Cooking for Seven

Last week, I received a message asking if I would like to sample some granola from Malachi’s Harvest. Of course I said yes - granola is one of my favorite breakfast treats!

My analysis:

Malachi’s harvest is a business run by a homeschooling family of six. They strive to provide nutrient-dense, flavorful, and healthy granola. Visit their Etsy shop to learn more.

Taste/Quality: I was very impressed with the flavors - complex and delicious. Also, it was loaded with quality nuts, fruits, and coconut chips. The texture was a bit soft for my taste, but the  flavors certainly made up for it. Check out the ingredient list in their shop. I think you’ll be impressed.

Okay, here’s the fun part.

The people from Malachi’s Harvest were generous enough to send me two samples - one to try and one to share…with you!

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How can you enter this giveaway?

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite breakfast treat.

2) For another chance to win, tweet about my giveaway. Come back and leave another comment with a link to your tweet.

3) For another chance to win, blog about my giveaway. Come back and leave another comment with a link to your post.

No comments will be considered after Wednesday, March 23 at 11:00 p.m. CST. On Thursday morning I will select a winner using random.org.

Good Luck!

Brown sugar is such a lovely ingredient. Yet it is just as processed as regular sugar. So I decided to attempt to make my own, using ground natural sugar and molasses.  This article/video from Martha Stewart was very helpful.

Admittedly, my sugar was much different than commercial brown sugar. But I think it is a very nice alternative.

Would you like to try it for yourself? Here’s what you’ll need:

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Printable Page

Ingredients:

For light brown sugar:

• 1 cup ground natural sugar or 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses

For Dark Brown Sugar:

• 1 cup ground natural sugar or 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses

Directions:

Place the sugar & molasses in a blender or food processor. Mix until fully combined. Store in an airtight container, with a slice of apple or bread to keep soft.

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Here is my current favorite whole wheat biscuit recipe. We love to use them for biscuits and gravy. Delicious!

Note: I usually significantly reduce the amount of buttermilk. I’m not sure why, but these always turn out very wet for me. I recommend that you start with less buttermilk and add more as needed.

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Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

From Relish Magazine

Printable Version

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (8 oz) whole-wheat pastry flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, plus more if needed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450° F.

To mix using a food processor:

1) Place 1 3/4 cups of the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in food processor fitted with the metal blade and process briefly to combine. Add the butter and toss lightly with a fork to coat the butter with flour. Using 1 second pulses, mix the butter until it resembles course meal. Do not over-mix.

2) Transfer the flour mixture to a bowl. Add 3/4 cup buttermilk; stir with a fork until the dough gathers into one large lump. Add more buttermilk if necessary.

To mix by hand:

1) In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and toss lightly with a fork to coat the butter with flour. Using a pastry cutter, a fork, two knives, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour. Work quickly to keep the butter firm.

2) Add 3/4 cup buttermilk; stir with a fork until the dough gathers into one large lump. Add more buttermilk if necessary.

Continue for either version:

3) Transfer dough to a flat surface sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup flour. Roll the dough to coat with flour then pat out into a rough rectangle about 1/2-inch thick and fold into thirds. Repeat the patting and rolling. Pat the dough out to a thickness of about 1 inch. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out biscuits and place onto an ungreased baking sheet, placing the biscuits 1 inch apart as they will spread.

4) Bake 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Makes about 12 biscuits

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Ever since I was a very little girl, I have known what it is like to produce maple syrup. Trudging through the melting snow, hauling buckets heavy with the collected sap, and the pleasure of having your dad assure you that you are doing a good job.

I have never ever liked the horrid imitation syrups. If it’s not the real deal, I’d rather eat my pancakes with just butter.

Last week, the wonderful folks over at Coombs Family Farms sent me a sample of their maple syrup products. What initially impressed me was that they have produced 100% pure maple syrup since 1840, and have been producing certified organic maple syrup since 1988.

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When I tasted the syrup, I knew it was the real deal. It was rich and flavorful and reminded me of our own maple syrup. Their syrup has been described as a “deep, dark syrup evocative of a New England fall” and as “Deep, earthy, complex, the essence of spring in maple country (Gourmet, March 2006).”

Wouldn’t you like to try some for yourself?

Those very kind folks have sent me extra maple syrup products so that two lucky readers will win the following items:

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1 Jar of 100% Pure Coombs Family Maple Syrup

1 Jar of Maple Sugar

1 Maple Man Maple Sugar Candy

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Here’s how you can enter to win:

Leave a comment telling me whether or not you have ever tasted real maple syrup.  Make sure to leave a valid e-mail address in the comment forum.

Only one comment per person.

No comments will be accepted after Wednesday, July 29th at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. Using random.org, I will pick two (2) winners. I will then contact the winners and post the results. If the winners do now reply in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen and contacted. Good luck!

Contest has now ended. No further comments will be accepted for consideration. Thanks to all who participated!

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Last weekend, we went camping. When we returned, I found three VERY ripe bananas in the refrigerator. I knew something needed to be done with them before they were completely useless, but I just didn’t feel like baking banana bread.

So I made banana cake instead! I knew from the get-go that I wanted the cake slightly more healthy (surprise surprise!) than the original recipe. So I swapped whole wheat flour for the AP flour and used maple syrup in place of the brown and white sugar. To compensate for the maple syrup, I increased the flour by 1/4 cup.

This recipe was very forgiving, even with all of my crazy substitutions. The cake was moist and flavorful and rose beautifully in the oven.

The original recipe instructed me to serve the cake with slightly sweetened whipped cream. Since I don’t take orders from recipes very readily, I just served it with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkled it with some toasted pecans.

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Maple & Pecan Banana Cake

from How to Bake by Nick Malgieri

Ingredients:

For the Cake

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 2 3.4 cups (11 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup mashed, not pureed, bananas
• 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk

For the Frosting

• 1 eight-ounce package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened but still firm
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup toasted pecans, for garnish

Directions:

To make the cake:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 13×9-inch glass baking dish and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2) In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand beater, cream the butter until soft and light. Gradually add the maple syrup and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes more, or until very light. The butter and maple syrup may separate slightly.

3) Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the bowl and beaters occasionally. Beat in the vanilla.

4) In a medium bowl, whisk together the  flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture along with the milk and bananas. Beat on low speed just until combined.

5) Scrape the batter into the prepare pan and bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack, removing the paper, and allow to cool completely.

To make the frosting:

1) In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter, maple syrup, and vanilla and beat until smooth.

2) Store in the refrigerator until serving. If the frosting becomes too hard, let it sit a room temperature until spreadable.

To serve the cake:

Cut the cake into desired sized pieces. Spread with frosting. Garnish with toasted pecans. Serve immediately.

Makes approximately twenty-four 2-inch squares

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