Almond Coconut Granola

When I think back to my childhood breakfast days, I have two clear memories--one memory of a full on breakfast, with eggs, bacon, toast and grits (which my brother scarfed down while my sisters and I picked at our plates) and a second memory of a Korean cereal called Jolly Pong.  I kid not--it was a real cereal.  We didn't have commercial American cereals, which was fine with me, until I was old enough to remember our few trips to the US and the wonderland that was the cereal aisle.  Fastforward to when I was in high school, and granola became all the newest health food rage.  My concern with granola was that it had raisins and I do not like raisins--they taste JUST like what they are--moldy grapes.  I liked the idea of granola in theory but in practice, I was not impressed.

So now that I am an adult and I can choose what things I like in my granola, I have come up with my truly picky chicky recipe for granola.  The great thing about this recipe is that it is a blank canvas--add your favorite dried fruit, nuts, spices...  It's hard to mess this one up!  I got the original recipe from a Food Network chef, Marcella Vallalodid, the host of Mexican Made Easy.  I made her recipe to the "T" for the longest time until one day (which happens to be today!), I didn't.  I started tweaking it and came up with this take on homemade granola.  Let me know what you think!

Ingredients

2 cups of old fashioned oats

1 cup of slivered almonds

1/2 cup of dried cranberries

1/2 cup of dried cherries

1/4-1/2 cup of sweetened coconut flakes

1 tsp of cinnamon

1/2 tsp of salt

1/4 cup of butter

1/4 cup of honey

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp of vanilla flavoring

1/2 tsp of coconut flavoring 

Non-stick cooking spray

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, cranberries, cherries, coconut flakes, cinnamon and salt.  Mix well to combine.  In a microwavable bowl, heat the butter, brown sugar and honey until butter is melted--about 1 minute and 45 seconds.   Remove dish from the microwave, stir well and add vanilla and coconut extracts to the honey/sugar mixture. Pour honey mixture over the oats and toss to coat well.

Spray a jelly roll pan with the non-stick cooking spray and spread oats in an even layer in the pan.  Bake at 400 F for 18-20 minutes, stirring once about half-way though the cook time.  When you pull the granola out of the oven, it will still be sticky.  Let the granola cool, and break into small chunks.  

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks and enjoy!

Best B.A.T Ever.

Now that I work from home, somethings have changed. Some for the better, and some for the not-so-good! One thing I miss about going to work is the socialization--getting to talk to someone other than my dog. But working from home has it's perks, too. In fact, I think the perks of working from home fall in this order:

1. The commute.
2. The dress code.
3. The B.A.T.

What is a B.A.T. you ask?! It's the Picky Chicky version of a BLT. It's a Bacon, Avocado and Tomato sandwich made on homemade bread that's been toasted and rubbed with fresh garlic. In a word, it's incomparable. You get the creaminess of the avocado (which I have made into guacamole, but a B.G.T. doesn't sound as fun as a B.A.T!), the salty-crunchiness from the bacon, the fresh-juiciness of the tomato and the heartiness of homemade bread. I dare you to find a sandwich at a restaurant that compares. Go ahead! :)

The best thing about it--other than the amazing, life changing, satisfying sandwich you're about to eat--is that the ingredients to make one sandwich cost about $2. That is about 1/4 the cost of a sandwich from a gourmet restaurant. Plus--you don't have to drive to get there. I know--win/win for you!

So here is the picky chicky version of the B.L.T. Let me know your your version turns out...

Ingredients:

2 slices of baked bacon
2 slices of vine ripe tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
(tip cut off)
Guacamole
(recipe below)
Choice of bread
Salt and Pepper to taste

Guacamole:
1 Avacado
1/4 of a small red onion
1/4-1/2 of a jalapeno
(Use more for a spicier guacamole)
1-2 small cloves of garlic
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of Southwestern seasoning
(I use this!)

Using a food processor (I use this one), finely mince the onion, jalapeno and garlic. Add the avocado, salt, pepper and southwestern seasoning and blend until a smooth spread.

