Monthly Archives: August 2012

Three of My All-Time Favorite Recipes…#3 Everyday Granola

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We can’t get enough of this granola!  Ever since the recipe (adapted from Molly Wizenberg’s Everyday Granola, Bon Appétit, June 2010) was published, I make a batch probably every other weekend.  We eat it five or six days a week.  I have mine with Greek yogurt and strawberries and Tony has his with milk.  It’s so easy.  It makes your kitchen smell so good while it’s cooking and I promise, you’ll discover why Molly called it EVERYday granola!  If you only read this blog once and make only one recipe, it should be this one.

PS…Molly is a regular contributor to Bon Appétit.  This recipe appeared in her column “Cooking Life.”  I hadn’t paid much attention to her prior to this (aaagh…sorry Molly!), but soon after, bought her book, “A Homemade Life” (which I LOVED!) and now follow her blog Orangette.

UPDATED 11/2024 

Homemade Granola to Eat Every Single Day

INGREDIENTS

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1-1/2 cups nuts and seeds (I like pecans, sliced almonds, pepitas, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds)

1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, your preference)

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use sunflower oil)

1 cup assorted dried fruit 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchmentor silicone mat. Mix first oats,  nuts & seeds, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Stir honey, maple syrup and oil in saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture; toss. Spread on prepared sheet. Bake for a total of about 40 minutes. Halfway through (about 20 minutes), remove sheet pan from oven and rotate. Bake for about 20 more minutes, until golden brown. 

When done,  place sheet pan on rack to cool.  When cool, break up granola into large bowl and mix in fruit.  Store in an airtight container.

Three of My All-Time Favorite Recipes…#2 Fiesta Chicken Salad with Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette

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I discovered this recipe early on in my love affair with Bon Appétit (February, 1995, to be exact) and have made it many, many times since then.  Quite a bit of chopping involved, but so worth it.  It can easily be made vegetarian by substituting black beans for the chicken.  And, truth be told, if I’m not feeling like making the vinaigrette, I’ll use El Torito Cilantro Pepita Caesar dressing from the supermarket.

Fiesta Chicken Salad w/Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

Vinaigrette

1/2 cup chopped shallots

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salad

3 cups thinly sliced red leaf lettuce

3 cups thinly sliced Romaine lettuce

1 cup diced cooked chicken breast

2 plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 avocado, peeled, diced

1/3 cup cooked fresh corn kernels or frozen, thawed (when using frozen, I use Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn)

1/4 cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/2 cup crumbled Cotija or Feta cheese (about 2 ounces)

1/2 cup crumbled tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS

Combine first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Combine all other ingredients in large bowl. Toss with vinaigrette to coat.

Three of My All-Time Favorite Recipes…#1 Margarita Cookies

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We had a Mexican-themed celebration dinner just before our daughter left for college.  I searched and searched for a margarita-ish dessert (and I did not want to do one of those maragarita pies with the lime Jello filling and pretzel crust!).  I found these on what has become my all-time favorite and most visited website/blog Smitten Kitchen.  Turns out Deb Perelman (the voice, genius cook and food photog behind SK) adapated the recipe from Dori Greenspan’s Lemon Sables.  (Dorie is also a regular contributor to BA and her cookbook “Baking:  From My House to Yours” is wonderful!)

What makes these the best cookies ever?  Sweet and salty, shortbread-like, with a little orange & lime…they are perfect, delicious and oh-so pretty little bites of heaven!

Margarita Cookies (or, as I call them, The Best Cookies Ever!)

Makes about 50 cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons tequila

Grated zest of 2 limes

Grated zest of half an orange

2 cups all-purpose flour

Coating:

Approximately 1/2 cup clear sanding or other coarse sugar (like “Sugar in the Raw”)
2 teaspoons flake sea salt or kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until it is smooth. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat again until the mixture is smooth and silky. Beat in 1 of the egg yolks, followed by the salt, tequila, grated lime and orange zest. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, beating just until it disappears. It is better to underbeat than overbeat at this point; if the flour isn’t fully incorporated, that’s OK—just blend in whatever remaining flour needs blending with a rubber spatula. Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and divide it in half. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches thick. (Get the thickness right, and the length you end up with will be fine.) Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.)

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

While the oven is preheating, work on the sugar coating: Whisk the remaining egg yolk in a small bowl until it is smooth and liquid enough to use as a glaze. Mix the coarse sugar and flaky salt well and spread the mixture out on a piece of wax paper. Remove the logs of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap them, and brush them lightly with a little egg yolk. Roll the logs in the sugar, pressing the sugar/salt mixture gently to get it to stick if necessary, then, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies about 1/4 inch.  Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch space between them.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are set but not browned. (It’s fine if the yolk-brushed edges brown a smidgen.) Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.

Keeping: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature. Because the sugar coating will melt, these cookies are not suitable for freezing.