for approximately 8 hours.

7-Layer Casserole comes from the recipe files of Lee Ann

1 cup uncooked rice
1 16 oz can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp seasoned pepper
1 beef bouillon cube
3/4 cup boiling water
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper, optional
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbls bacon bits

In 2 quart casserole, layer in the following order:

Rice mixed well with corn, half the salt and pepper, bouillon cube and boiling water
Half of tomato sauce that has been mixed with Worcestershire sauce and Italian seasoning
Chopped onion and green pepper
Uncooked ground beef and remaining salt and pepper
Remaining tomato sauce mixture

Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes

And last but not least, Angie's Swedish Meatballs

2 lbs hamburger
2/3 cups rice
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk

Mix all together and shape into balls (I usually make them about the size of a golf ball or a little bigger -- using a scoop like from Pampered Chef)

Sauce

1 t. salt
1 t. chili powder
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c vinegar
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1 cup catsup
1 cup water

Bring sauce to boil, pour into baking dish (9x13). Add meatballs. Cover. Bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees

Beef Month Contest - still time to enter!

The "May is Beef Month" contest entries I have received so far include:

Melanie entered The Ultimate Beef Stroganoff

Erin entered Sesame Flank Steak

Sarah entered her mom's vegetable (with beef!) soup

Bethany entered "Haystacks"

1 lb. ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg fridge biscuits
1-2 pkgs shredded cheese

Brown ground beef and drain grease. Return to skillet and add cream of mushroom soup. Mix in well. In a greased 9x9 pan, lay out biscuits to cover bottom and halfway up sides of pan. Pour in beef and soup mixture. Cover completely with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is slightly golden and biscuits have started to brown on edges(about 20 minutes).

My mother-in-law does this in a muffin tin. It looks really neat, but takes longer. I didn't have a muffin tin when I started doing this, so I had to modify! Now we call it a haypile!

E-mailed recipes include -

Megan's Kraut Burgers:

Filling:
2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 head of cabbage (shredded)
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef and drain. Add cabbage, salt and pepper. Cook until cabbage is tender. Set aside while you make the dough.

Dough:
2 C. warm water
1 tsp salt
1/3 C. oil
1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 packages yeast
6 1/2 - 7 1/2 C. flour

Beat together water, salt, oil and sugar - add egg and then yeast, let dissolve. Add flour and knead until smooth. Put in an oiled bowl and let rise until double in size.

Once risen, pull off a small amount of dough and roll out. Add meat mixture and form the dough around it. Put the seam side down on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown (approx. 20 minutes). These freeze really well.

If you have left over dough, make cinnamon rolls! Roll out into a rectangle. Butter the top liberally and sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Roll, cut, and bake at 350 degrees.


Gary's Mustard Roast Beef

1/4 cup apricot preserves
2-4 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
2-3teaspoons reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon crushed caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon crushed black or mixed peppercorns
1 boneless beef sirloin tip roast, fat trimmed (about 2 pounds)

Mix all ingredients except beef in bowl. Spread on meat. Place meat on rack in roasting pan. Roast at 350 degrees to 140 degrees for medium or 160 degrees for well-done....30 to 45 minutes. The spicy coating makes this roast beef extra juicy and flavorful. 8 servings


And this entry, from my mom (this makes me smile, so I included the whole e-mail):

Here is my recipe. Wish I knew how to post it on your blog - another lesson needed!

Barista Burgers

1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
¼ c minced onion
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
5 T soy sauce
5 T honey
1 1/2 t freshly grated ginger
For a spicier burger add ¼ t of Emeril’s Essence or Bayou Blast

1. Preheat a grill. In a large bowl, blend the ground round, ground chuck, onion, garlic, soy sauce, honey, Emeril's Essence and ginger.

2. Shape the mixture into six patties. Grill to taste. Serve on sourdough buns with lettuce, tomato and onion.

These are just the best hamburgers ever. Since I already own the [Healthy Beef] cookbook I’m sharing it just because I love the recipe.

Thanks to my wonderful daughter for the cookbook and the Best Food Writing 2005 - where I got this recipe to begin with.

If you Google "barista burger" you can get the article and the recipe in case you lose things like I do.

(Like most people in her generation, learning to use new technology is sometimes a challenge . . . but I'm pretty impressed that my mom has caught on to the ubiquitous use of Google! Oh, and the barista burgers - it's definitely worth your time to read the story behind the burgers - and try them for yourself!)

Need to Be(ef) Inspired?

Aren't the new BEEF ads awesome? They definitely inspire me to cook a steak. I hope they will inspire you to enter a recipe in my Beef Month recipe contest, which ends Friday. I'm giving away a copy of The Healthy Beef Cookbook . . . just leave a comment or e-mail me at kenzie[dot]d[at]gmail[dot]com to share your favorite beef recipe and you'll be entered to win. Even if you recipe is very simple - as in "put steak on grill, cook until medium" simple - that is fine, go ahead and enter! The Healthy Beef Cookbook is definitely worth the few minutes it will take you to post a comment or send an e-mail!

tiger cake: a shout out to my alma mater

The University of Missouri's College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (CAFNR) has a new alumni page on their website. This is relevant to Kenzie's Kitchen for two reasons - first, because I'm a CAFNR grad . . and well, I'm the author of this blog; and second, because the new page has links to alumni blogs, including mine! How cool is that? Of course, a tiger cake is only appropriate to celebrate the new alumni page.

