Healthy and good?? Is that even possible? July 27, 2009

My kids love snacks.  I think it may even be their favorite part of the day sometimes.   Let’s be honest, the prices of convenience-type foods is through the roof and it just doesn’t pay for me to keep buying all sorts of individually-wrapped stuff that isn’t even good for them.  So, what’s a girl to do?  Experiment, that’s what!!

This started with a recipe from my Aunt Tammy.  And then, of course, I had to start messing with it, because I just love doing that!  This is called  “the whatever you want to put in it” bar.  I’ll explain in a minute.

1/2C Peanut butter – any kind…could even be almond butter or cashew butter…i’ve made it with all of the above!        1/2C nonfat dried milk       1/2C honey

Put ingredients into medium saucepan and cook on low-med heat until peanut butter breaks down and gets all melty.  Add in 4C cereal – here’s where it can get fun!  Of course you can use rice krispy treats and it’s super good, but you can also use any other type of cereal that you’d like.  I would stay away from ones that have a dominant flavor of their own, such as chocolate or cinnamon or apple.  Stick with complimenting flavors or basic-type cereals.  Some of my favs are:  Fiber One caramel crunch, raisin bran, Pops, Chex – you get the idea. 

Pat into a 8×8 lightly greased pan and let set up until bars harden slightly. 

I’ve even turned this into my normal breakfast.  I hate hot breakfast but I know I need to eat something, so I use the recipe, make it with natural almond butter and the Fiber One cereal and I have my very own breakfast bar. 

You can play with the flavors here, too.  For example, there are tons of different types of honey out there.  Orange blossom, clover, and blueberry blossom are some of my favorites, but with each new honey, your bar will get a new flavor.  And if you think it’s too sweet, try using an unsweetened peanut butter. 

So the next time your kids are whining for a snack, whip up a batch of these, they save for several days and you can even eat them for breakfast!  Does it get any better than that?

Lovely liqueur July 20, 2009

Do you use liqueur in your cooking or baking?  If you said no, is it because you’re afraid to?  Not sure what to do with it?  Don’t think you would use it enough?  These are all legit arguments, but I wanna give you one for the flipside. 

My friends and family laugh at me because I don’t drink, not at all, and I have a fully stocked liqueur cabinet.  No, not liquor meaning  just any type of alcohol.  Liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, nuts, spices, flowers or creams.  They are usually sweet and not aged for very long.  The reason for the history lesson is that I want you to understand the potential flavor power that these carry.

Now, you may think, why would I buy a bottle of Amaretto for example?  I’ll never use that.  Well, Amaretto is a liqueur made from sweet almonds.  Think about all of the recipes you have that call for almond extract.  I use it in apple pies, tarts, cookies, etc.  It isn’t to take the place of the almond extract, only to add to it, to enhance it if you will.

Here are a few other examples:  Kirsch – a cherry flavored brandy that I use every single time I make cherry pie.  Can also be used in recipes involving blueberries, raspberries, you get the idea.    Framboise – a raspberry flavored brandy that I use anytime I make raspberry sauce, jam, anything involving berries, also.  Kahlua – a coffee-flavored liqueur that I use anytime I make anything mocha flavored or espresso.   Grand Marnier is an orange flavored liqueur.   What is my point you may ask?

My point is this . . . there are many ways to elevate the flavor of your dish.  Some of them may be a bit outside your comfort zone, but given the chance to bump the flavor up a bit and add another layer of variation, take it, do it!  Make your dish extraordinary!

In case you were wondering, liqueur keeps at room temp forever!!  So, don’t be afraid to make a little investment.  Start with the one you think you would use most often.  Play with it, see what you think.  I promise you, the only thing you have to lose is flavor!!

Key lime crazy! July 18, 2009

Summer makes me crave certain flavors and textures.  Bright fruits, cold ice cream, that sorta thing.  And while I don’t fancy myself a huge lime person most of the time, I can recognize its goodness when I taste it!

Do you know what a key lime is?  It is a smaller, more tart, stronger flavored lime that is only available for a while in the summer.  Now I’m sure we’ve all heard of Key Lime Pie, right?  These limes were those originally used in that recipe and overtime, we’ve adapted it to use any kind of limes.  Oh, but there’s a difference.  It’s kinda like comparing Scharffen Berger or Lindt chocolate to Hershey’s.  Both accomplish the same thing, but with completely different tastes. 

I was at Wal-Mart yesterday, completely oblivious that it was Key Lime season and I saw a bag of the little beauties and couldn’t resist!  A. they’re not expensive  B. i can think of at least 4 different things I want to use them in  C.  they’re just so cute!

So, dig out your favorite recipe for key lime pie, or you can ask me for mine.  I dare you to make it and taste the difference!