Bran Muffins are a Very Old Favorite

Long, long before bran and fiber became a health food, I loved bran muffins. Kellogg's® All-Bran® was common in our house when I grew up, and I recall my Grandma eating it as well. Of course, as a child, I didn't grasp what the reasoning was for this cereal, but I liked it. Even better though, were the bran muffins. No matter what, I have loved bran muffins.

Despite that, I hadn't eaten them or made them in a very long while, back when I started this blog back in 2012. And it wasn't until 2014 that I received all the bread cookbooks that started my journey into coaxing flavor from whole wheat, and not yet for another year or so that it came to be that I had a lot of accumulated bran at my disposal. I had long ago stopped eating cereal of any kind but oatmeal, so I wasn't keeping the All-Bran cereal at home, either. Many of the new bread recipes called for sifted whole wheat flour. As I was grinding my own wheat berries, for even better flavor (read more about why, here), some needed only the largest of bran flakes sifted from the flour, resulting in varying amounts of bran leftover. 

Bran Muffins with Raisins and Walnuts

It was still quite some while of accumulating bran that I reasoned, "I can make Bran Muffins!"

Once I finally sat down to create a bran muffin recipe, first looking into recipes all over online at the time, to compare what was done, read comments about them and such, I cobbled together a plan. And it was still a while before I got to the point of making them. I cannot recall why it took so long to actually get around to making them, except for the fact of a whole lot of things happening in my life back then. Once I did, I made them quite a few times, and quickly ran out of all the accumulated bran I had stored, and once again I lapsed. 

I did include the recipe in my Newsletter, which is now defunct, so once more I am placing it here to keep.

 

Bran Muffins with Raisins and Walnuts

Makes 12 muffins

Bran Muffins with Raisins and Walnuts

1 cup wheat bran 
1½ cups whole wheat or whole Kamut flour 
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt)
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts 
¼ cup sugar, or palm sugar 
¾ cup milk
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup molasses 
2 tablespoons cooking oil of choice
2 large eggs, beaten lightly

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or spray with cooking spray the wells of a 12-well muffin tin, or line wells with muffin papers Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the first 8 dry ingredients and stir them together, ensuring the raisins are all separated from one another for even distribution. The raisins may be substituted with dates, if preferred.

Separately, whisk together the milk, applesauce, molasses, oil and eggs. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, just until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Quickly, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin wells, dividing the batter evenly between the wells, and pop the tin into the oven on a middle rack for about 15 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.

Remove the tin from the oven and set aside for 5 to 9 minutes, at which time the muffins will release quite easily from the tin. Serve warm, preferably with butter, for a treat any time.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Delightful Linzer Squares

A long time ago, I ate Linzer Squares and was totally enchanted with the flavors. I was given the recipe, so I can truthfully say this recipe is in no way mine, though as it was shared with me, I am now sharing with all my readers. The fact that I really loved these when I first tried them did not, somehow, spur me on to make them right away, and like so many things, out of sight means out of mind, and the recipe has set out there ever since. 

Raspberry Linzer Squares

This year, I decided enough procrastination is enough and I made them for Christmas Eve dinner. And they are just as wonderful as I recalled. Again, begging the question: Why did I wait so very long to do this? Who knows. But now that I have, I am truly hoping to make them more often.

Raspberry Linzer Squares just cut

The thing with these squares / bars / cookies is that any flavor of jam can be used, so each time you make them they can have a different flavor. These were made with a seedless raspberry jam as my husband objects to the seeds. Regular raspberry jam, strawberry or apricot are also great. 

I would not mess with the crust part of the recipe, as it is just divine. Looking at the photos, it seems that the crust might be dry, but this is so not the case. It is tender and as it has ground nuts in it, nuts do help with moistness. The kind of nuts to use is entirely up to the individual. I used walnuts as they are my favorites, but pecans, hazelnuts, almonds or even macadamia would also work. The important thing is to have them very finely ground.

One thing the woman who gave me this recipe stated was that normally the lattice top is meant to be rolled out flat and cut into strips to set on top. She felt this was too tedious since the dough is delicate and easily breaks, so she suggested just rolling the  dough into thinner-than-pencil sized strips and setting them on top. It works the same either way and makes life easier.

I am all about making life easier!

Another thing that can be done, but I did not, is to brush the top lattice with an egg wash (1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon of water) before baking. This would make the lattice shiny and more golden. I meant to try it, but I totally forgot in my rush to bake this dessert! So obviously they came out wonderfully well despite this lapse. The dessert is made in a 9 x 9-inch pan, and the final "bars" can be cut into 12 bar type pieces or 16 squares; your choice. And here is the recipe for these wonderful bar type cookies. 

