A Little Chocolate A Day: Chocolate Chrunch Granola

I don’t think I’ve ever had a “sweet-tooth”, but I have definitely have a chocolate tooth. I’ve loved chocolate for as long as I can remember. I usually pass on desserts unless they include chocolate. (In attempting to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a dessert has to be “worth it” for me to indulge. Chocolate is worth it.)

I find that it’s rare for a day to pass without having a little chocolate. This is mainly because I have found innovative ways to get my chocolate fix without eating a piece of cake or a scoop of ice cream. I regularly enjoy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, but also have found Cooking Light’s Chocolate Crunch to be just what I need. It incorporates oats, dried fruit, and nuts with a little taste of chocolate for a reasonable amount of calories per serving size (168 calories for ½ cup). I’ll take this with me to work or when I’m traveling, and it’s perfect for breakfast or a snack.

Chocolate Crunch
(From Cooking Light, December, 2007)
Ingredients
Cooking spray
3 cups regular oats
1 cup oven-toasted rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70 percent cocoa), finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 300°F.

Cover a jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper with cooking spray.

Combine oats, rice cereal, brown sugar, chopped pecans, salt, and ground cinnamon in a large bowl.

Combine honey and canola oil in a small saucepan over low heat; cook 2 minutes or until warm. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth. Pour chocolate mixture over oat mixture. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Gently mix chocolate mixture and oat mixture until combined. Spread oat mixture onto prepared jelly-roll pan. Bake at 300° for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Cool completely on pan; stir in cranberries.

Holiday Spirits: Cocktails

December is a month that is filled with celebrations: Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and most importantly, my birthday! Our December is especially packed this year with a cousin’s wedding and a new birthday added to the month – my niece’s first birthday! With holiday parties likely starting up this weekend, I thought I would help kick off the month’s festivities with some fun cocktails.

I am typically a traditionalist when it comes to cocktails. I like my classic cosmopolitan, lime margarita, and when it comes to adding other ingredients to champagne, I think you shouldn’t mess with a good thing. In the latest round of cooking magazines I’ve received in the mail, several recipes have caught my eye, and I decided I could be adventurous. These cocktails are creative and have a special touch like fresh herbs or frozen fruit.

The Sparkling Cranberry Punch is a recipe I made five years ago for a holiday dinner with our friends in New York. We set a bottle of vodka out next to the punch bowl, so those who were interested could spike their drink. The Cranberry Liqueur has been a family tradition for Christmas Eve or our annual cousin game night. It is pretty strong, but is a lot of fun to make your own flavored vodka. This can make a great gift bottled up. Of the new recipes, my favorite that we tried is the Pomegranate-Rosemary Royale. It is a twist on a traditional kir royle, and the rosemary really makes this a seasonal cocktail.

Pomegranate-Rosemary Royale
(From Cooking Light, November 2009)
Ingredients
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
2 cups Champagne or sparkling wine

Preparation
Combine 1/4 cup water and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add rosemary; let stand 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids.

Pour 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice and 1 tablespoon rosemary syrup into 4 Champagne glasses. Top each serving with 1/2 cup Champagne. Garnish with rosemary, if desired. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 drinks.


Sparkling Cranberry Punch
(From Better Crocker’s Entertaining Basics)
Ingredients
1 (12-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 ½ cups cold water
1 (64-oz.) bottle cranberry juice, chilled
4 (12-oz.) cans ginger ale or Sprite, chilled
For Ice Ring:
Sliced fruit, berries, strips of orange, lemon, or lime peel and mint leaves
Water or fruit juice

Directions
Mix the lemonade concentrate and cold water in a pitcher. Stir in the cranberry juice. Pour into a punch bowl.

Just before serving, stir in the ginger ale (or Sprite). Add the ice ring (see below) or ice cubes.

Ice Ring:
Choose a ring mold or bundt cake pan that fits inside your punch bowl. For color, arrange sliced fruit, berries, strips of orange, lemon, or lime peel and mint leaves in mold. Slowly add just enough water or fruit juice to partially cover fruit (too much water will make the fruit float); freeze. When frozen, add enough water or fruit juice to fill mod three-fourths full; freeze overnight or at least 12 hours to make sure ice ring is solid. Unmold ring and place in punch bowl fruit side up.

Makes 24 servings (about ¾ cup each).


French 75
(From Raley’s "Something Extra", Holiday, 2009)
Ingredients
2 oz. lemon juice
1½ oz. gin
2 tsp. powdered sugar
4 oz. champagne or sparkling wine
Maraschino cherry

Directions
Shake 2 oz. lemon juice, 1½ oz. gin and 2 tsp. powdered sugar with ice; strain into a tall glass. Top with 4 oz. champagne or sparkling wine and stir. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Makes 1 drink.



Sparkling Mojito
(From Raley’s "Something Extra", Holiday, 2009)
Ingredients
2 oz. rum
3/4 oz. lime juice
1 tbsp. powdered sugar
5 mint leaves
2 oz. sparkling wine

Directions
Stir 2 oz. rum, 3/4 oz. lime juice and 1 tbsp. powdered sugar together in a cocktail shaker or small pitcher. Muddle 5 mint leaves (by mashing against the side with a long-handled spoon) in the shaker. Strain into a tall glass over ice, top with 2 oz. sparkling wine and stir lightly to mix. Garnish with a sprig of mint, if you like.