Tiger Cake
From Alice Medrich's Bittersweet

Ingredients:
1/2 cup natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup flavorful extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
5 cold large eggs
1 cup cold milk


Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 to 12-cup Bundt pan (or used two 6-cup loaf pans, lined with parchment).

In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa, sugar, and water together until well blended. Set aside.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt thoroughly and sift together onto a piece of wax paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl (with the whisk attachment if you have it), beat the sugar, oil, vanilla, and pepper until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat until the mixture is thick and pale, 3 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and add one-third of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until blended. Stop the mixer and add half of the milk. Beat just until it is blended. Repeat with another third of the flour, the remaining milk, and then the remaining flour.

Pour 3 cups of the batter into another bowl and stir in the cocoa mixture. Pour one-third of the plain batter into the prepared tube pan (or divide it between the loaves) and top with one-third of the chocolate batter. Repeat with the remaining batters. Don't worry about marbling the batters-that happens beautifully during the baking.

Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes for either the tube pan or loaf pans. Cool the cake in the pan(s) on a rack for about 15 minutes. Slide a skewer around the tube pan or slide a thin knife around the sides of the loaf pans to release the cake(s). Invert the pan(s) and invert again, setting the cake right side up on a rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Note: Natural cocoa powder is a must here. Dutch-process adds an unpleasant taste because it reacts with the leavening and the olive oil in the cake.
(Recipe from Bittersweet by Alice Medrich)

Fun facts:
1. Did you know that alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother?" Hmm . . . Mizzou as a nourishing mother???

2. In modern language, alma mater is a term of academia, used in place of the college or university one graduates from. It is from the motto "Alma Mater Studiorum," from the oldest continually-operating, degree-granting university in Europe - the University of Bologna, in Italy. (How did we survive without Wikipedia?)

3. Dutch-process cocoa is alkalized, creating a milder flavor, but also destroying the flavonols (good-for-you antioxidants) in the process. Dutch-process cocoa is good for hot chocolate, but natural cocoa powder is typically better for baking because it retains more chocolate flavor and does not react with other ingredients.

4. I worked for the Mizzou Athletic Department while I was in college . . in the skyboxes at Faurot Field. This is where I learned to "plate" desserts using chocolate, caramel, and raspberry syrup . . . a skill I haven't used since. Bonus fun fact: Mr. Meat and Potatoes played football at Mizzou until he tore a ligament in his knee - ouch!

Go Tigers!

May is Beef Month!

And what a better way to celebrate than to give away a copy of the Healthy Beef Cookbook?














All you have to do to enter is post a comment (or e-mail me at kenzie[dot]d[at]gmail[dot]com) with your favorite beef recipe. Entries are due Friday, May 23 at 5:00 p.m.

For more information on Beef Month, visit the Missouri Beef Industry Council's blog, and then grill a steak or burger and celebrate Beef Month!

[Kind of] Homemade Granola Bars

My husband acts like a crazy person in the spring. In addition to farming, he has been getting up at 4:00 a.m. to go turkey hunting. When I get up a few hours later, I always find remnants of his breakfast left in the kitchen. Pop Tart wrappers, the plastic from a package of vending-machine-type-cinnamon rolls, or - on a good day - a bowl that contained Lucky Charms. I have to admit that if I got up at 4:00 a.m., I would be so disoriented there's no telling what I might consider a good breakfast, but . . . seriously, I thought it was time for him to have something a little more nutritious for breakfast.

I was looking through an old copy of Everyday with Rachael Ray (getting ready to throw it away) and found a recipe for No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars - perfect. They're portable, so he can even eat one while he's driving [to the farm where he hunts], and I had control of the ingredients. This certainly isn't a health food recipe, but I think it's a big step above Pop Tarts.












Granola Bars

4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 cups granola (without fruit)
1 cup Rice Krispies
Your choice of add-ins:

I added:
Almonds, flax, wheat germ, and peanuts to the base recipe. I topped some bars with chocolate chips, some with fruit (dried cranberries and golden raisins), some with pretzel stick pieces, and left some plain.

Other options:
Coconut, pecans, walnuts, raw sunflower seeds, raisins (or any type of dried fruit), peanut butter chips, etc.

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, and butter. Bring mixture to a boil over medium to medium-high heat; lower to medium-low heat and simmer until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Add granola, Rice Krispies, and sturdy non-melting ingredients (nuts, fruit, pretzels, etc.) to the saucepan; stir until ingredients are evenly coated. Add flax and wheat germ at this point, if using. Transfer to 9x13 ungreased baking pan and press firmly to fill pan evenly (or use 9x9 pan for thicker bars). Press in toppings (chocolate chips). Refrigerate for 15 minutes to help set bars, then cut to desired size.
3. Optional: Once bars are cut, place on parchment paper and label each variety; cover; cross fingers and hope husband will eat granola bars instead of Cap'n Crunch in the morning. If not, consider incorporating Cap'n Crunch into granola bars next time. Just kidding. Kind of.