Tuesdays with Dorie: Granola Grabbers

Ring the school bell and get to class. It's time to learn how to bake everything from A to Z for Tuesdays with Dorie. Matriculate yourself, buy the textbook, and bake along. Even though they are home schooled, my two little charges still appreciate the novelty of a "packed" lunch. Maybe it helps with the distinction between school days and weekend days, or maybe there is something inherently pleasant and mysterious about brown bagged food. Packed lunches scream back to school as loudly as freshly sharpened yellow pencils and pleated plaid skirts. Here's a shot from our first official day of school. Notice that I have one child that insists on wearing a crisp uniform to home school, and another child that feels compelled to wear his Peter Pan costume. This amuses me greatly because I'd prefer to do home school in my pajamas. And I'm supposed to be the teacher.

No matter how you're dressed or where you're going, you'll want one of these crunchy chocolaty cookies in your lunch bag. Granola forms the base of these hearty treats, so I used my homemade version full of brown sugar, oats, and pecans. (Scroll down for the recipe.) I also made two batches of the Granola Grabber cookies. After the first batch, which we loved, I thought they might be a touch better with the addition of some baking soda to spread the dough. Dorie's version is sans leavening, and the cookies bake like little mounds, even when pressed down a bit. The baking soda spread the dough perfectly, resulting in a crackly and chewy cookie, and one I'll be making again very soon. Pack some in a brown bag with a napkin note and you'll rule the school. Even if it's home school.

Be forewarned: it's an irresistible cookie dough. If my brother Jack were around, I'd have to hide the bowl or we'd never bake any cookies at all. (If you'll come visit me, Jack, I'll make you a whole bowl of cookie dough. Just for you. )

Version Number one without baking soda. Delicious, but a little too mounded for my preference. Version Number Two, looking very scholastic...Hearty, crackly, chewy, crunchy and devoured quicker than you can say ABC. For the real recipe, click here. For my version, read on.

Money Saving Tips: Use homemade granola here and save yourself a bundle. (Try my version, or use your favorite recipe.) Stock up on butter when it goes on sale. Home baked cookies are cheaper and better for you than store bought, so you're already ahead of the game.

Chocolate Chip, Brown Sugar and Pecan Granola Grabbers

Estimated Cost: $3.00 for 2 dozen

Notes: I went the distance and made these with all whole wheat and whole grain. Kind of makes you feel better about the butter and chocolate. Kind of.

8 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat)

1 and 1/2 cups granola

1 cup chocolate chip

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine butter and both sugars, mixing well. Add egg and vanilla. Sprinkle salt and soda over the top and mix again. Add granola, chips, and nuts. Shape into generous tablespoon sized balls and place on cookie sheets, leaving space for expansion. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges look browned and the tops are barely firm. Let cool for two minutes and transfer to racks.

Coming Tomorrow:

Reader Request:

Cowboy Shepherd's Pie with Summer Vegetables and Cheddar Potatoes

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Granola

What a grand August weekend it was! I'm surprised how close to perfect it played out. I did nothing fabulous. Nothing newsworthy. Really nothing noteworthy, except for the things that I love and a few things to make next week a little easier. I never stepped one foot in a car. Everything happened right around my own house. It was all simple and homey and in the end, just what I needed.
Here's what I did:
I ran 7 miles Saturday morning, finished off a great novel sent to me from my friend Gigi, swam laps in the pool very slowly while pretending to be Michael Phelps, made summer themed sugar cookies with my little charges, attended church, broke up 376 meaningless arguments, sewed the beginning of Sailor's Halloween costume (Belle), cooked tons of great food for this week's posts, baked wheat bread, made lesson plans for the coming week plus graded a few papers, caught up on my phone calls to a few of my sisters, and had dinner guests and impromptu breakfast guests. Guess who did the laundry and cleaned the bathrooms? Quiet Man. And that after mowing the lawn, pulling the weeds, and working on his doctorate classes. I almost didn't even notice to say thanks, so I'm saying it again now. Thank you. Again. Folks, here's what to have for breakfast on a perfect weekend or weekday morning. Homemade crunchy granola just can not be beat. We've all been munching on it like mad. It's cheap to make, so good for you, and is absolutely outstanding with some yogurt and fresh fruit. I've got one more reason you should make up a batch: I'm using my homemade granola in our Tuesday with Dorie cookie. See ya then.
Money Saving Tips: Homemade granola is already so much cheaper than the store bought variety, plus you can customize it according to what you already have on hand. I love to make granola when I have just a few nuts left at the bottom of a couple different bags. I'll use just about any kind. If you can't find wheat germ at a good price, just use extra oatmeal.
Homemade Brown Sugar Cinnamon Granola
Estimated Cost: $3.50
Notes: I didn't have any wheat germ on hand and my market was asking more than $5.00 for a jar, so I swapped it for some of my favorite high fiber cereal pictured below.
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup wheat germ (or additional oatmeal or high fiber cereal)
1 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)
3/4 cup dried fruit, if desired, such as cranberries, raisins, etc.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and coat with no-stick cooking spray. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, oil, water and cinnamon. Bring just to a simmer. Meanwhile, place oats, wheat germ, and nuts on prepared baking sheet. Pour brown sugar mixture over the top and toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring often, or until granola is crisp. Stir in dried fruit, if using.
*Brown Bag Lunch suggestion: Place a container of yogurt in the freezer. In the morning, pack up the frozen yogurt and a baggie of granola. By lunch time, the yogurt will be thawed but still cold and will make a lovely lunch with a sprinkle of the protein and fiber rich granola.
Coming First Light of Tuesday:
Tuesdays with Dorie
Brown Sugar, Pecan, and Chocolate Chip Granola Grabbers

