I often make granola for myself, though I don’t post the recipe, because it is mostly the same — swap out the nuts, swap out the dried fruit, but there is usually maple syrup and of course oats and sunflower seeds. This time I made Maple Pecan and Cranberry Granola. not too sweet, a little tart and definitely delicious. I mostly eat my granola with yogurt (blatant product endorsement: Cabot Whole Milk Vanilla Greek Yogurt is excellent), but would also be great with milk for breakfast or ice cream for dessert.
Yum yum.
breakfast
Happy Easter! Just popping in to say Hi, and happy days for those who celebrate and to show off my Osterkranz, which is a sweet, challah-like bread that is perfect for Easter Brunch and coffee time. Hefezopf/kranz (braid/wreath) always remind me of my Oma and Opa…. and he would have been proud at how this one turned out. A little sweet, a little vanilla-y and surprisingly light. This one is sourdough, but if you search on the CSPS site, there is a yeast-based version as well.
Here we are on Easter weekend, and as most years, I bake some Hot Cross Buns, most years with a new twist. This year, I went with a sourdough, no surprise, with a touch of lemon as my spice and golden raisins. I know, I know, raisins are controversial, so substitute whatever dried fruit that you like — I am also a big fan of tart cherries and/or diced dried apricots. The sourdough came out well though, very similar to my brioche-style danishes. Great with breakfast or tea…. or really, do you need an excuse to have a hot cross bun?
King Arthur Baking’s Irish Brown Bread
I know that everyone and their brother makes soda bread around this time of year, and I am no different. This time, I made it with wholemeal flour, so a little darker, a little more rustic and really really quite flavorful. A nutty flavor, for sure. Not very sweet at all, so would go great with a sharp cheddar too. I’ll be back to sourdough making soon enough, but this was great for this week! This is the recipe from the KA site and that is also where I got the wholemeal flour.
Sunshine in a jar! Mangoes were on sale at Whole Foods this week, and when balls of sunshine are available, I bought some and ended up making this jam. Super quick to make and should extend the life of these lovely fruits for a bit. Lovely on toast but also with yogurt and granola. Or just plain by the spoonful.