Dehydrating Apples

A friend of the family has an apple farm in the Okanagan.  We always purchase a few boxes from them, and they generously let us pick several more boxes for free.  Last fall we ended up with 12 boxes of apples.  I don't know if you can appreciate how many apples that is.  We are just now on our last box.  We've given a lot away, eaten an apple a day every day all winter long, made pies, applesauce, apple crisps, lately we've thrown out way too many bad apples (so sad), and recently I pulled out my dehydrator to see what I could do to save some of those apples.

You can, of course, make fruit leather with a dehydrator.  I didn't.  I was too lazy, which is likely why it's taken me this long to get the dehydrator out.  I could make excuses - there was lawn furniture in the way all winter long.  But really?  It just seemed such a bother.  In any case, I finally got out my handy-dandy Nesco dehydrator.

I bought it a few years back when I had big plans to dehydrate everything we were getting from the family farm (which was so much produce a lot was going bad before we could use it).  Dehydrating is a great concept.  Simply slice your fruit or vegetables into similar sizes/thicknesses.  Place in your dehydrator and let the machine slowly dry the food.  The problem is, of course, how long it takes.  You have to realize - I'm used to waiting a bit when making bread.  It's not like I don't have some patience.  But dehydrating?  Man, it takes forever.  I did have a great piece of equipment for peeling, coring, and slicing my apples (10 seconds per apple!).  Another Lee Valley item, the apple peeler (catchy name, eh?).

The nine apples that I could fit in the dehydrator were ready in a couple of minutes.  Laying the apple slices out on the six trays of the dehydrator was another few minutes.  Plugging it in.  No problem.  Then, waiting.  A whole day later (from 6 PM Saturday night to 6 PM Sunday night).  24 hours is what it took.

They look pretty, in a dehydrated kind of way.

But ... that's a lot of time listening to the hum of a dehydrator for two jars of dried apples that likely could be eaten in a single afternoon of snacking.

Would I dehydrate apples again?  Yes, but likely not a boxful since that would take a full week of running the dehydrator to get it done.  Perhaps 2-3 days tops is all I could likely stand.

Popcorn Without a Microwave

If you are of a certain age you will likely remember making popcorn on the stove top.  Some oil in the pot, add the kernels, put the lid on, and start shaking vigorously so those kernels wouldn't burn.  If you were smart, you would start the butter melting before beginning this process so that it would be ready to pour over your popped kernels.

Nowadays, most people just grab a box of microwave popcorn while doing their grocery shopping.  Those microwave popcorn bags are so easy - a couple of minutes in the microwave and you have a piping hot bag of popcorn, all self-contained.  Eat and toss the bag.  Nothing to wash up except, perhaps, your fingers.  And, as long as you don't eat too many bags a day, likely fairly safe.  Not great for the environment, but oh so tempting.

Except, we don't have a microwave.  Yes, you read right.  We don't have a microwave.  When we bought our house it didn't come with one.  Although we had one in the townhouse, it wasn't used too much ... except for making popcorn.  Once we read about popcorn lung, we really didn't want to use it for that either.  So, new house, no microwave.  No problem.  After reading how little difference there was between heating water on a stove or in a microwave (we're talking 0.087 kWh for a microwave compared to 0.095 kWh on a stove top), it wasn't about money savings.  Time is certainly a savings from the microwave perspective, but if you plan things right there really isn't much difference there either.

Does this mean we no longer eat popcorn?  Of course we do!  In fact, a couple of Christmas seasons back Santa gave the family the best present ever - he got us the Lee Valley Whirley-Pop popcorn popper.  With this popper we can have popcorn in approximately 3 1/2 minutes.

1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 cup popcorn kernels into the Whirley-Pop.  On the stovetop, medium-high, turning that little handle ever so slowly.  The sizzle of steam, and a few seconds later the kernels begin to pop.  At that point, we just turn the stove off and we're done.  It's that simple.  I'd show you how much we get, but it gets eaten so quickly it's hard to even capture some of the finished product (those orange bits are grated cheese!).

