SRC: Crockpot Granola

Ever since giving up store-bought cereal, granola has become a staple in our house.  In the past 5.5 years, we have made at least one batch of granola weekly in our house.  Our recipe is tried and true, but it does have one downfall in the summer – it requires the oven. 

This month for the Secret Recipe Club I was assigned to Erin’s beautiful blog - Table for Seven.  Her recipes look amazing – including this delectable Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Quick Bread, and this savory Taco Pizza!

But, what really caught my attention was a recipe for granola, made in the crockpot!  If it worked, this could be huge.  No hot oven during the middle of July?!  Sounds like a winner to me. 

I adjusted the recipe a bit, and the first time I made it made just the ingredients listed below.  Time number two through, I doubled the ingredients.  The third time (yes, I’ve made more the 20 C of granola this month), I used our favorite brown sugar granola recipe and cooked it in the crockpot. 

All times – it was a success. 

Crockpot Granola – Adapted from Table for Seven

Ingredients

• 5 C Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/4 C packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 C applesauce
• 2 T honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• pinch of salt

Directions

In the base of your crockpot, combine 5 C oats, 1/4 C packed brown sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon.  Add a pinch of salt and stir well.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together 3/4 C applesauce, 2 T honey, 1 tsp. olive oil and a splash of vanilla.  Stir well. 

Pour over the oat mixture and stir well to coat. 

Don’t give up stirring too soon!  I found a wooden spoon was really the best for stirring and it took a good couple of minutes before it was fully moistened. 

Turn the crockpot onto low and cover, but leave the cover ajar. 

Cook on low/medium for 5-7 hours, stirring every 30-45 minutes. 

Remove the cover and allow the granola to cool completely. 

Add mix-ins, if desired: craisins, dried apples, chocolate chips/chunks, coconut, dried cherries! 

Store in an airtight container. 

Enjoy!

Blackberry Oat Muffins {SRC}

These Blackberry Oat Muffins are extra special, and pretty enough to serve to guests!

I found them over on Emily’s blog – Life on Food – my assignment for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. 

Emily has lived in 4 states – ranging from the corn fields of the mid-west to the hot south, and now resides in the north east.  And, she has some amazing looking recipe on her blog: Texas Roadhouse Dinner Rolls, Sweet Potato Hash with Brussels Sprouts & Bacon, Carrot Cake Pancakes, and Crockpot Herbed Garlic Chicken (which uses my favorite spices!). 

I ended up choosing these blackberry oat muffins, and we really enjoyed them.

In true Finding Joy in My Kitchen fashion, we made some healthy substitutions:

• Used whole wheat flour rather than all purpose
• Reduced the sugar by 1/2 C. 
• Used applesauce in place of Greek yogurt. 
• Reduced the amount of butter. 

The result was a delicious muffin. 

Blackberry Oat Muffins – Adapted from Emily @ Life on Food

Ingredients

• 2 C whole wheat flour
• 3/4 C Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 C unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 C milk
• 2 T butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6 oz. fresh blackberries

Directions

In a large bowl mix together 2 C whole wheat flour with 3/4 C oats.  Add in a pinch of salt, 1/2 C brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon.  Stir well. 

Add in 1 C unsweetened applesauce, 1 egg, 1 tsp. vanilla extract. 

Stir in 2 T melted butter and then up to 1/2 C milk, until you have a thick, but batter-like batter. 

Chop up your blackberries into coarse pieces.  I sliced each berry into 2-3 sections.

Toss those berries into the batter. 

Carefully fold the berries in until just combined. 

Scoop into muffin tins that have been lightly greased.  They will fill about 12 regular muffin tins, or 6 jumbo muffins. 

If desired, sprinkle the top with coarse sugar. 

Bake at 350 for 20-23 minutes until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. 

Cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan.  Then, remove the muffins and allow them to cool on a cooling rack. 

Serve slightly warm, or at room temperature. 

Enjoy! 

Easter Bread {SRC}

This week is known as Holy Week in the Christian faith.  It’s the week preceding Easter – the week we remember Christ’s death and celebrate His resurrection. 

While Christmas time is filled with family traditions and expectation, Easter’s cultural traditions aren’t a huge part of our Holy Week.  I do enjoy all the bunnies and spring decorations that accompany Easter, but for a very different reason. 

Spring has come. 

The winter – cold and dark, when everything is in a season of death or hibernation – is over.  This is a beautiful parallel to my life, because of Christ.  My certain death is overcome.  All my shortcomings, failures, fears and challenges are gone.  Spring has come in my life and in my spirit indefinitely.  Why?  Because Jesus Christ rose from the grave.  He overcame death, so that I might have the ability to experience renewal – spring. 

