Day 18???...whatever

It has been 'many a day' since I have done much cooking or baking, hence the posting has not happened either. I was busy entertaining a friend and her daughter from out of province and somehow just got busy doing other things this past week, which did not include baking. I did make some banana muffins with whole wheat, flax and limited butter....they are terribly wholesome...and a bit on the dry side. So next time I will add some applesauce. After all, if it works for blueberry muffins, why not banana? So now I have some company...again....here is the photo...will bake and write more soon.

Day 17....same day, more baking

Well then, since I had already dirtied the large bowl for the pizza crust, I figured that I might as well re-use this as well as the flour and other items on the counter and throw together the ingredients that I had ready for some energy bars. The recipe called for sunflower seeds and dried fruit, in addition to granola, flour, rolled oats, an egg, a bit of oil and some spice...I added coconut and used maple syrup as I had forgotten to buy honey... I also do not own an 8" cake pan so I made them in a round pie plate. Into the oven they went, right after the pizza was done as they needed a much lower temp. About 25 minutes later and they were a nice light brown on the edges and pronounced done. A little while later my friend arrived for her pizza critique and ended up munching on the squares, for at least 10 minutes, in spite of announcing that she doesn't like this type of thing....seemed to be making an exception. At any rate, they tasted even better the next day.

Day 17.....

Time on my own with good music in the background, a nice drink and making good food is one of my favourite ways to spend a Friday evening, and that is what I was doing on this particular night. I truly had a wonderful time making this pizza....and I had the additional pleasure of sharing the product with a new friend too! The recipe came from a friend and colleague at work with tales of gatherings of friends for a night of pizza and wine, good times with good friends. The dough is a combination of whole wheat flour and a bit of white and corn meal. The toppings include marinated artichokes, black olives, fresh tomatoes, green onions, basil and both mozzarella and provolone cheese. Next time I intend to play with the dough recipe a bit so I can spread it out a bit thinner and add just a bit more flavour, maybe with butter and more herbs in the dough itself...will also add some goat cheese. It was delicious and of course nutritious! My friend however is not a huge olive lover, so I got double :)

Day 16....

It does seem a bit silly to use a numerical system for the postings, however it works for me, even though I do not make an entry daily.

I did make a healthy breakfast bar yesterday, and while I thought they were actually rather boring and/or tasteless, the office administrator at work thought they were delicious...So I will wait for a bit more feedback before I do a final analysis. At any rate if I make them again, I will definitely add more dried fruit, perhaps including coconut. They are basically a healthy cookie-type bar with dates. They have only a bit of honey and maple syrup for sweetener as well as unsweetened applesauce. I just thought that with the orange and lemon juice, they would be a bit more flavourful.

Day 15.....

There will be no photo nor self-appreciation for baking today...this week is full of visiting with a friend or 2, going out to dinner and getting together with my sisters...as well as working of course. So while I had initially envisioned something just a bit like "Julie and Julia" for this blog, I also promised myself that this is all about fun, hence nothing new to report. This week has been spent making something quite edible out of eggs, cheese, vegetables and the second loaf of bread that I made 2 weeks ago, as well as thawing and sharing the rest of the banana bread. As I live alone, even though I bring a lot of the baking to work, I do not want to fill my freezer nor waste anything. So for me, in addition to the social commitments, this week has been all about re-using/re-eating/re-heating...

...stay tuned maybe Sunday or early next week, for at least a post and maybe even something new. I did get a recipe for another pizza with corn meal in the crust and a topping with olives, artichokes etc....sounds like something to make when company is coming! That and a nice bottle of wine would be lovely.

Day 14....

I made the buckwheat blueberry muffins which turned out to be quite flavourful and they looked nice too. Next time I will make them with paper liners as recommended as they did stick to the pans, even though they are non-stick. These muffins couldn't be much healthier with only 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tbsp oil as well as cooked squash.

The wheat berry salad is also very healthy and delicious. The ingredients in the salad and dressing include apples, dried apricots and cinnamon, so it is a combination of vegetables and sweetness. Different and lovely. I wouldn't change a thing in this recipe but will find another one with wheat berries that does not have the sweet component.

Day 13...

After gathering a few extra ingredients, I am ready to make both the muffins and wheat berry salad later or tomorrow.

This morning I experimented with making some whole wheat cracker 'bowls' for the delicious but somewhat difficult to transport and sticky to eat trail mix....now as a trail mix, who cares if it's messy and really you just pop some in a bag and off you go. But if I am going to sell it in the Pantry it should be presented nicely as well as taste good and be healthy, right? So this was a good first attempt. I rolled the dough in sesame seeds which are a nice touch. Next time I'll add a bit of honey and increase the liquid so that I can roll them a bit thinner...but they do taste good, as far as a home-made cracker goes....:)