We make popcorn at least once a week.  Friday night is popcorn dinner night :) ... by Friday I just don't have it in me to be creative in the kitchen.  I want a break, but I don't want to order in.  Popcorn is a fairly nutritious food source, if made right.  High fiber, high protein.  The grated cheese adds more protein and dairy.  We often have this with a fruit smoothie to balance everything out.  The perfect lazy end to the week.

Learning the Art of Bread Making

I have been making bread for many years now.  Sometimes with success, sometimes ... well, the results haven't always made me happy.  With the recent purchase of my Bosch Universal Plus Mixer (four months and counting!) I have not had a failure.  Is it the machine or have I been slowly learning the art - and science - of bread making?

Bread, at it's essence, is the simple marriage of wet (water, milk) with the dry (flour, salt, sugar).  The leavening agent (yeast) along with some lubricant (oil, butter) brings the happy union together.  The heat of the oven finishes things off.  The result?  Heaven.  Yet, making bread scares most of us.  I know it did me for many years.  Bread can be temperamental.  It needs to be worked to bring out the glutens in such a manner that the yeast will properly marry to it.  Only then will you get the proper rise required for a delicious loaf of bread.  Kneading, so required for that success, is something learned over time.

I have to give credit to my pizza making recipe for teaching me how to knead.  The recipe created a small enough amount of dough that I was able to learn how to knead.  I learned the right look and feel of the dough.  The soft touch that meant the dough was ready to be rested.

Having learned how to knead, the Bosch has given me the ability to vastly increase the amount of dough I can make at one time.  A recipe that makes 2-3 loaves of bread can easily be doubled.  The machine takes care of the arduous task of kneading.  I simply look on.  I do clean up, but am always drawn back to the Bosch.  I stare at the mixing dough, seeing it pull away from the sides of the bowl, being kneaded by the dough hook.  I occasionally stop the machine and touch the dough.  Too sticky?  I gently add a bit more flour and let the kneading continue.  After 10 or so minutes I stop my Bosch and do a final touch of the dough.  Soft, pliable, but not sticky?  Perfect.  I pull it out, giving it just a bit more kneading by hand.  Then into an oiled bowl, turning the dough over to make sure it's coated.  Covered with a tea towel, I place it in the oven for 40-70 minutes of proofing.

The proofing is when the dough rests and grows.  it should double.  There is nothing more magical then seeing your dough doubled.  Success.  You kneaded the dough perfectly.  Once doubled, you take it out ... and pound the dough, shrinking it back to somewhere halfway between it's doubled size and it's original size.  At this point there are so many things you can do with it.  Pizza shells, buns, breads, cinnamon rolls, twists.

With a doubled recipe I usually do three loaves of bread and use the remaining dough for treats.  I've made cinnamon rolls, hot dog buns, rolls, and pizza.  Bread sticks are always fun for a change.

I want to share with you one of the recipes I have been using recently.  It's the culmination of 3-4 recipes from various sources, tweaked until the resulting dough works for me.  You might want to tweak it a bit yourself, so that it becomes yours.

One special note - please use yeast from a jar.  Those individual packages?  I've NEVER made great bread with those.

Ingredients

Water, warm - 1 cup
Active Dry Yeast - 4 1/2 teaspoons
Sugar - 2 teaspoons

Water, warm - 4 cups
Salt - 3 to 4 teaspoons
Sugar - 1/2 to 2/3 cup
Oil - 1/4 cup
Flour, whole wheat or rye - 2 cups
Vital Wheat Gluten - 1 tablespoon
Flour, unbleached all-purpose - 12 cups

This recipe is for a double batch.  If you and your mixer can't handle this amount feel free to cut everything in half.  No worries.  Note also, my instructions will be for the Bosch.

First, place the first 1 cup of warm water and 2 teaspoons of sugar into the mixer bowl.  Swirl with your fingers to blend together.  Add the yeast and swirl again, so that the yeast is wet.  Cover and let rest for approximately five minutes.  While this is happening, measure out the remainder of your ingredients.

