How To: Granola

Source: sweetsugarbean.com via Stacy on Pinterest

A while back, I bought some gourmet granola for a friend. It looked wonderful: chia seeds, dried cherries, and sunflower seeds. Yogurt and granola make a fabulous breakfast, both delicious and healthy, but that store-bought granola set me back $8. Yeah... That's not an item I could afford to purchase on a regular basis. So I set about learning the basics of granola-making at home.

I started with a basic recipe from Sugar Sweet Bean, coming up with a bare bones template that could be altered for endless variation. I have enjoyed many variations on this granola theme in the past several months, and all have been lovely. (Except that one where I added the dried fruit before baking and they turned into burnt pieces of ash.)

And I have to say, it so, so easy. I will probably never buy granola again now that I know how simple it is to make at home. I basically just toss together whatever combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruit and spices I have in the pantry (bought cheaply in the bulk section of the grocery store). Bake it for 30 minutes and I have a new stash of wonderful homemade granola. Here's to a future of wholesome, exciting breakfasts!

Basic Granola Formula

3 c. old-fashioned oats
1 c. nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, etc.)
1/2 c. mixed seeds (sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, poppyseeds, flaxseeds, etc.)

3/4 c. coconut (optional)

2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1-2 pinches of coarse salt
5 T. liquid sweetener (pure maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, etc)
4 T. neutral oil (canola, olive oil, vegetable oil, etc.)

1 1/2 c. dried fruit of your choice (cranberries, blueberries, cherries, apricots, dates, etc.)

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl (do not add the dried fruit yet!). Stir in the sweetener and oil of your choice. If you want it sweeter, add more sweetener; feel it needs more oil, then add more. Line a bake sheet with aluminum foil, and spread the granola evenly. In a preheated 350 degree oven, bake for 15 minutes, then stir around, and bake another 12-15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool for a bit before adding the dried cranberries. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Total Garden Fail - and Then a Come Back

Front flower bed before: Swampy muck over clay,

topped with moss and funky green growth

This week brought about what felt like a "total gardening fail". Optimistic to finally have a space to plant in the ground, I went to the plant nursery and returned to our future home with armfuls of flowers and herbs that I loved and couldn’t wait to grow in our entry way.

What do we find upon attempting to plant them in the front flower bed? Sandy, mucky, water-logged soil, and deeper down: clay. The drainage was so bad we ended up digging up the whole bed, fearing some kind of leak in underground pipes. We didn’t find a leak, just an unfortunate land gradation that dumps lawn water back into the flower bed, and some old sprinklers that were soaking everything in sight.

After a night of being heartbroken that my Edenic vision wasn’t going to work, I re-grouped. I can’t afford to install a French drain, so I decided to work with what I already have and seek out some hardy plants that would be able to survive my wet, clay, shady area.

We put new tops on the sprinklers for a more controlled aim, and adjusted the sprinkler timing to morning for a shorter time. We built a stone barrier between the lawn and the flower bed to keep some of the water out. We mixed in several bags of compost/potting soil, worm castings, and used mychorrizal fungi to strengthen the roots of each plant we put in the ground.

Here's what our bed looks like now (we will cover the dirt with mulch this weekend):

Will these plants survive their new environment? Only time will tell. But I have been reminded to be ready to adjust my vision of what my garden (or my life) should be or look like, to be flexible and open to new possibilities.

From a gardening perspective, I learned that no matter how much I may love a certain plant, it doesn't necessarily mean that I should try to plant it wherever I think they should go. Instead, I am learning to work WITH nature, rather than exhaust myself trying to twist nature's arm until it bends to my will.

P.S. If you remember our sad neglected orange tree from this post, here's what it looks like after some sprucing up: much more presentable I think!

How to Make Fresh Pumpkin Puree

A friend gave us a small pumpkin from his garden and inspired me to do a tutorial (mostly for myself) on how to make pumpkin puree from scratch. Start with small pie pumpkins. cut off the top and halve the pumpkin.


Remove the seeds and soft inner parts. Slice the pumpkin, then peel each slice. Now cut the pumpkin into chunks. Place the chunks in a large pot.


Cover the pumpkin with water and bring to a boil on the stove top. Continue simmering until tender, about 25 minutes.

The pumpkin will look darker in color now. Drain in a colander.

Place cooked pumpkin in blender (or food processor) and blend until smooth.

Use immediately in any recipe that calls for pumpkin puree; or, pour into a Ziplock bag or other container and freeze for later use.

I can't wait until October rolls around and the cool weather necessitates pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Other favorite pumpkin recipes/suggestions?

Making Your Own Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is commonly used in Indian and Mediterranean cuisines. Thick and creamy, cool and refreshing, it is wonderful as a snack with fresh fruit and honey. However, the cost is generally higher than regular yogurt. Never fear, home cooks! You can use regular plain yogurt to make your own Greek-style yogurt. Just follow these steps!

Start with a colander, preferably one with smaller holes such as this mesh one.

Next, line the colander with clean cheesecloth, a dish towel (make sure there's no funny scent from detergents first), or even strong, durable paper towels.
Get your plain (cheap) yogurt ready (I used a low-fat organic brand).

