Cinnamon Almond Crunch {Recipe}

cinnamon almond crunch recipe  

Growing up as the oldest of four girls, I remember my mother cooking for nutrition and the efficient use of her time and food budget. We ate well, and mostly from scratch, but meals were not complicated. We rarely ate dessert and when we did, it was almost always homemade.

That's why summertime pool snacks were always a huge treat. Mom would buy sugared cereal especially for this purpose, the only time we ever ate Fruity Pebbles or Lucky Charms or Cinnamon Toast Crunch, my favorite. She'd send us off on our bikes with towels and a box of cereal.

Looking back, I realize what a brilliant coup this was - snacks from the snack bar used cash she didn't want us carrying around and weren't filling. Cereal was undoubtedly cheaper, a little more nutritionally balanced, and still satisfied our desire for a treat.

mixing cinnamon almond crunchrecipe for cinnamon almond crunch

Fast forward to my birthday this fall. The idea was to have ice cream sundaes for dessert and my mom asked my sister Heather, a pastry chef, to make a nutty topping. She tossed together these simple baked almonds. The sugary, crisp nuts made me start snacking like I was back at the pool with my hands in a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

store cinnamon almond crunch in a jar

Beyond an awesome part of a sundae, Cinnamon Almond Crunch makes a lovely gluten-free bit of crunch on top of a pudding, fool, or crisp. Add a pile to a fruit and cheese appetizer. I like eating them right out of the jar.

Cinnamon Almond Crunch Makes: 1 quart Time: 1 hour

1 egg white 8 ounces blanched, slivered almondscat and cinnamon almond crunch 1/3 cup sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Whip egg white in a large bowl just until fluffy. 2. Fold in almonds until they are evenly coated. 3. Stir in sugar, salt, and cinnamon until almonds are well coated. 4. Spread in an even layer on a parchment- or silpat-lined cookie sheet. 5. Bake at 250 degrees F for 30-45 minutes or until almonds are slightly browned and the sugar is crisp. 6. Cool at room temperature. Store in an air-tight container for up to two weeks. Keep away from curious cats.

Petite Roasted Parsnip Fries {Recipe}

petite roasted parsnip fry recipe
Do you ever prepare a tired ingredient in a new way? The other day we cooked Ohio bison burgers and wanted a 'fry' without potatoes. Riffing off the roasted root vegetables on Lil's plate at Senate, Alex cut up some parsnips into very thin wedges. He arranged them in a single layer on a cookie sheet at roasted them with a thin cover of olive oil, salt and pepper.

My what a wonderous accompaniment! Parsnips roasted in this way are only slightly sweet and full of earthy anise flavor. The fries are crispy on the outside with a bit of bite still in the center. They compliment a rich burger like potato fries cannot.

This recreation of a common root vegetable makes me think a little harder about parsnips. I haven't explored them fully. Perhaps 2012 will be the year of the parsnip.

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Simplest Oven Roasted Squash Soup {Recipe}

pumpkin squash soup recipeEarlier this week, we were slated to bring a soup to family dinner with Alex's parents. I spied our last local pie pumpkin languishing on the counter and thought of squash soup. I typically make winter squash soup by oven roasting the squash, sautéing onions and garlic in oil, and then pureeing everything together. This time I was exhausted from another bout of sinus pain. I didn't feel like dicing the onion and happened upon another thought - what if I roasted everything together?

The lazy girl's inclination turned out to be a stroke of brilliance. Pumpkin halves, onion, garlic, and parsnip bathed in an oil-rubbed sauna for about 40 minutes while I put my feet up and watched a football bowl game. On the second rack of the oven, I roasted the pumpkin seeds.

Then I simply scraped all the slightly charred, softened vegetables into a pot and added stock from the freezer and herbs from the backyard. I whizzed the soup smooth with the immersion blender and topped with roasted seeds. The resulting soup is earthy and rich with caramelized flavors from the roasted vegetables.

oven roasted vegetables for pumpkin soup I've been at this home cooking thing for a long time and I don't usually change much about the way I make traditional dishes. But sometimes the simplest thing surprises me. I'll never make squash soup the old way again.

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Added to Simple Lives Thursday #77.

Maple Cider Vinegar Kale & Sweet Potatoes ala Skillet {Recipe}

kale and sweet potatoes farm to table Way back in August when the grass was green and the weather sticky hot, Flying J Farm opened its (barn) doors to host the Shake the Hand that Feeds You dinner benefiting Slow Food Columbus. Alex, Lil, and I attended with our Japanese exchange student Anna.

Chefs from Skillet Rustic. Urban. Food expertly cooked up much of the feast including a lingua appetizer sandwich that helped inspire our sweet heart charcuterie. The family-style meal included a whole roast pig, tomato salad, rosemary potatoes, braised cabbage, and our favorite dish of the night, sweet potatoes and kale.

Chef Casey's pairing of my favorite vegetable, kale, and nutritious sweet potatoes was a new combination to me. Every time I eat at Skillet R.U.F. I am struck by their simple brilliance and want to recreate dishes at home.

