Mary Moh’s Butternut Squash and Coconut Cake

So you see I am venturing a little more into the dessert realm. I am trying to get used to working with the oven, flour, hand mix etc. Here is another recipe from Mary Moh: Butternut Squash and Coconut Cake. It is soooo delicious, it’s spectacular! The squash gives the cake a golden hue and the butter makes it fluffy and moist. I didn’t have butternut squash so I used the Burgess Buttercup pumpkin that grew in the alley behind our house. I also didn’t have cranberries so I used walnuts. Super. Thanks again, Mary!

Oh, by the way, yesterday we had dinner at Pho 95. Wow. I have to agree with my friend Hans, who took us there: it’s the best pho in Denver!

Mi's Granola

I volunteer at Operation Frontline Colorado (Share our Strength) as a class assistant. In one of the classes they made granola bars and I was amazed on how easy that was. So I started making them at home, changing the recipe a little here and there, now I have my own. The experiences making granola bars worked for granola as well.

Mi’s Granola

(12 Servings, 1 serv = 1/2 cup)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey or maple syrup or a mix of both

1/2  teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup chopped nuts (sunflower seeds, cashew nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds)

3/4 cup chopped dried fruit

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine honey, peanut butter, salt and cinnamon. Stir to mix well.

Add oats, almonds, nuts and seeds. Spread mix on a greased sheet pan and bake for 30 to 40 min, stirring every 10 minutes. The mixture should brown evenly.

Remove from oven and add dried fruit. Cool on a rack, stirring occasionally, until it cools down. Transfer to a sealed container and store in refrigerator.