Once the yeast mixture has become frothy, you can continue.  In a separate bowl mix the remaining 4 cups of warm water, salt, sugar, and oil.  Mix and add to the mixer bowl.  Pulse to combine.  Next add the whole wheat or rye flour and the vital wheat gluten.  If you are using only white flour you probably won't need the vital wheat gluten.  It's useful when using flours that need more protein, providing an improvement in the texture and elasticity of the dough. Pulse to combine.  Add approximately 4 cups of the regular flour and start the mixer on 1.  Watch as the dough hook stirs the ingredients.  Slowly add more flour.  The mixture will start to thicken and the kneading begins.  Continue adding flour, slowly, until the dough leaves the sides of the mixer bowl clean.  Now let the mixer knead for another 5-10 minutes.  Check the dough occasionally to see if it's too sticky.  If it is, add just a little more flour (perhaps 1/4 cup at a time).  You don't want to add too much flour - then you'll have a dry, unmanageable lump of dough.  A little sticky is better than too dry.

Determining when enough kneading has occurred takes some practice.  The dough shouldn't be sticky.  It should feel as soft as a babies bum.  Take the bowl off the machine.  Pull out the shaft from underneath and remove the dough hook.  Pull the dough out of the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. 

Knead just a few times to make sure the dough is at the right consistency.  If it isn't, you'll have to do a bit more kneading by hand.  Place the dough into an oiled bowl that will provide enough room for doubling of the dough.  Make sure the dough is rolled around in the oil so that all the surfaces are oiled.  An un-oiled dough will dry and crack and this cracked surface is impossible to remove or re-incorporate into the dough. 

Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place in a draft-free place.  (Dough doesn't like to get cold ... cold slows the doubling time.)  I like to place my dough in my oven.  This keeps it warm, and safe.  Set the timer for 40 minutes.  At the 40 minute mark check the dough.  If it's doubled, great.  If not estimate how much longer.  Sometimes it can take a total of 60-70 minutes.  For dough with more whole wheat/rye it can take longer. In the winter dough takes longer to rise then during the summer months.  Wet weather, dry weather ... all types of weather will effect your dough.

Once the dough has doubled take it out of the bowl.  Place it on your counter and pound it down.  you aren't beating the life out of the dough, more like pressing the excess air out of it.  It shouldn't shrink down to it's original size, but somewhere between.  Now, you can cut it into pieces for various baking items.  This amount of dough will make 4-6 loaves of bread.  I only have two loaf pans so I always make two loafs of bread, I use a square cake pan for a square loaf, and perhaps the rest of the dough becomes rolls or breadsticks placed on a cookie sheet ... or I might roll it out for a couple of large-sized pizzas.  For the bread pans and cookie sheets a light oil will prevent the bread from sticking.  I place these filled pans on top of my stove and cover everything with tea towels.  While the dough rests and rises again I heat the oven to 350F.  Usually 25-30 of rising is all that is necessary.  For the pizza dough, no rising is necessary - once you've rolled it out you can put your sauce, toppings, and cheese and bake at 425F for approximately 20 minutes.  For the rest of the breads, 25-40 minutes of baking at the aforementioned 350F will do.

I hope you try your hand at bread making.  Once learned, a whole new world of baking is possible.  You'll be released from ever needing to buy store-bought, plastic-wrapped bread from the grocery store.  You'll know what your bread contains.  You'll actually be able to pronounce every ingredient.  You'll be able to create something wonderful that you can share with friends and family.

Kruppa Joe - Our New Coffee Machine

I'm sitting here writing this while sipping my wonderful cup of hot coffee made with our new coffee machine.  Yes, after months of researching everything to do with making a cuppa Joe and going into countless stores to check out the display models we finally, unexpectedly, found the perfect coffee machine for our needs - The KRUPS KM611D Automatic Drip Coffee Machine.

