Bird Bars.

This recipe is for my Mother.  If there is one other person in the world who really "gets" my occasional food obsessions, it's her.  We have so much in common this way; we happily will trade ideas and variations on themes, morphing ideas of what we should be eating with attempts at reducing our collective sweet tooth. 

When she was in town briefly last week, we stopped at my food co-op and she excitedly grabbed a couple of their house made Birdy Bars.  I had never tried them, already being a devotee of their Little Oaties (more than one pregnant trip was made especially to pick up a soft oatmeal cookie sandwich to devour in the car... true story), which is dangerous enough.  But my Mom lives 3 1/2 hours away, so she said before she left, "You have to figure out how to make those, okay?"

So here you go, Mom:  this is my version of the Birdy Bar.  I was surprised that I got it in one try, but having already mastered a number of vegan truffles/energy bars based on nuts, seeds, and the like I had a pretty good working knowledge of what it takes to make a seedy bar stick together.  And, I had saved the ingredient label from the original.  Hopefully, Outpost will forgive my treasonous homemade version - especially since I purchased all my bulk ingredients from them!

The only thing I didn't do this time and would do next time is completely melt the peanut butter and honey and bring it to a just simmer in a small pot.  I had a few dry pockets of seeds, and I think this would make for a more homogenized bar.  That being said, I certainly don't mind the little messy bits:  it gives me the excuse I need to eat the errant snippets on plain yogurt or vanilla ice cream, or even gingery butternut squash soup as seen below...  Substitute almond butter for the peanut butter to make it paleo, and agave for the honey for a vegan option.

Bird Bars (Inspired by Outpost Food Co-op)
yields 9 smaller bars, or 4 "Outpost-sized" bars

• 1 c. raw sesame seeds
• 1/2 c. raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 c. raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 c. sultanas (golden raisins)
• heavy pinch of salt
• 1/2 c. smooth peanut butter (natural, just peanuts and salt)
• 1/4 c. honey

Preheat the oven to 325.  Line a 8x8 square pan with parchment paper.

Basically, just mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl until well blended.  As I mentioned in the note above, you could melt the peanut butter and honey together in a small saucepan and then pour over the seedy ingredients to ensure a better mixture.

Press the whole lot into the prepared pan, and bake for about 25 minutes until the seeds around the edges are just starting to look a little golden.  Cool completely in the pan before removing to a cutting board and portioning into bars.  Wrap them individually, and hide half so you don't grab them all right away.

The original version has almonds and dried cranberries, and I'd imagine you could doctor these with just about anything, so long as you don't stray too much from the ratio.  Upping the "wet" ingredients just a little bit might allow for a completely raw bar too - if you're into that sort of thing, but I like the soft set texture of the baked version.

Sesame seeds are actually a good source of calcium, but the unhulled seeds contain far more (like 90-95% more) than the hulled counterparts.  That's something to consider as you add them to your diet for that reason.  I like trying to include more of them in my food because they have anti-inflammatory properties and help with regulating cholesterol, not to mention they are just downright tasty in large quantities.  Recently I made myself a batch of simple granola that was surprisingly great.  You wouldn't think so few ingredients would be so delicious, and really highlight the unique flavor of sesame!

And while I'm talking about granolas, the one on the left in the picture above is what is left from a truly amazing Gingersnap Granola I snagged from the Bojon Gourmet last Friday.  That is another recipe I know my Mom will absolutely love... and I was trying hard to not mention it because I know if I surprised her with a jar of it on our next visit she would be as crazy for it as I am!

It does seem like I have a lot of bird food going on over here as I finally sit to think about what I've made in the past week or so.  I suppose I have enough real food to fill in the gaps, but just what is it about snack foods that are so appealing?

Compound Butters, Pie Dinners, and Self-Promotion.

Of all the things I think I'm pretty proficient at, self-promotion is not really one of them.  I am of the battery of home cooks that truly believe that anyone can cook, that recipes are merely suggestions for inspiration (with the exception of most bakery goods which can be modified within ratio-appropriate reason), and that the more time people would spend in their kitchens, the better off we'd all be.  I also believe in that saying "nothing new under the sun", which in and of itself pretty much prevents me from wanting to take credit for anything.

I would be no cook at all without the hundreds of food writers and photographers who continually pique my interest,  but the time has come for me to cross my line in the sand and try to promote myself more.  I love my life at home, mostly in my kitchen, as a mother and homekeeper, but yet I definitely do not consider myself a "mommy-blogger".  I plan my weeks around line-dried clothes, when the floors need washing, when a boy needs a visit to his Grandmother's house or to read a book to me; it's a busy life with real, from scratch food at the heart of it all.  I don't spend much time trying to gain followers or friends in an online Internetty sense... and I think maybe I need to improve on that.

I genuinely use social media in a more personal way:  I get excited to talk with people I've never met about the things we choose to put in our bellies, and more than once the bridge has been crossed when an online acquaintance became a real life friend to me.  If you click the Facebook like button, I assume that you really want to be part of my wider circle of friends, and I hope to be inspired by you too.

