Grilled Pork Chops with Rhubarb & Fig Compote

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Grilled Pork Chops with Rhubarb Fig CompoteGrilled Pork Chops with Rhubarb Fig Compote

This was an idea that started as a salad, grew butterfly wings, and transformed into something magical.

On the first go around, the idea was very vague–“hmm…pork would taste good with rhubarb and dried fruit”.  I pounded out  pieces of pork tenderloin, gave them a quick sear, and topped them with an arugula salad dressed with a rhubarb vinaigrette and a smattering of dried figs and pecans.  The flavors were good but it just didn’t pack as much punch as I’d imagined.  I wanted amazing, not meh.

Thankfully, I spotted a recipe on another food website that made me decide to give these ingredients a second shot together.  It was lamb chops with rhubarb-raisin agrodoloce.  Excellent, it was basically the flavors I had imagined working so well together made into a dish that made more sense.  I combined my ingredients list with the method used in the recipe and came out with a winner.  Meh?  No way!  I got the “amazing” I’d been after.

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Date, Coconut & Pecan Quinoa Muffins

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Date, Coconut & Pecan Quinoa Muffins

Now let’s get one thing straight; when it comes to muffins, I hardly discriminate.  I like ’em all, from dense and cakey to light and delicate, most every muffin has its time and place in my world.  But, if you’re going to press me for my favorite weekday version, it is, without a doubt, the humble quinoa muffin.

Why, you ask.  Why some dowdy quinoa muffin when I could be biting into a fluffy blueberry-buttermilk beauty?  It’s like choosing some mousey brunette over a blonde bombshell pageant queen.

Because quinoa muffins have got substance, integrity, loyalty.  They’ll coax you out of bed with the promise of deep, nutty-grainy deliciousness and fuel you all through the first half of the day.  They’re not going to merely flirt with you in the morning only to flake out on you halfway to lunch.

If you’ve been coming around here since the beginning, you probably already know about my affection for quinoa muffins.  I’ve been known to hide squash and apples in them.  This time around, I’m thinking quinoa muffin meets granola with big chunks of dates, copious coconut curls, and plenty of pecans.

Coconut, Date & Pecan Quinoa Muffins [Read more…]

Autumn Harvest Quinoa Muffins

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I’ll admit it.  On occasion, after eating what is essentially dessert for breakfast five days straight, I feel a tiny twinge of guilt.

But what’s a girl to do?  A girl’s gotta eat.  And this girl has got to bake!

Solution: a healthy, hearty, grainy, good-for-your-body muffin.  No delicate, dainty muffin here.  This is a muffin that wakes up, steps into steel-toed boots, fastens its toolbelt, and gets to work.  And it works hard.  It’s going to get you out of bed, out the door, and carry you all the way through ’til lunch.  This muffin is not going to flake out on you.  How many other muffins can you count on to do the same?

Building blocks:  quinoa (it’s a super-food, you know), squash, apples, raisins, nuts.

That’s grated butternut squash, not cheddar cheese.  Hmm…cheddar might not be a bad idea…next time.

Combine dry ingredients, brown a bit of butter, whisk egg with buttermilk, toss the quinoa and other tasty touches together in a bowl.

butternut squash, golden, raisins, pecans, apple, brown butter, cinnamon

Bring it all together.  Into a muffin tin and into your oven.

butternut squash, quinoa, muffin, golden raisins, pecans, nuts, apples, cinnamon, hearty, healthy, whole grain, whole-wheat

Golden & toasty, a little crunchy, a lot healthy, super satisfying.  I call middle-right, you can have top-left.

squash, apple, raisin, quinoa, muffin, fall, hearty, healthy

You are going to love these wholesome, nutty muffins.  They’re so good you might not even want to go back to your more decadent breakfasts next week.  You may even make another batch, try another variation, other whole grains, different secret vegetal add-ins.

healthy, whole grain, squash, apple, pecan, raisins

Or maybe you’ll rediscover the jar of nutella.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Autumn Harvest Quinoa Muffins
 
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These muffins are wholesome, flavorful, and moist with just enough crunch. Customize them with your nuts and favorite dried fruits.
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Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1½ c. All Purpose Flour
  • 1 c. Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • ½ c. Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1½ c. Buttermilk
  • 1 Egg
  • ¼ c. Unsalted Butter, melted and browned
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1 c. Cooked Quinoa
  • 1 c. Grated Apple (1 medium apple)
  • ½ c. Grated Butternut Squash
  • ½ c. Golden Raisins
  • ½ c. Pecans, chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Butter or spray a 12 cup muffin tin.
  2. Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon in large bowl. Mix well.
  3. In medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, browned butter, and vanilla.
  4. In another medium bowl, combine quinoa, apple, squash, raisins, and pecans.
  5. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.
  6. Fold quinoa mixture into muffin batter and scoop into prepared muffin cups.
  7. Bake until golden and tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

 

Pumpkin Cake with Pecan & Cream Cheese Streusel

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I’ll bake for the fun of it, I’ll bake for company, I’ll bake for you when you’re sad or sick.

I’ll also bake to bait.

Why did I bake this beautiful coffee cake today?

I’m totally baiting.

But don’t worry, this cake is for a good cause.

I’m using it to remind my boyfriend that some things are more important than going in to the office on the weekends.  Sleeping late, wearing sweaters and taking walks, spending an afternoon at the dog park, reading the newspaper in jammies while eating your favorite fall flavors baked into a cake.  Personal sanity and mental heath make the list, too.

I think this coffee cake will do trick.  Who would choose work over digging into a spicy, nutty slice of pumpkin cake with cream cheese and streusel?

Time to get started.  Lots of steps, but none are difficult.

Cream cheese goodness, check.

 

 

 

 

Let’s go on the streusel.

