Pumpkin Butterscotch Granola Bar

Wow I've gotten behind on my blogging. Not that I've made a ton of food as of late, but these couple posts I've had in my back pocket for a while now.

I've discovered that the rate of posting per-month I do is directly correlated to how busy I am. Mid-December was my commencement date and since then I've been pretty much solidly on the go.

Now to the food....
These are actually the first granola bars I've ever made, and I was extremely pleased with the results! My only complaint was these were too sweet for my taste, so next time I'll scale back the sugar (probably not include the brown sugar at all) and update my recipe accordingly.

So! Without further ado,

Pumpkin Butterscotch Granola Bar
from Heather Christo Cooks

Makes about 20 granola bars

Ingredients:
4 cups oats
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown suga
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (recipe here)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups slivered almonds
1/2 cup pepitas (husked pumpkin seeds)
12 oz. butterscotch chips

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a 9x13x1" pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats and oil. Stir until well coated.
3. Add honey, brown sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, and salt and mix until combined.
4. Add almonds and pepitas and mix in. Then add butterscotch chips and mix.
5. Transfer granola to the prepared pan and spread evenly, pressing down with a spatula.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, then take the bars out, press down hard with the back of a spatula to compress, and bake for another 20 minutes.
7. Let bars cool completely before slicing into bars.

Optional: wrap in wax paper or parchment paper and tie with twine to keep bars from sticking to each other and to give a hand-hold

Cranberry Gingerbread Cookies

These delicious gingerbread cookies are soft will still having the gingerbread dry-texture. Enjoy with a glass of milk!

Cranberry Gingerbread Cookies
from Hy-Vee Seasons Magazine

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1.5 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In another medium (or large) bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with a mixter until smooth. Beat in molassas, egg, and orange peel.
3. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to wet ingredients, and beat until just combined. Fold in walnuts and cranberries.
4. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 7" log, wrap in plastic wrap, and refridgerate for 1.5 hours (or freeze for 45 minutes).
5. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Unwrap logs, cut into 3/8" slides, and place 2" apart on an un-greased cookie sheet (use a silicon pad if you have one). Bake for 12 - 14 minutes, until light brown on the bottom. Lightly sift powdered sugar over cookies.

Hard Cider Sweet Potato Bisque

Filling yet so fresh. I really enjoyed this soup, and garnished it with my baked pumpkin seeds!

Hard Cider Sweet Potato Bisque
from Bakeaholic Mama
serves 6

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
1 large yellow onion, quartered
2 small apples, peeled and cored
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs butter
4 cups vegetable stock (or chick'n)
1 bottle hard cider
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 cup cream

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until tender.
3. Meanwhile, add onion, apples, garlic, and butter to a large pot over medium heat. Saute until apples break down and onions are translucent.
4. Add stock, cider, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Simmer on medium-low heat until potatoes are finished baking.
5. Once potatoes are cooked and have cooled enough to handle, cut down the middle and scoop our the flesh. Add to the pot.
6. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), blend soup until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cream and serve.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

This was one of the main dishes in Sunday brunch, and it was absolutely delicious. Make sure to make the cream cheese syrup to go with it!

Carrot Cake Pancakes
from Cooking Classy

Ingredients:
1.5 cups finely grated carrots (about 3 medium)
1 cup buttermilk (or substitute)
3 Tbs. sugar
1 cup flour
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 recipe Cream Cheese Syrup (recipe here)
chopped pecans, to garnish

Instructions:
1. In a medium airtight container, whisk together grated carrots, buttermilk, and sugar. Cover container and refridgerate overnight.
2. Heat 2 skillets over the stove on medium heat (or a non-stick griddle to 300F).
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, oil, and vanilla extract. Add egg mixture and carrot mixture to flour, and whisk until just combined.
5. Butter the skillets and pour on 1/3 cups batter onto each, and slightly spread batter out. Cook until bubbles begin to form and bottom is golden brown, then flip, and cook until opposite side is golden-brown.
6. Serve immediately with syrup and garnish with chopped peacans.

Apple Almond Granola

This makes SO much granola, but it's delicious. I prefer it without the salt, and I would like to play around with it temperature and cooking time wise. I think lower temperature for longer, or perhaps taking it out and stirring ever 10 minutes would help it so the inside and outside of the pan is more evenly distributed with crispiness.


Apple Almond Granola
from Anecdotes & Applecores

Ingredients:
1 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts (or peacans), choped
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, flakes or shredded
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup almond butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1.5 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt (optional)
1 cup dried apples, chopped

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 300F.
2. In a large bowl mix together almonds, walnuts, oats, coconut, and flax seed.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over oat mixture and stir together with a large wooden spoon or spatula.
4. Divide between 2 cookie sheets, and spread into a thin, even layer. Bake for 30 - 50 minutes, until desired crispyness is achieved. (I only cooked mine for 30 minutes, and the edges started to burn by then)
5. Once removed from the oven, stir in the apples and allow to cool completely before storing in a container.