Lemon and Basil Chicken Salad

I must have simple ideas for yummy weekend lunches. I can't be bothered with fussy foods when there are errands to run and bathrooms to scrub, parties to attend, instruments to practice, and miles to run before I sleep, and miles to run before I sleep. And now that the school year is back in swing, Saturday is all that is left to me for domestic organization. Doesn't domestic organization sound awfully drab? 10 years ago I'm sure I didn't spend one minute of my Saturdays on domestic organization. What I really want to do on Saturday is stay in bed and read a novel, go out for breakfast-brunch-lunch-dinner and then ice cream, take my novel to the pool, come back to a clean house (from a maid who works for free out of the kindness of her heart), catch an Oscar worthy PG rated movie with the whole family and a giganto bucket of buttered popcorn, and then take my same novel to my clean-sheet bed. Did I miss anything? What's your ideal Saturday?

At least I know I'm going to get a good lunch on this busy weekend day. Chicken salad only feels fussy when it really comes together in a snap. I especially adore this lemon and basil version, since it tastes very classic, only with a bit of a fresh zing. Make some today or tomorrow, because after that, well you know the "M"day is lurking.....
Money Saving Tips: You'll feed the whole family lunch on less than what you'd spend on one bakery sandwich. Hopefully you've got a freezer full of chicken that you bought on sale. Plan ahead to have cooked chicken on Saturday. Grill, bake, or poach it a little extra during the week. Even if you use canned chicken, I won't tell. You can use dried basil if you fresh is too pricey. Swap out the lemon juice and zest for vinegar if necessary. I used soft wheat rolls on sale from the bakery, but any soft sandwich bread works well here.
Lemon and Basil Chicken Salad
Estimated Cost: $3.50
Notes: Serve this up with potato chips and watermelon. Use any extra within two days.
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/3 cup mayonnaise or whole milk yogurt
1/3 cup sour cream (light works well here)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus 1 teaspoon zest
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 rib celery, minced
soft rolls or sandwich bread
crisp lettuce leaves

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Slather on rolls and top with crisp lettuce.
Have a great weekend.
Next Up:
Homemade Brown Sugar and Pecan Granola

