Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Recipe: Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/peanut-butter-granola-bars-recipe.html
Time: 1 hr 30 min (15-25 minutes prep time, depending if you need to toast your almonds or not)
Ease: 4
Taste: 6
Leftover Value: 8
Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Keep it in the Strainer!

I'm always interested in discovering if there is a way I can make at home something I usually purchase prepackaged.  The whole craze over the massive consumption of preservatives in most American diets doesn't help much either.  It does kind of irk me that something like a granola bar, that you think you are being healthy by eating, could have some of the same bad for you things in it as Twinkies.

However, on the other side of the fence there is the issue of cost.  I refuse to make my own free standing granola because I've found that unless you plan on chomping on the same five-pound bag of granola for the next month, it is something that is simply more cost effective to purchase prepackaged.

Nuts are stinking* expensive!  And naturally, they are one of the items higher on the list of things you should eat.

*Sorry to use such foul words.  But I speak the truth.

These peanut butter granola bars were fairly inexpensive to make.  The slivered almonds were the priciest item, however, I already had them on hand so it worked out for me.  The almonds are supposed to be toasted.  I have a hunch the entire recipe wouldn't have crumbled to pieces if they had not been toasted.  Of course, rule follower that I am, I toasted mine.  The almonds were well toasted by five minutes, unlike the eight to ten minute time the recipe gives.

Instead of old fashioned oats, I used one minute oats--and here's why: price.  This might have created a texture difference in the final result of the bars, I'd have to try it out with old fashion oats to know for sure.  While they were able to be cut up easily, they didn't have that stiff quality that an ordinary granola bar has.

Oh, and I added extra chocolate chips.

I couldn't resist.

Something odd I noticed, and this might just be me, was that the peanut butter flavor was overpowering on the day I made the bars.  The same was not true the following day.  The flavor seemed to have mellowed out and blended better with the other ingredients the longer they sat.

As a homemade alternative to the basic store bought granola bar, I'd say these are a keeper.  My favorite part was that they didn't require too much work.  With the exception of toasting the almonds, the process was basically three steps: 1. Mix everything together, 2. Bake, 3. Cool.

When I'm making something that I know is going to be on the healthier side, therefore not something that I'm going to eat and become giddy with a sugar high, I find that easy is best.  If it's easy to do and the taste is better than cardboard, chances are I'll try it again.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins...the way they should be

Recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Source: The Minimalist Baker
http://minimalistbaker.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins/
Time: 40 minutes
Ease: 2
Taste: 5
Leftover Value: 5
Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Down the Drain*

*With my adjustments, it becomes Keep it in the Strainer!

During fall, I jump on the pumpkin bandwagon just like the rest of the world.*  In fact, you might remember how I became a little obsessive with pumpkins last year.  This year, time hasn't lent itself for me to make my own pumpkin puree.

*Note: Except for Starbucks' pumpkin spice latte (currently being trendily called "PSL").  For some reason, I not only dislike the PSL, I strongly dislike it.  I drink pumpkin coffee and lattes other places, but my beloved Starbucks has not met with my satisfaction on this one.*

*Note to the note: I'm really sorry about this.  Please don't judge me.


The season is still young, yet this unfortunate lack of time means that I've been using this stuff:

I've been bookmarking and dog earring tons of pumpkin recipes from magazines and the bazillion blogs that I follow.  I've also been concocting a few of my own--hello, pumpkin scones!

My first pumpkin choice came out of necessity.  There was nothing to eat for breakfast in my house and I decided chocolate chip pumpkin muffins would be the perfect choice.

The blog I got the recipe from is one I started following recently.  While it was obvious before she even stated it that these are "vegan" muffins, I knew I would be making adjustments so that these muffins would work in my normal world kitchen.

For example, she uses a "flax egg" which is made from flax seed meal and water.  Well, flax seed meal is expensive, and I happen to always, always have eggs on hand.

Therefore, adjustment to the recipe #1: "flax egg" replaced with chicken egg.

I have had these dainty measuring cups hanging around in my kitchen for years now.  I bought them a little before I started the Orange Strainer but never had the nerve to dirty them.  Then the dust in my kitchen found them and I decided they would be better used measuring food than measuring the dust.

The second adjustment to this recipe came right after the first.  It called for almond milk with 1 T of lemon juice which is basically just homemade buttermilk, except for the fact that they are using almond milk.

Are you confused?   Because I certainly am.

I used 1% milk to make buttermilk.

Oh boy.

Next, making sure that each of my four dainty cups was able to be used for this recipe, some brown sugar needed to be thrown in.  So far, the only normal part of the recipe.

If you're feeling particularly pretentious, grab your grape seed oil (seriously?) and pour in 2 T.

Since I can't imagine grape seed oil truly making a world of a difference in pumpkin muffins, I went with the good old fashioned canola oil that was hiding under my sink.

Add a splash of vanilla.  Whisk together everything you've put in so far.  Then sprinkle in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Whisk again until the mixture looks like this:

Now for the adjustment to this recipe that not only saves money, it actually makes it taste better.  The recipe calls for what I call a 50/50 flour mixture.  Meaning, you're trying a little bit to be healthy by using whole wheat flour, but you're also being a little naughty by using, gasp, white flour.

I've tried it this way, and it gives the muffins a deliciously cardboard type flavor.

