Page 17 of 17

Banana and Orange Granola

Carroll 4 Comments
At Casa Mohler, we try to maintain a well balance lifestyle- exercise, sleep,  healthy meals, ECT.   We often have to refocus the balance after I have gotten an itch to make cookies, breads, or maybe we have been “over served” by our bartender.  Needless to say we usually are a bit “off balance”…..none the less we try!

The ripest banana will prove tastiest!!

This recipe for granola is great, I was looking for a low-calorie, low-fat recipe and ran into a few with mashed banana as the binder.  No oil? Perfect.  I added a few ingredients to build up a bit more flavor and protein.  There isn’t a ton of honey in the recipe, so the orange zest really plays a part in the sweetness factor. I am pretty certain without the orange zest that I would be feeding cardboard to my family.

Pulse, Pulse, Puree! BamO!

Banana and Orange Granola

Makes about  6- ½ cup servings

2 cups rolled oats

1 ripe banana

3/4 cup water

1 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup almond slivers

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. In a blender or food processor (or by hand if nothing else), purée banana, water, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, and kosher salt until smooth.
  3. In a large bowl, toss the banana mix with the remaining ingredients, oats, wheat germ, orange zest and nuts.
  4. Lay out the mixture in a single layer on a baking tray, either non-stick or lined with baking paper.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes until oats are starting to brown. Check and stir often.  It can take longer to crisp; just give it a few more minutes.  It will become toasted and crunchy!
  6. Remove from the oven and allow cooling.

Stir it well!

Before the oven

This granola is perfect with all the typical granola roles, yogurt (Greek or Icelandic is my preference), or berries and fresh fruit.  I think it is perfect to use as cobbler topping, or even in a salad when you want some crunch instead of croutons.

Get it fast!

Bon Appetit!

Lemon Tarragon filled Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies

Carroll Leave a comment

Summer Goodness!!!

These cookies are great, buttered goodness.  They are a bit on the crumbly side with the almond flour, but it adds such a great texture.  The tarragon is perfect with lemon, and the healthier cookie.

These cookies are complete summer

Almond Shortbread:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (With
Shortbread cookies, I think it is a time to splurge on butter)

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup almond flour (almond meal)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar  until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl,  whisk together the whole wheat flour, almond flour, cornstarch and salt.  Add this mixture to the butter and sugar and beat just until incorporated.

Scrape batter out onto a sheet of parchment and form a log.  Refrigerate for one hour, and then slice into ¼ inch slices and place on a cookie sheet.  I made a well in the center of each cookie, using the screw top bottle. Put the cookie sheet back in the refrigerator to cool back down for 10 -15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300, and slide the cookies into the preheated oven.  Bake them for about 35-45 minutes, until they are golden brown.  Once they come out of the oven I used the screw top again to reform the well.  Allow cookies to cool completely before filling, I would also recommend filling the cookies with the lemon filling the same day you will serve them which keeps the cookie from losing its great crumble texture.  I used some toasted almonds as garnish on some cookies and powdered sugar on others.

Creamed butter and sugar

Use what you have, you don't always need some fancy tool.

Evenly toasted, fresh out of the oven

Lemon Tarragon Filling:

Mis en place for the lemon filling

Juice & grated zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1 eggs

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons tarragon, chopped fine

Combine all ingredients in a double boiler on stove. Simmer until thickened stirring constantly, about 15 minutes or 140 degrees.  Remove from heat and stir in the tarragon,
put in the refrigerator to chill.

Stir, stir, stir

It was so good, I was looking for things to spread it on!

Ready for the finishing touches!

Chefs Table Site Visit 6.6.11

Carroll 1 Comment
A few nights ago, we had an event in the kitchen.  Now, we do these Chef Table Experiences fairly often, but so far they haven’t gotten old.

We push the stainless prep tables out of the way, throw down a rug, move our “On Stage” cooking stations into the kitchen, hang a chandelier and put in a dining table and chairs….Voila, kitchen space turns dining space.  Our guests love it, we can seat something close to 30 people, and more if we go the reception route.

