Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

 

I was wanting to make trail bars last weekend, but wasn't feeling quite up to shopping for the long ingredient list. So I dug out my battered copy of Cooking the Whole Foods Way by Christina Perillo, which I've had for years and years (and may have stolen from my sister a decade ago...oops, I just looked and it was even signed by Christina for my sis—sorry Katie!). It's one of those classic vegetarian and macrobiotic cookbooks that has recipes for desserts like kantee, in addition to an awesome assortment of nearly everything else you could be in the mood for. I remembered that there was a rice krispie esque treat in there that was rather simple and I decided to tweak it a bit to make it my own.

Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Makes 12-16 squares depending on how large you cut them
I actually store these in the fridge since I like them when they are slightly chilled.

1 1/4 cups brown rice syrup

1/2 cup almond butter
3 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup rolled oats (I used gluten free)
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

Heat the brown rice syrup and almond butter in a small saucepan over low heat until creamy. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Place the cereal and coconut in a bowl together and gently stir in the warm syrup mixture until well combined. Press into a shallow, square baking dish and allow to set until firm (put it into the fridge to speed things up if you'd like).

Chocolate Covered Cherry, Cranberry, Cashew Clusters

 

I am having dinner with my friends Virginia and Dan tonight and when I offered to bring dessert I knew that creating something that involved chocolate was a priority—it's Valentine's Day after all, and Virginia doesn't consider non-chocolate things to be dessert.

I wanted to keep things simple, but also making something delicious, and after seeing this peanut butter cup post last week, I decided to do an easier version of that. I simply melted a combination of dark and semi-sweet chocolate (which totaled about a standard chip bag full) over a double boiler on the stove. Meanwhile, I lined 9 muffin cups with paper liners and filled them with an assortment of dried Bing cherries, dried cranberries and cashews (salted would have been yummy, but mine were plain). I then spooned the melted chocolate over the fruit and nuts. I sprinkled some raw sugar on top for a bit of sparkle and let them set for about a half hour in the fridge.

We enjoyed these last night for dessert and let me tell you, so much deliciousness for so little effort! I brought 6 of them with me to NYC from Des Moines this morning and am already looking forward to dinner tonight, and planning to make these again (and again) in the very near future.

An Ode to Macaroons

Okay, I made an enormous discovery this weekend- coconut macaroons are CRAZY easy to make. No letting butter come to room temperature (no butter at all, in fact), no beating, whipping, or measuring a long list of ingredients. Just coconut, egg whites, sugar and a dash of salt, mixed and scooped onto a lined baking sheet. 15-20 minutes in the oven later you have HEAVEN.


I would like to come back as a macaroon in my next life.


I'm always incredibly amused (and vocal) when I make something at home for the first time and it's way easier than I thought. I have known I love macaroons for maybe my entire life but I just assumed they were hard to make. They are definitely my new go-to baked good because I just can't think of a single other item that delivers such whopping rewards for such little work.


And for all of you who believe that dessert is not dessert without chocolate, dip these suckers into melted chocolate chips and call it a day.

Speaking of all things sweet, I also made two loaves of pumpkin raisin whole wheat bread (with coconut because I can't help myself) and have been eating thick slices with butter all weekend long. I made a concerted effort to stock the fridge over the weekend because my momma is coming to visit tomorrow—so there is veggie chili for dinner and bread for snacking because it's the first time she'll be staying in our house and I want to make sure that she is warmly welcomed. And, apparently, well fed.

The other big weekend development is that my new fabric came from Purl and it goes with the vintage block quilt splendidly. I'm glad I took the time to get the right backing fabric—especially since I already know this quilt will spend a lot of time in use in the living room and being able to really enjoy both sides will come in very handy.


P.S. A big happy birthday to my sweet sis Katie and my friend Cara!

It's-Starting-to-Feel-Like-Fall Apple Crisp

Oh fall, I am not quite ready for you because at the moment you feel like you're taking us straight into winter with your chilly, rainy days. But I am doing my best to embrace this weather by making a point to cook more comforting foods—a pot of meat sauce (using local meat from Grinnell Heritage Farm), baked fennel (finicchio! In Italian, which I was proclaiming all over the house), and the first apple crisp of the season.


