Homemade granola

Sometimes I forget just how good this old standby is!  I bought some that was homemade on a recent trip back to Maine (my beloved home state) and it was delicious!  It had the ingredients listed on the label so I searched on the internet to find the closest thing.

I have added some suggestions for dried fruit and nut combinations.  If you have access to an Indian grocery store, you can find bags of sliced dried coconut which makes a marvelous addition.  Make sure to keep the finished granola well sealed so that air doesn’t get to it, it should last a long time.
 
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Additions if desired
1/3 cup each chopped almond, walnut, hazelnut or other nuts
1/3 cup each raisins, cranberries or other dried fruit
1/3 cup each sunflower seed, sesame seed or other seeds

** for tropical use dried coconut, pineapple, mango, papaya etc.

Directions:

1  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2  In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt.
3  In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.
4  Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.
5  Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.
6  Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the almonds (or other nuts) over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.
7  Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the seeds over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.
8  Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the dried fruit over the granola and use your hands to transfer it to an airtight container.

3 Fruit Marmalade

This recipe is from an old Irish cookbook dated around the 1940’s.  It is unique in that it uses no ”regular” measuring cup..you can use any cup you have on hand as long as you use the same cup to measure for the entire recipe.  You can use a regular yellow grapefruit, but the red ones give it a lovely pink color!   Also, note that it does not gel as firmly as commercial marmalade.  It is meant to be rather spoonable.

Ingredients

1 Grapefruit

1 Orange

1 Large Lemon

Granulated Sugar

Method

1. Wash, dry and cut each fruit into quarters and peel skin away from pulp.
2. Cut the pulp into chunks and place in a bowl and keep aside. Scrape or cut away the white pith on the fruit skin and slice the skins finely into shreds about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. Place skins in separate bowl.
3. Measure the pulp using your choice of measuring cup into a large bowl and for every cup of pulp, add 3 cups of water.
4. Using the same cup, measure out the shredded fruit skin into a large saucepan, add 3 cups water for 1 cup skin, cover and keep aside overnight.
5. Next day, place both the pans on the stove and bring to boil and simmer for about an hour.
6. Strain the cooked fruit pulp in a large strainer, pushing and scraping to get most of the fruit, but making sure there are no seeds.
7. Add the cooked shredded skins and their liquid to the strained mixture, and measure it all out once again with the same cup.
8. Add 1 cup of sugar (again using the SAME cup) to each cup of fruit mixture, mix well and bring to boil.
9. Continue boiling rapidly until some of the mixture jells when poured onto a cool plate.
10. Skim the mixture and jar up into sterilized jars – boiling for 5 minutes in canning pan to insure seal.
11. Store in refrigerator to keep cold.

Seviyan / Payasam – Indian dessert

  

 

I love this warm on a cold day – or cold on a hot day!   Add more raisins and cashews if you desire for more taste.

    1/4 cup seviyan (about 1 handful of seviyan)
    4 Tablespoon sugar
    1 tablespoon cashew pieces
    1 tablespoon raisins
    1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder
    pinch of saffron soaked in milk
    1 teaspoon ghee
    1 cups of whole milk
    1 cup thickened milk (precooked to half volume) or light cream

Method:

    Fry/roast the seviyan (unless already roasted), cashews and raisins separately with a little ghee.
    Keep it aside.
    Simmer the milk on a low flame.
    Once it starts boiling, add roasted seviyan/shavige.
    Let it simmer on medium low heat for 8 minutes.
    Stir it in between to prevent the payasam from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
    After 8 minutes, add sugar and saffron. Let it boil on a low flame for 5 to 6 more minutes or until
    proper consistency is reached ( seviyan cooked well and blends with the milk)
    Turn off the heat and add cardamom powder, fried cashews, and raisins. Mix well.
    Serve hot or cold.

Note: Seviyan has the tendency to absorb the liquid, payasam becomes thick after it cools down. If that happens, boil some milk and add it to payasam

Cocadas de lechera – mexican coconut bars

 

 

I first tasted these when I move to Florida – they are amazingly sweet, moist and chewy.  Perfect for coconut lovers!
Ingredients
(About 12 cocadas)

Cooking spray, to prepare the pan
1 can (14 oz ) condensed milk OR Dulce de Leche (caramelized condensed milk)
5 cups sweet shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spray an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl mix the coconut and sweet condensed milk until well combined.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan.

5. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until very lightly browned.

6. Cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.