Sweet Melissa Sunday - Cherry Almond Granola Love Affair

List in hand, whirling through Marlene's Health Food Store (found out only 30 minutes from my home) I find a hidden treasure worth holding my breath for while I slide open a glass door. Kind of like a hidden room right in front of your eyes. You walk by but never actually see the door until you are actually looking for the door. I step inside, thinking the room is going to be refrigerator cold, and the room is cold but not refrigerator cold. The walls are lined with bulk food buckets of ingredients I have only found in mass produced boxes BUT never fresh. Every type of couscous, flour (including my elusive dark rye flour), all types of rice (including the black rice), every type of anything I have been hunting down one ingredient at a time is fresh and in these white buckets. All natural clover honey and wildflower honey is kept warm in large metal cylinder pots to be poured through a spout according to how much I want. Wild dried blueberries . . . can you believe it? WILD dried blueberries! I have had to order these babies online before. Is it proper to giggle your way through a store?



Granola is my weakness! My Mom used to make homemade granola in the exact same white bowl you see above when I was a little girl. She also made tons of homemade bread, literally (store bought bread was not allowed in our home) in this same white bowl and the bowl was passed down to me when I left for my first apartment. I still treasure the bowl . . . in fact, I collect many bowls now like I collect shoes. Eww, I said that out loud didn't I? Yes, I love my shoes =). But focusing, with all the pretty bowls I have, this white bowl is what gets used regularly. If you have not noticed yet, I made a double batch of the cherry almond granola, picked by this week's host for Sweet Melissa Sundays: (The talented and sweet Wendy of Pink Stripes). The recipe can be found on her site or BUY Melissa's cookbook for heaven's sake! Also, you really need to check out the rest of our talented baker's granola by clicking on the blogroll. You will be hungry and making your own batch in no time.

Rye flakes was a first for me. I have never seen them before, much less using them in a recipe.

My granola has pecans, almonds, filberts, dried wild blueberries, currents, Montgomery cherries, and yogurt covered plump raisins along with making sure the pure maple syrup is Grade B. Grade B has so much more flavor and, unfortunately, is more expensive. Isn't that strange? A lesser quality costs more.

Because I was a little too exuberant with making granola, I also felt I needed to try new ways of using some of my new kitchen treasure. Below are my FAVORITE TNT recipes out of everything I have tried so far. I made the granola early in the week and have been playing with food ideas ever since.


The ever traditional granola yogurt parfait KICKED UP a HUGE notch. First I made Melissa's raspberry sauce on page 176, again. Love that sauce! Then, using Greek plain yogurt I made layers of the yogurt, raspberry sauce, fresh blueberries, granola, more yogurt, strawberries, more granola, dollop of yogurt and a strawberry fan surrounded by large blueberries. Breakfast!

Not sure if you can tell, but I made a red raspberry sauce and a yellow raspberry sauce. Used both in the layers.

Melissa's Granola Breakfast Cookies sounded like the next best choice to bake, so I did. She kind of hinted around about it in her prelude to the recipe for the granola. Most of the cookies are in the freezer but the few I ate tasted very healthy (I am still thinking over the idea of these cookies.)

A cinnamon and granola coffee ring ended up being delicious~! I used Hershey cinnamon chips both in the filling and the topping. The granola is mixed in with the batter so the coffee cake had terrific flavor and texture. The filling has crunchy pecan chunks to go with the cinnamon chips and the glaze is melted cinnamon chips with a little shortening. More pecan chunks are sprinkled over the top. So easy to nibble on. A little too easy.

Cinnamon and Granola Coffee Ring

Filling Ingredients:
1/2 cup Hershey cinnamon baking chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Cake Ingredients:
1 cup granola cereal
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange peel
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Glaze Ingredients:
1/2 cup Hershey cinnamon baking chips
2 tablespoon shortening
2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all filling ingredients in medium bowl; set aside.

Combine granola cereal and sour cream in large bowl; let stand 5 minutes to soften cereal. Add butter; beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

Add sugar, eggs and orange peel; continue beating until well mixed. (Mixture will be slightly lumpy.) Add all remaining cake ingredients; continue beating until well mixed.

Spoon half of cake batter into greased and floured 10-inch angel food cake (tube) pan or 10-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle with filling. Spoon remaining batter over filling. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.

Melt 1/2 cup Hershey cinnamon chips and shortening in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds. Stir and heat in small intervals until fully melted. Immediately drizzle over cooled cake; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons nuts.

AND now my all-time FAVORITE: Granola Pound Cake (1 medium loaf)!