We get some pretty good apples here at the farmers market and last week I went and stocked up because I knew that this urge would hit. My version of apple crisp swaps in plain yogurt for butter, making a sort of cross between a cobbler and crisp topping. It's very good, just sweet enough, and the perfect way to end a chilly weekend in September.

I am also happy to report that I'm sewing my way around the binding of my wall hanging headboard. Soon, my friends, this project will be in its rightful place on my guest bedroom wall!


I'm off to nyc for the start of this week where I eagerly look forward to the delightful sunny 70s forecast and the smiling faces of my dear friends.

Weekend Highlights: Super Simple Strawberry Tart, Pies and Peonies

I have had a bit of a three day weekend revelation: when you don't go anywhere, the extra day is a remarkable, open span of unexpected vacation. Most Memorial days past, I've gone to the Jersey Shore, which is always lovely, but as the getting there takes up so much time and I've never quite felt the luxury of free time. And while I was of course wishing fervently that I was there with my family, I definitely managed to make the most of my time off.


Above is the strawberry free form tart that I baked on Friday night. After being away earlier last week, I had a strong need to be in the kitchen and I figured a super easy tart would be a great way to start. This is literally the simplest tart:

Free Form Strawberry Tart
1 recipe favorite pie crust (or store bought)
2 c strawberries, washed and sliced in half
2 T unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Roll out crust until it's roughly a 9 inch circle (doesn't need to be perfect!). Place berries on top, leaving about an inch around the edges. Fold up the edges, then brush with a bit of melted butter (you can put a bit onto the fruit too, for good measure, but it's not necessary).
3. Bake for 25 minutes until crust is golden brown and fruit is bubbly. Remove from oven and cool slightly on a rack. Serve warm with ice cream, whipped cream or dusted with powdered sugar,

On Saturday we hosted a house warming party, so I spent the better part of the day in the kitchen getting ready for company. It was a potluck, which took the pressure off, but there was the issue that I wasn't quite sure what people would be bringing (apart from things to grill, which we specifically said they should bring), so I tried to cover the basics. I made a huge roasted vegetable pasta salad (farfalle, roasted zucchini, squash and onions, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella with balsamic vinaigrette), a skillet of cornbread and put out chips and salsa.

And for dessert, I made two pies, one apple and one strawberry rhubarb. To go with it, I also made vanilla ice cream and all of it went over extremely well. I've realized that even though making ice cream (with an ice cream maker) is the easiest thing in the world, it never fails to seriously impress guests. The strawberry rhubarb was sublime and I think I did a good job with adding enough sugar to balance out the rhubarb, but not so much as to kill it all with sweetness.

We also went for a long bike ride, spent many hours on the porch reading, and weeded in the vegetable garden. And stared at the lovely peonies. I hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as I did- and that you enjoy this short work week!

Spring Kitchen Table Staples: Rhubarb Sauce and Chopped Salad

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It's suddenly summer here in Iowa and this weekend it was up in the 90s on Sunday. That didn't inspire me to turn on the oven, as you can imagine, so I relied on my CSA veggies to whip up a big chopped salad for dinner. This type of salad is my go-to meal in summer—it's flavorful, filling and is endless open to using whatever I have on hand.

Since this really isn't a recipe, but rather a method, here's what I do:
I combine a mix of lettuce (which I chop up if there are very large leaves) with chopped crunchy veggies like carrots, radishes and cucumber, then I add cheese (grated cheddar, crumbled feta or goat cheese, depending on what's around), a protein (like pinto beans, black eyed peas or walnuts), and tomatoes if I have them. Sometimes I throw in roasted veggies if I have leftovers or I add a cooked grain like bulgur or wheat berries.

