Honey-Almond Granola

I liked this granola recipe in that it was super simple, and used butter instead of oil.  I like to do that sometimes for a change of flavor.  I added some cinnamon to this.  This recipe is no longer available on the original website I got it from, for some reason.

Honey-Almond Granola

adapted from here, although no longer available
330 g (4 cups) rolled (old-fashioned) oats*
80 g (1 cup) sliced or whole almonds
80 g (1 cup) shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt
100 g (1/3 cup) honey
60 g (1/4 cup) butter
60 g (1/4 cup) water

1.  Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F).  In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, almonds, coconut and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter and honey. Stir until they no longer separate then add the water. Pour honey and butter mixture over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Combine until absorbed.

2.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the granola mixture evenly.  Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven after 10 minutes and turn the granola.  If not browned enough for your liking, leave in the oven, watching carefully, until done.  When cooled completely, store in an airtight container.

*Can be made gluten-free with the appropriate oats.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

White Chocolate Biscoff Blondies

I loved, loved, loved these.  I was on a brownie kick before, making a few different kinds, including these Chocolate Biscoff ones, which were also really, really good.  These White Chocolate ones, pictured above, tasted great and had a perfect texture; nice and dense and chewy.  Loved them.  Will have to make them again.  And, Biscoff!!

White Chocolate Biscoff Blondies
adapted from Picky Palate

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup Biscoff Spread

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray an 8×8 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Add 3/4 cup white chips and let sit for 1 minute. Stir until smooth, if needed place back over very low heat to melt through.  Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

3. To the butter mixture in the saucepan, add flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Stir in 1/2 cup white chips then add eggs and biscoff. Stir until well combined. Transfer to prepared baking dish, spreading evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through. Let cool completely then cut into squares. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.  Makes 12 servings

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Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

This was a hearty and satisfying chowder.  It combines broccoli-cheese soup and potato soup, while adding some extra veggies in.  I had to make it when I saw it!  The soup turned out a little too thick for me, so I'll include some changes in the recipe, below, like omitting the cream and adding an extra cup of broth.  

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

adapted from Cooking Classy

5 1/2 Tbsp butter, divided
1 1/3 cups chopped carrots (about 3)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 small)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 1/2 cups peeled and cubed russet potatoes, cut 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick (2 large)
3 cups chopped broccoli florets (from about 1 large head)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups milk (preferably 1% or 2%)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1/3 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese (1 oz)

1.  In a large pot over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp of the butter. Add carrots, celery and onion and saute 3 - 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Stir in chicken broth, potatoes and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and cook 15 minutes. Stir in broccoli and cook 5 minutes longer or until veggies are tender.

2.  Meanwhile, melt remaining 4 Tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, whisking constantly 1 minute. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour in milk (whisk well until no lumps remain). Cook stirring constantly until mixture begins to gently boil and thicken. Remove from heat and once all veggies are tender pour into the soup and stir. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar and parmesan cheese until melted. Serve warm. If soup thickens too much, add extra milk to thin.  Taste for salt.  

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Mozzacado Sandwich

 This is a great sandwich idea I got off TheKitchn.com.  It's just good bread (or a roll), fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, avocado, and salt and pepper.  So simple, but so much flavor!!  Just be warned: this sandwich is super, super messy.  I think sliced bread would be less messy than a roll, but I only had rolls on hand when I made this.  I can't wait to make this with local summer tomatoes!

Mozzacado Sandwich

adapted from The Kitchn

Serves 2

4 thick slices sourdough bread (or two good rolls)
1 avocado
1 small ripe tomato
4 thick slices whole milk mozzarella
6 to 8 fresh basil leaves
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.  Lightly toast the bread. (My roll was fresh from the bakery, so I didn't toast.)  Meanwhile, smash the pitted avocado with a little salt and pepper (add a squirt of lemon juice, optional). Spread a thick layer of smashed avocado on the warm bread.

2.  Layer the cheese with the basil and tomato over the avocado.  Make two sandwiches, slice, share with someone you love, and enjoy!

