Powerbars!

I love traveling. Seeing new sites. Exploring big cities. Wandering aimlessly around town.

Last week I had a blast in San Fran. Visited some awesome eateries and had delish, fresh seafood, toured an amazing winery, hiked with the big redwoods! It was awesome.

I'm usually afraid of heights, but I was climbing/crabwalking on high overlooks. The scenery was beautiful and it was so peaceful. I didn't have time to get scared.

me and the world!

Cali residents are all about going green. Earth loving people. Recycling. Composting. Made me think a bit more about how much I waste. So I decided to try something a little different when I got back...

Powerbars!
2 cups oats
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flaxseed
6 tablespoons water

preheat over to 375. mix flaxseed and water in a small bowl.
combine dry ingredients together. stir in chocolate chips and cranberries.
mix together syrup, honey, sugar, and peanut butter. add to flaxseed and water mixture.

the not so pleasant-looking, peanut butter-flax goo...

add wet ingredients to dry and mix. for a while. keep going. until fully incorporated.
press into a baking dish. bake at 375 for 15 min.

allow to cool. then cut into bars!

I am not exactly a tree hugger. Or vegan. But I did stumble across a delish new concoction that I will take with me the next time I encounter Muir Woods!

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, Cranberry, Walnut Cookies

Cake? Bars? Cookies? 

Chocolate Chip? Peanut Butter? Oatmeal Raisin? Nuts?

Yea I get a little carried away sometimes. And overwhelmed by all the possibilities cause I want to create the best thing possible. Especially when I haven't baked in a while. But I was having difficulties coming up with something this time. 

I weighed the pros and cons. Multiple times. Back and forth like a yo-yo. 

Most people like cakes for their birthdays. And I have a pretty famous Layered Chocolate Raspberry Cake. But I don't really like cake. At least the traditional, frosting-loaded type. And I made that a time or six before...

Cookies always please me. But is that enough to make someone feel special on their birthday? It's not my birthday.

Bars are a bit more unique. Maybe fancier than a simple cookie?

Ever feel like you get so worked up about the dumbest things? Things that should be fun, enjoyable, or not so stressful? Yea, I found myself falling into this category...again...

So finally I decided to put down the computer. Stopped looking at cookbooks. Started throwing around ingredients... 

Awesomeness. 

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, Cranberry, Walnut Cookies

something I created

1 stick butter 

1/2 cup oil 

1/2 cup white sugar 

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups oatmeal

1 1/2 - 2 cups flour

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup walnuts

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

beat butter, oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla together. mix in baking soda, powder, cinnamon, rosemary. fold in oatmeal, flour, cranberries, chips and nuts. 

use a teaspoon to place onto cookie sheet. *or press into a baking dish to form bars*

bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.


I like my cookies a bit softer so I watched the timer very closely and did not overcook them. 

yummo!!

 *I clearly could not decide on bars or cookies so I did both! :)

the bars!

I will place a candle in the cookie bars and present it to the birthday queen in just a short bit. Hopefully they will not be overcooked and will be soft, chewy and moist!


At the end of the day, I think it's best to go with you gut. Trust yourself to make good decisions. It's ok to be cautious, but sometimes it's ok to not over-think everything. Once you make a decision, stick with it. Confidence is key. You learn with each mistake. And decision.

Apple Pear Cranberry Awesomeness!

I like fall. And fruit. And impressing people with little effort.

My apple crisp is pretty legit so I figured adding more fall flavor could only make it better.

Apple Pear Cranberry Crisp
3 apples (I used a mixture of Granny Smiths and Jonagolds)
2 ripe pears
2 cups fresh cranberries
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup oats
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

preheat oven to 375.
wash and chop apples and pears. rinse and sort cranberries, picking out the wrinkly ones. place fruit into a deep baking dish.

cream butter and sugar in a small mixing bowl. mix in flour, cinnamon and oats until even. 

sprinkle mixture on top of fruit. add nuts on top of oats. 

bake at 375 for 30-45 min. until golden brown on top!

you can eat it right out of the oven. or the next morning for breakfast! 

This is a super easy throw together dessert that is mostly fruit. I made it as a healthier option for the turkey feast! But had it in addition to my pie! :)

Apple Cranberry Bolster

Dinner dates with friends make me :) It had been a long time since our last one, but I think it was worth the wait. We quickly planned a delish din din menu:

Edamame. Lightly sea salted.
Mixed Field Greens with fresh Pear, Pomegranate, Goat Cheese, and Pecans.
Steamed Carrots.
Mashed Rosemary Red Bliss Potatoes.
Pork topped with blackberry sauce.