Thru the Chefs and Sommelier spieling courses and pairings, we establish a relationship with our guests.  Some experiences are interactive for the group, rubbing truffle oil on pulse points or discovering the Miracle Berry, we create our own Umami. Storytelling and personality keep the crowd engaged and by the end of the evening, the entire staff has connected with the guests, leaving us all with wanting more.

Of course the food is the star of the show, take a look at some of the dishes from the other night.  Then go straight to the kitchen and cook 🙂 Bon appetit!

Truffle Caviar, Mozzarella Basil Salad, Tomato Water

We put a bit of liquid into the bottom of the Nitro Bowl, and add a few dry ice chips to keep the salad properly chilled! Awesome presentation with the fog spilling out onto the table! @kingfarmmyakka

Coconut Smoked Key West Wreckfish, Pepperdew Jicama Slaw, Black Currant Bursts

@thechefsgarden Fiddlehead Ferns are just about done for the season

Braised Mangalista Pork Belly, Garlic Herb Gnocchi, Zellwood Corn Puree, Chive Oil

Braised Pork Belly

Strawberry Nitrogen Sphere, Citrus Foam, Hot Chili Pearls, Smoked Hawaiian Sea Salt. Have to admit, I didn't get to it fast enough to get a good picture- but you can get the idea.

@copperriverwild - Copper River Salmon All the Way!

Sir Ahmed and the Chicken. Could be the name of a storybook, haha!

Chicken feet for tomorrow's soup!

Sous Vide Whole Milk Fed Chicken Breast and Thighs-

Whole Milk Fed Chicken- Leg Confit Stuffed Squash, Sous Vide Breast and Thigh, Scarlet Runner Bean Hash, Hen of the Woods Mushroom, Absinthe Gastrique

Sweet Endings

Everything but the Lemon- This was so good- SOO good!

Lake Lily Food Truck Cafe

Carroll Leave a comment
We went down to the Lake Lily Food Truck Cafe last week and had a great time.  We met some friends and made some new ones too.  It was a good time had by all, and would recommend highly.  The prices were great, the food was fresh, creative and delicious.  I would recommend to get there early, as the lines can get long.  And definetly bring your appetite, the choices are vast!  Look below to see some of the highlights.
The bathroom was our first stop, and I just thought this sink was so peculiar. Are all sinks so welcoming?

What a great dinner spot!

Food Truck Alley

I love @BigWheelMCO tables

I think Sir Wes made a few request, they happily obliged.

The @winterparkfish- very tasty!

Cooked perfectly by the man in the @winterparkfish truck

Kobe Dog (@winterparkfish)

Lots of food, not really sure what we got...but I think it was more than we paid for...careful of that @koreanbbq_2011

Just an example of me posing for a picture- I clearly am not fond of letting Sir Wes hold the camera!

Lemonata with Meringue Frosting from @yumyumtruck_fl

Luther Burger from the @TREEHOUSETRUCK- Nothing says it like a picture in this case!

Food Coma, poor girl...but so worth it!

A Morning at the Central Florida Second Harvest Food Bank Farm (@2harvestCFL)

Carroll Leave a comment
I had a great experience not too long ago, a lot of friends  have asked me about it, so I thought I would share..maybe get a few volunteers motivated for such a great cause.

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida (@2harvestCFL) has a farm;  all of the produce goes to the local community at the meal center.  They are able to provide healthy and fresh  offerings in addition to the nonperishable items donated by the community.  At work, we also harvest our leftovers and send it over to the food bank, as well as preparing a monthly dinner service.  It is a great program,  I love getting involved, and I really liked getting dirty 🙂

Punch the clock and get on it boys!

The “Farm Girl”, Kirsten, was great- She was very knowledgeable despite that it has been less than a year of her managing the farm.  That particular morning there was about 7 of us volunteering, a couple of college kids studying Aeronautic Engineering (I really don’t know what they studied, but they interned at Lockheed Martin) and  a mother and her high school son, all of these guys were doing it as part of their school volunteerism.  There was also a gentleman there, who also worked for Lockheed Martin, I told the college guys, how fortunate for them to  show up today the same day as a senior leader.

