Showing posts with label pumpkin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pumpkin. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2015
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Granola
Im pushing it. Its still summer, I know. I cant help it --- we picked out all the school supplies and then the pumpkin candle aisle got me.
And all of a sudden I NEEDED a bit of fall right this very second. The kids start school again on the 27th, and even though the weather is still hot out (this is actually the SF Bay Areas best weather of the year; if you ever come for a visit, pick somewhere between the end of August through the first week of October if you can swing it) (and by hot, I mean 75 which I know for a lot of you isnt hot but were big babies here, so feel free to completely ignore me), and Im still doing laundry from last weeks beach trip I wanted something fall-ish.
so I made granola.
My friend Jennifer (not this one or this one or this one or this one) made a batch of granola to take on our beach trip and we ate it every day over greek yogurt in the room so we didnt pay the *exorbitant* hotel breakfast prices.
this isnt her recipe; she says she doesnt really have one. Ive made granola in the slow cooker before, and like that I can wander away from it and not have it burn. I wanted to use leftover canned pumpkin, so it did need to cook longer than I thought it should so it wasnt a soggy mess. And, you should put dried fruit in near the end so they dont shrivel up on you.
enjoy!
The Ingredients.
serves 12 (lasts 5-7 days in our house over yogurt for breakfast for 5 people)
(freezes well, the raisins will get hard, but then soften again)
5 cups of rolled oats (we use certified gluten free)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 to 3/4 cup honey (start with the smaller amount)
1 cup whole almonds (or use toasted pumpkin seeds)
1 cup dried cranberries/raisins or mixture (add last hour)
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
The Directions.
Use a large slow cooker -- I used a 6.5-quart. Its not a typo that I didnt add any butter or oil; I wanted to see if it would work without any, and it did! The pumpkin helped to coat the oats and provided enough moisture to keep it from burning and the honey did a good job of providing sweetness and a bit of a binder.
Stir everything but the dried fruit in. The honey will be gloppy--- just stir the best you can. Cover, and cook in a vented slow cooker (prop lid open with chopstick or wooden spoon) on high for 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. Add dried fruit the last 30-minutes to an hour. There really isnt an exact science here--- when youre happy with the texture and the consistency, its done!
Let cool completely-- the oats will get a bit harder and crispier after cooling (you can spread it all out on layers of foil or paper towels or parchment paper on the counter to speed up the cooling process).
Let cool completely-- the oats will get a bit harder and crispier after cooling (you can spread it all out on layers of foil or paper towels or parchment paper on the counter to speed up the cooling process).
Store in an airtight container in either the fridge or the freezer.
Hey Steph, how come you dont just bake it in the oven? Honestly, its easier for me to set a timer for 30 minutes and come back and stir the pot throughout the day then it is for me to camp out in the kitchen for 30-45 minutes straight and stir every 5-10 minutes to keep the granola from burning. I just dont have that type of time unless the kids are asleep, and this way they can help stir.
Its a lifestyle choice--- someday they wont be attached to my leg and I can open the oven door safely, but for now, its just not an option! :-)
Happy (almost) fall, and Happy (almost) school season!
Stay Tuned this fall, because Im going to be hosting daily giveaways again!!
Also, its time to reorder a new copy of Totally Together: Shortcuts to an Organized Life --- Im so happy and proud of the way this journal turned out and has been received; thank you!
bonus fun photo of a Pismo Beach Crab!
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Thursday, March 19, 2015
CrockPot Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Day 321. mmmm. Cheesecake.
I made a traditional cheesecake on Fourth of July, and ever since have been wanting to make a pumpkin one. I have had my eye on this recipe from Good Housekeeping, and put it to the test yesterday.
Im eating some right now with my morning coffee. Its delicious.
The Ingredients.
A jar of nutmeg made it into the picture. Thats a mistake. You dont need any. Crust:
--1 cup gingersnap or graham cracker crumbs (I used the GF gingersnaps from Trader Joes)
--3 T butter, melted
--2 T white sugar
Filling:
--2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, room temperature
--1 1/4 cup white sugar
--1 can pure pumpkin (15 oz)
--3/4 cup sour cream
--2 tsp vanilla
--1tsp cinnamon
--1/2 tsp allspice
--1/4 tsp salt
--4 eggs
Sour Cream Topping (optional):
--1 cup sour cream
--3 T white sugar
--1 tsp vanilla
The Directions.
If you are planning on serving pumpkin cheesecake for an event, Id recommend making it the day before, so it has plenty of time to chill in the refrigerator.
I used a 6.5 oval quart crockpot, and inserted a 1.5 oval casserole dish into it. You are using the crockpot as a bain marie, or water bath.
In a small bowl, combine melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs and white sugar. Press the mixture into your casserole dish. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, pure pumpkin, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Add the spices and eggs, also. Mix well with a hand or stand mixer until the cream cheese is fluid and there arent very many cream cheese spots/lumps. A few is okay.
Ive never been one to add some ingredients first, and an egg at a time while mixing. If you are somebody who likes to do that, the Good Housekeeping people will tell you what to do.
Pour the filling on top of the crust.
Put 1/2 to 1 cup of water into the bottom of your crockpot. The inserted dish should push the water up to halfway up the sides of the cheesecake.
Place the cheescake into your crockpot and cook on high for 2 to 4 hours. It took 4 for mine to cook completely. You will know its done cooking when the top is no longer jiggly and the sides have begun to brown ever so slightly.
Unplug your crockpot, and take off the lid. In a small mixing bowl, whip together the sour cream topping. With a rubber spatula, very carefully spread the sour cream topping on top of the hot cheesecake. Let the cheese cake sit in the cooling crockpot for an hour, before chilling in the refrigerator. I put the lid on the crockpot sideways, but you can also leave it off. Chill for at least 6 hours. Serve.
The Verdict.
This is thick, moist cheesecake. The filling did not get as hard and as set-up as the first cheesecake I did. The first one called for 2 T of flour, and only 2 eggs.
I was worried that this pumpkin batter wouldnt set, because the first cheesecake I did only took 2 hours on high, and this took a solid 4 hours on high. In fact, I made a mistake, and brought it to some friends after baking for 2 (and only chilling for 2) for dessert last night. It wasnt cooked. It was cheesecake soup.
When we got home, I plopped it back into the water bath (I hadnt cleaned the kitchen up, and the crockpot was still slightly warm) for the additional 2 hours and set an alarm to check on it. This cheesecake was finished at 1 am.
And then I was wide awake for some reason and couldnt sleep and had a rather long conversation with Adam that he doesnt remember. weird.
All in all, this is a good recipe, but when I make it again, I will go off of my original recipe, and add the pumpkin and spices to that. Since I havent actually tried it, Im not sure if it will work, but my gut is leaning towards that "sturdier" cheesecake, instead of trying to fool with this one some more.
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