We had gone to Costco's to buy one of those huge packs of toilet paper and, of course, like everyone else we wandered the aisles looking at things we didn't really need.  Down one of the aisles we saw a couple of coffee machines, including the KRUPS.  We lifted the lid, pulled out the carafe.  12 cups capacity - check.  Strong brew - check.  Finally, we checked the price $57.  Hmmm ... nothing too fancy, but at that price it wouldn't hurt our bank account either.  And really, having to keep things closed with a piece of string was getting old.

BAM!  Done.  And we couldn't be happier.

Bosch Sugar Cookies

I have a ton of cookbooks, but I'm finding I use the internet more these days when selecting a recipe to use.  I tend to use my cookbooks to figure out meal plans, flipping through the pages to get inspiration.

This recipe comes from the place I bought my Bosch Universal Plus stand mixer, Healthy Kitchens.  It's great to get some actual Bosch-centric recipes because the machine is capable of making large batches of almost anything and having a recipe ready to use that volume makes it a no brainer.

I loved making these cookies.  It took me about five-seven minutes in total to mix them, separate them into batches, roll them, and put them in the freezer.  Not bad, eh? 

Ingredients:

• Butter, room temperature - 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups)
• Sugar - 2 1/4 cups
• Eggs, room temperature - 4 large
• Sour Cream - 1/2 cup (I used yogurt)
• Vanilla Extract - 1 tablespoon
• Flour - 8 cups  (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour, and the remainder unbleached all-purpose)
• Baking Powder - 1 1/2 teaspoons
• Salt - 1 teaspoon

Put the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.  Set aside.

If you have them, use the cookie paddles as they can definitely handle the firmer dough more easily.  If you don't have them start with the batter whisks and switch to the dough hook once you start adding the dry ingredients.

Cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes, scraping at the 1 minute mark.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Scrape after mixing in the second egg.  Add in the vanilla extract.  Next, put in half the flour mixture.  Mix.  Add in the sour cream.  Mix.  Add in the last of the flour.  Do one final mix.

Remove the bowl and turn & pull the cookie paddles to remove them.  I divided the dough into four, rolling them into long logs, and wrapped them in wax paper.  I put the logs on a cookie sheet and placed them in the freezer. 

The other morning I grabbed a roll while making our lunches and baked a batch before heading out to work (375F for 12 minutes).  Being able to have freshly baked, homemade bakery items is a total win for us.  Knowing what the ingredients are is great, and going this route saves us so much money.

I'd say I could easily get 8 dozen mid-sized cookies from this recipe.  You could easily make changes to the recipe to create different flavours - lemon zest instead of vanilla extract, some chopped nuts or chocolate chips.  Candied fruit for a Christmas cookie.

And the Winner Is ...

The Bosch Universal Plus.

I bought it just after I finished writing about all the different stand mixers and how I really didn't need one.  I guess writing just made me want one enough that I took the leap of buying it on-line, sight unseen.  The order went in on December 30th and I got it the next morning - wow.

I have to send out a big thank you to Healthy Kitchens, the Cowichan Bay based company that I ordered from (that's on Vancouver Island for all those wondering where Cowichan Bay is), and a big thank you to Canada Post for such a speedy delivery.

And what do I think of the Bosch Universal Plus stand mixer?  I'm in love - sigh.  The first day we made smoothies with the blender attachment, cookies, potato pancakes with the shredder attachment ... oh, and bread!  Since then I've made pastry dough, more cookies, cakes, cupcakes, scalloped potatoes, French fries, sweet potato fries, carrot slaw, and sliced apples for two pies.  It's just so easy to do ... everything in it.  The days have been short so I haven't had a chance to photograph it during daylight hours, but envision it sitting on my kitchen counter ready for action.

Right now I'm compiling a ton of recipes that I I'd like to try.  I'll have to write out some of these recipes for you to try ... but you'll have to get your own Bosch 'cause I'm not sharing mine.