We were tasked with an important job in all farms, I anticipated it being like in the movies, but actually it turned out to be the same as what Sir Wes tries to makes me do …weeding..

Doesn't look like much, I thought.. my back thought different the next day!

For the first hour, we quietly weeded the rows of squash, exchanging some small talk now and then.  Making our way down the row, someone asked about the squash blossoms, which perked me right up.  I asked a few questions which led Kirsten to ask if I was a foodie, professionally I told her.  The senior engineer was particularly interested in dehydrating, after I told him about a boyfriend that had rode his bike from Seattle to Poinciana, with me sending him boxes of supplies including a week’s worth of dehydrated meals.  Anyways…we had a great time, weeding, chit chatting, I think the best was when one of the college boys asked me (his first language was not english), “Do I say, I picked weeds or weed this weekend?”  I quickly told him, it was weeds, and please don’t tell everyone you were at the Second Harvest Food Bank Farm, picking Weed…LOL.

We did take a break; Kirsten should us around the farm, and told us a lot about agriculture, which led to a Q & A for the last hour or so.  She had a lot to tell us, leaving me wanting more.  Overall it was a great experience; I am looking forward to going back, and arranging some “field trips” at work.  Helping out and giving back  always feels good, but when you walk away having learned something…even better.

Fresh Organic Eggs..

No weeds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet Vidalia's

Sangria all around…Sangria BBQ, Blueberry Basil Sangria…..Hello Summer!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carroll 1 Comment

Sangria season to me is like pool season to a kid.  I just can’t wait for sangria season to start, and on Monday it officially does!!!  Memorial Day thru Labor Day, the short season of sangria.  During this time we reinvent the tradional recipe over and over, cocktails, dips, sauces, spreads-

What I had in the pantry

Today I made Sangria BBQ  Sauce, perfect to cook on the grill (if you have room to spare, or a fancy grill with a burner attached).  We will use this sauce on BBQ Chicken, Pork Tenderlions, Flat Breads, Pulled Pork, Ribs- anything that the Bull’s Eye BBQ might have made it on.

BBQ Sangria

1/4 Cup Ketchup

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

1/4 Red Wine

1 Gala Apple, peeled, seeded and cut into 1″ pieces

1 Navel Orange, zest first and set aside for later use, peel and seperate segments, double check for seeds

1 Lemon, zest first and set aside for later use, squeeze juice being careful of seeds

1/4 Teaspoon Smoked Salt

Put all in a pot and slowly simmer until fruit is tender, broken down.  Depending on the legnth of time you have, the apples will break down by themselves, or you can puree the sauce in a blender.

Starting off

Simmer down Chef

I’ll save the zests and make a gremolata or add them to a light salad …no way they will be around for long!

Sweet Summer Goodness- Sangria BBQ Sauce

Happy Memorial Day and God Bless our Soldiers!

Go git um….

Carroll Leave a comment

When I started cooking I was given a lot of advice, had a lot of people guiding me, looking after me- I was green, in fact I was green enough to look in the china storage area for the china cap, that the chef sent me for.  Yup, green enough to fall for that trick.  The best piece of advice that was delivered to me, that serves in many area’s in my life, not just the kitchen, was – “Just go in and pretend you know what you’re doing”.

So true, so helpful, the number of chefs I have tricked into thinking I know what I am doing thru the years is vast.  Now, I do credit them a bit- they might have suspected, but I made sure not to leave any concrete evidence.  Well, after 12 years of working in a kitchen, sharpening my skills, I have learned a thing or two, had a lot of great leaders to learn from, and a lot of bad ones to also learn from!

I did take that advice with me, and have in fact passed it on to many young culinary warriors!  It rings true in many parts of my life, right here, right now…pretend I know what I am doing…my first blog entry!

Hope you enjoy!!