Gaga over Granola

I love soft, chewy granola bars, but I don't always love that strange ingredients in the store bought kind. I am not a fan of the crunchy granola bars and the chewy ones are way too sweet for me, so I set about trying to make my own. Of course, I went to my "go to" website to see what a granola recipe usually had and then set to work on creating my own version since they looked easy enough to make. There have been quite a few batches in the recent past, but I think I finally have the recipe perfected. Fortunately, I have a captive audience that has been willing to try my different versions of the granola bar (which haven't always come out perfectly). A few were too crumbly and fell apart when you touched them, one was a bit too sweet, and a few managed to come out quite well. I did try adding in wheat germ, but this turned out to be one of the batches that fell apart. The flavor was there though and it would have been wonderful as a cereal or frozen yogurt topping. However, now matter what the consistency, the flavors always seemed to impress the taste testers so I just needed to work on getting the ingredients to stay together.

Ingredients:
2 cups of oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup light or dark agave
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup dried cranberries, cherries, raisins, etc*
1/2 cup chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, etc*

Directions: 
Toast oats on baking sheet for 4-5 minutes at 400 degrees F. If you can smell the oats baking, then you need to take them out immediately. Line a glass 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, combine the flour, spices, and salt in a bowl and add toasted oats once they have cooled. Mix in the coconut oil, syrup, agave, and vanilla. Stir in whatever dried fruits and nuts you are using. Pour into the pan and bake for 24 minutes.

Allow the pan to cool on a wire baking rack until the pan is cool to the touch. Then place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes and then cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

*You can you any kind of dried fruit or nuts that you want. However, I did find that the nuts need to be pretty finely chopped in order for the bars to stick together. You can also choose to omit the fruit or add in chocolate chips, coconut, or whatever you want in your granola bars. Don't be afraid to make them your own.

These granola bars are easy to make and definitely much better than the store bought versions. I promise you that once you try these, you won't go back. No matter what your mood, these granola bars are great anytime of day. These have become a must have at the office and are requested on pretty much a weekly basis, so I know that the recipe must be pretty delicious. Make sure you save yourself a piece because they will disappear before your eye.

The Magnolia Pancake Haus - Part 2

I have decided that no trip to San Antonio is complete without a trip to the Magnolia Pancake Haus. Let me warn you that there will probably be a pretty long wait, but it is absolutely worth it! I was fortunate enough to be able to introduce some friends to this amazing restaurant and indulge in some ridiculously delicious breakfast dishes. Let me just say that this was by no means a low fat breakfast, but sometimes you just have to live a little. Luckily for me, the friends I was with were willing to share so I got to try multiple things! (It makes me extra happy when people are willing to try and share with me) First up was the lemon poppy seed waffle, topped with a lemon cream cheese drizzle and a fresh squeeze of lemon. It was fresh, light and exactly what a summer waffle should be. The waffle was fluffy and not heavy. The lemon gave it brightness and the lemon cream cheese drizzle added some sweetness without making it super sweet.

Next was Sarki's Special omelet, stuffed with onions, mushrooms, feta cheese, calamata olives, and spinach. Sometimes omelets can be less than awesome because the topping to egg ratio is really off. That was most definitely not the case with this omelet...it was bursting with yummy goodies! The eggs were fluffy, yet sturdy enough to hold all the goodies together. This omelet had lots of flavor and is something that I will definitely try to recreate at home. In preparation for our meal, we found out that one of the omelets had homemade Italian sausage so of course we needed to give it a try. It was spicy and not too salty, but you could taste the difference between that sausage and the store bought version. If you like breakfast sausage, you need to give this a try.

It seems like the versatility of bacon is never ending - cupcakes, chocolate, potato chips, and pancakes. Another unique thing on the menu was bacon pancakes. The concept of sweet and salty is quite appealing, but sometimes you just need to take it to the next level. How does one manage that?...throw in chocolate chips and you get a life changing bacon chocolate chip pancake. The pancake batter is light and fluffy and has that perfect golden brown outside. The inside of the pancake was chock full of bacon pieces and chocolate chips. The saltiness of the bacon and the little pocket of melted chocolate chips created a masterpiece in your mouth. If you are adventurous and like bacon and chocolate you most definitely need to give these a try. I am quite certain that you won't be disappointed. It's a very good thing that I don't live closer because I would be there way too often!

