Hoo Doo Granola

HooDoos in Bryce Canyon

I have just returned from a 7 day hiking adventure in Utah.  #7days7hikes   #hikethehoodoos It was a fantastic week in Park City, Deer Valley, Sundance and Bryce Canyon.  We put some miles on our weary feet and had one awesome meal (and a beer, mojito, bloody mary or something along those lines) every day at the end of the hike.  So breakfast every morning was a lighter affair, after all, who could hike with Sunday Brunch in their bellies? 

Bryce Canyon on the Navajo Trail

 

I made a batch of this granola for the trip, and we all devoured it.  It is high in fiber, high in flavor, and yes, there is sugar.  But if you have ever spent a day hiking a canyon in the sweltering sun, you come to appreciate a rounded out diet.  Your body needs it all to perform.  It's named for our favorite rock formation, the hoo doo.  Rhymes with lot of funny things, (hiking can make you semi delirious!) and makes you sing Paul Simon in your head and out loud for, well, hours!

The original recipe is found here on epicurious, and I have shared it with many.  Below is my version, and of course it is like a blank slate just begging for your own variations.  Dried fruit?  Different nuts?  Another grain?  Whatever you like.  Just add a little Greek yogurt (unsweetened 2% for me) and a little fresh fruit and breakfast is served.  I also like it warm with a little almond milk in the winter!  So, what are you waiting for?  Go take a hike!!

HooDoo Granola

4 cups Bob's extra thick rolled oats

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup roasted sunflower seeds (this is all I can find here)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix these ingredients in a large bowl so there are no brown sugar chunks.

In a small saucepan, combine the following...

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1 Tablespoon sugar

Bring to a simmer and take off heat.  When it is no longer bubbling, add

2 Tablespoons vanilla paste

Stir well, until all the oats and nuts are coated.  Then spread onto a sheet pan that has been sprayed or coated with oil.  And bake for 20-30 minutes at 300º.  Remember if using convection, it will be hotter and cook faster.  It will harden as it cools and can then be broken up.  Grab a spoon while it's hot though and give it a taste...Delicious!!!

Is Anybody Out There?

I have been a very bad blogger.  Bad.  I was hoping to get a refresh on my blog and dive in with new enthusiasm after the events of May. What event?  Just the last child graduating from college...holla!!!  I now have 2 kids working, paying rent, paying taxes, and officially out of the nest.  It really gives a mom a sense of pride, but also makes me very sad.

We may have made signs at Baccalaureate....and her name is NOT Tina! 

I long for those long summer days with kids running in and out of the house with wet feet, looking for towels and popsicles.  And I miss those sleeping wet kids on a sweltering afternoon, sprawled on the couch.  Nothing can stir that exhausted post swim nap. So here I am.  They closed Williams Sonoma over a year ago, so no job.  I have my cookies, but I really hate being trapped indoors all day on these gorgeous days.  My pool will finally get filled tomorrow after a long repair job, and i have to just enjoy the moment for what it is. And I have to write.  It really is part of who I am.

My first blog is here.  Boy have things changed since then.  Nic was just 2 months past high school graduation.  Christina was starting her sophomore year of high school.  Over the last 7 years, I have documented events at the Air Force Academy, a transition to civilian college at OU, high school volleyball, going to Millsaps, lots of birthdays, holidays, work events and loss.  I have baked with groups, I started my 50 chefs for 50 years (started, but no where near finished!), I have cooked, grilled, cleaned, sewn and of course baked loads of sugar cookies.  I have come a long way on my sugar cookies in 7 years and 3 cookie conventions!!!


So here is to today, and new beginnings.  Fresh starts, new recipes, new cookie designs, and who knows what else!  Please stay tuned.  I am always so humbled when I get a comment or an email from a reader.  Here we go.  What are you waiting for?  Oh, me!  I'll be right back!

Crab Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Spring dinners are usually not fussy, not filling, and a complement to a nice glass of wine on a humid day.  I try to eat mushrooms once a week, fresh ones, as they are a great source of Vitamin D, an ongoing issue for me.  I wasn't sure if portobellos fell into this catagory, but I picked up a 3-pack with the intentions of stuffing them.  I did this a few winters back, following a Cooking Light recipe that was heavy on the light cream cheese.  I'm just not a fan of cream cheese, and decided I could do a much better job of lightening up this favorite.  I chose canned crab, because if you're going to bastardize it with stuff, who cares if its fresh?  Plus, the canned is flaked to the ideal texture.  I used 2 cans, as crab is where I want the flavor.  Then I just sort of used up some produce drawer leftovers, and seasoned it all with my favorite Cavendar's Seasoning.  The result was delicious!  Perfect with a tossed salad and a glass of pinot grigio.  Please don't judge my cookie sheet!  Yikes!  I have a stack, and some are for baking stuff that is savory, drips and will stain.  My "cookie" sheets are never used for anything but cookies!

2 cans Chicken of the Sea Crab
6 green onions, chopped
2 small bell peppers, chopped ( I use the mini)
1/4 cup mixed cheddar/jack cheese
2 ounces crumbled feta
1/4 cup Panko
1 T cold butter cut into 4 cubes
4 portobellos  (mine came packed 3, so I put the extra filling in ramekin)

Gently clean your portobellos, and get the dark ribs out from the caps.  Mix all other ingresisetns except Panko and butter.  Fill the caps mounding gently, and any extra filling can go into a ramekin.  Dust with Panko and top with a pat of butter.  Bake at 375º until browned on top, about 10-12 minutes.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get in there and cook!!!