So, this week, in advance of our Sunday morning celebration, is going to feature Easter recipes.  Recipes that make celebrating Easter just that much more special. 

The first recipe comes from Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious and is a new recipe to me.  When scrolling through her blog for the Secret Recipe Club I found a fun recipe called “Grammy’s Italian Easter Bread”.  It looked delicious and perfect for an Easter celebration. 

You know recipes that have been in the family for a long time are going to be good. 

And, it was. 

Easter Bread – Adapted from Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious

Ingredients

• 1/2 C milk
• 1 T butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 C bread flour
• 1 1/2 C white whole wheat flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. yeast

Directions

Using your bread machine, add the ingredients in the order listed by your manufacturer.  Mine call for the ingredients in the order above – starting with the milk, butter, and eggs. 

Then adding in the sugar, salt, flours and yeast. 

Choose the “basic” or “white” bread recipe selection from your bread machine and start the machine up!

Approximately 2.5 hours later (that’s how long my cycle takes), remove the bread.  You’ll want to check the crust to make sure it’s not getting overly brown. 

Allow the bread to cool before slicing. 

Serve with butter and honey! 

**If you want directions on how to make this recipe without a bread machine, or using a hybrid approach (half bread machine, half by hand), see Dorothy’s blog.

Lemon Brownies

With spring just around the corner (hopefully), I’ve been craving the flavors of summer.  This lemon brownie did just the trick. 

The recipe comes from The More Than Occasional Baker blog, where Ros blogs from the UK about her baking adventures.  She was my Secret Recipe Club blog for February, and she has some wonderful recipes – including a cake and cupcake recipe made with maple syrup that I might have to try next month when the trees being running sap! 

The Lemon Brownies were a hit – lemony and light, yet gooey too.  I replaced some of the butter with Greek Yogurt and used white whole wheat flour.  They would make a great base for a truffle dessert too. 

Lemon Brownies – Adapted from The More Than Occasional Baker

Ingredients

• 3/4 C white whole wheat flour
• 2/3 C sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 C butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 C Greek Yogurt
• 2.5 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together 3/4 C flour with 2/3 C sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Stir well. 

In a second bowl, mix the melted butter with 2 eggs and 1/4 C Greek yogurt.  Then, combine the wet and dry ingredients. 

Add in the zest and 2 T lemon juice. 

Pour into a lightly greased 8x8 inch baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until the center is set. 

Cool. 

While brownies cool, prepare the glaze by combining 1/2 C powdered sugar with 1 tsp. lemon juice. 

Drizzle over the brownies. 

Slice and serve! 

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SRC: Rice & Lentils Soup

Thursday started out with a high of 60 degrees; by 4pm, it was snowing!  We now have about an inch of snow on the ground, and chilly, chilly, weather.  Winter has arrived. 

There’s nothing better than a yummy, warm soup on cold winter days. 

Thanks to the Secret Recipe Club for introducing me to Anne and and her family; who’s delicious soup recipe was just what we needed on the coldest night since March.

Anne learned to cook from her parents and now passes that knowledge & skills onto her two adorable sons. Preparing to be missionaries in Africa, where she gets to put her French Canadian nature to good use, learning French with her family over the next year before moving to Africa.

Anne has a bunch of yummy-looking soups: Loaded Baked Potato, Cream of Eggplant & Zucchini, and Cream of Leek!   I love the diversity of her soups. 

In particular, her rice & lentils soup looked delicious.  Not to mention, it would make a great Christmas gift to a friend or neighbor all dressed up in a canning jar. 

photo from Anne

Anne, your soup is fantastic – reminds me of my mom’s homemade turkey soup! Both Frog Prince and I had seconds; and I’m really excited for leftovers in my lunch today.

Rice & Lentils Soup – Adapted from Anne

Ingredients

• 6 C chicken broth
• 2 C water
• 2/3 C brown rice
• 2/3 C lentils (green and/or red), soaked
• 1 T minced onion
• 1 T parsley
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1/4 C celery, chopped
• 1 C sliced carrots (if you like carrots, add more)
• 1 C diced, cooked chicken or turkey

Directions

Soak lentils for at least 15 minutes (but up to 24 hours) – find out why, here. 

Then, add soaked lentils to 6 C chicken broth, 2 C water, 2/3 C brown rice, 1 T minced onion, 1/4 C celery, 1 C cooked chicken or turkey (we used leftover turkey), 1 C sliced carrots, and spices (1 T parsley, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. poultry seasoning). 

Bring the contents to a boil and then cover. 

Reduce heat to medium/low and allow the soup to slow boil for 40-45 minutes until the rice and lentils are tender. 

This soup can’t get any easier – and it’s quite delicious and hearty.  Thanks, Anne.