Flank Steak & Greens!

I made 1/2 lb of flank steak with salt & pepper and Melinda made spinach with olive oil & pine nuts. It was awesome. Oh, and we topped it with shredded robusto cheese!

My Birthday Cake

I meant to post this a long time ago, but better late than never! This is the fabulous birthday cake that Melinda made for me this year. It features all my favorite "evil" characters, Wario, Bender, and Plankton. Oh, and it tasted good too!

How to make: Homemade Granola Bars!

I've made this recipe three times and all three times have been fabulous!! I didn't taste the second batch because it was for a work party and there were no bars left. :) YUMMY!

I'm very very pleased with this recipe because you can add your own mix-ins, it's gotta be cheaper than store bought granola bars, and it's so freakin' easy!! AND: they last forever if you store them properly. So, without further adieu, homemade granola bars (chewy):

2.5 cups rolled oats

2 cups rice krispies type cereal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups mix-ins

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan (or don't, I had minimal trouble with sticking when I didn't grease it).

2) In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

Then add wet (I separate them so I can reuse my measuring cup. Sometimes I can use one cup this way....I don't like doing dishes...).

Stir. Then stir in mix-ins.

3)Press mixture into pan. Bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes (22 works best for me).

4) Cool down and enjoy!!

The original recipe can be found here. I modified it based on other user comments (increasing the butter and honey to 1 cup) and because I didn't want chocolate chips but did want fruits and nuts. I also changed the 4.5 cups of rolled oats to 2.5 cups oats, 2 cups rice krispies type cereal. It gives a better texture, I think.

In the past, I've used slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries. But you could use whatever mix-ins you want!! I used whole almonds this time which I worried about but I just ate part of a bar and it was a nice, satisfying crunch. Something substantial!!

Some advice:

1) If you really want bars, use the 9x13 pan. The cake pans worked just fine but I have wedges now instead of bars. Not an issue, just different. I was going to use the 9x13 for something else but never got around to it.

2)I used dates this go around because they were on sale, I was recently introduced to them (thanks Tricia the Red!), and I wanted something that was more than just good tasting (dates are high in fiber and I've been lacking in that department). Since they were whole, I cut them up. Observe: 3)You can really keep the cost down on your mix-ins if you buy in bulk and buy what's on sale. Again, gotta be more cost effective than the store-bought variety.

4)You could make these as healthy as possible! You can also opt for local and/or organic honey, flour, cereal, oats, fruits, and nuts. Lots of other homemade granola bars incorporate germ. The possibilities are endless.

5)I'm storing this current batch in a large tupperware type container. The previous two batches I wrapped individually and the first batch lasted at least a month. :) I hope this one lasts that long....if I don't eat them all first!

6)They are very filling. I rarely eat a whole one in one sitting. A lot depends on the size of the bar but usually half a bar is enough to keep me satisfied. I think I probably got 12 bars in the first two batches and 16 wedges this go around.

7)The bars are indeed chewy and moist. They might be a little crumbly and they may dry out depending on your method of storage.

If you make these, let me know how it goes!!

Pic of the day: Mix-ins!

I haven't tried the peanut butter and chocolate. Maybe I will make half a batch of those someday! The top left mix-in is sunflower seeds and the bottom right are dried cherries that were quite expensive. But I wasn't paying attention when I bought those ;)

Back to Basics

After three weeks of nothing but The Great Microwave Experiment (blugggg) for dinner, I have planned a weekly menu of home cooked meals for the next 6 days.

• Fish tacos
• Thai chicken with string beans and rice
• Lasagna with veggies and pork sausage
• Rosemary garlic pork chops with rice and peppers
• Shrimp gumbo and jalapeño cornbread
• Chicken noodle soup and toasty ham & cheese sandwiches
  

Hopefully these slow-cooked meals will give me satiety and some pep. The frozen dinners were tasty but they never really filled me up nor did they give me the energy I need. I feel sluggish and foggy all the time now. Some real food is needed, stat!

An Evening at Home

There is something almost sacred about sharing a homemade meal with friends. Cooking up a warm meal, greeting everyone as they arrive, setting brought courses down on the kitchen table, conversing about our day, pouring a little wine into everyone's glass, and letting go of everything else to enjoy a few hours in the pleasureful bubble of friendly banter, storytelling, and after-dinner board games is truly one of the sublime pleasures in my life.

Last night we welcomed Katy, the daughter of our friend CJ, to town with a potluck. We had a variety of wines: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and pino grigio. Melinda made whole wheat spaghetti with organic tomato sauce, fresh mushrooms & zucchini, and a couple packets of soy beef crumbles.

I scored a fresh-from-the-oven loaf of French bread and turned it into buttery garlic goodness. Lindsay and Angela brought a fresh cucumber salad with homemade dressing, and Mark made some spicy queso. We sat talking about ice cream after our meal and as if by magic, Emily made a late, but nevertheless fantastic, entry with a gallon of (you guessed it) ice cream. I must say getting what you want at the moment you most want it is quite thrilling, if not downright rare. You can bet I enjoyed the hell outta that ice cream!

The night unfortunately had to end, as all things do. Melinda, Mark and I cleaned up the kitchen and took out the trash; we locked the doors and turned out the lights. I think everyone went to bed happy and sated.