Coconut Oil Granola

Even as a kid I loved granola. But back then it was Quaker granola out of a box. I remember my mom buying it for my dad and it was supposed to be hands off for the kids since it was expensive on our family budget. I always snuck a little when I was up early and loved to shake the box to find the large clumps and pick them out. 

I baked my first batch of granola about 10 years ago, giving it as holiday gifts. Ever since then I have been hooked on having my own homemade granola in the house. It is incredibly simple to make and can be customized with so many spices, nuts and dried fruits. I love it with milk as cereal or topping yogurt and fruit. So versatile. 

Today I needed to fill my granola jar and decided to bake up a quick batch using what I had on hand. The only nuts I had on hand were cashews and for dried fruit I pulled out some cranberries. I always toast my nuts on a baking sheet at 350 degrees until fragrant. Watch them so you don'r burn them. Once they cool give them a rough chop. You will add the fruit and nuts once the granola is baked and cool.

Coconut Oil Granola

4 cups thick rolled oats

1/2 cup flaxseed meal

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

2/3 cup coconut oil

2/3 cup honey

1 cup toasted nuts

1 cup dried fruit 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Line baking tray with parchment paper

In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients. Warm the oil and honey in a small pan over medium heat. Pour warm oil/honey mixture over dry ingredients and mix to combine. Spread over baking tray. 

Bake for 10 minutes then stir and turn granola on tray. Bake for another 10 minutes. 

Let cool completely then add dried fruit and nuts. Mix thoroughly and store in an airtight container for 2 weeks. 

Pancakes for one

Breakfast is my favorite meal. Growing up my dad often made us breakfast for dinner. Omelettes, waffles, eggs and pancakes were the stars of these meals.

As a lover of bread and all things baked and sweet, waffles and pancakes were my favorite.

To this day I have the hardest time choosing sweet or savory for brunch. Logically I know I should have protein and veges but my tummy wants pillowy pancakes drenched in syrup!

Sometimes in the mornings when I should be making oatmeal I get crazy and make this tiny batch of pancakes just for me. I think you should make them too.

Pancakes For One

Makes 6 small or 3 "normal" pancakes

1/2 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tap baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil

In a small bowl whisk the dry ingredients together. In a separate small bowl whisk the wet ingredients together.

Pour the wet ingredients over the wet and stir gently to combine. Do not over mix.

Heat a small skillet on medium and use a small amount of butter or cooking spray in the pan.

When the pan is hot drop equal amounts of batter into pan for 3 small pancakes. Cook until golden brown and batter begins to bubble. Flip over and cook other side until golden.

Repeat process for remaining batter. Top with favorites - butter, syrup, jam.

Enjoy!

Ba Bar Breakfast

Breakfast in Seattle is a curious thing. Great breakfasts are few and far between. The places that are really great have 2 hour waits and are always clear across town. With my schedule it makes it hard for that scenario to work. 

There is a restaurant near us that has good food and even better pastries. What they were missing was breakfast. Not any more!! Their pastry chef invited me and Mr. Ramon to a friends and family breakfast to try out the new menu and offer feedback. Yes please!

Ba Bar is the creation of Sophie and Eric Banh. They grew up together eating street food in Saigon and that inspired Ba Bar. Their lunch and dinner menu are full of soups, noodles and delicious small plates. Karen their pastry chef makes a mean almond croissant! 

We showed up for breakfast with open minds and empty stomaches. Mr. Ramon had the - Eggs Benedict with Black Forest ham, housemade brioche, caramelized onion, hollandaise.

I could not resist the temptation of biscuits and gravy with poached eggs. 

I was really overwhelmed with the flavors of this meal. I can say it was probably one of my top 5 breakfasts of all time. So well seasoned with a depth that was unexpected. Love! 

The rest of the menu looks just as good. From omelette and granola to steak and eggs. I can't say enough how much I enjoyed my breakfast. I hope you get a chance to check it out soon!

Apricot Jam

Its hot here in Seattle and as much as I would like it about 10 degrees cooler I know my garden needs it and fall is around the corner. So I will not complain. With sun comes stone fruits. My favorite time of year. I still had about 2lbs of apricots left from the box I split with my friend so I decided to make some jam. I got up early before it got warm - sticky jam and a hot house is my kind of nightmare. 

When I was growing up we ate a lot of jam. My mom was an expert PB&J maker. I also love toast and peanut butter and jam on crackers as a snack. Strawberry and raspberry were my favorites as a child. I thought my mom was so weird putting apricot jam on her peanut butter and toast. Weird chunky globs and a more tart than sweet taste. How could that be good. Well times have changed. Some years ago I found that I loved apricot jam. Not sure of the exact moment that happened - but now that tart flavor and hunks of cooked apricots drive me wild. In Paris this breakfast place we went to a few times had the best jam and I think I polished off the whole bread basket myself smeared with their apricot jam. 

I had great success with my strawberry jam this year. I decided to go the route of not adding commercial pectin. The recipes call for more sugar but have a cooked down quality that I love. I went the same route with the apricot and it came out great as well. 

Mr Ramon and I stopped for coffee on his way to work and I picked up a croissant from one of my favorite pastry places Ba Bar. Karen is magical and does things to laminate dough I only dream of. I could not wait to get home and smear this buttery, crispy croissant with my jam. 

Apricot Jam 

• 2 pounds fresh apricots 
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Chop them to your desired size. I like good sized chunks of fruit so I cut them in about 1/2 inch pieces. 

Place the apricots in a very large stockpot, and add the water. Cover the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until the apricots are tender and cooked through. I smash some of the cooking apricots to add more texture to my jam. 

Add the sugar to the apricots and cook, uncovered, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Continue to stir frequently to make sure the jam isn’t burning on the bottom.

A lot of people use the chilled plate test. I go right for the candy thermometer. I like to be precise that way. Jam is ready when it hits 220 degrees. 

Once done, stir in the lemon juice and  ladle the jam into clean jars. This jam will store for 6 months in the fridge. Alternatively you can preserve this jam in clean sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 5 minutes to produce a product that lasts for 1 year on the pantry shelves. If you need support in this process you can go to the Ball canning site. 

Enjoy!