Tag Archives: Moving

Candied Ginger Bars

21 Aug

As it turns out, it didn’t actually hit me until today that I am really moving.  For whatever reason, the last several weeks of gathering boxes, stressing, and packing weren’t enough to get me thinking about what all of it really means until now.

Most of the times I have moved in the past (there have been A LOT of those times), I knew exactly where I was going next.  I had time to mentally adjust and prepare to be in my new space, and that’s always pretty comforting to me.  You know, like preparing to hit the ground rather than  blindly stepping off the side of a cliff and not knowing what to expect.  It’s the same, for sure…

This time, not so much.  I don’t know what to expect or where I’ll be.  What hit me possibly the most is the limited time I have left in my tiny kitchen of two years, and the limited number of baked good items I can produce from said kitchen in that limited amount of time.  The countdown begins!
(And yes, I realize there are ridiculous-looking water spots on that cutty-thingy…haha!)

Oh, while I’m on the topic of moving, I wish I could say I have a bunch of tried and true, handy moving tips for you that make the whole process a breeze. But unfortunately, I still don’t have it all figured out, even with practically 10 moves in the last 10 years. I can tell you this, though:

DO NOT under any circumstances wait until the very last minute. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve underestimated the amount of stuff I have, the number of boxes I’ll need, or the amount of time it will take to actually move everything!

Also, DO NOT help anyone else move (for instance, your brother!) in hopes that they will return the favor just out of the goodness of their hearts. Get it in writing!

Last but not least, if you plan to move, I suggest you have a place to move all your stuff to. Unlike me. Learn from my mistakes, will you?

There you have it. And now, for real, the good stuff.

Candied Ginger Bars
The bars themselves aren’t as gingery as a ginger cookie, but I figured if they were, it’d probably be a little too overpowering with the spicy candied ginger in there! Think balance =)

Ingredients:
* 3 Cups Flour (I used 1 Cup Whole Wheat Bread Flour, 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour)
* 1 tsp Baking Powder
* 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
* 1/2 tsp Salt
* 1 tsp Ground Ginger

* 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
* 1/2 Cup White Sugar
* 1/4 Cup Molasses
* 1/4 Cup Canola Oil + 1/2 Cup Margarine
* 1/4 Cup Almond Milk
* 2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
* 2 Eggs

* 1 Cup Candied Ginger, minced
* 2 Tbsp White sugar or Turbinado Sugar for sprinkling on top.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350* F and line or grease an 8×8″ square pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the oil, margarine, brown sugar, white sugar, and molasses. Add in the almond milk, vanilla extract, and the eggs, mixing well between each.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground ginger.

Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing between additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically.

Stir in the minced candied ginger by hand.

Scoop the batter into the pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle sugar on top.
Bake for 20 minutes, then check. If it’s browning too quickly, turn the oven down to 325* and bake for 10 more minutes. Otherwise, just leave it at 350* and bake for 10 more minutes. Keep your eye on it!

Oh, and I’m just throwing this out there, but if you happen to see a girl wandering around campus occasionally, and it looks like she’s living in the library’s 24 hour Study Room and showering in the locker room…it’s totally NOT me. Definitely not. At all. =D

Almond Butter Granola

11 Aug

I’m moving in a few weeks. Anyone who has ever moved before will probably agree that it’s one of the LEAST enjoyable tasks in life.

Actually, let me rephrase that. PACKING and then UNPACKING all of my crap precious stuff is the worst part, while actually being in a new place doesn’t bother me.

In fact, if you know me, you know I like to change things up pretty often if I get the chance…I love the new possibilities and the change of scenery.

What does any of this have to do with granola? Nothing, now that I think about it. Nothing what-so-ever. But, granola is super yum-town and I finally didn’t burn this batch.

At this point in my stressful life, I have to celebrate the little things that make me happy! =)

Almond Butter Granola

This is an awesome recipe because it’s so versatile and you can throw in practically anything you want, or have on hand. I used cranberries, raisins, goji berries, odds & ends of cashews, pecans, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, and it turned out crunchy and not overly sweet- perfect!

Ingredients:

Dry:
* 2 Cups Old-fashioned Oats
* 1/2 Cup Mixed Nuts, roughly chopped (I used cashews, pecans, sunflower seeds, and shelled pumpkin seeds)
* 1/2 Cup Uncooked Buckwheat
* 2 Tbsp Ground Flax
* 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
* 2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
* 1/2 tsp salt

Wet:
* 3 Tbsp Applesauce
* 3 Tbsp Almond Butter
* 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
* 1/8 Cup Honey, 1/8 Cup Maple Syrup (or all honey, all maple syrup, or even agave would work)
* 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
* 1/2 tsp Almond Extract

Mix-Ins:
* 1/4 Cup Raisins
* 1/4 Cup Cranberries
* 1/8 Cup Goji Berries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325* F.

Combine all of the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine wet ingredients except for the extracts in a separate, microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and stir to coat. The mixture will seem a little dry at first, but it will all come together!

Spread the mixture out evenly on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, stirring about every 5 minutes.

Let the mixture cool for 20 minutes, and then stir in your mix-ins.

Stored in an air-tight container, this should last for about a month, but it probably won’t…if you know what I’m saying! =)
(You can also make this gluten free by using gluten free oats)

I hope you’re all enjoying your week!

Excuse me while I go take a shot of granola (or three) and get back to packing.