Champagne Pannier

I love Champagne because there is something special about toasting with bubbles and how festive it looks when you pour it into a glass. I was lucky enough to be the precipitant of a very wonderful bottle of Champagne that I was finally able to pop open! As soon as we opened it, you could smell its deliciousness and I couldn't wait to try it. Made from the Chardonnay grapes, this has lots of fruit notes and tons of bubbles. It was perfect by itself, however the suggested pairings include light fish, shellfish, and cream sauces for an interesting contrast. All I can say is that this was everything a Champagne should be - bubbly, fresh, and the perfect way to make every celebration extra special! 

The West End - A Public House

The West End is a great new spot that I discovered while driving down Westheimer one day. So it ended up on the never ending list of places I need to try. They have a huge outdoor patio and open bar that would be great to hang out during one of the few perfect patio days Houston has. Their outside bar is quite large and there is tons of seating. When I went back to check it out, I started out with some "Fall Bubbles" because how can you not love a bubbly cocktail on a hot summer's day. This was prosseco, baked apple bitters, fruitlab jasmine, and a brown sugar cube. You could definitely smell the jasmine and the bubbly brown sugar cube made for a fun presentation. The baked apple bitters helped balance out the floral notes and gave the drink a touch of sweetness. It was a delicious and not something I have seen before.
 

Of course, I had to try the food so I opted for the calamari. This was served with marinara and roasted garlic aioli. (I have no idea why the picture can out red, but I promise it didn't look like that in real life.) To be honest, the calamari wasn't that great as the coating was a bit soggy and some of the pieces were a bit chewy. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and the dipping sauces were much better than the calamari and saved it from being pretty bad. However, I probably won't be ordering it again. I do like calamari, but I guess I can be pretty picky about it. The coating needs to be crunchy and flavorful. I don't want to be eating all those unhealthy carbs if they don't even taste good.

Sometimes you just need a good dessert to round out a meal and the chocolate truffle cake didn't disappoint! It was drizzled with a raspberry sauce and was rich and decedent. the crust was almost like a brownie because there was a little bit of crunch to it, but the inside was soft and super dense and chocoately. There was a great chocolate flavor and who doesn't love chocolate and raspberry?! This cake was really yummy and helped end the meal on a high note. The West End has a huge beer selection and is a great option when you are looking for a relaxing place to catch up with friends.

Middle Sister Pinot Grigio

For me, the thing I crave most during the summertime is sangria. It is so light and refreshing with two of my favorite things, fruit and wine. Plus it's fun to play around with different wines and fruit because a wine by itself is different once you infuse fruit into it. This California Pinot Grigio from Middle Sister was crisp, slightly acidic, but finished with notes of citrus. It would be a great wine for some white fish, a salad, or just sip by itself. I, however, opted for sangria. I used frozen peaches and raspberries mixed with Sierra Mist Natural. The fruit and soda added enough sweetness to help balance out the wine. Middle Sister has a whole line of tempting wines that I need to try...and no I won't make sangria out of all of them! If you are looking for a light summer wine, this one is something you should try.

Margherita Cauliflower Pizza

I love pizza, but I know that it is not healthy at all. I haven't attempted to make my own gluten free version at home yet, but when I saw this recipe for margherita cauliflower pizza from NatureBox I got really excited! I figured that this was a much healthier alternative and a great way to enjoy one of my favorite foods. After tasting it, I think that I may not go back to the wheat version of the pizza! It was healthy and delicious with lots of flavor. Honestly, I didn't miss the crust (which isn't my favorite anyways) and it tasted exactly like pizza. If you are looking for a pizza recipe that you won't feel guilty about this is it. Plus you can play with the toppings and customize them to whatever your heart desires.

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1egg

Topping:
1/2 cup of marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tomato, thinly sliced and quartered
1/4 cup torn basil leaves

Directions:
To make the crust, cut up the cauliflower florets into chunks and put in the food processor until it resembles couscous, about 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower to a mixing bowl and stir in oregano, salt, mozzarella cheese, and egg. Once the mixture becomes soft and easy to shape, place it on a silicon-lined baking sheet. Press into a circle shape, about 1/4" thick, and bake for 15 minutes at 375 and then an additional 10 minutes at 425. Once the crust is golden brown, add the marinara sauce and cheese. Top with tomatoes and basil and bake 5 minutes at 425 just to melt cheese. Then slice and enjoy!  