Do you see the batter below? Thick, creamy, wonderful.
The recipe came from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham and I am going to bake this recipe over and over and over. Do you know why? Because, along with the obvious wonderful flavor, I LOVE this pound cake toasted, a little butter spread on and then SLATHERED with homemade jam. I have a picture below!

Granola Pound Cake

2 sticks butter (1/2 pound), room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 t. vanilla extract

5 eggs, room temperature

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup cake flour

1/2 t. salt

1 1/4 cups granola

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter an 8 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.

Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating until very well mixed. Add the flours and salt and beat at least 2 minutes. Stir in the granola.

Spoon the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a straw comes out clean when inserted into the center. Gently remove the cake from the pan and let cool on a rack.

Of course apricot preserves because I just finished canning the preserves a couple of weeks ago. Delicious breakfast to look forward to every morning until the last slice!

Goldmeyer Hot Springs 2 Day Hike; Dinner Menu: Sour Cream Cheese Puffs, Spicy Shrimp and Spaghetti and a Heath Bar Pound Cake

7 of us started hiking towards Goldmeyer Hot spring in Washington state this past Saturday for a 2 day hike. 1 of the hikers was only hiking part way for the day hike only. Our plan for the hike started out as 5 miles in, set up camp, soak in the natural hot springs, make dinner, play cards and talk, wake up the next morning, re-soak in the hot springs, pack up camp and hike back 5 miles to the vehicles.

Funny how life and nature have a way of their own!A 5 mile section of the road was closed due to road wash-outs just before the hiking trail began. We did not know this since the closure was not posted. Second, if following the closed road all the way to the Goldmeyer Hot springs site, the hike would have been an additional 5 miles. Well, this is a hike and we felt the road would not be as scenic as the trail. Come to find out, again not posted, the trail was about 10 miles long (alone) and washed out by previous ragging rivers from floods in the past! What was suppose to be a leisurely 5 hour hike turned into a 8 hour hike Saturday. The weather WAS perfect for hiking and our scenery provided by nature could not have been any more gorgeous but many of us were carrying a 40 to 45 pound backpack for the first time along with conquering boulders, fallen old growth trees and slippery rivers that had washed through the path. Some of us carried hiking poles; I did not and now know better!We all stayed in good humor and worked to keep each other's focus positive and happy. Our bodies were beyond fatigued but what we saw in our surroundings was awe-inspiring and memories I will keep with me forever! Some of the downed timbers we had to either climb over, under or around were gigantic monuments to nature. Even though we were all grumbling towards the end for each new tree we had to maneuver because of aching muscles, we never lost track of the beauty we were surrounded by.
Some of our bridges were chipped out of these old, amazing trees.When we finally "did" arrive towards the end of our 1st day of hiking (amazing how we all gained our third or fourth wind at this point) we had to scale 3 logs. Where each log ended, the next one began for us to balance on while crossing a river bed.By now, it is evening. We started driving towards our hike at 6:45 in the morning, arrived at a carpool junction by 7:45, started out as a combined group in several cars and arrived at our hiking destination by 9:30 and actually started hiking by 10 a.m. When we arrived at the hot springs, we were look at around 6:15 p.m. All of us pitched together and set up camp first. Then, after checking in, made the last 1/4 mile hike up a steep hillside to get to the hot springs. Without our backpacks, we must have flew up the hill because I honestly do not remember struggling to get to our destination: Sitting in pools of hot water to soak our sorry muscles. The pools were a little smaller then I thought they were going to be but all 3 pools were etched in the rock with one pool actually in a cave setting.The pools are hard to see here but I was getting to tired to take pictures, sorry. Below is the changing area.Next to where we were soaking, there was a steep river/waterfall with huge boulders along the river path and loud, rushing water. This picture is way at the top and to the side of the river. Back at camp on Sunday, we had endured rain overnight and all our belongings were wet. Carrying everything back meant another heavy load because of being soaked. We may have done this hike a little to early in the year.We were not allowed to have a campfire and the only way to cook was by propane heat. Needless to say, Sunday, all of us were pretty cold until we started out hike home. I would also like to add that none of the group had any problem hiking the road back to our vehicles. We still had a 5 hour hike in the pouring rain with our sore muscles lugging heavy backpacks but we knew we were headed HOME! The adventure was amazing and even though we learned what endurance truly was for each of us personally, I still believe we were all happy that we made this trip.

DINNER:
Dinner menus are what help me stay organized in the kitchen. I try to make my menus out the week ahead but leave myself open to try something else if the mood strikes. The mood strikes quite often, which is okay because I just keep my meals in the list and make them as I get to them.

