Another Reason I Love Breakfast.

So I have been on a yogurt kick. I guess it is nothing new because I have always enjoyed yogurt, but more recently it has become a staple in my fridge. If someone is running to the store, yogurt status is always checked before we leave.

I used to hate plain yogurt. I loved raspberry, vanilla, lemon, blueberry...anything but plain. I remember the first time I ever ate it. I was probably six or seven and my sister, our cousin Sara and I were in the living room watching a movie (probably drinking sugar water because that was our sneaky way of getting jacked up as children) and I decided I wanted a snack. The kitchen only had the over-the-sink light on, so it was dimly lit. I grabbed the carton of yogurt from the fridge, scooped myself a seemingly enjoyable bowl, and took one bite. One. No more, maybe less. It wasn't sweet (but coming down from sugar water, nothing is), it tasted almost sour, and it wasn't the sweet vanilla I had my heart set on. I probably even just left it on the counter without a second thought (sorry about that, mom). Years later, plain yogurt is my choice. Mmm. 

I eat it for breakfast with raw oats, dried fruit, nuts, and chia seeds (with a drizzle of honey if I am needing a little more sweet in my life), I eat it with my lunch (throw some frozen berries in it when I am packing my lunch in the morning and by lunchtime, they are thawed and delicious), I bake with it (I have found a yogurt banana bread recipe that I really like and am working on). I just gol' durn like it.

And I love my granola.  

It is fun to make! I first made it at the coffee shop where I baked for years, and through that I learned just how flexible it is! Have a flavor dream? You can turn it into granola somehow. I have a recipe that is my standard go-to with flax, honey, nuts, vanilla, fresh or candied ginger and dried fruit, but I was craving something else when I pulled by antique Ball jar filled with oats out of the cupboard. I love brown sugar and maple on my oatmeal as a sweet treat, so I decided to make it into granola. This way I can have my granola AND yogurt. One happy lady, right here.

Maple Brown Sugar Granola

3c Rolled Oats

3/4c Raw Slivered Almonds (or raw chopped)

3/4c Raw Walnuts, chopped

3TB Sesame Seeds

3TB Flax Seeds

1/4c Dark Brown Sugar

3/8c Pure Maple Syrup

1/4c Canola, Sunflower, or other neutral flavored oil

3/4tsp Salt

1tsp Vanilla (paste or extract will work)

1/2c Dried Cranberries, chopped

1/2c Dried Apricots, chopped

Preheat oven to 250〫F. In a large bowl, combine oats, seeds, and nuts.  In another bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla until combined. Pour over dry ingredients and toss until evenly coated. Spread out evenly on 2 sheet pans. Bake for an hour and fifteen minutes, stirring and rotating pans every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and combine in a large bowl. Allow to cool slightly before adding the cranberries and apricots. Toss until cool. Store in an airtight container or zipper baggie. 

I have been spoiled with maple syrup in my life. I know that a lot of people grow up with the plastic jug of maple-flavored syrup (most of it doesn't even contain a drop of real maple...only corn syrup), but in my family, we grew up on Hakes Brudders Syrup. My grandpa and his brothers live in the most idyllic small-town Minnesota there is, and they tap trees every spring. They camp out in the "sugar shack" drinking coffee (and probably a few brew-skis), chatting and boiling down the sap to make syrup. They don't sell it, only give it to family for their yearly ration (and believe me, we treat it that way!) It is so unbelievably delicious that I can't dream of having a maple-syrup-wanna-be touch my pancakes (I have been known to go with fruit compotes or preserves on my pancakes if I don't have H.B. syrup on hand.)

That could be why I am so fond of maple. It reminds me of the days where I hoped spring break would fall on "syruping weekend" and going Up North meant the replenishment of the family fridge's supply. Over the years I have learned where my Grandpa stores the waiting jugs in the basement (in the back corner, kind of like an aging bottle of wine that you bring out on special occasions).

Here is to the coming spring and the (hopefully) coming jugs of maple syrup for more granola, pancakes, and yogurt.

Cheers!

Homemade Pizza: Showing The Love

Traditions are fun, aren't they? There is something special about doing things just because that is how they have always been done. People have traditions for everything, ranging from family reunions (Hakes Olympics; the best and most hilarious game and food-filled family get-together on the lake), to Christmas and 4th of July traditions. There are so many things that we look forward to in an event simply because it is our moment; something we find comfort and identity in. 