Notes: I made my crust into a rectangular shape instead of a circle, so I don't think you have to form it into a traditional circle crust. Also, I used egg white instead of an egg. My crust was super moist and sort of came apart, even after baking so I am not sure if that could have affected the way the crust baked. After adding my toppings, I didn't bake the pizza after adding the toppings because it was pretty melted by the time I finished adding the toppings and the crust was on the verge of burning. I am sure that probably had something to do with my crust not firming up, but I am not sure. I used sun dried tomatoes and dried basil as my toppings because that's what I happened to have on hand. I guess that means that I just need to try this delicious and simple recipe again to see if I can perfect the cauliflower pizza.

Muiishi Makirritos

Muiishi Makirritos is a great food truck when you are looking for some of your favorites with a twist. I decided that I was going to try the bacon biscuits. Maybe I didn't entirely read the menu description, but I was thinking that these would be just biscuits with bacon in them. I was pleasantly surprised to find that these were bacon biscuits on top of a deliciously fried piece of chicken. The biscuit was laced with bacon and cheese. This was skewered with a pieced of chicken drizzled with honey and there was a bacon jam on the biscuit. The honey added a touch of sweetness to help balance the salt from the chicken and bacon. The finishing touch were some green onions. These super yummy chicken bites were a playful twist on chicken and biscuits. Next up on the menu...mac and cheese egg rolls! I can't wait to go back and if you haven't given Muiishi Makirritos a try, then make your way to their truck as soon as possible.

Happy Independence Day!

 

Being thankful for the freedom and privileges you have as a citizen should not be reserved for one day a year. It should be something you remember daily. Each day there are men and women who are risking their lives to continue to protect our country so that we can enjoy our freedom. The special part about the 4th of July is that it brings us all together and gives us an opportunity to celebrate with our friends and family. As you indulge in delicious foods, ice cold beverages and watch the fireworks glow, remember to be thank the men and women who help protect the freedoms you enjoy. Happy 4th of July!

Paradocx Vineyard

I love wine and have always wanted to visit a winery, but haven't had the chance to. Doing a wine trip to California wine country is definitely on my list of trips I want to take, but luckily for me I finally made it to my first vineyard thanks to my wonderful sister! Where did we go?...a fun little place called Paradocx Vineyard in Pennsylvania. This wine was created by two pairs of doctors, hence the playful name for the wine. This laid back vineyard is settled in the rolling hill country and is a perfect place to relax, unwind, and enjoy a wonderful glass of wine.

So we sat down to embark on our first wine tasting experience. There were six different wines that we got to try - three whites, two reds, and a very special kind of wine. The first one was a Vidal Blanc which was full of floral and citrus notes. Next was the first of two different Chardonnays. The first one was a Haywagon Chardonnay. This wine was not oaked and was slightly more acidic than the first with lots of tropical fruit notes. The Old Stone Chardonnay was an aged in American oak and had more of the buttered popcorn and caramel notes. Any of the these would be perfect to enjoy by themselves, but also pairs well with lighter dishes or cream sauces.

The two reds that we sampled were made from grapes that I wasn't familiar with. The first was made from the Touriga grape. This wine had delicious notes of berry, plums, and red fruits. It wasn't very tannic which made it much easier to drink and much more enjoyable for me to drink. The Chambourcin wine had notes of prune and a subtle almond touch at the end. This also lacked the tannins that normally steer me away from red wines. Both of these were actually quite good just on their own. However, they have much deeper flavors and need to be paired with heavier meat dishes.

Last, but not least we were able to sample their famous "Twine", aka tea-infused wine. I know, I know it sounds weird, but so yummy! The flavor hints at sweet tea laced with peach and a touch of acidity. I admit that I would have never thought to combine tea and wine, but they created a very magical concoction. You can serve it at room temperature or over ice. It was so unique and addicting that I had to bring back a souvenir bottle. For my first visit to a winery, I had a lot of fun. I can't wait for my next visit and am so thankful that I got to try some great new wines! If you are ever up in the Chester County area of Pennsylvania, take some time to visit this great winery.

MuSuBi

I have haven't had very many Vietnamese sandwiches, so I decided to give it a try at MuSuBi. This was a lemongrass pork belly sandwich served with wasabi chips. The sandwich was served on a crunchy baguette with carrots and a crunchy slaw. The mix of tastes and textures was fresh and flavorful. The bread was strong enough to handle the sandwich ingredients without getting soggy. The chips were spicy, but slightly addicting because of their unique flavor. This food truck is a great place to satisfy your Vietnamese craving.