Tomato Chutney

Tomato Chutney
from Cup of Sugar/Pinch of Salt

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 bay leaves
pinch of cloves (ground)
pinch of cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, chopped
salt and pepper
5 large tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. sugar
pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:
1. Heat oil on medium heat in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add bay leaves, cloves, and cinnamon to the pan. Then add garlic and saute until fragrant (30 secs), then add onion, garlic, and black pepper and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add tomatoes, sugar, and some more salt to the mixture, stir to combine, and cover for 5 mintues.
3. Take the lid off, cook for another 5 minutes stirring occassionally.
4. Remove bay leaves, pour the mixture into a blender, add the pinch of nutmeg, and blend until mostly smooth.

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie
adapted from flourishing foodie

Ingredients:
1 pre-made pie crust
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups (15 oz.) roasted pumpkin
12 fl. oz. evaporated milk
(1 cup. heavy cream, 1 Tbs. vanilla sugar for whipped cream if desired)

Instructions:

If using real pumpkin:
1. Pre-heat oven to 325F (160 C), cut into 1" or 2" cubes, removing skin, and place in baking pan (with 2 inch lip). Cover with foil, and bake for 90 minutes, or until meat is tender.
2. Into blender, take pumpkin chunks out of oven-pan, removing from the liquid that has separated during the baking and blend. Then pour puree into paper-towel lined colander, and press until liquid does not surface to the top.

3. Pre-heat oven to 400 F (205 C).
4. Butter pie/tart pan, and lay dough into the pan, and trim excess. Freeze for 20 minutes.
5. In medium bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cloves.
6. In large bowl, beat eggs with whisk. Add pumpkin puree and sugar mixture and whisk.
7. Slowly add evaporated milk, and whisk until all ingredients are combined.
8. Pour pumpkin filling into pie crust. In small bowl, whisk 1 egg white and 1 Tbs. water. Brush crust with egg wash, then cover crust with tin foil.
9. Cook for 15 minutes at 400 F (205 C), then reduce heat to 350 F (175 C) and cook for 35 minutes.
10. Remove pie from oven, remove tin-foil, and cook for last 15 minutes at 350 F (175 C).
11. Let pie sit for 2 hours before serving.
12. Beat vanilla sugar and heavy cream until desired consistency, and serve with pie.

Baked Oatmeal

This was an awesome, simple recipe that took only getting out of bed in the morning early to do (you can always go back to bed and wake up the the house smelling like cinnamon rolls : ))

Note: If I were to make again, I would add twice as much cinnamon sugar. As is, it was nicely flavored, and not too sweet. This allowed me to drizzle some of my dulce de leche over top without it being too much.


Baked Oatmeal
adapted from Pattycake

Serves: 4 large servings, 6 smaller servings

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)
2 eggs beaten
4 T. cinnamon sugar
1 c yogurt
2/3 cup milk
3 cups old-fashioned oats
dash of salt
1 1/2 t. baking powder
optional: 6 sliced dried dates

Instructions:
1. Combine everything in a bowl, and spread evenly in a cake pan.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight.
3. In the morning, preheat oven to 350 F.
4. Bake for 40 minutes.

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

The local breakfast place in my hometown recently went out of business, much to the dismay of many. They were famous for serving free cinnamon rolls to whoever came in. So, on their last day of business, my family patron-ed there and got several dozen cinnamon rolls to take home. I took a few back up to school, yet I never got around to eating them. Thus, my cinnamon roll bread pudding was born!

Just a note: These I took with my fancy new camera tripod, and they came out awesome! Helps even out the shakey-hand-ness. : D

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding
loosely adapted from moms who think

Ingredients:
2 small cinnamon rolls
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 T. butter
2 T. brown sugar

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cut cinnamon rolls into 6 pieces, and place each into a small ramekin.
3. Place milk and butter in a small sauce pan, and set over low-medium heat, until just melted together.
4. Cream egg and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a bowl.
5. Slowly combine the milk mixture with the egg/sugar mixture.
6. Pour the liquid mixture evenly between the ramekins.
7. Bake for 40 mins.

Apple Dessert Pizza

My brother came up for the weekend, and I asked him if he wanted pizza. He said yes, and we went to the local pizzaria. While there, he wanted a slice of dessert pizza. $2.50 a slice! Outraged and unwilling to pay such fees, I told him, I will make you a dessert pizza. And here it is. : D

Turned out deliciously. Took the leftovers to a party the evening I made it and it got good reviews.


Apple Dessert Pizza
from cooks.com

Ingredients:
2 9-inch pie crusts, uncooked
6 or so apples
1 cup sugar, divided
3/4 cup flour
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 cup butter

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Roll out pie pastry into a circle to fit on a pie pan.
3. Core apples, and cut into thin slices (1/4" thick or so). Layer on top of pastry.
4. Combine half sugar with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and pour evenly over apples.
5. Combine flour, remaining sugar, and butter. Mix together until a nice grainy paste is formed.
6. Layer as evenly as possible on top of the apples.
7. Bake for 40 minutes making sure not to burn the dough on top.