Yes, this is me participating in Weekend Cooking, which is hosted by Beth Fish Reads. I know, it’s a shocker. Despite the fact that I can cook, I really don’t like to. Actually, it’s not so much the cooking that I don’t like, it’s the time spent in the kitchen. But my mom made some yummy granola last month, and I thought I would give her recipe a try. So instead of spending the 4th of July making the more traditional ice cream and apple pie, I made granola.

This is the recipe exactly as my mom emailed it to me. I always get a kick out of her instructions and capitalizations.

Granola

325 oven
1 large or 2 small pans with 1 or 2 inch sides. You have to stir it as it bakes so a cookie sheet is hard because of low sides.
In a large bowl mix
6 C. old fashioned OATS
2 C. blanched or toasted Slivered Almonds (you can use any nuts or seed you want or less if you what less calories)
2 C. Cashew pieces
1 TSP. Salt
1/2 TSP. Cinnamon

In a small sauce pan heat on low just until warm
1/2 C. Honey or (you can use Maple Syrup for less calories or 1/2 each)
1/2 C. Canola Oil
2 1/2 TSP. Vanilla

Pour the Wet over the OAT mixture & toss well. Place in pan or pans & spread out. Bake & STIR every 10-12 MIN. Bake until golden brown. It will take awhile. ADD 1 – 2 CUPS DRIED FRUIT AFTER IT HAS COOLED COMPLETELY. Store in air tight container.

This recipe makes a lot… I have two of the containers pictured above full of the good stuff. I’m thinking yogurt and granola for lunch.

Bethany is encouraging people to post a favorite recipe (and be entered in her giveaway contest for a cookbook), so I thought I would help her pass the word. I’m lazy and cooking is not one of my favorite activities. But I do love to look at recipes and occasionally try new things. So I’m going to give you two recipes. The first is my (and my big brother’s) all time favorite Thanksgiving/Christmas side dish (I’m cheating here, becasue I already had the recipe typed up, so it was easy to post). So, first off, compliments of softdrink’s mom, I give you…

Chile Corn Custard
2 c drained corn, frozen or canned
1 1/2 c melted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
1 c sour cream
1 c diced jack cheese
1/2 c cornmeal
1 4 oz can diced Ortega chiles
2 tbsp chopped celery (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 qt casserole dish, or a 9×9 pan. (Tip from softdrink’s mom: the shallow pans are better than the round dishes with the higher sides, otherwise the middle doesn’t always cook through.) Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until set. Serves 6-8, so you might want to double it if you have lots of people, or kids who fight over the leftovers.

For the second recipe, I’ll just give you the link to the Mexican Chocolate Loaf Cake that I found at Baking Bites. Because there is lots of good stuff over there and you should go visit. The cake is absolutely delicious…I took it to work and it disappeared before noon!

Enjoy!

Kate, here is your birthday cake. I know it doesn’t look like much, but I promise it tastes good. If you like chocolate-orange stuff, which you said you do. And no comments on the photo.

Mexican Chocolate Loaf Cake

1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp instant coffee*
3/4 cup water*
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
zest of one orange

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter or grease a 9×5×3.5-inch loaf pan and dust with cocoa powder, knocking out the excess. Line 4 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth, then add in instant coffee and water, whisking until dissolved. Stir in sugar, followed by the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract and orange zest, mixing well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Gradually add to cocoa mixture, stirring until just combined.

Using a 1/4 cup measure, fill the four cupcake liners about 3/4 full with batter. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Bake the cake for 55-65 minutes (or longer, if you’re my oven), until a tester comes out clean or with only a few crumbs. Cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, then turn out cupcakes and loaf cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf cake and 4 cupcakes. Serves 10-12, plus cupcakes for the cook.

*Note: You can omit the instant coffee and use 1/2 cup water with 1/4 cup coffee instead, as the original recipe calls for, if you don’t have instant.

I found this recipe at a blog called Baking Bites, which is full of incredible looking desserts (and other things, but I’m in love with the desserts). I made this cake a few weeks ago and took it to work, and it was gone before noon, which I interpret to mean it tasted good. Either that or everyone was exceptionally hungry that morning.

I also made banana bread. Not for Kate, but for Hamburger.

I have no idea what the banana bread tastes like. I had a few really ripe bananas staring at me, and I figured since I already had made a mess of the kitchen, and Hamburger loves banana muffins/bread/pudding, I might as well go all out and bake two things in one day.

These are ricotta cookies. I know they don’t look like much, but my whole family fell in love with them tonight.

And yes, I made them with my own two hands. I know that may come as a shock, but I figured since it was Christmas and all, I would bake something. I actually tore myself away from a book for the approximately two hours (that includes the baking time) it took to whip these puppies up. They are probably the easiest cookie I’ve ever made.

Ricotta Cookies

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Icing:
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar and butter until blended. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

At medium speed, beat in ricotta, vanilla and eggs until well combined.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt; beat until dough forms.

Drop dough by level tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake approximately 15 minutes or until cookies are very lightly golden (cookies will be soft). Remove to wire rack to cool. When cookies are cool, prepare icing. Drizzle icing across tops of cookies and immediaely sprinkle with sugar crystals or sprinkles. Allow to dry at least 1 hour, preferably longer. Yield: 6 dozen.