Dreaming of Stand Mixers

I have been baking by hand since ... forever.  We do have an old Betty Crocker hand mixer that I sometimes break out, and my Mom gifted me a Bamix that likely sees more use than the hand mixer.  But mostly I mix up ingredients with either a wooden spoon or with my own bare hands.  This has worked, but there are recipes I avoid because they would either be impossible or just too difficult.  Lately I've been lusting for a stand mixer.  You know, those contraptions that sit on your counter, taking up enormous counter real estate.  With a flip of a switch they stir your ingredients for you, usually much more efficiently and much quicker.  Of course, there's a price to having this luxury which has made me think about if I really need one.  While I ponder that, I started researching the various stand mixers available on the market.  You know, just in case.

What Do I Need a Stand Mixer to Do?

Since I'm capable of making cookies, cakes, muffins, pie and bread dough by hand, in these areas I'm looking to see a time savings.  Instead of working on dough for one loaf of bread I want a stand mixer that can let me do 3-4 loaves at once in a shorter time frame.  I want to be able to whip up egg whites or whipping cream without the walls around me (along with myself) getting splattered.  I'd like a stand mixer to have a shredder/slicer attachment so that I can make coleslaw, French fries, hash browns, slice vegetables and fruits for the dehydrator, and slice apples for pies.  It would be nice to have a machine that was strong enough to mix batters smooth - a velvety cheesecake would be a dream.

At the stores around my area I have access to Kitchenaid, Cuisinart, Breville, Hamilton Beach, Sunbeam, Bodum, Kenwood, and Ankarsrum stand mixers.  There is also a local distributor for Bosch stand mixers (although these must be ordered on-line).  A few of these stand mixers have fairly limited use - if all I want to do is whip some egg whites or mix a cake the Sunbeam, Hamilton Beach, or Bodum would work, but for more difficult tasks, such as heavy cookie batters and bread dough, they would fail.  So, I immediately excluded them.  The Breville should work, but several tests have shown they can't handle bread dough.  Another dropped from the list.  That leaves the Kitchenaid, Cuisinart, Kenwood, Ankarsrum, and Bosch to consider.

Kitchenaid

You see Kitchenaid stand mixers everywhere.  They have so many different models (and colours) that it can be difficult to know what you are seeing, and what each might be capable of doing.  I learned that the Costco Kitchenaid was a slightly different size and most of the extra attachments that Kitchenaid offers wouldn't work with it ... so even though it's a good price it wouldn't be a good choice.  I learned from the many articles and reviews I read that Kitchenaid stand mixers aren't great for lots of bread making - bread making really taxes the motor and often will shorten it's life considerably.  There are many stories of people fixing their KAs several times before moving on to different makes.  Price range:  $189.99 (on sale) for the Classic, a 4.5 quart 275 watt machine to $699.99 for the Professional, a 6 quart 575 watt machine.  All come with whips, paddle, and dough hook.  Some come with bowl shields.  Other attachments cost extra.

Cuisinart

Another make you see a lot of in the stores is the Cuisinart stand mixers.  Not as much variety as Kitchenaid - there's a 5.5 quart and a 7 quart.  The 7 quart only comes in silver, the 5.5 quart comes in silver, white, and black (for some reason the white is always priced the highest).  Both provide 800 watts of power.  Although they seem to handle dough-making better than the Kitchenaid, some say it likes to dance across the counter while doing so.  Also, not as many attachments.  It does have a timer which many say is useful.  Price range:  $279.99 (on sale) for the 5.5 quart (silver) to $444.99 for the 7 quart.  Both come with whips, paddle, dough hook, and bowl shields.  Other attachments cost extra.

Kenwood

There are two models - the Chef (KMC010) and the Chef Major (KMM020).  The Chef is a 750 watt machine with a 4.6 litre bowl while the Chef Major is a 800 watt machine with a 6.7 litre bowl.  They come with a glass blender and a 5-cup food processor as standard.  There are additional attachments to get.  People who have them say they last.  Price range:  $499.99 (on sale) for the Chef to $799.99 for the Chef Major.  Both come with whips, paddle, dough hook, bowl shields, glass blender, and food processor.  Other attachments cost extra.