Homemade Corn Dogs and Cheddar Cheese Dogs

Everything tastes better on a stick.Get ready for a low brow special.... I've always wanted to make homemade corn dogs. Which is strange, because I don't actually eat corn dogs. After a 4 year stint as a vegetarian, hot dogs are one food that have not found their way back on my menu. The kids love them (even from the microwave when they're lucky enough to get one at a friend's house), and the Quiet Man loves them from Main Street at Disneyland. (Why, oh why doesn't Disney make them with cheese for the non hot dog crowd?) They always look so crispy, crunchy and corny-corny in a good food flavor kind of way. I decided to one up Disney and make both corn dogs and cheese doggies. Ha! They really are crispy, crunchy and corny-maybe in both kinds of ways, and oh did it work for me. And if it seems strange that on Thursday I'm lightening up Ina's panzanella, and by Friday I'm deep frying hunks of cheese, you're right. I'm strange and inconsistent and very moody. But I hope you'll love me in spite of all that. If not, I hope you'll at least love me for my low brow corn dogs.This recipe comes from Hillbilly Housewife, a great penny pinching resource. Make some for a fun Saturday lunch for a once a year kind of treat. A quick picto-guide:
Make up the cornbread mixture and place it in a jar for dipping, or just spoon it over your dogs.
Roll the dogs or cheese strips in flour and impale with a wooden stick.
Coat the dogs in the cornbread mixture and deep fry, turning once, about 2 minutes total. (My cheese doggies are fatter than the corn dogs, since I really coated those babies with the cornmeal mixture. I didn't have a single melted cheese drip, either.)Drain on paper towels. Serve with ketchup and mustard. Pretend you're on a Ferris wheel. Take a big bite.I made a huge batch since we had a big crowd of visiting cousins for Saturday lunch. They were a colossal hit. Kids and corndogs. I'm not suprised they went over big.
Money Saving Tips: This recipe is pretty economical, as long as you get your dogs or cheese at a reasonable price. Freeze any leftovers for a quick kid's lunch. They won't be quite as good frozen, but they'll be better than the store bought kind. You can reuse your frying oil if you strain it and pour it into a clean jar.
Homemade Corn Dogs or Cheese Doggies
Estimated Cost: $6.00
Notes: This will make enough batter for 8 corn dogs or 6 cheese sticks.
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 T. oil
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup flour, plus more for coating
8 hot dogs OR 8 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 6 equal sticks
oil for deep frying, (I did about 1 and 1/2 inch deep)
In a medium bowl, combine milk, egg, oil, and sugar. Sprinkle salt, powder, cornmeal and flour over the top. Mix until just combined. Dry off hot dogs with paper towel. Rub hot dogs or cheese sticks with flour to coat and poke in a wooden stick. Preheat oil to 375 degrees. Quickly coat a dog in cornmeal mixture and drop into oil. Repeat with another dog. Watch closely. When it is browned, flip it over and cook on the other side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining dogs. If you have any leftover batter, you can fry it by the tablespoon for hush puppies.
Next Up:
Weekend Lunch
Lemon and Basil Chicken Salad

Lightened Up Panzanella

It's Barefoot Thursdays, so you know it's going to be good. Serve this with the Red Wine and Dijon Tri Tip from yesterdays post.....Those resourceful Italian fore bearers of mine were every bit as frugal as I am. No wonder I'm an inveterate penny pincher. The Italian ragazzi weren't about to let a crumb of edible food go to waste- and thus panzanella was born of invention, pluck, and Etruscan thrift. Once you've tried bread salad, you'll start buying extra baguettes and willing them to get stale. It's an ideal use for those day old loaves with the fluorescent stickers on the mournful bakery rack. As with all Ina recipes, folks, I have to lighten them up a little. I know they're wickedly good as is, but well, it's a struggle to keep the zippers zipping and the buttons buttoning, and this with long hard miles on the treadmill daily. (Dorie and Ina, you're killing me softly, and oh how I love it!) For the seam splitting version, click here. For my seam stretching version, see below.
Lightened Up Panzanella
Estimated Cost: $7.00
Money Saving Tips: Go for a day old bread loaf here. Use whatever vegetables you can find for cheap or from your own garden. Ina uses bell peppers also, but I left them out since they were expensive this week. You can also swap the feta (my addition) for mozzarella or Parmesan, or leave it out altogether. Make it a little heartier for dinner by adding cooked garbanzo beans.
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cups day old multi grain baguette (I love Albertson's version)
2 cloves minced garlic, plus 1/2 teaspoon, divided use
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
2 large red tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 thinly sliced red onion
2-4 tablespoons thinly sliced basil
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non stick skillet. Add bread, 2 cloves of garlic, and salt. Cook over medium low heat until bread is crisp, stirring often about 10 minutes; set aside briefly. In a separate small bowl, combine remaining garlic, vinegar, mustard, and sugar. Whisk in olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. To prepare salad, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, basil, bread and dressing. Toss in feta, if desired. Serve within 45 minutes. I'm so glad it's almost Friday. I'm burning the candle at both ends because I love the Olympics.
Coming Tomorrow:
State Fair Favorite
Homemade Corn Dogs and Cheese Doggies