Really, it's all about getting a few different textures and flavors in the mix—which is why I try to chop things up to be somewhat uniform and small. 9 times out of 10, I use this balsamic vinaigrette dressing:

Balsamic vinaigrette
based on the one in the Real Food Daily cookbook
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 glove garlic, grated on a microplane (or totally smashed)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp dijon mustard,

Put all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk vigorously with a fork, or shake in a small jar with the lid screwed on tightly.

I make sure to add cracked pepper and salt, and I try to made the dish at least 30 minutes ahead if I can because I think it's tastes better when it's had a chance to sit and soak in the dressing. I could seriously eat a version of this every single day!

Last week, I mentioned the vanilla coconut ice cream that I made and here you can see it, topped with strawberry rhubarb sauce that is my new favorite spring topping (simply those fruits, a bit of water, sugar and a tbsp of cornstarch cooked together until soft and thick). It's great on oatmeal, yogurt and ice cream, and made this a dessert I will surely make again. Though I might try it with light coconut milk—this batch was possibly a tad too rich!


These pictures were taken by my talented friend Bethany, who I am always saying is welcome to come over because I love seeing my life through her lens.

Photo Friday: Cake Love

 

I admit to having a serious need to bake as of late, and while I don't typically bake anything quite this fancy, seeing them inspires me to consider it. Until then, I'll get my fix flipping through more moody images of baked goods on Nikole's flickr page and via the product images for her store, Herriot Grace.

Photo Friday: Chocolate Treats from Sprouted Kitchen

These pretty packages are filled with Chocolate and Puffed Grain Morsels from the Sprouted Kitchen—which are dark chocolate, puffed grain cereal (like millet, rice or kamut), dried cranberries, toasted pecans and a touch of sea salt. Yum! I love that they are so simple and yet, I can only imagine, quite tasty. Plus, using a jar as a package is a great idea I think we all often overlook. I saw this image yesterday and it really stuck with me because I've been thinking a lot lately about how it's really the little things each day that are the most meaningful. So with that, I wish you all a very loved-filled weekend, with bites of chocolate here and there and hugs a plenty.

Josh and I are going to make gnocchi—I have sworn to him that I will actually let him help, rather than my usual taking command of everything in the kitchen—which I am very much looking forward to. I imagine there will also be some baking, possibly a little quilting, and definitely another granny square or too. Until Monday!

Image via sprouted kitchen, where you can also find the full recipe.

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries and Pecans

The name of the cookie makes me giggle every time I say or write it because it's about as long as the cokies are enormous. The truth is that just ats they are the most visually impressive cookies I have ever baked. And they are pretty tasty too- I have decided that adding dried cherries to cookies with chocolate is an excellent idea, as is making cookies with a texture that is smack in the middle of an oatmeal raisin and a chocolate chip.

If you read my food posts over on readymade.com (if you don't, please join the fun over there!) you may remember that I selected Seven Spoons as last week's blog of the week. I am smitten with the site and made these cookies the same night I found them. Which is rare for me, but my mom was visiting and I needed a thank you present for a friend, so I guess you could say that the stars aligned for baking. I had the urge to add coconut to the cookies, but the dough was kind of hard to mix since it was so full (I may have added extra chocolate chips...) so I decided to stick to the instructions for my first attempt.

As you can see, they are big. My mom kept saying that they looked like cookies you could buy at a bakery, which I think is the highest praise. But as my status as a cookie-baking novice should tell you, these are super easy, so I highly suggest you try them out the next time you need a gift or an easy dessert. Or, of course, just a good homemade cookie to eat yourself.

Here's a link to the recipe, which originally appeared in Cook's Illustrated. My picture was taken during our picnic lunch break at the Neil Smith. Right before we went buffalo watching.

Huckleberry Cheesecake

I had quite the time in the kitchen last Thursday and Friday making this amazingly delicious cheesecake. You might be wondering why I used huckleberries since they certainly don't grow here in Iowa. Well, this was a birthday present for my boyfriend Josh who grew up in Montana where he ate and picked a lot of huckleberries. So huckleberries (canned, which I ordered from a farm in MT) it was! I used a blueberry cheesecake recipe from epicurious and sought the advice of one of the helpful ladies in the test kitchen at work for the amount of cornstarch to use to thicken up the topping which was actually a breeze to make.