Valentine's Day has its own tradition in our household. It started when Kyle and I lived an hour apart and were doing that "long-distance" thing. Because there was driving involved to get to Kyle, he and I decided that making dinner ourselves and having an evening in would be much more fun than spending more time in the car. He and I like to cook together too, so having a cooking-date for our first Valentine's Day together sounded like fun without the stress of going out on the one night most couples go out for dinner. Neither of us remember how or why we decided on making homemade pizza, but I brought my pizza crust recipe with me and we ended up making a Thai Chili Chicken Pizza with peanut sauce, shredded carrots, chicken, peppers, green onion, cilantro...That pizza is a keeper...The next year, we did homemade pizza again. And this year, we decided that we had to do pizza again, for tradition's sake.

Bread Basics: flour, salt, yeast.

I have done many pizza crust recipes in my kitchen time. My sourdough crust was my favorite. Bubbly, chewy, awesome flavor...But I decided to try a new one. There was a recipe from Bon Appetit that I had been wanting to try, and after making it, we have decided that it is a must-keep-and-repeat recipe. Bubbly, chewy, light, and cooks fast to give a crisp outside and creamy inside. And leftovers the next day were just as good (having a crust that holds up in the fridge for cold pizza is key for me). 

Pizza toppings are fun to brainstorm and put together. So many flavor combinations are possible! Whenever we make pizza, Kyle tops one and I top one. They always turn out so differently and it never gets boring! I got my topping idea from one of David Leibowitz's blog posts and topped my pizza with garlic olive oil for a base, roasted red potatoes, caramelized onions with thyme, local blue cheese, and a little local mozzarella to help it all stick. Mmm. Kyle did a delicious German-inspired pizza that had sausage, apples, shallot, sauerkraut, red jalapeno, fresh mozzarella on a spicy herbed red sauce that he threw together. 

We had a delicious salad with strawberries, warm bread cheese, walnuts, and a sweet balsamic dressing, sipped on one of my favorite wines and had a movie night. 

Onions with Thyme

Roasted Taters

Local Cheeses

Kyle's Kraut with Apple, Shallot, Bay

Mmm...Red Sauce

Bubbly Pizza Crust (adapted from Bon Appetit)

450g Organic All-Purpose Flour

50g Organic Whole Wheat Flour

2tsp Kosher Salt

1/4tsp Dry Active Yeast

Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. While Stirring, gradually add 1 1/2 c room-temperature water. Mix gently with hands until dough comes together and forms a ball. Place in a clean bowl, cover, and allow to rise for about 18 hours at room temperature, until it has more than doubled in size and has small bubbles covering the surface. NOTE: Time will vary depending on room temperature, water temperature, etc.

I love my Swedish Dough hook.

Dump the dough out onto a floured surface. Flatten into a rectangle and divide into 2 equal portions. With each piece of dough, flatten into a rectangle and fold all four corners into the center. Turn over so it is seam-side-down and form into a ball. Set aside and allow to rest covered for about an hour. Half-an-hour in to the rest period, preheat oven and baking stone to 500-550〫F (hottest setting).

Shaping and Baking: Dust dough and pizza peel generously with flour. Gently stretch dough balls to 12-14" rounds. Top with whatever delicious toppings you want and slide into the oven. Once the pizza is in the oven, turn oven to broil. Bake until cheese is melted and golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Turn oven back to the highest setting and allow the oven to re-heat before the next pizza is put in. NOTE: if you are using meat, be sure it is pre-cooked as the bake time is fairly short.

Mmm. I only wish my oven got a little
hotter so I would have gotten darker
bubble spots on my crust. 

Airy crust is made from a wet dough and minimal handling.

Aside from being delicious, this crust was simple to put together. Perfect for a pizza party! Make the dough ahead of time (recipe easily doubles), portion the dough out for individual pizzas, wrap the dough in plastic and pop in the fridge (allow to sit at room temp for 2-3 hours before shaping).  Have an assortment of pizza toppings and sauces, and let the creations begin! People will be impressed with your "better than the Italian pizzaria" crust and they will love topping their own pizza they way they want it!

I have a problem with NOT making my own pizza crust. It really is simple, and much cheaper than buying pre-made crusts or the pre-packaged dough mixes with all of the mono-whatnots to help preserve them. All it takes is a little forethought and a few minutes spent a day or two before your pizza night. Totally worth it.