Six months after the Flying J dinner, I chopped the last of our homegrown sweet potatoes to share with family on Christmas Eve. I prepped the vegetables early in the day and cooked them together just before guests arrived. I covered the dish to keep warm during cocktails.

chopped kale and sweet potatoescooking sweet potatoes and onions
The sweet, earthy, toothsome kale and sweet potatoes were a tasty accompaniment to our roast goose and mushroom pie. The leftovers kept well. Alex suggests that these kale and sweet potatoes topped with a poached egg would be an amazing simple dinner. I agree and know this dish will make its way onto a meal plan soon.

kale and sweet potatoes recipe

 

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Maple Cider Vinegar Kale & Sweet Potatoes Time: 15 minutes preparation, 20 minutes cooking Makes: 6 side dish servings

1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 red onion, sliced into two-inch pieces 2 cups sweet potato, peeled and diced into one-inch pieces 1 large bunch kale, leaves washed well, removed from ribs, and chopped/torn into large chunks 1-2 teaspoons salt (to taste) 10-20 grinds white pepper (to taste) 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and onions. 2. When onions have begun to turn translucent, add sweet potatoes and turn up the heat. Cook for 10 minutes, tossing or gently stirring regularly. 3. Add kale pieces, salt, and pepper. Stir gently and reduce heat back to medium. Cook for five minutes or until kale starts to wilt. 4. Pour maple syrup and apple cider vinegar over the mix. Continue cooking until sweet potatoes are cooked through. Serve warm.

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PS. Need a little reassurance that summer will come again? Relive Shake the Hand that Feeds You through pictures.

 

Added to Simple Lives 76.

Meal Plan February 27, 2011

Welcome to the new meal plan where I identify some of the reasons behind our meal choices. Ingredients and Influences:

  • time at home, almost no special events this week
  • lasagna noodles in the pantry
  • still more home canned tomatoes
  • our chickens are producing more eggs
  • my sister turns 29 on Wednesday. Happy birthday Sarah, we love you!

Monday - chickpea curry Tuesday - pad thai with eggs and green beans Wednesday - dinner out with Dad (we ended up hosting last week) Thursday - eggs in the hole for breakfast, roasted chicken and root vegetables Friday - spinach lasagna Saturday - fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green veg, homemade applesauce, birthday cake for Sarah! Sunday - dinner at Alex's parents

I'm playing with posting this on Sunday night or Monday. When do you do your weekly meal planning?

Friday Five: Great Events on the Horizon

Friday Five ButtonIt's time for another Friday Five! Here are five handpicked events that are sure to feed your soul in chronological order: 1. Field & Screen at the Wexner Center for the Arts - From February 4 - 24, the Wexner Center is featuring films about food and the environment. On the 24th, they will host a market and CSA preview with Wayward Seed farm and friends. Check the link for showtimes and prices.

2. Pecha Kucha at Columbus Museum of Art - Twenty notable persons will share twenty slides for twenty seconds each at the 16th Columbus Pecha Kucha event on February 10. Beginning at 6 pm with a performance, presentations will start at 6:30. Pattycake Bakery and the Museum's Palete Cafe will have refreshments and drinks available. I'll finally get to attend my first Pecha Kucha!

3. OEFFA Annual Conference Inspiring Farms, Sustaining Communities - On February 19-20, the farmers and home cooks on the front lines of sustainable food growing in Ohio. Workshops, locally sourced food, and keynotes by Joan Dye Gussow and Klaas and Mary-Howell Martens will fill the weekend with inspiration and foodie fellowship. Tickets are nearly sold out so get yours right away. Alex and I are speaking about Home Charcuterie on Sunday morning.

4. Wellness Forum Cooking Class at Hills Market - On Wednesday, February 23rd, Del Sroufe and Wendy Gabriel of Wellness Forum Foods will lead a two hour cooking class featuring three vegetable-based courses at the Hills. A kitchen demonstration will be followed by a three course dinner (with three wines!) in the Hills wine department.

5. First day at Clintonville Farmer's Market!! - In a mere 92 days, on April 30, the summer farmer's markets will open. I can almost feel the warmth of the crowd and taste the fresh bites of spring.

Meal Plan January 24, 2011

It is really hard to write this menu because I am suffering from acute tonsillitis that makes swallowing food and drink painful. Hopefully the antibiotics prescribed by my doctor will start working soon and allow me to enjoy this week's meals. Monday - spaghetti with homemade meatballs, salad

Tuesday - toad in the hole with homemade sausage, peas

Wednesday - cornbread crust veggie pot pie

Thursday - homemade pizza

Friday - fish, quinoa, green beans

Saturday - dinner with Ohio 4-H International County Coordinator Team

Sunday - hosting Alex's parents - french onion soup with swiss cheese croutons, cranberry sauce

Meal Plan January 10, 2011

Monday - soup from the freezer (either corn chowder or lentil) with fresh biscuits or muffins Tuesday - tuna, rice, green beans

Wednesday - dinner with Rachel's family

Thursday - spaghetti, tomato sauce, sausage, applesauce

Friday - (Alex away at CWRU Sci-Fi Movie Marathon) brinner: eggs, toast, and fruit

Saturday - (Alex away at CWRU Sci-Fi Movie Marathon) ??

Sunday - Dinner at Alex's parents

Update on Pantry Month: On Tuesday last week I spent $18 on milk and kefir.  We are out of fresh vegetables today but have frozen green beans and peas and fresh apples and oranges to get us through the week at least.  I ordered $8 worth of tea in our Frontier co-op that came in on Thursday.  We spent $29 on restaurant food during my surgery.  That leaves $45 for the rest of the month which doesn't look good...especially with Alex wanting to spend money on junk food for the Sci-Fi Movie Marathon...