Raspberry Linzer Squares

Raspberry Linzer Squares

Makes 12 or 16 squares 

1½ cups all-purpose flour +2 tablespoons
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup hazelnuts, ground (or almonds, walnuts, pecans or macadamia)
½ cup unsalted butter at room 
    temperature
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 whole egg, beaten
¾ cup thick raspberry Jam
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon water
 
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment for easy removal and cutting later. Spray the parchment with cooking spray and set aside. 

Into a large mixer bowl, measure the 1½ cups of flour. (Reserve the extra 2 tablespoons for later). Add sugar, baking powder, salt, nuts, and butter; mix until well combined. Add lemon zest and egg, stirring with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Reserve ½ cup of dough aside. Pat remaining dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Spread the preserves over dough in pan. To the reserved half-cup of dough, stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Roll this dough to very thin pencil like strips and place 9 strips in a diagonal over the preserves, about ½" apart. Place the remaining 9 strips crosswise over the first strips, ½” apart, forming a lattice top.

In small bowl, stir the egg yolk and water; brush dough strips. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack in pan. Cut into bars. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Chicken and Grape Salad Makeover

I have made versions of Chicken & Grape Salad for a long, long time. Generally throwing things together last minute, using whatever is at hand, this is a wonderful cool summer salad that eats like a meal. At its absolutely most basic, the ingredients are as simple as cooked chicken, grapes, and nuts, sometimes with celery or green pepper, and held together with mayonnaise. From there, one can personalize it as desired. 

Chicken and Grape Salad, with many additions

I had some rotisserie chicken left over from the night before. A rotisserie chicken is a great way to have this recipe come together quickly. I did not have any grapes. I walked to the grocery and picked up some grapes, along with a little package of fresh dill, one of the few herbs I do not have growing this year. While dill is not usually a part of this salad, I was considering adding in a little Feta cheese still left in the fridge, and dill seemed like the pairing flavor I was looking for. For nuts I used pecans. My preference, hands-down, would be walnuts, but my husband dislikes walnuts with a passion, so pecans it is! I had gotten a couple of bell peppers at the Farmers' Market this past week. One of them was a deep purple in color, and I thought this would lend nice contrast in this salad. Celery is one of my least favorite vegetables, but when mixed with a lot of other flavors, it is a good filler. 

The Feta cheese is certainly not a common ingredient in this salad, and neither are the craisins (dried cranberries). Even more uncommon is the jalapeno & cheese brat I added. This last was just because I wanted to taste this particular Frohling Cheese & Jalapeno Brat. I bought a package while shopping for the other ingredients because I had tasted some of the brats and summer sausages at the Brown County Fair this past Saturday. Frohling makes some wonderful deli meats and they are South Dakota based. One I tasted at the fair and particularly enjoyed was a Cranberry and Wild Rice Summer Sausage, and that was the one I was specifically looking for at Kessler's local grocery, but those were not in evidence that day. Meanwhile, wanting to taste the brats I bought, I cooked one. After tasting an end piece, I just cut up the rest and added it to my "Chicken and Grape" salad. The ingredient list just kept growing. My recipe ended up like this:

Chicken and Grape Salad

Chicken and Grape Salad

Makes about 10 cups

3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1½ cup grapes, cut in halves
1 cup bell pepper, in chunks
1 cup pecans, broken
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup cubed Feta cheese, 4 ounces
1 cooked brat or smoked sausage of choice, optional
½ cup craisins / dried cranberries
¼ cup chopped scallions
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
⅔ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the mayonnaise and lemon juice. Separately whisk together the mayo and lemon juice and pour over the ingredients in the large bowl. Toss well to completely combine and distribute the ingredients with the dressing.

Chicken and Grape Salad

My husband and I have always loved this salad, even if made at its most basic, as mentioned above. All the extras just made it that much better. We both served ourselves what should easily have been one large portion, and we both came back for seconds. I would estimate that this should be able to serve 4 to 6 as a meal, or more if it is portioned smaller for a summer brunch or lunch dish. It could be scooped onto a bed of greens, or into lettuce cups or on an open-faced sandwich. 

In researching what others have used in this type of salad, salt and pepper are generally a part of the recipe. I find store bought rotisserie chickens as well as Feta cheese, brats and mayonnaise to be quite salty on their own. I am not one to add extra salt to a meal at table. I believe in seasoning properly while preparing the food. If an ingredient is already salty, I taste before adding any more salt. Salt is not in my ingredient list above for this reason. If you feel it is needed, please feel free to add salt at your discretion.

This recipe is gluten free unless your mayonnaise and or brats/smoked sausage have gluten in their ingredients. If you are gluten-intolerant, I am sure you will already have a favored mayo to use. The brat was optional anyway.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.