Here is to another year of traditions, making new traditions, and trying new things.

Remember to show and spread the love, be it through a piece of pizza, chocolate, or a smile.

Cheers!

Goals Are Organic Carrots

What a cold snap we had last week! Here in St. Peter schools had FOUR two-hour late starts in one week. I have heard from school district veterans that this was the first time that has ever happened (in their memory at least). Makes me love being a Minnesotan, and I don't even live in Northern Minnesota! Even so, not many people can say that they have lived in -40F (even if only for a few days). I am glad it is a bit warmer though. I am missing running outside! Even since it has warmed up, the ice is unpredictable and I don't want to almost slip in front of more cars and have them laugh at me as they drive away (it happened...) nor do I want to have nightly walks with the dog be exercises in dog sledding. I don't have proper harnesses for that.

Speaking of running, I have decided that I need to make it official. Telling the world via the interweb makes a declaration officially official, doesn't it? Well, I'll say it is. Here goes. Begin declaration:

I am training to participate in a 10k at the end of March, a triathlon in June, and a half-marathon in October.

Bah! I have been working from a training schedule for a few weeks, and I have realized that my body has missed being consistently active. I have learned that I truly enjoy running for the release it brings and the focus it draws. Having these goals is good for my mental structuring, keeping me moving and driving forward in a direction purely for me and my satisfaction. I don't think that I will do spectacularly in any of the races, but I want to do it; to finish it and know that I have gotten my body to that point of ability. Check those things off of my bucket list! Only I can get myself there, and if I don't make it, only I have held myself back. Here I go.

Anywho, about the food. I have been working on a Southwest Quinoa Salad for a while. I have had mushy batches, not seasoned enough batches, and most recently (with the alteration of how I cook the quinoa) not one, but TWO perfect batches. The quinoa stays fluffy NOT mushy, the flavors meld together to give spicy, sweet, tangy, and all the yummy in the world. It is quick and makes great leftovers! Here is to warming up those cold snaps with a little glimpse of what is to come in the summer. 

Southwest Quinoa Salad

3TB Lime Juice

1TB Olive Oil

3 Garlic Cloves, pressed

1/4tsp Ancho (Chipotle) Powder

Salt, Pepper, and Cayenne to taste

1c Quinoa, rinsed well

2c Cooked Black Beans (can use canned, I prefer cooking my own-they are less mushy)

1c Cherry Tomatoes, halved

3/4c Corn Kernels, fresh or frozen

1/4c Chopped Cilantro

Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, garlic, ancho powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Set aside.  Cook quinoa in a pot of salted boiling water (as you would pasta) uncovered until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a wire sieve, then set the sieve over the pot with about an inch of water in the bottom of the pan (water should not touch the bottom of the sieve). Cover quinoa with a kitchen towel and cover with lid (it is okay if the cover does not fit tightly). Steam over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat, remove lid, and let stand covered with the towel for another 5 minutes. Add quinoa to the dressing, tossing to evenly coat. Toss in corn, beans, tomatoes, and cilantro. Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

I used red quinoa because that is what I had in my pantry, but white would work just fine.

When I saw this method of cooking quinoa on Epicurious, I was a little concerned. I thought it sounded like a lot of work to make quinoa that will probably still get mushy once you combine it warm with the dressing, but it doesn't! It was easy, and the quality and consistency of what I have been getting is worth it hands down. Even Kyle noticed a difference and he didn't know what quinoa was until I made it for him when we started dating.

I can't wait until summer when I can use cilantro from my garden, tomatoes and corn from the farmer's market, and throw in some fresh chives or scallions. Eat this over a green salad on the porch with a cold beverage of choice, and I am set. With quinoa and beans being packed with protein, this will have to be a main-stay in my grain salad repertoire not only for its health factor, but for its downright flipping edible deliciousness on a spoonness. 

Eat well and challenge yourself! What is your goal for the year? Forget resolutions; they tend to fade. Goals are that delicious organic carrot dangling in front of you that only YOU can get. I love carrots, so I am going for it this year.

Cheers!

UPDATE!! I made Avocado Pasta again this week, but I made it sans bacon, and with lots of veggies! Sauteed mushrooms, onions, orange bell pepper, and steamed broccoli...oooh...I know you wish you had some...Just saying. I would say  BOTH ways are worth a try on your part :) You just might become an avo-advocate too!