Tried Granola Again

Another adventure in granola - this time in the oven. The skillet variety was good, but this makes more at once, and it just sounded so good!

Mix in a big bowl:

3c rolled oats
1/2 c slivered almonds
1/2 c cashew pieces
1/2 c pumpkin seeds
1/2 c pistachios (shelled)
1/2 c flax seeds
1/4 c + 2T brown sugar

Mix in a little bowl:

1/4 c + 2T maple syrup
1/4 c olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt

Pour the second mixture onto the first and stir to combine. Spread over two baking sheets and bake in a 250 degree oven for an hour and fifteen minutes, stirring every 15-20. Let cool. Snack On!

It's not out of the oven yet - but it smells lovely!

Quote Du Jour

"We don't need no stinky badgers!"

Points if you can guess how the conversation got there.

Because I needed more fiber in my diet . . .

(Do I sound like I'm 50 yet?)

I needed something to tuck into my lunch today, to round it out. So I went looking for a recipe for granola, and I think I may have struck gold!

Here's what I did:

2T butter
2T honey

melt these together in a pan until they bubble slightly

1/4 c *stuff

add this and stir for a minute or so

1 c old fashioned rolled oats (long cooking oatmeal)

add this and stir until all the oats are coated in the honey/butter mixture, then continue to stir for another **three or four minutes.

Pour this onto a piece of foil or a cookie sheet to cool. You may want to butter this surface lightly to prevent the granola from sticking.

I think it turned out well. It made a nice little batch, and I could easily double or triple the quantities. This time I used a nonstick skillet, but I think next time I'm going to try the cast iron skillet.

I'm rather excited about today's lunch (dinner, I work second shift). I'm having fresh corn off the cob, chicken salad with celery and apple, carrot sticks and peanut butter, and now granola.

*this could be anything in the nut/seed familiy. Today I used some milled flax seed and sunflower seeds, but the next time I'm at Trader Joes I'm going to find some interesting nuts and seeds.

**all times are approximate, as I don't have a clock handy in the kitchen, and I don't like to be that exact anyway.

A full day . . .

It's far too soon to use the "f" word (fall), but the temperatures this week were so nice we opened up the apartment - it's a little warm, but comfortable enough.

I'm rediscovering how energizing having a day to myself can be - after the boy went to work, I baked a cake, two loaves of bread, swept and mopped the apartment, cleaned the kitchen, did a load of laundry, saw Mr. Perry and got us some big zucchini, corn, peaches and squash, put clean sheets on the bed, and got some quality knitting done. I see some zucchini bread in my future, but probably not 'til it gets chilly.

It's been a good day.

Tomorrow there's more laundry, some yard work, and more fall gardening. So far we have collards and cauliflower, but I have broccoli, spinach, and lettuce still to plant.

9/7/07

A large portion of the people around here go out of their way to avoid crosswalks.

2% Greek style yogurt is quite possibly the greatest edible substance ever.

Especially if you have some raw honey on hand to mix into it.

When we find a house, it needs to have a place for me to hang my hammock.

I really need to figure out a regular routine . . . or else I forget things.

A good audio book is far better than the radio.

A good pair of shoes is worth its weight in gold.

Compressed pine cat litter is a beautiful thing.

Dried mangoes . . . bet you can't eat just one piece.

There's something satisfying about working with dough.

Hogwarts Questions

What type of pet do you choose as your companion at Hogwarts?

A cat, a short haired tabby.

While shopping in Hogsmeade you stop by Honeydukes for some sweets. What treats do you purchase for yourself?

Some nougat, and a sack of toffees.

A potion you are preparing needs an ingredient available only at muggle shops. You don't want to stand out in your wizards robes, so you resort to traditional muggle clothing. Describe your outfit in detail.

Basic blue jeans, hiking shoes, and a printed t-shirt.

What is your favorite subject to study at Hogwarts and why?

It's hard to choose one, I'm torn between Herbology, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. My inner nerd greatly enjoys Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, but the care of plants is very calming.

Likewise, what subject is your least favorite and why?

Divination, because it's just too "fluffy."

Back to the potion you were shopping for ingredients for, what type of potion are you making, what color is it, what are the ingredients, and precisely what does the potion do?

I needed to make up some of Fred and George's bruise removing paste, which among other things contained turmeric and ginger, which were easy enough to find at a muggle grocer while I was out. It's a thick yellow paste which, when spread on a bruise will remove it in an hour. I bruise easily. I don't know all of the ingredients, I bought a base powder for it from their shop, but the powder smells like burnt hair and cheese.

Labor Day Weekend

As I was still on my Tuesday - Friday schedule at work, and the boy got Labor day off, we took our three day weekend and went up to the Creek with my mom. We cooked out with my Grandparents, took naps, swam in the river (which was delightfully nettle free), enjoyed the breezes on the porch, picked crab with friends for supper one night, picked crab again the next day for lunch, and generally relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. I got a bit of knitting done, but as I have begun the Christmas knitting I won't be sharing details until after the gifts have been received.

We took the kitten. That was an adventure. She snorts mid growl. Thankfully, I can report that no fur was flung in the taking of this vacation. It just wasn't completely quiet.