Don't Fear The Sprouts, Man!

So, I'm trying to eat locally and in season.  A bit of a challenge for someone who likes to plan way in advance for meals, like me.  But kind of fun, too.  Anyway, most recently this lead me to brussel sprouts.  They are apparently in season right now.  Or so I've been told.  Here is a recipe that even the kids will tolerate.  A little.

Bacon Brussels


15-20 fresh brussel sprouts
3 slices bacon (I like center cut because it's way less fatty)
olive oil
salt
fresh ground pepper
Splash or two of Balsamic Vinegar

Cut the bottoms off of the brussel sprouts.  Hang onto the leaves that fall off in the process.  Put the rest of the bulbs in a food processor and pulse briefly.  I have a small processor, so I had to do this in several batches.  But the idea is to just chop it up a little.  You'll  have a lot that's pretty shredded, but then still some big chunks, and the leaves that you set aside earlier.  While you're doing this, throw the bacon on a large skillet and cook it to whatever level you like your bacon.  Remove to cool.  When you're done, put  all the sprout pieces in the skillet.  If you used normal bacon you can either drain the grease first and then use olive oil, or you can cook the sprouts in the bacon grease.  My bacon didn't really leave any grease in the pan, so I poured a little olive oil over the brussel sprouts and tossed the mixture.  Saute all this for 5-8 minutes.  You want them to stay tender crisp.  Meanwhile, chop the bacon.  Then salt and pepper the brussel sprouts to taste, splash in the vinegar, and finally top with the bacon.

I think it would also be yummy with Parmesan cheese and/or toasted pine nuts. But I haven't tried either yet.

Give The Gift of Granola

So, someone at my house thinks it's weird to give granola as a gift.  But every time I've gifted this granola, the receiver asks for the recipe.  You decide.

Great Gift Giving Granola

4 C. old-fashioned oats (very important!  Don't use quick oats!)

1 C. wheat germ

4 T. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 C. Nuts & Seeds (I used sunflower seeds, pepitos, and ground flax)

1 C. Dried fruit (I used sweet cherries, wild blueberries, and orange cranberries)

1/4 C. maple syrup

1/4 C. honey

6 T. Canola oil

2 T. water

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Combine oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, salt, and seeds in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Combine syrup, honey, oil, water, and almond extract in a small saucepan.  Heat to a simmer over medium heat.  Stir really well, then pour over dry ingredients.  Combine the two mixtures thoroughly.

Pour into two 9x13 pans (I think it bakes better in glass than metal pans) sprayed with cooking spray.  Place in 275 degree oven and bake for 35 min.  Add dried fruit, stir, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until it's browning.  It will crisp up a little more as it cools, so don't over bake it.

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

I don't know if this is cheating, but Weston and I just made a DELICIOUS recipe from his mom's blog. You can click here or just paste the following into your browser for the recipe:

http://neverboredrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/02/chiles-rellenos-casserole.html

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Christmas Candies

Here are three recipes for Christmas Candies that take no time to make and are so yummy!


Christmas Fudge


Combine in a glass bowl
1/2 of a cube of butter
1/2 of a cube of margarine
3 cups of milk chocolate chips
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
Microwave for 5 minutes and stir until smooth. Pour into an 8x8 pan and let set about 3 hours.

I have done lots of different variations of this and I have never had it fail. Using all white chocolate chips is tasty but very soft-using semi sweet is not as smooth and of course tastes like dark chocolate but is still really good. Or, Try combining milk and mint chips together for a chocolate mint heavenly combination (I've heard of others using Andie's candies instead of the chips for this one). I also have used all butter or all margarine and still had it be successful but perfect calls for the above mix. I also line a 9x13 pan with foil and pour my fudge into that-bringing up the sides to make a nice brick then I can lift it out of the pan after its set and put it on a nice tray for serving if I'm taking it to a party or something. Enjoy!

Peanut Brittle

Combine in a Glass Bowl

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup

Mix and cook on High in microwave for 5 min

Then Add
1 cup peanuts

Mix and cook for 2 min on high

Then quickly Add

1 TB butter
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon vanilla.

Mix quickly and pour onto a butter cookie sheet. Spread it around, but don't spread it so thin that their are holes in the mix. Let it cool for several min. When hard, break into pieces. Enjoy!


Christmas Clusters

In a double boiler on the stove or a glass bowl in the microwave combine one package of chocolate chips and one package of butterscotch chips. Melt together until smooth.

Then add 1 cup of peanuts and two cups of Chinese noodles (the crunchy kind) and mix together.

Using a small cookie scoop, place scoops of clusters onto cookie sheets. Let harden in a cool place. Remove from cookie sheet and try not to eat them all at once. :) Place uneaten clusters into a ziplock and store in the fridge until later.

Merry BAKING!

Love-Mel

No Hassel Pizza Dough and Sauce

1 1/2 cup warm water
3 tsp. Yeast
1 tsp. sugar

Combine and allow 5-7 min of fermentation time.

Then Combine with:

3 3/8 cup Flour
1 tsp Salt
1tsp red pepper flakes
1tsp Italian seasonings
1/2 tsp thyme

Roll out. Put sauce and toppings on. Cook at 450 for 10-15 min (ovens vary so check after about 10 min)


PIZZA SAUCE

8 oz tomato sauce
6 oz Tomato Paste
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp. sugar

Combine all ingredients really well and use on your pizza.

YUMMY!!!

Pumpkin Bars

I got this recipe from my s-i-l Cody and made some last night- delicious!

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 2/3 c. sugar

1 c. oil

1 1/2 - 2 c. pumpkin

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

Mix together. Spread batter in ungreased 15x10x1 in. baking pan. (*I think the cookie sheet I used was bigger than that, but it worked.) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min. (*Since my pan was bigger, I only needed to bake it for 22 min.) Cool completely and frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. softened butter or margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. powdered sugar

Mix cream cheese and butter with beaters first. Add vanilla and powdered sugar.

THE BEST pancakes you'll ever eat in your life.

Classic Buttermilk Pancakes

3 Tbs. unsalted butter; more for serving
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
Vegetable oil for the griddle
Pure maple syrup for serving



Heat the oven to 200°F. Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove and set aside to cool briefly.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk and eggs. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk gently until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated; stop before the batter is evenly moistened. Add the cooled melted butter and mix just until the batter is evenly moistened (there will be lumps). Let the batter rest while you heat the griddle.

Heat a griddle or a large skillet over medium heat (or set an electric griddle to 375°F) until drops of water briefly dance on the surface before evaporating. Lightly oil the griddle. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the griddle for each pancake, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Let cook undisturbed until bubbles rise to the surface and the edges look dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Check the underside of each pancake to make sure it’s nicely browned; then flip. Cook until the second side is nicely browned, about 1 minute more. Transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you repeat with the remaining batter.