Walnuts

Apple Spice Granola

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Contains “just a little kick!”
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If by chance you follow me on Facebook or Instagram or have read the blog for a while (Thanks much!), you might know I make granola about once a month. A granola post proclaims, “IT’S GRANOLA DAY AT ALYCE’S HOUSE!” Other than purchasing commercially made cereal for some odd-indeed recipe or a donation, I probably haven’t bought cereal in close to 15 years. I eat an egg and veggie wrap or omelet or a bowl of oatmeal with an egg cooked in it every day for breakfast. My best sous and husband Dave is the one who must have his granola for the daily yogurt and fruit. Hence the many pans of granola and the many granola recipes on the blog.

#justaddmilk or yogurt

This apple version is very much like THANKSGIVING GRANOLA (take it to your sister’s when you go for the holiday) but, after a bit of reflection, I’ve cut the “sugar”–which is local, if possible, honey and real maple syrup — in half and increased the spices just enough to make them pop. The recipe, originally adapted from the fabulous David Lebovitz, who I think borrowed it from the uber-cool Nigella Lawson (!), contains only 2 tablespoons of healthy olive oil. It’s the perfect baked gift for those who don’t bake and the perfect breakfast for those who don’t cook. Just think of only putting out yogurt, fresh fruit, and your very own granola for breakfast the next time company stays over. Ok, maybe add some great bread, peanut butter, and Bonne Maman jam next to the toaster, coffee pot, and mugs. Voilà!

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KIDS BAKE MOTHER’S DAY: Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake

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Are homey cakes best? Try mine and see!
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Wasn’t it just New Years? Or at least Valentine’s Day? I only yesterday took the Easter runner off my piano. Geez, Alyce. After a month away from home, hearth, dog, and blog, I was –after getting a little reacclimated — amazed to see Mother’s Day coming up quickly on the heels of Cinco de Mayo. The time simply runs. Perhaps you, too, have yet to make the first plan for Sunday, May 12, 2024, but you might start right here with nearly the simplest of sweet treats, my Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake–which you can throw together and slide into the oven in truly a few minutes. If you are a really good soul (and you are, right?) and are baking with a local kiddo, it might take a few more. And if you’re skipping Mother’s Day all together, go ahead and bake this for yourself or have a favorite neighbor in for coffee. Don’t wait. Everyone should have a 9″x 13″ coffee cake in their back pocket and if you’ve not yet found yours, claim this one now. It’s fast, inexpensive, easy, flexible, and requires no chopping of fruit since it’s made with toss-in-the-bowl blueberries. Frozen work as well as fresh; just rinse and use — no thawing necessary. One thing about this cake is: it’s really a cake, by golly. This isn’t bread masquerading as cake. There’s a bu** load of sugar and even more fat than that and you’ll darned well like it when you eat it, I promise you. Diet another day and make sure the coffee is hot, good, and strong (just like mom!) while you’re at it.

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KIDS BAKE EASTER: A Very Berry Ricotta Coffeecake

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KIDS BAKE recipes–easy for kids to make with help but great for adults without extensive baking experience.

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I’m not a big cake baker and certainly not much of a cake eater, but lately I find myself working on cakes. There are probably a few reasons but one is the number of impressive cakes posted on Dorie Greenspan’s engaging and active facebook group, BAKE AND TELL. Some of these folks bake their kids’ favorite chocolate birthday cake (more my speed) and others create pastry visions (think marzipan) unseen at many professional bakeries. Yikes. But it’s all fun and there’s lots of learning and togetherness– the internet at its best. Another thing going through my mind has been finding a cake my good friend Tony can eat and still stay on his healthy regime, which means no white flour, no dairy, and not much sugar. (I’m nearly there on that one; a pan of cake with his name on it is in the freezer for the next time we play Pinochle. We’ll see what he thinks.) This last Sunday, I woke early to drink coffee and exercise (I know–me?!) and saw a few cartons of sorta sad-lookin’ berries (Poor babies.) in the fridge when I got the milk. There was also a container of ricotta — couldn’t even remember what I’d needed that for, but it passed the sniff test. What could I make with berries and ricotta? Well, folks, that’s what Google’s for, isn’t it? Up came Ina Garten’s “Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake.” Luckily I have the book it’s in (Go-To Dinners) and read it through twice thinking about how Alyce would make and bake this cake. And here’s what happened; I changed it as I went along…

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Peach Dream Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

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Directions for a cake containing gluten included in the printed recipe.
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A few weeks ago, my friend Jeanne’s niece, Julianne and her family, came to visit Colorado from Florida. Why didn’t we come for a cookout? wondered Jeanne. We have a long-standing tradition of eating my cheesecake sometime around husband Dave’s birthday and the 4th of July, so it only made sense to offer to bring it. Jeanne was thrilled, but allowed that as Julianne followed a gluten-free diet, would I make some GF cookies, too? Of course I would.

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Breakfast for Dinner: Apple-Walnut Pancakes with Eggs and Bacon

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Pancakes are the answer when the question is, “What’s for dinner? I haven’t been to the store and there’s nothing thawed. It’s late and we’re hungry.” My happy guess is you have flour, eggs, milk, and syrup or honey. Maybe, if God is good, you have some bacon in the freezer. Enter the fall breakfast for dinner and why not? It’s not something you do often, but when you do, you think, “THIS is a great idea!” Ok, this might not have fit in the “diet,” but I didn’t overdo. Continue reading →