Dinner:

Appetizers

~ Sour Cream Cheese Puffs

Main Course

~ Spicy Shrimp and Spaghetti tossed in minced Garlic and Sweet,Fruity Olive Oil

Tomato and Onion Salad

French Garlic Bread

Dessert

~ Heath Bar Pound Cake

Sour Cream Cheese Puffs

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese,softened
1 c sour cream
1/3 c finely chopped sweet red pepper
1/4 c finely chopped onion
2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tubes (12 oz.ea.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 c minced fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a small bowl,beat cream cheese,sour cream,red pepper,onion,lemon juice,dill and pepper till blended.
Cut each biscuit in half horizontally;press into greased miniature muffin cups. Place rounded Tbs. of cream cheese mixture in each cup.
Bake at 375 for 14-16 mins. or till golden brown.Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve warm.

Spicy Shrimp and Spaghetti tossed in minced Garlic and Sweet, Fruit Olive Oil

Spicy Shrimp:
2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a couple of handfuls)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
Coarse salt, about 1 teaspoon
2 tablespoons (a couple of generous drizzles) extra-virgin olive oil
Aglio Olio:
1/4 cup (4 turns around the pan in a light stream) extra-virgin olive oil
1 (2-ounce) tin anchovy fillets
6 to 8 large cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls
Coarse salt
1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente

Directions:

Combine shrimp with next 6 ingredients and toss to coat shrimp evenly.
Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium high heat, then add half of the shrimp. Cook shrimp 3 minutes until pink and just firm. Remove shrimp to a warm platter and repeat process with remaining shrimp.
Return pan to heat and reduce heat to medium low. Add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Add anchovies, garlic, and pepper flakes to oil. Break up anchovies with a wooden spoon until they melt away into the oil and garlic mixture.
Toss spaghetti in the pan with parsley and the garlic oil, then season with a little coarse salt, to your taste. Top servings of garlic and oil spaghetti with spicy shrimp and serve with Tomato and Onion Salad and Crusty Bread.
Cook's Notes: Prepare the shrimp while the pasta is cooking.
Prep your garlic and parsley for aglio olio and set them, as well as drained pasta and remaining ingredients all within arm's reach of your stove top.
The aroma will be intense! Cooked anchovies have a salted-nutty (rather than fishy) taste that compliments the garlic as it sweetens and softens.

Tomato and Onion Salad

Ingredients:

5 medium plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, gently seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small white skinned onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a couple of handfuls)
A generous drizzle extra-virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
Coarse salt and black pepper

Directions:

Toss the tomatoes and onions with the chopped parsley, oil, salt, and pepper. Let stand while you prepare dinner, about 20 minutes. Re-toss and serve salad with crusty bread for mopping up juices and oil.

Heath Bar Pound Cake

Note: This recipe is delicious but I forgot to take pictures and I feel just terrible about it. I will have to bake this again and come back to post the pictures =o)~!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

4 oz. cream cheese

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 T. vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 heath bar-ground in food processor or blender

¼ cup light brown sugar

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix butter, cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; stir together. Add flour; mix well. Combine ground heath bar with brown sugar. Grease glass loaf dish with butter; coat bottom and sides with sugar mixture. Pour batter into loaf dish; sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Bake in preheated 300 degree oven one hour to one hour and ten minutes until knife "just" comes out clean.

SMS - Lemon Walnut-Sour Cream Pound Cake

I thought my lemon pound cake was the best ever until Melissa's Lemon Walnut-Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe was chosen for this week's SMS. How do you describe perfection? Moist, sweet, tart, wonderful lemony aroma, dense and shiny (the lemon glaze adds a shiny outer surface). The lemon pound cake was sliced into thick pieces then cut in half to be arranged on plates. The slices did not make the plates =).
Raeann of Basically, Baby Boots chose this delicious recipe and a big thank you goes out to her and Melissa.

I did use pecans instead of walnuts (what was on hand) but the rest of the ingredients were followed per recipe. Half of the slices were boxed up and sent UPS to my Mother-in-law in Chicago. I am hoping the package gets to her home before the cake loses any moistness.

I think those of us who love to bake understand the necessity of fresh ingredients. We develop an appreciation for flavor and know when we taste the difference from taking a short-cut.

The lemon pound cake whipped together, filling the mixing bowl full of fluffy batter.

My lemon bread pan enhanced the outer surface to get darker then I would have preferred. Melissa's lemon glaze added an extra sweet/tart lemon flavor, putting this pound cake over the top. So Good!
Sharing was a must or I would have nibbled half of the loaf all by myself. Thank you Raeann for choosing a recipe that will forever be a part of my treasured recipes.