Granola Tip

Oh world, are you out there?? I know I am the only one who posts quite frequently on this, but sometimes I wonder if I am merely talking to myself. :)

So I have been making Lisa's (my loving sister, who mainly we started this blog to share our recipes together several states apart instead of emailing) Maple Granola with white chocolate chips and cranberries and it is super addicting!! I was watching the Food Network & Sunny from Cooking For Real made granola and added 2 whipped egg whites. So I did a little research online and came to discover that you can substitute the oil or butter for egg whites to help it clump together more. My hubby loves granola for breakfast cereal. He took a big bag of this granola to work, but left it in his car accidentally. He came out to find the chocolate chips melted it together in clumps and said it was absolutely heavenly. I have yet to try it that way, but have been adding the egg whites after I stir in the maple syrup. You have to whip them quite a bit with a whisk to get the desired effect. I have tried it 3 times thus far and this last time, I whipped them for quite a while and finally got it clump really well.

Cinnamon Cream Syrup

If you are looking for a homemade syrup - this is fantastic!!!!

Cinnamon Cream Syrup

1 cup sugar

½ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup water

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ cup whipping cream (heavy cream)

In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, water and cinnamon. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over a moderate heat; boil for two minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cream. Cool at least 30 minutes. Syrup will thicken as it cools.

Syrup may be refrigerated for several months.

Maple Granola

3 C rolled oats
1/2 C unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 C flaked coconut
1/2 C wheat germ
1 1/2 chopped nuts ( almonds, pecans, walnuts ) I used walnuts but almonds are my fav
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t kosher salt ( I lessen the salt to this amt.)
4 T (1/2 stick ) unsalted butter or canola oil
1/3 C pure maple syrup ( I didn't have any but it's better to use the real stuff )
1 t vanilla
1 C chopped dried fruit ( cranberries, raisins ) If you use raisins cover them with water and microwave until plump. This way they are soft in the granola not hard. Trick works well.

Preheat over 350*
In a large bowl, mix tog the oats, seeds, coconut, wheat germ, nuts, cinn, and salt.

In a small saucepan melt butter in the maple syrup over low heat. Stir in the vanilla. Add to the oat mixture. Add 2 T water and stir until well combined. Spread the granola evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake for 25 - 30 min. stirring at 10 min intervals ( very!!! important )
Remove from oven and cool.

For a yummy valentine mix that looks cute and festive I like to add white chocolate chips with the craisins and/or another mix that I really like is peanut butter and chocolate chips with almonds.

Enjoy!

Mini Corn Dogs

These were probably my most popular item even though I thought the tamales were the best out of everything. I saw the recipe on Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee and they just looked so fun! They would be great for a kid's birthday party, but start early if you are making them for the first time, then reheat them a little. You want them to be crisp, but you don't want to be cooking while everyone is already there like I was. Also, I made Tammy's homemade honey mustard, but added a few tablespoons of BBQ sauce and it makes that Chick-fil-A sauce, yummmm. Also, I need to find a oil thermometer that actually won't break as the oil gets hot enough, but if you don't fry that much like me, just know that after the oil gets hot from you putting it on high, turn it down to low so you won't burn your dogs!

Mini Corn Dogs with Sweet & Spicy Relish

Ingredients:

For Relish:

nocoupons

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup pickled hot peppers, diced
• 1/4 cup pickled sweet peppers, diced

For Corn Dogs:

nocoupons

• 1 egg
• 1 (8.5-ounce) package corn muffin mix
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 package cocktail franks
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 20 (6-inch) wooden skewers

Directions:

In a small bowl combine ketchup and pickled peppers. Mix well and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine egg, corn muffin mix, garlic powder, onion powder and milk. In a separate shallow dish add flour. Insert wooden skewers half way into cocktail franks.

Heat oil to 375 degrees F in a deep-fryer. Dredge each cocktail frank in flour, dust off excess then dip into cornmeal batter. Fry 2 to 3 corn dogs at a time for about 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with the relish.

Homemade Honey Mustard

My husband loves the honey mustard from Wendy's so I knew I had to find a way to make it so that we weren't always going to Wendy's...for the chicken nuggets of course, but also to actually get some honey mustard. Many of you may already know how to make your own honey mustard, but for those non-experimental, basic condiment users like me, here is the recipe I found (It was in video form here.):

1 part yellow mustard
1 part honey
2 parts mayonnaise

Like the video suggested, I did 1/4 C mustard, 1/4 C honey, and 1/2 C mayonnaise. We used French's yellow mustard, Kroger clover honey, and Best Foods Olive Oil Mayonnaise.

I think it turned out great and is so tasty with chicken nuggets and corn dogs. My little guy likes to dip his fingers in it and eat it that way. I stored the leftovers in a little tupper in the fridge and it's been great. If you only want a small amount then halve what I did. Let me know if you like it!

Blueberry Smoothie

A couple weeks ago we went blueberry picking and got this recipe for a smoothie. We tried it this morning and it was delicious!!




2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt
1 ripe banana
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup orange juice
ice (we added this ourselves to make the smoothie a little more thick - so just add as much as you want or feel free to leave it out)

Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. Enjoy!

Thai Basil Hummus

I had this last night at dinner group and loved it. So I thought I'd share it, for us hummus lovers.

THAI BASIL HUMMUS
1 (15oz) can garbanzo beans
2 Tbs. peanut butter
2 cloves garlic, roasted
juice and zest of 2 limes or one lemon
1/4 c fresh basil leaves, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
a couple pinches of salt
pepper to taste
1/2 c EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

In food processor combine roasted garlic, garbanzo beans, ad 1.2 of liquid from can of beans. Blend.

Add peanut butter, basil, zest and juice of limes or lemons, cayenne, salt, pepper. Blend.

Drizzle 1/2 c EVOO while blending.

Let flavors blend in fridge for a few hours.

The world is better when there is hummus among us.