Place the colander over a slightly larger bowl, so that the colander sits suspended over the top of the bowl. The bowl will be catching the liquid as it drips out of the yogurt. Use a spoon to transfer the desired amount of yogurt into the colander. Return to the refrigerator and let the yogurt drain until the yogurt has reached the consistency you want it to be.

For this amount of yogurt, I let it drain for roughly 24 hours. Here is what the yogurt looks like after I take it back out of the refrigerator - it's much thicker. Next, remove the colander and place it over paper towels (in case of dripping).

The bowl will have some semi-clear yellowish liquid (whey) in the bottom of it. You can discard it, unless you know a clever use for whey. As for me, Little Miss Muffet is the only one I know of who eats the stuff, so I toss mine.

Finally, spoon your yogurt out of the cheesecloth/dish towel/whatever and into a bowl. It's going to be silky smooth and thick and perfect! Voila, your Greek-style yogurt!

Happy yogurt making!

Make Your Own Compost!

My newest determination is to begin composting. Rich, fertile “black gold” as it is called by gardeners and farmers, can be used to enrich any flower bed, garden plot or lawn - and you can make it at home!

I bought a cheap plastic smell-proof bin from amazon.com and will begin collecting my kitchen scraps (egg shells, vegetable peelings, apple cores, etc.) and adding it to a compost pile at my parent’s house one a week or so. That way, my apartment-dwelling neighbors won’t have to smell my new project (although once you get the right combination of air and moisture, compost supposedly doesn't stink).

Here is a quick guide for those of you interested in making your own compost. It may take anywhere from 6 weeks to 1 year to be finished, depending on a variety of factors that affect the speed of the process.

1. If you're doing a pile (as opposed to using a bin with holes in the bottom), start by clearing the soil of weeds (you don't want them flourishing in your lovely compost).

2. Start the pile with a layer of brown stuff (high in carbon) to serve as the "fiber" for your compost. Brown stuff includes dead leaves, plants and weeds; pine needles; old straw and hay; or shredded newspaper.

3. Next, you want to mix half brown stuff with half green stuff (or up to 3 parts brown stuff to 1 part green stuff). Green stuff (high in nitrogen) will activate the heat process in your compost. Perfect heat-generating materials include: organic kitchen scraps like the ones I mentioned; herbivore manure (from rabbits, chickens, sheep, goats, or pigeons); hair; grass cuttings; etc. Note: Never compost animal products, feces from carnivorous animals, or weeds that are alive (they might grow).

4. Mix in a little bit of soil and sprinkle each layer lightly with water as you build the heap.

5. Turn your pile regularly, once every week or two. Try to move matter from inside to outside and from top to bottom. Break up anything that is clumpy or matted. Remember that the pile needs to be exposed to air and kept moist in order to decompose properly. For faster break-down, shred leaves, clippings; and crush egg shells

6. To aid the decomposing, add some worms, which can be bought online or at Farmer’s Markets.

When the process is complete, you may use your compost as you wish or give it away! Any farmer or gardener you know would probably love to have it! Happy composting!

Busy Cook's Homemade Chicken Broth

Every professional chef I’ve ever encountered touts the flavor and quality of homemade stock/broth as superior to the store bought, canned version. It’s really not a complicated thing to make broth from scratch after you serve a roast chicken for dinner. The problem for me, however, is that I seldom find myself at home for at least 3 hours to tend a simmering pot.

If you’re busy like me, I hope you’ll like my recent discovery from my "Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook", which allows you to make broth overnight without worry in your slow cooker. After I made the roast chicken a few weeks ago, I stuck the carcass in a large Ziplock bag and froze it.

Last night around 6, I took it out and placed it in my slow cooker to let it defrost. At about 9:30pm, I used the following recipe and cooked the broth overnight. Then, this morning before work, I drained the gorgeous, golden, rich broth into a bowl and refrigerated it. Tonight, I skimmed the fat off the top, and drained it more thoroughly using cheesecloth and a fine mesh colander (I found that the colander alone wasn't as effective as I wanted at reaching a clear broth free of floaties). Finally, I froze the broth in 2 bags that can be easily used later for soups and other wonderful recipes. As Julia would say, "Bon.... Appetit!"

Slow Cooker Chicken Broth

1 chicken carcass
1 carrot, cut into chunks
2-3 celery stalks, with leaves, cut into chunks
1 yellow onion, quartered
A few springs of parsley, stems attached
A few peppercorns or ground pepper

Salt to taste (optional)

1. Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker, except salt. Add cold water to cover by 2-3 inches. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour.

2. Skim any surface foam with a large spoon. Cover, turn the cooker to LOW, and cook for 6 to 16 hours. If the water cooks down below the level of the ingredients, add a bit more boiling water.

3. Uncover and let cool to lukewarm. Set a large colander lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl and pour the broth through to strain. Press on the vegetables to extract all the liquid. Discard the vegetables, skin, and bones. If desired, reserve the meat for soup, salad or another purpose. Taste the broth and season with salt if needed, or wait to salt until you are using the broth. Refrigerate.

4. The broth is ready for use and can be refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 2 to 3 days. Or remove the congealed fat from the surface and pour into airtight plastic freezer storage containers, leaving 2 inches at the top to allow for expansion. Freeze for 3 to 4 months. Whether refrigerated or frozen (and defrosted), make sure the broth is brought to a boil when using it.