Here are a few things I learned from making this:
1. I dislike springform pans. I think that someone should develop a new version of a pan that allows you to release the sides after baking, but that has a tight seal around the bottom. I cooked this in a water bath, per the recipe, and carefully and tightly wrapped it the pan in one large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. I was really worried that the water would leak and it did, a bit. Thankfully, the rest of the cake was so good that it was easy to overlook that the crust wasn't as dry as it should have been. Still, it was very frustrating.
2. I really like cheesecake, both in batter form and when fully baked.
3. Having been raised very close to the Blueberry Capital of the World (or so says the signage in Hammonton, NJ), I will always view them as my favorite berry. But, I can see the appeal of huckleberries (did you know they are called "purple gold"?) because they definitely have a distinct flavor and a lovely color. Whether one is better than the other, I can't say and I'm pretty convinced there is room in my world for both!
4. Cheesecake for breakfast is an excellent idea. Particularly with coffee.
5. A 10" inch spring form pan makes an enormous cheesecake. I carefully wrapped up a few pieces and tucked them into the freezer. I probably won't wait all that long to enjoy them, so I hope they hold up!

The other big food news from my kitchen this weekend is that I made a minestrone using vegetables from my CSA share (fennel, shallot, potatoes, celery, yellow squash, tomatoes, white beans) and I stirred in some homemade pesto. My thoughts about vegetable soup are forever changed because it was so ridiculously good due to the pesto. If there was ever a doubt that I'd eat my way through my weekly produce share, it's entirely gone. I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend and happy back to school to those of you (like my mom, who's a school nurse) starting this week.

Peach Crisp

I have major news to share today: I joined a CSA! I am so thrilled, so excited that I finally made this happen after years of wanting to be a member. The one farm that I'd hoped to get a fall share with was all full, but on Saturday morning I finally found a vendor that had heirloom beets (chiogga in particularly), which I'd just been complaining that I couldn't find, and realized that they have a fall CSA as well. They are a150 year old family farm and it sounds like they grow a lot of heirloom veggies, and they were also just certified organic in June. So it's right up my alley. As soon as Melissa, the keeper of the CSA, told me about an heirloom tomato taste test that they are having out at the farm in a few weeks, with a potluck to follow, for members, I was sold. I'll let you know how it goes once I start getting my shares.
In the meantime, here's a delicious and very easy recipe for a peach crisp, that you can see I made over the weekend. It's part of my preparation for my "Week Without Processed Foods" over at readymade.com. I'll be sharing my experience figuring out just what a processed food exactly is, and trying to not eat any all week- which I think will mostly mean that I cook all of my own meals and only purchase foods with one ingredient (like rice). The series is an attempt to increase our awareness of how we take certain things—which may or may not actually be necessary or good for us—for granted. My coworker Katherine Sharpe did a "Week Without Plastic" last week which was fascinating to say the least. I'm also planning to photograph each meal, so I hope it's interesting to see how difficult (or not) and time consuming this is to really do.

Peach Crisp
Adapted from the New Moosewood Cookbook
4 large peaches, sliced into chunks
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick melted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Combine the peaches and the sugar in a 9-inch square pan (which I don't have, so I used a pie plate).
2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Distribute evenly over the fruit and press into place.
3. Bake 45 minutes or until the top is crisp and light brown, and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. (I think I actually cooked it for an hour since the top took a long time to brown.) Serve warm or at room temperature, preferrably with ice cream!

Wheat Bread, Spelt Crackers, Peach Crisp and More!

Last week I was out of town on business (and a bit of pleasure at the shore) and by the time I got home on Thursday evening, all I wanted was a homemade meal in my own kitchen. Which, by Saturday morning became the perfect excuse to spend a few hours making all sorts of lovely things! Above and below is the whole grain bread that I made, it's the regular, 10 minutes of kneading kind, the kind that requires two risings, the kind that is so addictive that I had to put half of the loaf into the freezer so that I don't eat it for every meal. My first slice I ate with goat cheese and honey.
There's the full boule, though I started cutting it before I remembered I needed to take a picture! Nice and rustic I think.

