The White Ramekins

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Mincemeat Granola Snack Bars

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mincemeat granola snack bars

Mincemeat Granola Snack Bars! Right when you would be thinking about what to do with the leftover mincemeat from your Christmas fruit cake and mince pies you had made last year. I know, it sounds a tad bit late, but you know, I am quite lazy in cleaning up my fridge sometimes. And some of the times, it might take a couple of months too. Now that might look gross to you, but thank God, stuff like mincemeat keeps pretty well even for that long a duration. Last year I had made leftover mincemeat fruitcake cookies with this gorgeous stuff from the holidays. And I love mincemeat filling, it tastes just divine and takes you back to the holiday time once again. And that is the reason, every year I soak the dry fruit more than what I would need for a certain recipe. Last year, when I was done baking enough of Christmas Mince Pies, I was still left with it which was good enough to bake a smallish fruitcake. I wanted to do so, but then that just kept on  getting procrastinated. And with each passing day, I had lost the feel of baking fruitcake either. I always struggle to make a good breakfast on a work day in winters {too lazy to leave the blanket and get up on time, you see}. That is when these yummy mincemeat granola snack bars come really handy. A glass of milk or a shot of espresso with these hearty fruity granola snack bars saves my day very well. So that is the reason I keep on baking granola so often at home. Homemade granola has got no comparison at all. The stuff is awesome and so healthy that you wouldn’t even mind binging on them. While I was mixing the granola, I got reminded of few of the food gifts I got from my dear blogger friend Deeba, few days back. So in went some lovely chocolate chips and the rind from the kamquats to make them little indulgent and citrusy at the same time. Chocolate and orange marry so well! And it becomes all the more special when you get that as a gift. These snack bars are sweetened by the sweetness from orange juice which went into making the mincemeat and some honey. You may skip the chocolate chips completely, if you want them strictly healthy. But I guess, that much chocolate would no harm. In fact, your kids would love them, if you pack these in their lunch box. 

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Mincemeat Granola Snack Bars
Mincemeat Granola Snack Bars
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Ingredients
  1. 2 cups old fashioned oats
  2. 1 cup desiccated coconut
  3. 1 cup whole almonds
  4. 1 1/2 cup mincemeat
  5. 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  6. 1/2 tsp sea salt
  7. 1/3 cup honey
  8. 1 tsp vanilla extract
  9. 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  10. 2 tbsp orange zest
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients together, stirring until granola is evenly coated. It will be moist.
  3. Press granola very firmly down in baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until lightly browned and no longer moist to the touch.
  4. Allow to cool completely before turning out on a cutting board. You must allow the granola to cool completely or the bars will fall apart (a refrigerator can speed up the process).
  5. Cut granola bars into desired size. Wrap in parchment paper to make quick grab-and-go snacks. Store in an air-tight container to keep fresh.
The White Ramekins http://thewhiteramekins.com/

Olive Oil Wheat Crackers

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It was day two of the week long vacation and I was half way done with pleasing the young ones with these Vanilla Bean Cupcakes. I was enjoying totally basking in the warmth of the attention and the affection which I got in return from them.   Though I found myself highly busy on the very first day, I was equally enjoying being on my toes.

So right after we finished our lunch and all the elders were ready for the afternoon nap, I heard a loud voice. It was my mommy to me. “What’s in afternoon tea time surprise today, honey?” And it occurred to me that why shouldn’t I bake her something which is acceptable to her palate. I have a very sweet tooth mouth actually which you might have guessed it right by now. Quite easy to know…huh? But my mommy, she is just the opposite. She likes her food intensely spicy, tangy; in nutshell completely full of Indian flavors.

I had previously thought of baking something sweet for the kids again, but then I changed my mind at last moment and opened my to-bake list and started to look down the list for something savory, snacky, which is perfect for tea time. And then my eyes stopped at these Olive Oil Crackers recipe from 101Cookbooks.

Original one is wonderful, but I needed to adjust it to my mother’s taste buds. So I adapted the recipe by adding some cayenne pepper and some paprika for color. I also adjusted the proportion of flour and added some leavening agent to it. And trust me, the adapted recipe did some great wonders.

Ingredients

100 gm plain flour
50 gm whole wheat flour
50 gm semolina flour
1 tsp baking powder
120 ml water
50 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon paprika
cayenne pepper adjusted to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp mixed dried herbs {oregano, thyme, rosemary}

Instructions

  1. Mix all the ingredients together and knead into a ball of dough for 5 minutes.
  2. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll into circular discs and wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 3o minutes.
  3. Take out the dough from fridge, place between two large sheets of cling wrap and roll it using a rolling pin as thin as you can. It’s nice tip to roll this kind of dough by placing it between two sheets of cling wraps. This helps avoid using extra flour for dusting over the work surface.
  4. Cut into any shapes you like. Place them on to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and prick them using a fork to prevent from puffing up.
  5. Brush lightly with olive oil and bake for 8-10 minutes in a 220 degree Celsius preheated oven or until golden brown in color.
  6. Once cooled, serve them with any kind of dip or cheese you like.