Ankarsrum

This is a Swedish made stand mixer that has been around since 1940.  They have that hip factor, but perhaps a bit too unique for North American sensibilities?  They come with 600 watts and a 7 litre bowl.  Price range:  $799.99 for the standard package which includes lid, dough roller, dough knife, scraper, spatula, cookie whips, dough hook, and a double beater/whisk with a 3.5 litre extra bowl; for $1,174.99 you also get a meat grinder, blender, citrus press, grater, strainer, cookie press, and pasta discs.  Other attachments cost extra.

Bosch

This is a German engineered, built in Slovenia machine that has been around for a long time.  Although Europeans and Asians have access to a wider selection, we North American's only have two choices - The Universal Plus and the Compact.  The Universal Plus (model MUM6N10UC) is a 800 watt machine with a 6 1/2 quart bowl capable of handling 15 pounds of dough (this series has been in production since 1950).  The Compact (model MUM4405) is a 400 watt machine with a 4 quart bowl capable of handling 6 pounds of dough.  Price range:  $199.99 for the Compact and $439.99 for the Universal Plus.  Other attachments cost extra.

Which Would I Choose?

I'm drawn to the Ankarsrum and Bosch stand mixers.  Quality, longevity, and the hip factor are big drawing points for me.  The Ankarsrum is just too expensive ... which makes me lean towards the Bosch.  But which one - the Universal Plus or the Compact?  I've been reading lots of reviews and watching the videos.  I'm really struggling here.  I love the size factor of the Compact.  It would fit so easily on almost any counter top.  But the bowl size?  Slightly too small.  If it had been 5 quarts I'd buy it immediately.  4 quarts means doing more work for extra batches of baking.  I'd like to be able to get through more batches quickly so that I can have time with Walter and Manuel.  The Universal Plus is so big, but perhaps it's the more sensible choice?

And, of course, do I need one?  No, I don't.  I can bake with what I have.  My reasons for considering one are to let me make more healthy, homemade products for us to consume while freeing up more of my time.  I'm thinking I can save us money by making our own baked goods, and letting me process more of those fruits and vegetables we get in such abundance.  I think I could recover the cost of one of these machines within 1-2 years ... maybe even less time if I plan carefully.

Do you have a stand mixer?  Which one?  What made you choose it and would you choose it again?

Cherry Jam

A-ha.  I did it.  I completed one of my July goals already!  Perhaps it was the embarrassment of not accomplishing any of my June goals ... whatever the reason, I took the cherries we had picked up while in the Okanagan this past long weekend and I made cherry jam from them.  The trip back Monday was quite hot and the cherries didn't fare well.  Out of an 18-lb box I only managed to save 3-lbs for the jam.  However, that gave me 7 1/2 250ml jars of lovely, sweet and slightly chunky jam.

To start, I couldn't find my canners.  I was also a little worried about using the old black-speckled enamel canners on the ceramic stovetop.  I decided I would go out and get a new stainless steel canner with a glass-top lid.  a 7 jar canner didn't sound too big ... although the box it came in was quite large.  When I got it home and opened it up I understood ... it was big.  Huge.  I had read that canners shouldn't exceed the ceramic stove top element by more than 1" on any side which meant my largest element, at 9" could take a canner of 11" across.  This stainless steel canner was 14", nearly 15" across!  Still, I thought as long as I left the canner aligned on one edge it could "hang" off the other side. (The worry of size has to do with heat build-up and either cracking the surface or damaging the element itself.)  I put the rack in, started pouring water in, and put the element on high.  Once it was full I put in the jars to be sterilized and placed the glass lid on.  It was nice to be able to see in without raising the lid.  This, unfortunately, made it easier to see that the water would never come to a boil.  It did get hot enough to sterilize the jars ... but no rolling boil.  So I hefted the thing over to the other side of the stove.  Ugh.

