And now for something actually good for you [grin]. Ok, so these granola bars so actually have chocolate chips in them (you can skip those if you like; add in more fruit) but on the whole they are pretty darn good for you. Wrap them in parchment paper or plastic wrap and they should stay good for a couple of weeks of lunches as the recipe makes 15 of them. Note that the recipe is versitile when it comes to the fruit and chocolate. On other words, if you like cranberries and dark chocolate chips, swap those in. Cherries and chocolate? Also good. Figs and cinnamon chips and add a bit of maple syrup? Great! Or go with the traditional raisins. Any which way, homemade granola bars are definitely the way to go!
Breakfast/Brunch
Apparently today is a holiday. Or a “holiday”, as it were. The first Friday in June is apparently National Doughnut Day in the US. Yes, just what we as a generally overweight nation need: a day in celebration of the doughnut. And yet, when I heard that Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme were giving the little gems away, I decided that I could one up them by simply making my own, hence these Glazed Ricotta Doughnuts. For Breakfast. Before work. On a holiday.
If you are a frequent visitor of my website, you will have noticed that lately I have been into making these “crazy breads” aka “pull-apart breads”. While really no different than any other sweet breads for breakfast, I think that they are visually pleasing and actually, I like the texture as there are some bits that are crunchy and some that are soft. This one went a little overboard on the “going crazy” part though and over-ran the pan. All’s well that ends well though and it was no worse for wear.
Pet Peeve: The fact that Pepperidge Farms Frozen Puff Pastry comes in a package of two, and yet, they aren’t individually wrapped. The consequence of this is that you actually end up having to thaw both pieces and shouldn’t really refreeze one of them. I always ponder what to do with the second sheet, because invariably I only need one. I also ended up having some leftover mushrooms and half a bag of spinach from another endeavor, so I used the puff to make this savory strudel. Great as a brunch dish or lunch with a salad.
Time for Blueberry Thyme Pie. I’ve had a few sleepless nights in the last few days. Lots of worries on my the brain and emotions are running high. This does not bode well for my already light sleep, so I tossed and turned until 1 AM, stared mindlessness through the extra innings of a West Coast Red Sox game and then managed a few hours of actual sleep from 2-4. Then I decided to make pie. Baking always makes me feel better and the bonus of insomnibaking is that one gets to eat pie for breakfast. The herbiness of the thyme balances nicely in this. If you have lemon thyme, that would be even better.