Yum?

No.  

Exactly.

Swap out the 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour for more white flour.  Save the whole wheat nonsense for another recipe on another day.  Your taste buds will thank me.  

Regardless what kind of flour you choose to use, sift the flour directly into the pumpkin mixture.  This is awesome because it leaves you only using one mixing bowl.  (Not counting the sifter, the measuring cups, and measuring spoons).

Toss in 1/3 cups of chocolate chips.  I only had mini chocolate chips, so that's what I used.  Personally, I would prefer the regular sized ones.  

Also, I personally wanted more than 1/3 cup of chocolate chip as you can see by my cup which I filled to overflowing.

I used an ice cream scoop to fill my muffin cups.  The first time I did only one scoop and managed to fill 18 cups.  I wasn't too happy with their size.

Nothing says muffin like a muffin top, which sadly, this is lacking.

My second time around I filled the cups with a scoop and a half, filling only 12 muffin cups.  Then I did this:

You really can't have chocolate chip muffins, even if pumpkin is the main attraction, without a healthy sprinkling of chocolate chips on top.

Much better.  I think using the mini chocolate chips here makes for a much more inviting muffin.

With my adjustments, these muffins were worthwhile.  They were still not drop everything you're doing and do the happy dance delicious, but definitely worth making again.

Cookie Bars for Easter

Recipe: Cadbury Egg Cookie Bars

Source: The Picky Palate

http://picky-palate.com/2013/03/13/cadbury-egg-cookie-cake-bars/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PickyPalate+%28Picky+Palate%29

Time: 1 hr 15 min, includes 30 minutes of cooling time

Ease: 2

Taste: 10

Leftover Value: 10

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Keep it in the Strainer!

I'm going to be completely honest as I start this post.  I do not normally eat Cadbury Creme Eggs.  The creme part just isn't my thing. 

Whew, glad that's off my chest.

But I do love Cadbury chocolate and the solid Cadbury eggs that are coated in a sugary shell.

The key ingredient to this recipe is: Cadbury Creme Eggs!

Shocking, I know.

I suppose because I've avoided these guys for so long, I had no idea that when bit into or sliced open they look like a real egg inside.

By the way, this was one of the hardest parts of this recipe.  As you can see from the above picture, not all the eggs sliced nicely in half.  

Another issue I faced was making sure the creme stayed with the chocolate shell instead of being wasted to my plate.

And while the Cadbury Creme Eggs were the key ingredient to these delicious cookie bars, the secret ingredient was a yellow cake mix.

It definitely feels like cheating whenever I use cake or pudding mix in a recipe.  Yet I've learned that the positives of using mixes outweigh my troubled heart.

1. It makes the recipe a tad easier to make.
2. Therefore, it lessens the amount of ingredients needed.
3. No one can tell the difference when they eat it.

While I love fooling my dessert partakers, my favorite part of using a mix is really lessening the amount of ingredients needed.  These cake bars needed only six ingredients: Cadbury Creme Eggs, butter, canola oil, yellow cake mix, chocolate chips, 1 egg--from a chicken, not chocolate.

For these cookie bars, the ingredients are literally dumped into a bowl and mixed.  Then the Cadbury Creme Eggs are lightly mixed in, they bake, and if you can wait 30 minutes for them to cool they are so easy to slice up and serve.

Don't they look divine?

That hunk of Cadbury chocolate in the corner of this bar just isn't right.  It's taunting me.  I might just have to run out and see if there are any Cadbury Creme Eggs left in the sale aisle of my local Acme.

The underbelly of the cookie bar is my favorite part.  The gooeyness of the creme from the Cadbury Eggs finds its way down there and leaves a yummy caramel layer on the bottom.

I'm sorry to be writing about these after Easter.  Hopefully, all the Cadbury Creme Eggs haven't sold out of your local grocery store and you can rush out today like me and buy a truck load in hopes that they'll last you until next Easter.

Bananas for Bread

Recipe: Sour Cream Banana Bread

Source: The Old Farmer's Almanac: Everyday Recipes

Time: Approx. 1 hr 15 min (includes baking time)

Ease: 3

Taste: 7

Leftover Value: 9

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer:  Keep it in the Strainer!

I hate bananas.  However, I say this with great woe.

I wish I liked bananas.  Of all fruit, they seem to be the heartiest and the most durable to being carried around in a purse.  But yet, I cannot eat them.  It is usually when I am extremely starving and I find them sitting on my kitchen table that I choose to give them another try.  To which I am always greatly disappointed.  Something about the aftertaste of a banana makes me wish I'd never met such a creature.

I am fortunate though.  I can bear the taste of banana bread.  So long as it is accompanied by chocolate.  Lots and lots of chocolate.

When the recipe for "Sour Cream Banana Bread" oddly did not involve chocolate at all, I substituted the 1/2 cup of chopped pecans for chocolate chips.  My initial intention was to double the called for chocolate.  However, if you know anything about the average bag of chocolate chips you know that it is approximately two cups worth.

And I just couldn't let that one cup sit alone in the bag without it's counterpart.

The bread turned out as decent as can be, all things considered.  The top of the loaf sort of sunk in as it cooled, but I've made peace with the fact that it might have been the chocolates' fault.

The taste was still delightful, much better than if it had been made with only pecans.