I had read some people used a regular stock pot and placed stones on the bottom (the rack normally used in a canner keeps the jars off the bottom and boiling water circulating around the jars which is required to heat the contents of the jars to the appropriate temperatures).  I went outside and picked out stones from around our front stoop.  I put them in my stock pot, rinsed them, and then boiled them in fresh water for 20 minutes to help sterilize them a bit (I wasn't sure where they had been, right?!).  Then I drained them off and put fresh water in, and set a light boil for the canning step.

Here you can see from left to right:  jam making (with pot behind warming the lids), stock pot with those rocks, and the big new stainless steel canner (big right?!).

I went through the rest of the recipe, making the jam, steaming the lids to soften the rim, and getting things ready for filling.  Once I had filled the jars, and placed lids on, I started putting them in the stock pot.  Another problem ... they tipped, they tottered ... they simply didn't want to stand up.  Those rocks weren't flat or stable at all.  I tried my best to keep them somewhat erect and proceeded to process them.  When I took them out and placed them on the counter they all popped nicely, but I did notice that the water looked pink.  The lids were definitely on properly, but I could see that some siphoning had occurred.  I thought about re-processing them, but read conflicting things about whether it was necessary or not.  The following day I tested the seals and they seemed impossible to pry off without a bottle opener.

Aren't they pretty?  I opened one to test the contents.  Verdict?  Goooood :)

Food Failure and Success with Homemade Granola Bars

I think of myself as a good cook.  I have enough years behind me to have learned a fair bit about cooking - both savouries and sweets.  I've learned how to read a recipe, not just to see if I have the ingredients, equipment, and time to undertake it ... but also I know how to read it to see if it will taste good - both to myself and to the rest of the family.

Still, I occasionally make mistakes.  Such as this 4-Ingredient Banana Oat Bar recipe.  It sounded so simple - 4 ingredients! - and the person who wrote the article thought they were great.  Mine tasted like pasty, banana flavoured cardboard.  The whole batch - including the piece I had to spit out - ended up in the compost bin.

Today, I had a wonderful, yummy success.  (Maybe granola bars need a few more ingredients?)  It was a simple to prepare recipe that came together in less than 30 minutes.  Because I wanted something that Walter could take as a snack to his daycare I used sunflower butter instead of peanut butter (I found the sunflower butter at my local Save-On-Foods).  I didn't have wheat germ, I didn't feel like grinding my flax seeds ... so I used some sesame seeds for the wheat germ and pumpkin seeds for the ground flax seeds.  I used a lot of chocolate chips.  And, I used old-fashioned steel-cut oats instead of the quick oats.

Ingredients:

Honey - 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Peanut Butter - 1/2 cup
Quick Oats - 2 cups
Rice Krispy Cereal - 2 cups
Ground Flax Seeds - 1/4 cup
Wheat Germ - 0 to 2 tablespoons (optional)
Mix Ins* - 1 cup

*Choose what you want - chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, seeds.

Prepare a 9" x 13" pan by spraying with Pam and lining with wax paper.  Set aside.

Mix the honey and brown sugar in a saucepan and heat on medium heat, stirring continuously until the sugar is melted and everything combined.  Take off the heat and stir in the peanut butter.  Now take a medium bowl and put in all your dry ingredients except for the mix-ins.  Stir to combine.  Pour in the wet ingredients and stir thoroughly to combine (I ended up using my hands to make sure the wet and dry ingredients were well incorporated).  Add in your mix-ins and get them fully integrated.

Press mixture into pan making sure it is firmly packed in.  Let cool completely and slice into whatever size suits you.

Although a little flimsy (I guess I didn't press it firmly enough into the pan) they are so good.  I don't know if they will make it to Monday!

Breakfast Around Here

During the weekday, with all the hustle of getting ready and out the door, we usually default to bowls of cereal.  Which is OK.  Cold cereal with 2% milk.  There are worse things to have for breakfast.  But I decided I needed to up my game plan when it game to breakfast.

Walter and I both like yogurt ... so, I began with yogurt.  A little Ribena for sweetness and colour, a sprinkle of nuts.  Finally, fruit.

Simple, easy, and delicious.  The perfect weekday breakfast.