Brown Butter Granola

 

BROWN BUTTER PECAN GRANOLA

YIELD: 5 CUPS

 

PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME: 1 HOUR

 

TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 25 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  1/2 cup butter (I use salted)
•  1/4 cup (1.75 ounces) dark brown sugar
•  1/4 cup honey
•  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•  1/2 cup (2 ounces) pecans
•  2 cups (8 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
•  1/2 cup (2 to 3 ounces) raw or sprouted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
•  1/2 cup (1 ounce) unsweetened or sweetened coconut flakes
•  1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (optional)
•  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  1/4 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
•  1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a stainless steel skillet or saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until the butter foams and then browns, 5-6 minutes. Watch carefully so the butter doesn't burn. You just want the itty bitty solids that separate from the butter to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Set aside.
3. In a food processor or high-powered blender, pulse the pecans until finely ground. The texture should be a coarse powder with maybe a few larger pieces here and there.
4. In a large bowl, combine the pecans, oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut, orange zest (if using), cinnamon and salt. Pour the brown butter syrup mixture over the top and stir to combine evenly.
5. Spread the granola into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until the granola smells fragrant and is a nicely toasted golden color. The granola will look wet as you stir and might even look a bit wet coming out of the oven. It will dry as it cools.
6. Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet. Crumble into pieces and stir in cranberries, if using. Store in an airtight container at room temperature (it will keep well for 1-2 weeks).

NOTES

Substitutions: as with most granola recipes, I suspect this recipe will fare well to adaptations. Feel free to play around with the ingredients! I don't always add the orange zest, but it is very tasty (especially with the cranberries).

HTTPS://WWW.MELSKITCHENCAFE.COM/BROWN-BUTTER-PECAN-GRANOLA/

Instant pot Creamy Ziti

 

AMAZING INSTANT POT CREAMY "BAKED" ZITI

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

 

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES

 

ADDITIONAL TIME: 20 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME: 35 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  2 cups broth (I use low-sodium chicken broth)
•  2 cups cream (see note for lightened up substitutions)
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•  2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
•  16 ounces uncooked ziti pasta or other tube-shaped pasta
•  15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
•  1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
•  1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
•  1/2 to 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•  Fresh basil, for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 6-quart Instant Pot with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the broth and cream and add the salt, pepper and garlic.
2. Add the pasta; don't stir, but if it's mounded in the center, arrange into an even layer. Pour the crushed tomatoes evenly over the pasta and sprinkle the oregano and basil over the top. Don't stir.
3. Secure the lid of the Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and select "manual" or "pressure cook" and dial up or down to the minutes needed --> take the cooking time on the pasta package directions, cut it in half and subtract two more minutes. So for pasta that cooks to al dente in 12 minutes, the IP cooking time would be 4 minutes (add an extra minute if you like your pasta super soft).
4. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly (it's ok if there are some darker, cooked spots on the bottom of the pot/bottom layer of pasta). Serve the ziti immediately with chopped, fresh basil, and additional Parmesan, if desired.

NOTES

Optional: adding a pound of ground beef or Italian sausage is fantastic with this recipe! Cook the meat on the saute function with a little salt and pepper, drain the grease, and proceed with the recipe (just make sure when you add the broth to scrape the bottom of the pot really well before adding the other ingredients).

Lighten it Up: If you want to lighten up the cream a bit, I've had great success making this with 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon cornstarch (whisked together) + 1 cup cream. I haven't tried subbing all the cream for a milk + cornstarch mixture, but you could experiment!

For an Extra Saucy Pasta: add 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra broth, cream or crushed tomatoes. Any variety of tube pasta will work great here! When I can't find ziti, I've used penne or rigatoni. Also, I've subbed in a 15-ounce can diced tomatoes blended with 2 tablespoons tomato paste for the crushed tomatoes with great results.

HTTPS://WWW.MELSKITCHENCAFE.COM/INSTANT-POT-CREAMY-BAKED-ZITI/

Andes Mint Cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
10 ounce package Andes Creme De Menthe Baking Chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), cream together butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). With the mixer on low, add in egg and vanilla. Return mixer to medium and mix until incorporated. Scrape sides if needed.

3. With the mixer back on low, add dry ingredient mixture gradually until dough forms. Mix in Andes baking chips. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or Silpat; set aside.

4. Form balls from approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough. Place on baking sheet (I did 8 at a time, they do spread a bit). Bake for 11-13 minutes or until edges are just barely golden. Remove from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes on baking sheet before removing and placing on wire rack to finish cooling. Store in airtight container.