Friday Links: Easter Eats

Happy Good Friday from Anchorage. We have spent the past 10 days roaming AK, more on that later. Here are a few links for your Easter Sunday meal.

For seeking: how to hard boil an egg and homemade dye
For breakfast: hot cross buns
For a side dish: roasted asparagus
For a vegetarian main: carrot soup with yogurt
For dessert: key lime coconut cake

Turnagen Arm

Friday Links: Luck of the Irish

photo credit

Happy (almost) St. Paddy's Day!  For all practical purposes, I am a cultural mutt.  My blood blends Irish, Swedish, French Canadian, English, and a little Huron Indian from my parents' heritage.  Irish however, is the strongest.  My Irish blood streams from both sides, and is responsible for half of my makeup.  Therefore, I figure a St. Patrick's Day full of Irish eats is called for.

Creamy: Homemade Irish Cream

Gin-filled: The Last Word Cocktail

Starchy: Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

Filling: Irish Chicken and Dumplings

Sweet: Wildly Wonderful Whiskey Cake

And...for your Friday Laugh, here is a shot of Steven at the all school ski day today: 

Flaxseed & Pepita Granola

It is feeling like spring.  The days are getting longer, the air warmer, and the snow slushier.  These days the sky dumps snow one day and clears to a brilliant blue the next. We enjoyed a bare-legged wander last Saturday, basking in the glorious sun.  Then we spent Sunday celebrating the hubby's birthday with sushi, skiing, cake and friends.

Springtime

Flourless Chocolate Rum Cake for Birthday Celebrating

Lately I have been lazy in the Kitchen.  As my workload has increased, I turn to my standard recipes with little desire to create.  I start most mornings with granola.  Topped with fruit, plain yogurt, and sometimes almond milk.  I love the slightly sweet crunch, and find that it keeps hunger away for at least a few hours. Over the past few weeks I have been playing with recipes looking for a satisfactory homemade breakfast cereal.  This recipe is endlessly adaptable (see ideas below).  The brown rice flour creates small clusters, which I find delightful.

Flaxseed & Pepita Granola

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried coconut flakes
• ¼ cup flaxseeds
• ½ cup pepitas
• ¾ cup almonds, slivered or coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup brown rice flour
• 3-4 tablespoons honey
• ¼ cup melted butter or canola oil*
• Pinch of salt

*I use 2 tablespoons of each, you could also use coconut oil or ghee

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees and adjust rack to top setting.

2. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

3. Melt butter or heat oil over low heat in a small pan or large metal measuring cup, add honey and whisk until honey is melted and mixture is uniform.

4. Combine oats, coconut, flaxseeds, pepitas, almonds, brown rice flour and salt in a large bowl.

5. Drizzle butter-honey mixture over the top and mix to combine and coat the dry ingredients.

6. Spread ½ of the mixture onto each sheet and place on top rack in oven.  If your oven is large enough you can do both at once on the top rack, otherwise wait for the first batch to finish before doing the other.

7. Bake 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 until golden brown.