Welcome to the site!

I was inspired to start this blog after reading Michael Pollan's book "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto." Pollan argues that a lot of the food that we eat today is not really food - instead, Pollan argues, we're consuming "edible foodlike substances" which are "no longer the product of nature, but of food science."
I want to eat real food! But eating real food is not always cheap nor is it easy, so that's why we need each other for advice and encouragement.
Feel free to share your adventures (or misadventures...) in growing, purchasing, cooking, and/or eating food. Any and all stories are welcome! Just as long as they relate to real food in some form or fashion. And don't forget to include your recipes! Share away, everyone!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Granola Bars and...Magic Cookie Bars!

I love this granola bar recipe. As demonstrated by the "magic cookie bar" incident in Voter Suite D, this recipe can be tweaked quite a bit and the bars will still, magically, taste good. Here is the general idea:

Ingredients
2 C oats
3/4 C brown sugar (I use 1/3-1/2 C)
1/2 C wheat germ
1 C flour (or use whole wheat flour and skip the wheat germ)
3/4 t cinnamon
3/4 C raisins/craisins/almonds/peanuts/etc. (I use more than 1 C)
3/4 t salt
1/2 C honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 C veggie oil (or applesauce)
2 t vanilla extract

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9x13 pan.
- Get a large bowl and mix the dry ingredients (incl. fruit and nuts). Make a well in the center and add the liquid ingredients.
- Best part - mix with your hands! Then pat into the pan.
- Lick your fingers. Yum.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until bars are golden. DON'T OVERBAKE! This is really easy to do. After you take the bars out, let them cool a little, but don't wait too long to cut them or they will be tough to cut (especially if you OVERBAKED them).

For the magic cookie bar recipe (because I know you're all wondering), you basically do all of the above except you leave out like 5 ingredients and substitute whatever you have in your kitchen cabinet. Then you bake them in an oven in Vermont and take them hiking with your girlfriends. I think that's the part that makes them magic, because magic isn't actually listed as an ingredient...

1 comment:

  1. that last part made me tear up a little. and then i looked around sheepishly and realized i shouldn't be food-blogging at the office. and then i looked around and realized that i bet no one has ever officially said that food-blogging at the office is forbidden. so there. i can cry as much as i want.

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