Preparation Instructions:

Crack fresh black pepper on bacon and bake in the oven (350 degrees F for 15-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon). While bacon is baking, prepare the guacamole and cover with plastic wrap. Toast the bread, and gently scrape garlic clove over roughened, toasted bread. (Remember--tread lightly with the raw garlic! It is is potent and can be hot if you get a big chunk!) Spread both pieces of toast with the guacamole (leaving off the high-in-fat mayo!), and build your sandwich. I usually salt and pepper the tomatoes to bring out their flavor!

Doesn't this beat anything you'd get out at an overpriced restaurant?! I think so... ;)

Reese's Cup Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Yes--you read the title correctly. This is a recipe for banana bread. Not just ANY banana bread, but peanut butter banana bread with teeny-tiny Reese's cups floating in it.

Two of my favorite things in the culinary world would be peanut butter and chocolate. Add some banana bread into the mix and I am a goner. I saw an idea for this bread, but I didn't like the look of the banana bread recipe--I think the recipe I use as my "everyday banana bread" looked a lot better! I took my favorite components from bread A (peanut butter and Reese's cups) and my favorite things from bread B (sour cream) and combined them to make this little bite of heaven. (I dare you to stop at ONE bite... )

So without any further ado, here is my picky chicky Reese's Cup Peanut Butter Banana Bread. Enjoy!

Ingredients:



1/2 cup of butter flavored Crisco
(You can use real butter, if you prefer!)
1/3 of a cup of creamy peanut butter
1/2 a cup of sour cream
1 1/4 cups of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla
1 cup of mashed, ripe bananas
1 3/4 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt
8 oz package of mini Reese's cups

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Using a mixer, combine Crisco, peanut butter, and sugar. When light and fluffy add sour cream, eggs, vanilla and bananas until well blended. While the mixer is going, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the Crisco-peanut butter-eggs mixture until just combined. Using a spatula, fold in all 8 ounces of the mini Reese's cups. (I sampled one to make sure they were fresh... as the chef is allowed to do!) Divide batter into 2 loaf pans and bake at 325 for 50-60 minutes. Toothpick should come out clean when inserted. The top of the bread will be quite brown--don't worry. It's not burned!

Enjoy--I can't wait to hear your version of this bread turns out!

Chicky's Tamale Pie

I love Mexican food. I don't know what it is about Mexican food that I like... OK, let's face it. I love the ooey, gooey, cheesy spiciness of Mexican food. In some ways, Mexican food is a comfort food for me. There's something amazing about how warm and filling it is. My issue with making Mexican food is that it is insanely complicated--there are more ingredients than I can shake a stick at. Don't get me wrong--the end results are amazing, but some times I don't have the energy to put together a comforting south-of-the-border meal. I ran across a recipe for a chicken tamale pie. It looked amazing, but I saw a few things I could do to make it more in line with my palate. So here is the Picky Chicky's take on a Chicky Tamale Pie! Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1# of chicken breasts
(Cooked and shredded)
1 box of Jiffy corn bread mix
1 (14 oz) can of creamed corn
1 egg
1/3 of a cup of milk
1 (4 oz) can of fire roasted chiles
1/4 of a cup of sour cream
3 TBSP of taco seasoning
(divided)
1 (10 oz) can of medium enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese
(I use pepper jack--I love the way it melts!)

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Combine creamed corn, Jiffy, egg, milk, chiles, sour cream, 2 TBSPS taco seasoning, and 1/2 a cup of cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Pour carefully into a greased pie plate and bake @ 400 F for 20-25 minutes. While the corn base is cooking, add remaining taco seasoning to shredded chicken and 1/3 of the enchilada sauce. When corn base is no longer "jiggly" and pour remaining enchilada sauce over corn base. Top with chicken and remaining cheese. Return to oven and cook until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with homemade salsa and sour cream.