 

 

 

 

We’d better batter.

 

 

 

 

Put it all together.

 

 

 

 

Bake and cool.  Patience, patience.

 

Weekend breakfast bliss.  Have another cup of coffee, do the crossword puzzle.  You can work on Monday.

 

Pecan & Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Crumbles
 
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This spiced pumpkin cake is perfect with coffee for breakfast or dessert. It would also be great for your Thanksgiving brunch.
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Serves: 12-16
Ingredients
  • .
    For the Cake
  • 3 c. All Purpose Flour
  • 2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1½ tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
  • 1 tsp. Cardamom
  • ½ tsp. Ground Cloves
  • ½ tsp. Allspice
  • ¼ tsp. Black Pepper
  • ¾ tsp. Salt
  • 1 c. Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1 c. Granulated Sugar
  • 1 15 oz. can Pumpkin
  • ½ c. Buttermilk
  • ½ c. Sour Cream
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 4 Eggs
    For the Streusel
  • 3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, chilled and cut into pieces
  • ½ c. Dark Brown Sugar
  • ½ c. All Purpose Flour
  • ¼ tsp. Salt
  • ½ tsp. Cinnamon
  • pinch of Black Pepper
  • 1 c. Pecan Halves
    For the Cream Cheese Topping
  • 4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
  • 2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, softened
  • ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • ¼ c. Light Brown Sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a tube pan.
  2. Combine sugar, flour, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cut in chilled butter until crumbly. Add pecans halves. Set aside.
  3. Cream butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and brown sugar until light and creamy. Add a splash of milk in nessecary. Set aside.
  4. Whisk to combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, and spices in medium bowl. Set aside.
  5. In another medium bowl, whick together pumpkin, buttermilk, sour cream, and vanilla. Set aside.
  6. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 5 minutes on high speed. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well.
  7. With mixer on low speed, add a third of the dry ingredients, mix until combined, followed by half of the pumpkin mixture, and repeat, mixing until just blended.
  8. Spread half of the cake batter into prepared pan and sprinkle on half of the pecan struesel. Spread the remaining batter on top and evenly dollop on cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with remaining struesel.
  9. Bake until tester comes out clean, about 1 hour. Allow to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes.

Spiced Maple Molasses Granola

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I was so excited to tell you about my latest take on homemade granola that I did something stupid.

Really, really stupid.  Still feeling bad days later kind of stupid.

I dropped the camera.  And not just any camera.  The really nice dslr camera Matt and I bought together that I was afraid to touch for the first month.  The camera that has safely been up and down mountains, on sea-faring boats, and through crowds of thieves.

The camera could get through all that but couldn’t make it through my first week as a food blogger.  See there probably isn’t a camera in the world that is a perfect match for a girl who is flailing about the kitchen, five minutes before she needs to run out the door, trying to get the perfect shot of a bowl of granola so she can write another post when she gets home from work at midnight.

So the camera fell.  And the lens is hurtin’.  And I feel dumb, but my tragic story should not stop you from making this tasty granola.  It’s actually super easy and as long as you aren’t trying to take a perfectly “pin”-able photo while sprinting out the door, nothing bad will happen.  And should something bad happen, at least your house will smell of warm baking spices for days and you’ll have an abundance of yummy spiced granola to help comfort you.

Okay…gather your goods.

Oatmeal, coconut, almonds.  You could use pecans but almonds have more crunch.  Golden raisins, candied ginger, dried apricots.  Molasses, maple syrup, butter, oil.  Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, clove.  Anything else you might put in your favorite spiced molasses cookies.

Melt the butter, oil, syrup, and molasses.

Add your spices, nuts, coconut, and oats.  Admire the many shades of brown as you stir to combine.

Now it’s time to get toasty.

Golden and toasty, take it out of the oven and let it cool on a rack.  Get your dog out of the kitchen.  Get yourself out of the kitchen.  Go for a walk- it’ll make you feel better about all the granola you’re about to consume.

Welcome back.  Add your dried fruit, candied ginger, and…

…that’s it.  You’re done. Wasn’t that easy?  You never have to spend $6 on 4 ounces of artisanal granola again!  Put it in some mason jars.  Keep the big one for yourself.  Give the pint jars to friends.  Bake some apples and sprinkle granola on top.  Add a dollop of yogurt, call it breakfast; add a scoop of cinnamon ice cream and call it dessert.

And don’t worry too much about me and my camera issues.  Thankfully I have a boyfriend who accepts me for the clumsy, spastic klutz that I am and insisted we spring for the diamond warranty.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Spiced Maple Molasses Granola
 
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This granola is easily customized with whatever dried fruits and nuts you like and makes a very nice home-made gift.
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Serves: yields 7 cups
Ingredients
  • 4 c. Old-Fashioned Oats
  • 1 c. Whole Almonds
  • ½ c. Coconut
  • ¼ tsp. Kosher Salt
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
  • ½ tsp. Cardamom
  • ½ tsp. Ground Cloves
  • ½ tsp. Nutmeg
  • ¼ c. Maple Syrup
  • ¼ c. Molasses
  • ¼ c. Olive Oil (or Vegetable Oil)
  • 2 T. Butter
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • ½ c. Golden Raisins
  • ½ c. Dried Apricots, chopped
  • ½ c. Candied Ginger, slivered
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Combine oats, coconut, almonds, salt, and spices.
  3. Melt butter with oil, maple syrup, and molasses. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
  4. Add dry ingredients to butter and syrup mixture. Stir until oats and nuts are well-coated.
  5. Spread mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until golden and toasty, about 30 minutes. Watch carefully and stir several times while baking to prevent burning.
  6. Allow granola to cool on baking rack.
  7. When granola has cooled completely, add dried fruit and candied ginger. Store in airtight container.