Category: Food

Posted on in Bicycle, Food, Fun

Maple Pecan Bars

I prefer real food while on the bike. Gels and prepackaged bars will work in a pinch. But I get a bit confused when I look at the ingredient list. I don’t know what half the stuff is sometimes. This recipe has only five ingredients. These bars are simple to make and a yummy treat when I pull them out of my back pocket. Maybe to good, because I rarely share them. And using maple syrup instead of honey makes these vegan friendly.

Maple Pecan Bars
Maple Pecan Bars Cut and Wrapped

1 pkg (340g) medjool dates, pitted
¼ cup maple syrup
1½ cup toasted pecans*, coarsely chopped
1½ cup toasted rolled oats*
Pinch of salt

Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about a minute). It
should form a ball and look like dough.

Set aside oats, 1 cup pecans, and dates in a large mixing bowl.

Process ½ cup of pecans until fine. Warm maple syrup and fine ground pecans in
a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and mix,
breaking up the dates to mix throughout.

Press firmly into 8×8 inch backing dish lined with parchment paper. Continue to
press until uniformly flattened. Cover with more parchment or plastic wrap.
Place in freezer 20 minutes or overnight to firm. Remove bars from pan and cut
into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. Or keep
in freezer for longer storage.

*Toast oats and pecans in 350° oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown

Enjoy

Posted on in Food, Fun

Monthly Treat

A Sweet Dozen

It looks like this will become a regular monthly treat for us. On the first Wednesday of each month, CupcakesToGoGo is making the long trek to Enid. We typically order a dozen. It is like getting twelve different yummy slices of quality cake. They use a travel theme to name their little slices of heaven. Names like Chocolate Town, Route 66 Red Velvet and Canada Eh? are just a few examples. My favorites are the lemony Sunshine State Cake and the peanut butter I Heart PBC. Prices are what you would expect; $2.25 each and $25 for a dozen.

Give them a call at 405-330-2190 or email at with your pre-orders to guaranteed cupcakes when they visit. Then follow them on facebook or twitter to get updated on where in Enid they will be set up. Or if you can not wait, you can stop by the store and get your fix via their drive through window.

Posted on in Food

Tea Time?

CoffeeNCookies, originally uploaded by chris.sussmann.

In England, they call it Tea and Biscuits. ‘Round these here parts we call it Coffee and Cookies. Our holiday baking has begun. From left to right, chocolate cookies with caramel drops, chocolate chip cookies and dark chocolate cookies with Andes candies.

Posted on in Food

Dom’s Mom’s Meatballs

I have a cookbook by Dom DeLuise, Eat This… It’ll Make You Feel Better! In it he gives great stories about his mother’s Italian home cooking and other favorites of his family and friends.  I received this book, I think, as a wedding gift from my sister.Meatballs

It has lots of wonderful recipes but the one we come back to time and time again is for his mom’s meatballs.  They are the traditional Sunday Meal meatball.  My family asks for these frequently and we have even given them as a gift during the holidays.

Dom’s Mom’s Meatballs

You can vary the ratio of beef to pork as long as you end up with 2 1/2 to
3 pounds.  We generally get around 48 – 50 meatballs when using a number
24 portion scoop.
2 pounds ground chuck
1/2 pound ground pork
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1c fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped very fine
1 onion, minced
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Let stand for 1/2
hour.  Shape into medium-sized meatballs.  Fry gently in olive oil until
lightly browned, or place on foil on a cookie sheet and bake for 1/2 hour at
350 degrees.  Gently place in your own spaghetti sauce and cook on medium-low
heat for an hour.
Enjoy