Garlic and Dijon Grilled Tri-Tip Steaks

It's too late for me. But, if I had ever decided to give up on delicious food and begin a quest for a perfectly toned and gorgeous body, I'm pretty sure that swimming would have been the way to go. And although I am watching the Olympics for the glory of the game, I can't help but notice all of the glorious physiques, male and female alike. I haven't seen any arm flab, love handles, or cellulite. And there's no place to hide any of these figure flaws in those tiny Olympic uniforms (if you saw Women's Volleyball, then you know what I'm talking about).
So since I can't be a Greek Olympic Goddess, I think I'll just continue on making delicious food on a budget. Like this steak. I can't give up on my love affair with tri tip. It's just so luscious and beefy and earns perfect 10s from anyone that you share it with. I love it with soy and lime, but I also adore it with garlic, Dijon and red wine vinegar. Pair it with a lovely tomato and basil Italian bread salad....coming tomorrow, so you better tune in again.
Money Saving Tips: Don't even bother with tri tip if it isn't on sale-but if it is, throw out the popsicles and make room in the freezer. You can use other cuts of beef, like flatiron, or flank steak if you can find them at a more reasonable price. Costco has tri tip for $5.99/lb-which is a truly great deal. If you don't have red wine vinegar, use balsamic for a great twist.
Garlic and Dijon Grilled Tri Tip
Estimated Cost: $7.00-if you get the meat on sale (see above)
Notes: Don't worry about the acidity of the vinegar and mustard; it will mellow out on the grill. Garlic powder really works well here if you're pressed for time.
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, smashed with 1/2 teaspoon salt, (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt)
1 heaping teaspoon black pepper
1 lb. tri tip steaks
Place all ingredients except steak in a bowl and mix until smooth. Place steak in zip top bag. Pour in marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Preheat grill or broiler for medium hot cooking. Grill steaks about four minutes per side for medium rare.
Coming Tomorrow:
Barefoot Thursdays
Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

Tuesdays with Dorie: Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Get yourself a sugar cone. It's time for Tuesdays with Dorie, and this may be my favorite one yet. Come churn along with us as we make high end treats on the cheap.It's no secret that I've been on an ice cream making kick this summer. There's something so nostalgic and summery about churning out creamy pints of homemade ice cream. When this Dorie assignment came in, I had my cone ready. (Would you look at that drip in the photo? The kitchen Gods were smiling on me for this one.)Dorie's real recipe is for blueberry sour cream ice cream, but I happened to already have some strawberries in the freezer and I'm all about saving a penny. I'm absolutely confident that you'd have good results with any berry, but be sure to taste as you go along to adjust sugar. This strawberry white chocolate chip version was so very very very good, that even the notoriously cryptic Quiet Man dubbed it the best strawberry ice cream he had ever eaten.
Since my ice cream maker was already full from my last urgent craving, I reverted to the old method of making ice cream sans a maker. (Check out my maker-less recipe for orange-pineapple-raspberry sherbet.) Ice cream without a maker is quick to make, requires no salt or ice, and although not quite as creamy as the churned variety, still wins a very tasty second place. You'll need to be accessible for about 2 and 1/2 hours, so plan accordingly.

First, cook some berries with sugar and a bit of citrus juice. Whisk in sour cream and whipping cream and place in freezer. I have to be honest: it was already delicious enough to eat at this point. It would make a very elegant cold soup for a luncheon. But we're supposed to be making ice cream so forge ahead.Every thirty minutes, you'll give it a good whisking to prevent the formation of ice crystals. (It's also a good opportunity to snitch some ice cream.) When ice cream is almost set, drizzle with melted white chocolate and whisk vigorously. Scoop into a sugar cone. Eat. Hoard. Vow to make a double batch next time.

Money Saving Tips: Use any berries you can find on sale. Frozen berries work well here also. You can also skip the zest and use bottled orange juice if that's what you have on hand. This ice cream was delicious without the white chocolate, so leave it out if you can't find it for a reasonable price.

Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Estimated Cost: $3.00

1 and 1/4 cup strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon orange juice

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup whipping cream

2 ounces white chocolate (I used Baker's)

In a medium saucepan combine strawberries, sugar, juice and zest. Cook until strawberries are soft and mixture begins to boil. Transfer to blender, or use an immersion blender to puree mixture. Pour in sour cream and whipping cream and whisk until smooth. Place in medium bowl in freezer. After 30 minutes, whisk mixture again. Repeat process every thirty minutes for 2 hours. When mixture is almost set, melt white chocolate in small microwaveable bowl at 50 percent power, being careful not to scorch. Drizzle small amount of white chocolate over ice cream, wait for chocolate to harden (about 30 seconds) and whisk again. Repeat with remaining white chocolate. Return to freezer to let set for at least 20 minutes. Makes 1 pint.
Coming Tomorrow:

Grilled Dijon and Garlic Tri Tip