Kashi 7 Grain Pilaf

I bought this bag of Kashi 7 Grain Pilaf a while ago. In fact, I can’t even remember if I bought it at a conventional grocery store, or a specialty store. I was enticed by the convenience; 60-90 seconds in the microwave. I was saving it for a ‘rainy day’ when I needed a quick whole grain side dish, and didn’t have time to boil water. So, between work and finals and the holidays, the rainy day arrived and I happily reached for the pilaf in my cabinet.

I put the contents in a glass bowl, added a splash of water, and popped it in the microwave. And there you have it, 7 grain pilaf! I loved the nutty texture, but it did taste very plain. So the next night I added some Parmesan cheese, which definitely helped. This would have been great with some chopped veggies to make a quick grain salad.

But when I searched for the product on Kashi’s site to create a link, I couldn’t find it! Amazon says the plain pilaf in the bag is discontinued, although there are 2 other flavored varieties. So I had a product review for a product which was no longer available! I decided to share this anyway, because it is a great concept, and the perfect type of food to keep in your pantry for those crazy days.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for reviewing this product. I purchased this product at retail value.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

The kitchen was just about cleaned up from Thanksgiving dinner, and our thoughts turned to the annual family party on Friday which warranted a freshly made dessert. This cookie recipe is from an old newspaper clipping, and credited to Quaker. It’s a fairly basic recipe, with the addition of dried cranberries. The cookies came out pretty well, and of course we had to sample a few ourselves.

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
3 c. oats
1 c. dried cranberries

Heat oven to 350F. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix well. Stir in oats and cranberries. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes, or until brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet, and then remove to wire rack.

Pumpkin Bars

There was a new pumpkin dessert at our Thanksgiving table, courtesy of this recipe from Paula Deen. I had some nutritional modifications in mind, but my sister didn’t think that Paula would approve of using applesauce in place of the oil so she kept to the original recipe.

The bars have a cakelike texture, and they were good but not extraordinary. The best part was definitely the cream cheese frosting – butter, sugar, and cream cheese are always a winning combination!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

When someone asks you about which cake you’re craving from Smitten Kitchen, it’s really quite a gift! I chose this chocolate peanut butter cake, and my sister took on the challenge, with a little help from Mom. I mean, what do new mothers do all day but watch the Today show and bake? (Just kidding!)

This cake is every bit as decadent as it looks. The chocolate cake layers (3!) are perfectly moist. The peanut butter frosting has just enough peanut butter without being overpowering. And the chocolate peanut butter glaze? Good enough to eat right out of the bowl, but also makes a great accent to the cake. I could go on and on, but really, you’ll have to make this for yourself. Or convince someone to make it for you!

Whole Wheat Pasta

It just wouldn’t be a family dinner at my house without some kind of “project”, so to accompany the braciole, we made homemade whole wheat pasta. You don’t need a pasta machine and the ingredients are very simple. The hardest part is rolling the dough out thin enough, and then cutting narrow pieces; it requires time and patience. But we were rewarded with fresh homemade pasta, and with a little sauce and Parmesan, dinner was served. This pasta definitely has a whole wheat taste which I personally like, but keep this in mind if you are feeding a crowd that isn’t accustomed to whole wheat.

2 c. whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1/4 t salt
5-6 T water

Blend together flour, eggs, and salt. Add water, 1 T at a time, until dough comes together in a ball. Roll dough as thin as possible, allow dough to rest for 10 minutes, and then continue rolling. Slice with a sharp knife into thin noodles. Boil for 4-5 minutes and serve.

Beef Braciole

I can’t take any credit for this amazing braciole, but it was so good that I had to share it here. This is my Mom’s recipe, and she doesn’t make it very often so it’s a special dinner. It’s a little intimidating to me to tie up the rolls with butcher string, but I’ll have to try it myself one of these days. If you have a homemade tomato sauce you love, like this one, feel free to use that instead of making a sauce with the crushed tomatoes at the end.

6 slices top round steak, appx 6″ x 3″
3 links Italian sausage, removed from casing and crumbled
2 T finely chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
3 slices prosciutto, chopped
2 T grated Romano cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
Basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder

Lay meat on flat surface, and pound to a 1/4″-1/2″ thickness. Spread sausage meat evenly on sliced beef. Mix parsley, garlic, prosciutto, and cheese in a small bowl, and sprinkle mixture evenly over sausage. Roll each piece up, and tie with butcher string.

Brown rolls in a frying pan, then add tomatoes seasoned with basil, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Countdown to Thanksgiving

Some families like to have exactly the same dishes year after year. Some families like to mix it up and try new recipes. Some families talk constantly about the menu and email recipe links back and forth leading up to the holiday. But really, whichever category your family fits, have fun with it!

Here are some of my family’s tried and true Thanksgiving recipes, in case you’re looking for ideas.

Noni’s Stuffing
Grandma’s Turnip
Mom’s Apple Pie
Kelly’s Pumpkin Muffins