Kate's Cuisine

I am delighted! Not only have I found yet another recipe from that fabulous cookbook, Bite Me, by Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat, but I just found out they have an entire website too! You can check it out here; in the meantime, on with the review for their granola recipe.

Truthfully, I had no faith in this recipe when I first looked it over. I thought it wasn’t going to have a whole lot of taste, and that it was going to be like dry birdseed in my mouth. Fortunately, I was completely wrong! There’s a ton of flavour packed into every bite, and it’s got that whole salty/sweet thing that I’m starting to love more and more every day. My older daughter also loves this recipe, and we’ve both found something we can share for breakfast every day (but I eat it lots as just a snack too!)

Due to the fact that I did not have everything on hand for this recipe, I did need to make a few small changes. I didn’t have slivered almonds, but I did have toasted whole almonds that I just gave a rough chop before throwing them in with the oats before they went into the oven. And speaking of oats, the original recipe in the book also stresses that you shouldn’t use the quick-cooking kind, but it was the only kind and I had (and to be honest, I was dying to try this recipe just to see if it tasted better than it looked.) The oats turned out fine, and some of them browned a lot in clumps, which I sort of really liked about it. The recipe also didn’t call for the raisins to be plumped, but I generally do that before I toss raisins into anything.

As an interesting side note, Kristina and Anna gave this book a really, really terrible review on their show Kristina and Anna’s Grocery Bag, and I just can’t understand it. I’ve cooked so many recipes from this trusty, quirky  little cookbook that I’ve lost count; and I can only think of one that didn’t turn out nicely. I strongly recommend the book to anyone!

2 tablespoons butter $0.12
3 cups miniature marshmallows $0.91
1 cup peanut butter $0.55
1/2 cup powdered sugar $0.18
1/2 cup candy corn $0.24
2 cups roasted peanuts $2.66

Total Cost    $4.66

1.) Butter a 9″ x 9″ brownie pan and set it aside.

2.) In a deep skillet over low heat, melt butter and marshmallows, stirring constantly, until marshmallows melt.

3.) Add peanut butter and stir until mixed in and melted. Then add powdered sugar, stirring until smooth. Don’t add candy and nuts until this is completely incorporated.

4.) Fold in candy corn and peanuts, stirring until nicely mixed. Some of the candy may start to melt, that’s fine but it also doesn’t need to.

5.) Pour mixture into the buttered brownie pan, and using a buttered spatula, flatten mixture completely.

6.) Allow mixture to cool, then cut into small squares.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

Read my review on Sue’s Candy Corn Fudge here

Did you know that there’s a whole group of people in the world that hate candy corn? I’d never heard of such a thing, until I found out it was National Candy Corn Day and started scouring the Internet looking for a candy corn recipe. And I hate to tell you, but if you’re one of the few (and I’m assuming it can only be a handful of people that hate candy corn) you’re not going to like this recipe that I got from the Food Network UK.

It does have candy corn right in it, so yes, it does actually taste like the candy. I recommend using actual miniature marshmallows, as I used large ones, and it did seem to skew the measurements. I did my best to try and make sure that I still had three cups, but I definitely didn’t have enough liquid in this recipe to sop up all that icing sugar – even though it is only half a cup. I think it was user’s error on that one though. The recipe also calls to use for as much as or little candy corn as you like so if you just want the fudge without the candy flavour, I would just make it and use candy corn as a decoration on top.

This fudge is really good, even if I messed it up a tiny bit. I had no faith that this would turn out to be a fudge-like consistency because it doesn’t call for any actual chocolate. But, it’s texture is more like fudge than many other types of fudge I’ve had in the past – and they were yummy! Of course, the kiddies adored it – I had no trouble there on this one!

For the brownies:

1/2 cup vegetable oil $0.22
1 cup brown sugar $0.20
1 teaspoon vanilla extract $0.22
2 eggs, lightly beaten $0.40
1/2 cup all-purpose flour $0.07
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder $1.33
1 tablespoon baking soda $0.05
1/4 teaspoon salt $0.01
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips $1.32

For the ganache:
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips $1.32
1 1/2 cups milk $0.72
1 tablespoon butter $0.06

Total Cost    $5.92

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a square baking dish.

2.) For the brownies: In a medium bowl mix together oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs.

3.) In a separate bowl, whisk together: flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Little by little, stir flour mixture into the egg mixture making sure to stir and fully incorporate the flour after each addition.

4.) Stir in chocolate chips and pour into prepared pan, shaking to make sure mixture is level.

5.) Place in preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6.) For the ganache: Meanwhile, place chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl.  Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until boiling, whisking the entire time to prevent burning.

7.) As soon as milk is boiling, pour over chocolate chips and stir until all chips are melted. Cover and place in fridge to cool and thicken or, set aside to cool slightly.

8.) When ready to plate, place brownie on a plate and drizzle chocolate ganache over top.

9.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the Sticky Sweet Chocolate Brownies Review here

It’s National Chocolate Day, and I thought what better way to mark the day then with chocolate – on top of chocolate! That’s exactly what these brownies are all about, getting as much chocolate on your plate as possible! I like to make the ganache thin so you can drizzle it over the brownies after they’ve been plated. That way, as you work your way through the brownie, it acts as a sponge, sopping up that giant puddle of chocolate on your plate.

My hubby on the other hand, likes the ganache much thicker so that it works more like a frosting than it does a light (or heavy) syrup. I’ve had these brownies both ways and both are good. After all, you’re eating chocolate. What could be bad? Just remember that if you like the chocolate to be thicker, use less milk and/or more chocolate. Work the two together until you have a consistency that you like, and you’re done.

The ganache (at least when thin) can be frozen, I do it all the time. When you want to use it again, bring it up to room temperature first and then put it back in the double boiler. It will most likely be a bit (or a lot) thicker than when you originally froze it so it’s likely that you’ll need to add more cream and mix the two together again before it can be used. But it’s still a great way to have terrific ganache on hand for when you need it, and it only takes a few minutes to bring it back to life.

Happy Chocolate Day, everyone!

1 cup smooth peanut butter $1.10
1/2 cup white sugar $0.10
1 egg $0.20
1 cup roasted, salted peanuts, chopped $1.33

Total Cost    $2.73

1.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) Combine the peanut butter, the egg, and the sugar in a bowl and stir to thoroughly combine.

3.) Roll dough into 24 small balls and place on a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Press down on each ball lightly with a fork. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over top of each cookie.

4.) Place in the preheated oven and bake until cookies are just starting to brown, 11 – 15 minutes.

5.) Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes on cookie tray before moving to a wire rack or plate to cool completely.

6.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the Peanut Butter Cookies with Crunchy Peanut Topping Review here

I often eat peanut butter cookies for breakfast, on the suggestion of my mother, actually. While it might not seem like a traditional breakfast, it gives me that little bit of protein that I need to get me through until lunch, and doesn’t make me feel stuffed, something that’s easily done in the morning when I don’t usually have much of an appetite. And besides, peanut butter cookies are delicious, so any excuse to eat them is a good one!

That being said, I do like to mix it up when I make them. This time, I made the traditional peanut butter cookie recipe that I usually use, and can be found on the side of most Kraft peanut butter jars. Just sprinkling a few roasted, salted peanuts on top transforms these cookies and gives them that extra kick of salty-sweetness. Just talking about them, I can’t wait to pick up my next bag of peanuts so I can make these again!