Favorite Basic Salsa

One of the many adventures I have had in my life was teaching overseas. I got to teach at a school in Seoul, South Korea called Seoul Foreign School. (It's also where I graduated from High School, but I digress...) While there, one of my closest friends and neighbor was Sara Schmidt. Sara is an amazing cook and one of the best things she taught me to make was her recipe for salsa. I've taken her recipe and tweaked it to fit my tastes. The good thing about salsa--you can add just about anything your palate likes! This picky chicky likes her salsa like this:

Ingredients:

1/2 of a medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
1-2 jalapenos
1/2 of a poblano pepper
2 (14 oz) cans of diced tomatoes with chiles
2 tsp of cumin
2 tsp of southwestern seasoning
(I use this one!)
1/2 tsp of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions:

I have used a handy chopper in the past (similar to this!) but now I use a mini-food processor (like this!). I blitz the onions, garlic, and peppers together and move to a mixing bowl. Then, using the same food processor, I blend (almost to a puree!) two cans of tomatoes along with the cumin, southwestern seasoning, sugar and salt and pepper. Once I like the consistency, I add the tomatoes to the onions, garlic, and peppers and mix well. (I generally go light on the salt to begin with because I taste test with salted corn chips!) Adjust seasoning--you may want more cumin or more salt/pepper.

I have been known to add the following ingredients to my basic salsa to jazz it up:

corn
black beans
cilantro
bell peppers (or any other type of favorite peppers!)
Roasted tomatoes (instead of the tomatoes with chiles)


Let me know how your version of this picky chicky's salsa turns out!

Peanut Butter "Tiger Eye" Pretzel Morsels

Being from Alabama, our priorities are God, country and football. From before you're born your football allegiance has been decided. Your either orange and blue or red and white. I am orange and blue! In honor of my football allegiance, I renamed the Peanut Butter Buck Eye Pretzel Bites I found. On my blog, they're called Peanut Butter Tiger Eye Pretzel Morsels. The recipe I modified is from a blog I love--Sweet Pea's Kitchen. She's got great food--check her out! So for your very own Peanut Butter Tiger Eye Pretzel Morsels.

Ingredients


Pretzels
1 cup of creamy peanut butter
2 tbsps of butter (room temp)
1 1/2-2 cups of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1 package of semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 tsp of instant coffee powder
Kosher salt
(or any other coarse salt)

Preparation Instructions:

Cream butter and peanut butter together until combined and smooth. Add sugars and vanilla. Mix until incorporated. Start with 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. (You may need up to 2+ cups to get the consistency correct. You want to be able to form the peanut butter filling into balls without it sticking to your hands.) Roll peanut butter mixture into 1 tsp sized balls and press between 2 pretzels. Place peanut butter pretzels in the freezer for 30 minutes to set. While the peanut butter pretzels are setting in the freezer, melt an entire bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels (in a double boiler) and add the instant coffee grounds. Stir until dissolved. Dip peanut butter pretzels into melted chocolate, sprinkle with a little coarse salt and let harden in the refrigerator.

Go-to Marinara

Right now, my job allows me to work from home when I am not traveling. Some weeks that is the whole week and other weeks, I am not home at all! One of my *new* favorite recipes (for those nights I get in late!) is an adaptation of the famous 4 Ingredient tomato sauce. Mine is more of a 5 Ingredient tomato sauce. Here's what you do:

Ingredients:

2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1/2 of a medium onion, peeled
2 cloves of peeled garlic
1/2 a stick of butter
(the REAL stuff--no substitutions!)
1 cup of chicken stock
(you can use veggie stock if you're not a carnivore!)
Salt and Pepper to taste
(free ingredients!)

Preparation Instructions:

In a medium sauce pan, combine all ingredients. Over a medium heat, bring contents to a boil. reduce to a simmer and cook until onion is soft. Using a blender (immersion or counter top), pulse the sauce until smooth and creamy. Serve over your favorite stuffed pasta and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

*The original 4 Ingredient Tomato sauce I modified is all over the web! I don't know the originator of this recipe, but it sure is tasty... especially with my modifications!