crunchy granola.

A few months ago I was disappointed to learn that the homemade granola I'd been buying at the market was no longer available. So today I made a batch that comes close ... almost. The only thing I need to figure out is how to make it more cluster-y, if that makes any sense. But it tastes great.

Crunchy Granola

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup mixed nuts & seeds (I used sunflower seeds, walnut pieces and slivered almonds; if I had sesame seed I would have added that)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
generous pinch of salt

Mix together thoroughly (so all the nuts and oats are coated with the sweeteners), then spread on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment.

Bake 10 minutes; stir. Bake 10 more minutes; stir. Again, 10 minutes and a stir. I gave it another 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the granola was a deep and even brown (total baking time 30 to 35 minutes). When you stir, be sure to gather the well-browned bits on the outer edges of the pan and scoot them inward so it all browns evenly.

Remove from oven; cool. Stir in 1 cup of mixed dried fruit of your choice.

please, enough with the pears already.

In the Mooth household, we have a serious pear problem: three -- count 'em, three -- deliveries of Harry & David pears within the space of about three weeks. We have 14 pears, and two people. Clearly, too many pears.

Pears are fine (and truly, these pears are delicious), but we're not huge winter-fruit eaters, and with only two of us, we just don't go through them quickly enough. (Plus, Rob has a little, erm, issue with them, which I won't go into here.)

So, what to do with all the freakin' pears?

Cocktail maestro that he is, Rob found in the Diffords Guide a recipe for a cocktail made of pear puree. So into the blender will go several of these blushing beauties. I'm a fan of sliced pears wrapped in proscuitto for a nice snacketizer. So that'll take care of another one. A recipe for salad of grilled chicken, blue cheese, red pepper, diced fennel and diced pear in a spicy cayenne-pecan dressing will no doubt be on the menu for Monday. And perhaps a pear crisp might need to happen.

Please, Harry & David, do not send any more pears. Ix-nay on the ears-pay.

cookie baking, part 1.

Yesterday was Cookie Baking Day 2008; I mixed up four different kinds (some of which I'll share with my delightful co-workers during our annual homemade gift exchange this week). I'll wait to post the recipes for the ones I'll be sharing (so the HOWgirls don't know what's in store), but there's one batch I. Most. Definitely. Will. Not. Be. Sharing.

No, no. These are mine. They taste like Mom's crunchy caramel frosting--nutty, buttery, caramel-y. I used sea salt, and the coarse grains didn't dissolve and integrate into the dough, so you get this delightful pop of salt in random bites. They definitely require a glass of milk, though they were just as nice with an espresso for our dessert last night.

Brown Butter Shorties from Smitten Kitchen:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (preferably dark)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (flaky salt would be great in these)
Demerara sugar (Sugar in the Raw) or sanding sugar for rolling (optional)

Cut butter into four or five pieces and cook butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it has a nutty fragrance and flecks on bottom of pan turn a light brown, anywhere from 4 to 7 minutes. It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning. Transfer butter to a bowl and chill until just firm, about 1 hour.

Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, then mix in flour and salt at low speed until just combined. Transfer dough to a sheet of wax paper or parchment and form into a 12-inch log, 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Chill, wrapped in wax paper, until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Unwrap dough and roll it in coarse sugar, if using, and press the granules in with the paper you’d be using to wrap it. Slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, arranging 1 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until surface is dry and edges are slightly darker, 10 to 12 minutes. Let sit on sheet for a minute before transferring to a rack to cool.

feelin' groovy.

Several things are brushing away the gloom of this cold, rainy spring Sunday: A bunch of ranunculus I bought at Findlay Market yesterday, a batch of chocolate-chip-granola-butterscotch-chip cookies, and a sleepy dog.


Yesterday, I took advantage of my energy for doing round-the-house projects (and Rob's absence, since he went to help Team Major Taylor at the Little 500 in Bloomington), and got the side porch all put together: vacuumed cushions, washed the faux-wicker furniture, got out the rug, assembled my glass-jar-and-sand candles. It was nasty cold, and there's no chance of using the porch in the next couple of days. But the weather's due to turn nice later in the week, and I wanted to have it all ready.

snow day.

For the first time in memory, I have a grownup snow day. Like a schoolkid, I was glued to the TV this morning, watching the list of closings crawl across the bottom of the screen. There it was: F+W Publications: Closed. Hallelujah!

Rob left for the office a few minutes ago (boo!). So, what's on tap for the day? Let's see: Wrigley's upstairs having his post-breakfast nap. Giada's on the Today Show. I'm going to make Bill's Focaccia (recipe below).

A layer of ice (thanks to a full day of soaking rain yesterday, followed by below-freezing temps overnight) has settled over everything. The sun is just coming up, and the scene is right out of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." The highest branches are sparkling, and the dogwood in my window is shimmering. Two female cardinals (out for coffee and conversation) just landed in the upper branches; they're all puffed up to keep warm (sorry, girls). Assuming I can get Wigs out for a walk, we'll venture out this morning with our camera.

But first, the focaccia needs to go in the proofing drawer for a couple hours. This is very simple to make, in spite of the complicated-looking directions.

Bill's Focaccia
1 package yeast, dissolved in about 1/2 cup warm (110 degrees) water with a pinch of sugar and flour
4 1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (ish) more warm water
salt to taste (I start with 1 teaspoon -- the dough should taste slightly salty, but not too much, because you'll salt the top before it bakes)

Dump the flour and olive oil in the KitchenAid (dough hook). When the yeast is bubbly in the water, add that to the bowl. Start the mixer; as the dough starts to come together, add the salt. Add the warm water carefully (not too much); the dough should be firm, smooth and just barely sticky. Knead it in the KitchenAid for 3 or 4 minutes until it's really smooth.

Take the dough out of the bowl, shape it into a round, and put it back in the bowl; pour a bit of olive oil over the top, turn the dough over in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until it reaches the top of the bowl (a couple of hours).

Pour some olive oil into either a quarter- or half-sheet pan (depending on how thick and puffy you want it; I like using the quarter size). Dump the dough out into the pan and let it rest for 20 minutes or so. With lightly oiled fingers, press, push and stretch the dough to roughly fill the pan. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and put the pan in a warm place to rise again. Bill says the dough should be jiggly when you put it in the oven (this takes an hour and a half or two hours, depending on the warmth of your rising space).

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Before baking, gently dimple the dough with your fingers, then pour some olive oil over it (the oil should settle into little pools). Generously sprinkle with coarse sea salt and coarse-ground pepper (you can also top it with fresh rosemary, a sprinkling of Parmesan or whatever you please). Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until it's nicely golden.