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Biscoff Swirl Brownies

I LOVED these brownies.  Well, what's not to love?  They contain a ton of butter, are a perfect brownie texture, and are topped by lots of Biscoff spread!!  The whole fam loved these.  It snowed again last week, and I made these during all the snow.  It came down for hours, but didn't stick until about 30 minutes before I had to leave the house.... of course.  I'm not very used to driving in snow, but it wasn't that bad this time.  

Biscoff Swirl Brownies

adapted from Unsophisticook

3/4 cup salted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Biscoff Spread, melted

1.  Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Line a square 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper or give it a coating of baking spray (I did the spray and didn't bother with parchment.)

2.  Melt the butter on the stove top in a sauce pan. Whisk in sugar and cocoa powder, and then stir in vanilla extract.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs well, and then whisk in the chocolate mixture until well combined. Stir the flour into the chocolate mixture until just combined.

3.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Melt Biscoff Spread in the microwave (10-second intervals) and drizzle over the top of the brownie batter. Use a clean butter knife to swirl the Biscoff Spread into the batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22-30 minutes. Cool on a wire cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

We recently enjoyed Chicken Cordon Bleu when my mom made it for us around Christmas time. (My 8-year old especially enjoyed it!)  When we got back home, I was inspired to make this recipe I'd had pinned forever, but never made.  This is a nice recipe in that you can prepare it in the morning, stick it in the fridge, and then bake when you're ready to eat.  You can also use rotisserie chicken.  Here in Italy, the chickens are so small that I used two for this recipe.  If you have huge American chickens, one is probably enough.  (Always simmer the carcass with some veggies and herbs to make a great broth after removing the meat!)  

The original blog has this just served as-is, but I thought it was weird not to put it over rice or something.  So we had it over rice, and I loved it!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

adapted from Full Fork Ahead

1 whole cooked chicken, bones removed, meat diced or shredded (like rotisserie chicken, should have 5-6 cups)
1/2 pound very thinly sliced deli-style honey ham, rough chopped
1/4 pound thin sliced baby Swiss cheese

For the sauce:
4 tablespoons butter*
4 tablespoons flour
3 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the topping:
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Cooked Rice, for serving

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.  Put cooked shredded or diced chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Rough chop the ham and scatter it over the top of the chicken. Lay the Swiss cheese on top of the ham.

2.  To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. When butter is melted, quickly stir in the flour to form a smooth roux.  Once the roux is smooth and bubbly, slowly pour in the cold milk while stirring briskly to make a smooth sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Stir in the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, smoked paprika and white pepper. Bring sauce just back to a low boil and turn off heat. Pour sauce evenly over the casserole, being certain to get some of the sauce around the edges of the pan.

3.  To make the topping: Melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove, turn off the heat, and stir in the panko bread crumbs, pepper, and crushed dried parsley. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.**

4.  Bake casserole uncovered for 30-45 minutes until hot and bubbly throughout and topping has turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

*If you are worried about salt, you can use unsalted butter and then add salt if needed.  The rotisserie chicken, and especially the ham and cheese, contain quite a bit of salt already.  I used salted butter and added no extra salt.

**At this point, you can stick the whole thing in the fridge, covered in plastic wrap.  When ready to bake, take out of the fridge and set on counter while oven preheats.  Bake for 40 minutes or until heated through and bubbly and topping is browned.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Spiced Kenyan Donuts (Mandazis)

My daughter was doing a report on Kenya and had to make a food to bring to class to share.  She looked up a few recipes and decided on donuts, and they seemed to be the most portable (and didn't have to keep warm, etc).  Since donuts are best the day they're made, we made the dough the night before, put it in the fridge, and fried it early the next morning before school.  (I removed the dough from the fridge for about 30 minutes before frying.)  My daughter formed the dough into rough balls while I fried some of them, removed them from the oil, and rolled them in the spiced sugar mixture.  