Even with a new baby I am still at full force in the kitchen, but I find myself with a little less time to dedicate to in-depth musings on the subject.  I'll use this time to invite you to Flickr.  I love Flickr, and have for years.  I frequently record recipes and things there that don't make it over to Facebook or my blog.  If you click the above Basil-Chive Compound Butter, for instance, you'll find the recipe.  Not every food picture I put on Flickr has a recipe, but if you comment and ask me about it, I will find the time to record it there.  While I'm still kind of getting used to the new Flickr format, it's probably a good thing for new users since everyone gets tons of free storage and it's free to join.  Make me one of your "contacts", and you'll usually be privy to the pictures for a blog post before I have the time to write about it too.  I'm usually good at linking back my photos to the corresponding CakeWalk post, and I use this resource myself when I'm trying to remember something I've made.

I also will sometimes cross-post pictures from the CakeWalk facebook page to Flickr with more in depth information too.  I think this is easier for me (or just faster, anyway), because I can do it from my phone.  Case in point: during the past month I've been obsessed with an olive oil and sesame tart crust (click the second photo for the recipe) that caught my eye when leafing through a Martha Stewart magazine at the library.  I have made one every week, throwing in different types of greens and whatever cheese or vegetables I need to use up.  I eat a slice or two for my lunch nearly every day, the one meal in the day where I don't have to satisfy anyone but myself.

I could probably be better at joining groups and posting comments on Flickr, I'll try to work on that too.

Beet greens: I cut the stalks up very fine and use every last bit of the beet plant.

October 29th, I'll be giving a presentation during the Learning Never Ends program through the Wauwatosa Recreation Department.  (Click the link to find the sign-up information.)  My class is titled The Ancient Art of Fermentation and will focus on lacto-fermentation.  It's going to be a small class, so come with questions and ideas to share and we'll also start a cabbage slaw of some sort (I haven't decided what type yet), and taste samples.  I'll also have copies of my book for sale at the event.

So, there you have it.  A short and sweet post on my attempts to self-promote.  And I can't forget about my book!  The copies are starting to ship, and even Outpost, my food co-op, is going to be selling copies soon!  I'm still trying to work out how I will sell it here on my blog, but meanwhile if you'd like to buy a copy directly from me, send me an email and I'll make it happen.

How not to can ground cherries.

Sometimes, my mouth speaks before my head registers what is being said.  I'm also guilty of not being thankful on occasion, particularly when I'm hungry or tired.  A combination of these things were at play when my Mom informed me about a week ago that she was bringing me a peck of ground cherries.  "WHAT?" I had said, maybe too loud.  "I thought you liked them!" she said back.  And I do.  But a bit of sleep deprivation had maybe left me lackluster in wanting to experiment.  "What am I going to do with a peck of ground cherries?"

The first thing I needed to do was husk them.  My Husband was going to help, but I took advantage of too hot, mid-90's temps to hole up in my air-conditioned kitchen a few days ago when he was at work and husked them all myself.  I wasn't working super fast, and fortunately the babe was fast asleep for most of the time; I'm not lying that it took a few hours.  Just how many pounds is a peck of ground cherries, you ask?  Almost 5 1/2.

Now if there were some information out there about canning ground cherries, that would be helpful.  I called our extension office, and was then referred to a Madison food safety specialist who couldn't tell me how to can them whole, which is what my Mom suggested that I do with them.  I thought that Google would be a help, but after quite a bit of searching, I didn't find much.  I did find that the ground cherry is a pretty healthful thing to consume, its naturally high levels of pectin are good at keeping cholesterol in check, and it is an excellent source of vitamin A.  My logic told me that if they were preserved in an extra light sugar syrup, they should be shelf stable... but please don't take my word on it, as I was not able to confirm it anywhere.  (For the record, I processed the pint jars in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.)

I decided to raw pack the ground cherries, not remembering to take into account the likelihood of fruit float.  The combination of raw packing and using an extra light syrup increased the chances, and my 6 pints (which held all but about 1 1/2 lbs. of the ground cherries) all appear half full.  In the future, I will try to pack them hot, letting the fruit simmer for 5 minutes or so to release some of the liquid.  I might also do a heavy syrup despite all my attempts at lowering my sugar consumption.  I'm not considering this a total fail however, because the syrup turned a bright golden yellow, and I'm looking forward to the surprise of a delicious syrup when I open my first jar.

Before experimenting with canning whole ground cherries, I did do up a little batch of the Chai Flavored Ground Cherry Preserves I made last year.  I forgot how great it was - and I think this batch was even better because I used a premium loose chai tea.  On buttered sourdough toast, I can't think of a better way to welcome fall.

So my week-long project of processing ground cherry is complete, and in retrospect, I feel kind of bad for wondering aloud why my Mom would grace me with so much of this beguiling little fruit.  As I sat peeling back their little parchments I had plenty of time to think - and plenty of time to appreciate my parents and how thoughtful they both are, even when I am tired and sometimes say the wrong thing.  The golden jars of ground cherries neatly tucked on the shelves will remind me to be thankful for so many things, the change in seasons, the quiet wholesomeness of working with my hands, the prosperity of Wisconsin's land in late summer.   Little fruits that grow in their own wrappers, appearing to take flight.