This was a peach crisp-esque dessert that I made with some of the large quantity of peaches I bought at the farmers market. I based it off of this Peach and Plum Crisp recipe, but I halved it since I made a little one. (Heidi's image of the dessert is way better than mine!). I had it for dessert last night and just ate it with plain yogurt for breakfast. It's not that sweet and I actually reduced the amount of sugar added to the fruit because I knew that the peaches were super sweet. And there is yogurt in the topping, rather than using a stick of butter, which was a nice healthy twist.
Granola, which is plain maple and coconut, though I did add in a cup of 7 grain cereal which makes it crunchier than usual.

Here's what I'll be eating for lunch a few days this week: a wheatberry (my current favorite grain) salad with roasted zucchini (regular and patty pan) with parsley and pecorino. The dressing is the juice and zest of one lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. I would have added a shallot if I'd had one, but it turned out pretty great without it.

And finally some Spelt Crackers. I went to Target the other night to pick up a few things and I was standing in the cracker/granola bar aisle about to buy a few boxes when I thought, wait, I know how to make perfectly good crackers. Why don't I save the money and do it myself with the ingredients in my kitchen? So I did. I will be tackling granola bars next weekend!

The rest of my weekend was filled with riding my bike, doing yoga, finishing up my new blog header (which I'll post soon!), and enjoying the lovely weather. I even spent a few hours watching lightning bugs last night. A perfect summer weekend, indeed.

Fruit and Custard Pie

When I posted about making pasta a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I learned to do so at cooking school in Tuscany last summer. Well I was going through some old pictures last night and came across the ones of all of the food we made during the course at Organic Tuscany. I have very fond memories of this custard pie, particularly the flavor of the vanilla bean in the crust. Oh, to be sitting outside in the warm sun eating a slice of pie and drinking an espresso!

Organic Tuscany Fruit and Custard Pie
Serves 8-12

Ingredients for the Rich Shortcrust
250 g (1/2 lb) flour
120 g (4 oz) butter, at room temperature
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 untreated lemon
100 g sugar

Directions for the Rich Shortcrust
1 Line an ovenproof tart dish with baking paper.
2 Make a mound of flour on a wooden work surface.
3 In a well in the centre, distribute the sugar, whole eggs and yolks Grate the lemon zest on top.
4 Add the butter and work the ingredients together with your hands, very gently, preferably with cold hands (run them
under the cold tap when you begin and halfway through the process).
5 When the pastry is homogenous, smooth and completely free of lumps, wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate it for at least
30 minutes (overnight is best, 2 hours is good).
6 Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F.
7 When the pastry has rested in the refrigerator, roll out to the size of the tart dish, cover with more baking paper and
weigh down with dry beans, rice, or another, smaller, baking dish. This will prevent the pastry rising.
8 Bake at 160°C/320°F for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is golden.
9 Remove the beans etc and baking paper and allow to cool.

Ingredients for the Custard
125 g (4 oz) sugar
500 ml (1 pint) milk
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons flour
1 fresh vanilla pod
250 ml (1/2 pint) whipping cream
Fruit to cover (that will not go black)
e.g. strawberries, kiwi, figs, raspberries etc.

Directions for the Custard
1 Split open the vanilla pod and place in a saucepan with the milk. Bring to the boil.
2 In a large bowl, vigorously beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the result is light in colour and frothy.
3 Add the flour and beat well.
4 Add the milk (remove the vanilla pod) gradually, beating constantly with a whisk.
5 Slowly bring back to the boil. The custard should be quite thick but will thicken even more once it cools. Allow to cool.

To Assemble
Fold whipped cream into the cooled custard. Fill the base with this and decorate with fruit.
This pie is best enjoyed at room temperature soon after it has been made, i.e. not refrigerated.