The morning we were going to fry these, we woke up to a few inches of snow that fell in just a few hours overnight.  Since it rarely snows here, we thought school would be cancelled, but it wasn't.  So the kids got to see snow outside and eat the extra donuts for breakfast before school- it was great. Later, after they left and everything was quiet (before my 3-year old woke up), I enjoyed some of these donuts with some hot chocolate and enjoyed the views of snow outside.  When my son did wake up, he was SO excited to see donuts on the table, lol, AND the snow- what a great morning for him!

Spiced Kenyan Donuts (Mandazis)
adapted from Zested

2 cups warm water (start with 1 cup first and add more if needed)
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 cups, plus 4 tablespoons, all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar, divided 
1/4 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cardamom
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup warm milk
1 egg, lightly beaten (room temp)
pinch of salt
canola oil for deep frying

1.  In a small bowl, mix cinnamon, allspice, ginger and cardamom.

2.  In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp of the spice mixture. Mix the water (start with 1 cup), oil, milk, and egg together.

3.  Gradually add the wet ingredients (add more water if needed) to the flour and stir with a spoon, adding remaining flour 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary, until it comes together in a sticky dough. Turn out on a floured surface and knead about five minutes, until a smooth and elastic dough is formed. Let dough rest for several minutes.

4.  Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar with remaining spice mixture. Set aside. Divide the dough into several hand-sized pieces. Roll or press the pieces into circles about 1/4 inch thick. Cut circles into halves or quarters if you like. (We made them quite small; like small donut holes.  They do puff up a little.)

5.  Heat a few cups of vegetable oil in a skillet or deep pot. Fry the dough in the hot oil, turning once or twice, until they are golden brown all over. Oil should be hot enough that the dough rises immediately to the surface with bubbles, and browns quickly (60-90 seconds). Fry only as many together as can float in the oil without touching one another. Place on paper towels to drain. Roll in sugar-spice mixture (while still warm), and serve.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Slow Cooked Beef Sauce

This sauce was good, but I thought it was an interesting choice to put over pasta.  We did have it over pasta one night, but the next night, we ate it in place of chili over Navajo Fry Bread.   We liked it this way much better; it was so good!  I have a little left in my freezer and I plan to mix it with some beans to do some kind of tacos again.  So use this as a topping for pasta, polenta, mashed potatoes, tacos.... the options are endless!  And it's very easy to put together.

Slow Cooked Beef Sauce

adapted from Little Leopard Book

1 large onion (sliced)
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp fresh rosemary (chopped)
2 lb beef chuck roast (or rump roast, etc)

kosher salt, to taste (I used a sprinkle)
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups beef broth
¼ cup red wine
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
cooked pasta, potatoes, rice, etc (or use for tacos)
½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated), for topping

1.  Add the onion and garlic cloves to the bottom of a slow cooker set to high.  Sprinkle the fresh rosemary over the top.  Add the beef on top and season with the salt and pepper.  In a medium bowl, combine the beef broth, red wine and tomato paste.Pour the mixture over the beef.
Add the can of diced tomatoes to the crock pot.  Cook on high for 6-8 hours.

2.  Using two forks, pull the beef apart in the crock pot.  Serve it on top of creamy polenta or tossed with papparadelle pasta, or rice or potatoes.  Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

* We used the leftovers as toppings for Navajo Tacos.  I simmered the mixture on the stove first to heat it and thicken it a little.  Topped the meat with cheese, plain yogurt, lettuce, etc.

**The sauce is thin, and next time, I'd thicken it with this method, after shredding the beef and before serving: Turn slow cooker to High. In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, then add 2 tablespoons flour.  Whisk together until smooth for about a minute.  Ladle out one cup of liquid from the slow cooker (try to not get any chunks) and whisk it into the butter/flour mixture.  Cook until thickened, stirring constantly, and whisk it back into the slow cooker.  Cover with the lid, and let cook on high until thickened.
*The sauce itself is gluten-free; serve over rice or mashed potatoes instead of pasta if making gluten-free.

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