No one mentioned a dessert. If the oven is being turned on, doesn't it make sense to bake? So I got the wheels turning and ditched on helping with din din to make a secret dessert instead!
Apple Cranberry Bolster
idea from butter, sugar, flour, eggs
2 Granny Smith apples

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup almonds
3 sheets Phyllo Dough, thawed
3 tablespoons melted butter

preheat the oven to 375. wash, core and chop the apples. I leave the peel on for added fiber and nutrients. plus, I think it tastes better with the peel! toss with the lemon juice, zest and vanilla.

wash and sort cranberries. add to food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. add in sugar and briefly mix.

finely chop the almonds. or buy them already chopped if you're smart/lazy.

this is mid-chop. they should be smaller than this...

now the fun part! place one sheet of phyllo dough on a greased pan. **if you have not worked with phyllo before, be prepared. make sure that it is fully thawed before using. it dries quickly so once you take it from the fridge, keep it under a towel or work fast. it also tears easily, so be gentle!** lightly butter the sheet. sprinkle the chopped almonds on the top. you can also add some extra sugar...

butter sheet #1

lay another sheet on top of the almonds. lightly butter the top. sprinkle more almonds. lay the final sheet. lightly butter. add the chopped apple and cranberry mixture to the final layer leaving about one inch on the ends.

starting at one end, roll the pastry into a log. lightly butter the top of the log and add the remaining almonds on top. bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

let it cool for 15 minutes. cut carefully into sections and serve with some tea!

Merriam-Webster believes a bolster is:
- a long pillow or cushion
- a structural part designed to eliminate friction or provide support or bearing

I think it's a great fall treat that is not too sweet.

Pumpkin Time!

Pumpkin is def growing on me. I've never liked pumpkin pie, but realized it's more because of the texture, not so much the taste. This week I got to pumpkin carve with some sweet peeps! It was a great din din date and fun fall night! Now I have more pumpkin than I know what to do with and tasty, roasted seeds to enjoy!

me with mine. sis with Duke chapel. Jon with batman. Michelle with her elephant!

I cooked down the pumpkin insides after we got done carving and just substituted my pumpkin for puree in recipes. The pumpkin was a bit more watery than canned puree, but I altered the recipes a bit as I was baking to account for the extra liquid. The bread is a bit more (ok maybe way more) healthy than the cinn rolls, but both made my house smell awesome and my belly happy!!

Cranberry Pumpkin Flaxseed Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

1 cup ground flaxseed

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 large eggs

2 cups pumpkin (1 large can)

1/2 cup oil

1 cup applesauce

1/2 cup juice (apple or orange)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups cranberries (1 bag of fresh add an awesome flavor, but dried work fine if fresh are not available)

1 cup walnuts (optional)

mix dry ingredients into wet. bake at 350 for 30 if using muffin pans. about 45-50 minutes if doing a bigger loaf.

my little mini muffins. some with cranberries. some without!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

For the dough:
1 cup milk
2.5 tsp yeast (2 envelopes)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
2 eggs
4-1/4 cups flour (can use half whole wheat, half white)


Filling:
1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup brown sugar
1-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

-heat milk in a microwave for 30 seconds. Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Stir and allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes. Combine the pumpkin puree with the remaining granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs. Add 2 cups of flour and beat until combined. Beat in the milk mixture and slowly work in the remaining flour. Let the flour rise until double in size (about an hour or so).

-split the dough into four balls and roll out into rectangle shape. you can transfer the rolled dough to a cookie sheet and place it in the freezer or fridge until you are ready to use it. combine the 1/2 stick butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. spread into a thin layer on top of rolled out dough. starting from the long edge, roll the dough up into a log. cut the dough log into about 12 slices (1-inch thick). place in a non-stick baking dish (can butter your dish or use Pam spray to help) leaving some room in between the rolls. cover the rolls and let it rise a bit before baking.

-bake at 350 for about 30 min.

Optional Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz low-fat cream cheese

1/4 stick butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 drop of vanilla extract

splash milk

combine the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla extract. you can thin it out with some milk.

pumpkin cinnamon rolls!

I have some awesome pumpkin beer to enjoy this week to get me fully prepared for Halloween this weekend!