Makes 1 drink.



Citrus Basil Sparkler
(From Raley’s "Something Extra", Holiday, 2009)
Ingredients
2 oz. pink lemonade
2 oz. orange juice
1/4 tsp. basil (optional)
3 oz. sparkling wine

Directions
Combine 2 oz. pink lemonade, 2 oz. orange juice and 1/4 tsp. basil (optional) in a cocktail shaker or small pitcher. Pour into a tall champagne flute and gently stir in 3 oz. sparkling wine.

Makes 1 drink.



Cranberry Liqueur
(From Cooking Light, December, 2003)
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
3 cups vodka

Preparation
Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and cool completely.

Place cranberries in a food processor; process 2 minutes or until finely chopped. Combine sugar mixture and cranberries in a large bowl; stir in vodka.

Pour the vodka mixture into clean jars; secure with lids. Let stand 3 weeks in a cool, dark place, shaking every other day.

Strain the cranberry mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a bowl, and discard solids. Carefully pour liqueur into clean bottles or jars.

Presented in small decanters or glass bottles, Cranberry Liqueur makes a memorable gift. Attach a gift tag and include the following: "Cranberry Cosmopolitan: 1/2 cup Cranberry Liqueur, 1/4 cup Cointreau, 2 tablespoons lime juice. Mix with 1 cup crushed ice; strain into martini glass. Makes 2 cocktails."

Yield: 4 1/2 cups (serving size: 1/4 cup)

Note: Liqueur can be stored refrigerated or at room temperature for up to a year.

Happy Thanksgiving: Merry Cranberry Margaritas

I hope that everyone is having a memorable Thanksgiving, filled with food, family, and fun. We celebrated at my parents' house with the usual suspects and repeated our menu from last year. We had a delicious meal that was complemented by laughter from the words and actions of my two-year-old nephew and eleven-month-old niece. Our Thanksgiving is a potluck of sorts, with everyone contributing several dishes.

Floating Cranberry and Votive Candle Centerpiece

Cheese Tray


Salami Tray

Citrus Garnishes

Mashed Potatoes

Buttered and Peppered Corn

Turkey Breast with Sage

Cremini Mushroom Gravy

Green Bean Casserole

French Onion Casserole


Pureed Butternut Squash

Sweet Potato and Pecan Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Apple Sauce

Vegetarian Stuffing

Pecan Pie (my sister's very first - and very successful - attempt!)

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Pumpkin Pie

Apple Pie

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Roll

Chocolates

In addition to our planned menu, my mother had prepared (unbeknownst to us) a fun cocktail. She decided to try the cranberry margaritas that she had seen in her most recent edition of Sunset Magazine. They were tasty, and when served in the punch glasses she had chilled, they were the ideal size. The color and presentation are perfectly festive for the holidays.

Merry Cranberry Margaritas
(From Sunset Magazine, December 2009)
Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups cranberry juice cocktail, divided
• 1/2 cup sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed
• 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 3/4 cup tequila
• 1/2 cup orange-flavored liqueur, such as Cointreau
• 3 cups coarsely crushed ice

Directions
Pour 1/4 cup cranberry juice into a shallow bowl. Pour 3 tbsp. sugar onto a plate. Dip rims of 4 to 6 widemouthed glasses (6 to 8 oz., suitable for margaritas) into juice, then sugar. Set glasses aside.

Reserve 12 cranberries. In a blender, whirl the remaining cranberries, cranberry juice, and sugar, the lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur, and ice until smooth and slushy. If necessary, blend in 2 batches, then mix together. Divide among glasses and garnish with reserved berries, skewered on toothpicks.

Recipe Sharing: Summer Orzo Salad

I’ve been sharing recipes through this blog for a couple months now, and I’m also excited that readers have started sharing recipes with me! My friend Christina emailed me with several of her favorite recipes last week. As I read through them, I grew really excited because they all incorporated so many ingredients that I enjoy cooking with. It was hard to decide which one to begin with, even with the recommendations she narrowed down for starters.

Her Summer Orzo Salad caught my eye because I already had all (but one) of the ingredients in my pantry or refrigerator. At first glance, the salad sounds sweet with the juice and fruit, however the mustard, salt, and garlic add a savory element to it. The one ingredient I lacked was the raisins, so I substituted dried cranberries instead, which tasted great and added a hint of fall to an otherwise summery salad. I also only needed 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil.

The was absolutely delicious and very easy to make! I can’t wait to make this salad again to share with other people!

Summer Orzo Salad
Ingredients
1 lb. box orzo pasta
1/3 cup orange juice
½ cup dry apricots, chopped
½ cup golden raisins (or dried cranberries)
Zest from 1 lemon
1 Tbs. garlic, minced
1 tsp whole grain mustard
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (4 oz.) package goat cheese, crumbled
½ cup basil, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup pinenuts, toasted

Directions
Cook pasta al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. Allow to cool at room temperature. While pasta is cooling, combine orange juice, apricots, raisins, lemon zest, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper. Fruit will plump and soften slightly. Toss Fruit mixture with cooled pasta, cheese, basil, olive oil, and pine nuts. Chill for at least one hour before serving.