FFG -- Gourmet Granola

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A bowl of homemade granola

I'm slowly recovering from my back injury, and I'm happier this week!  I'm able to move around a bit more freely, and because of needing to stand frequently, I have found myself in my kitchen more often.  My practical farm-girl heart says, "If I need to stand, I may as well stand in the kitchen and do something!"

One morning, I enlisted the boys' help to make granola.  I posted a photo of this once a long time ago, but this time, I have photos and the recipe!!  :)

cinnamon, coconut chips, pepitas

Christine's Granola

This is a double recipe; the amounts are easier!  I usually triple the recipe to have extra throughout the week.  I list alternate ingredients (and notes) in parentheses, just in case you don't use what I use.  :)

1 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
1/2 cup coconut oil (or other oil)
1/2 cup honey
1 t vanilla
24 oz. rolled oats (sorry I don't know how many cups this is; I use a scale)
1 T cinnamon
1/2 t sea salt

Optional Ingredients (I use the above for plain granola, and add the below for "gourmet" granola; you can add as many or as few as you like!)
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds; I use raw Mexican)
1 cup coconut chips (from my bulk co-op, they are sweetened coconut shavings and totally yummy)
1 cup chopped nuts (I use a combination of raw walnuts, pecans, and slivered almonds)
1 cup raisins or other dried fruit (a friend just gave me dried cherries!!)

Combine sucanat, coconut oil, and honey in a saucepan.  Cook over low heat until sucanat is dissolved (it will be shorter if you use brown sugar).  Stir in vanilla.  Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients--I usually add the dried fruit after baking--in a large bowl and mix to combine.

Pour the liquid mixture into the oatmeal mixture, stirring until completely combined.  Spread into a baking pan, and bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.  Remove to stovetop or potholders and stir in raisins.  Stir the mixture as it cools (it will become one single clump if you don't!).  Store in an airtight container; I use canning jars.

Stir to lift oats from the bottom of the bowl--this will help thoroughly combine the ingredients

See?  Warm granola + cold milk = large clump :)

Glass jar storage

Back to life,
Christine

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captured by Christine Anne

2011 Food Storage Challenge with IllinoisLori

Okay, Lori, I'm ready to take a baby step!  Um, I do have one of those basements that Lori mentioned, with an area that we affectionately call "The Bomb Shelter"--shelving on which we store garden canned goods, beans, wheat berries, oats, and other dry goods in bulk.  We haven't done it for food-preparedness reasons; we have gradually built up our food storage supply simply because there are five men in our home!

Still, I'm intrigued with the idea of storing a little extra to feed my family come hard times when food may be scarce due to the economy and high prices, or another unseen force.  So I'm gamely answering the call!  I can't wait to read about this month's challenge.

If this idea intrigues you as it did me, click on over to Lori's blog to see what's going on and find out how to participate!

Back to life,

Christine

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captured by Christine Anne

Open Heart, Open Home

What a special Christmas weekend!  Since our Christmas was much simpler this year, we wanted to do something special for Christmas Eve.  The Lord blessed us with the funds to purchase a huge turkey--20+ pounds of free-range yumminess!!

When both Fernando and I mentioned having another family over to share in His bounty, one name instantly popped into our minds.  That family said yes, and so we made preparations for the day.

Due to my still-aching  back, my chauffeur--Jacob the sweetheart--drove me on errands, one of which was to the grocery store.  We couldn't resist purchasing these tangerines, since the boys have an Uncle Matt.  How fun!

On Christmas Eve, early morning snowfall greeted my eyes as I came downstairs for a cup of tea.

Soon, our wonderful friends arrived; they greeted us with carols us before coming in to our warm house.  We joined in, singing with them in four-part harmony.  :)

We shared a day of games, laughter, dinner, laughter, dessert, laughter...  You get the idea.  :)

Finally, it is important to make sure that the family driver is well-rested for the nighttime trek home.  So we let him sleep.  But as I've warned in the past, if you fall asleep during normal non-sleep hours (in public, of course!), you will have your photo taken.  Thomas decided to have a little extra fun, and brought all of his singing birds down to keep an eye on the slumbering captain of the car.

As his sister gently nudged him back to consciousness, many hands happily squeezed the birds for a cacophonous wake-up call.  Birdsong and laughter--what a melodious end to the day!

Back to life,
Christine

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captured by Christine Anne

Counting My Blessings #2

Join us at Tamara's blog by clicking above!!

Food Report

We have been blessed in our grocery budget lately--meaning that we haven't had to spend as much as we normally would!  The Lord has seen fit to bless us in two ways:  1) through food stored up either by canning or in the freezer, and 2) through others.  We have thanked Him (and them!) more than once as we enjoyed tasty meals and side dishes.  And once again, several potential big bills are looming, and my mind wonders how we're going to pay for them, even as the Holy Spirit reassures my heart that I am His.  Do not fret, dear child.  You are mine.

We enjoyed blueberry muffins for breakfast once last week, with blueberries picked this past summer and stored in our freezer.

We used this tasty hors d'oeuvre as a topping for our spaghetti one evening.  It is a cream cheese, pesto, and dried tomato molded dip for bread or crackers.  Boy, was it tasty on our Italian!  Danny and his dad "fought" over the last portion for tonight's leftover pasta dinner.  :)

We made the usual two pounds of spaghetti, a mixture of regular organic and whole-wheat organic.  My five men can eat a lot!

We also pulled out of the freezer a package of fresh-sliced mozzarella cheese to use as a topping for our pasta.  We were blessed with a number of packages, and this was the last one.  Since I'm part Italian, I savored every bite of this; there is nothing like the taste of fresh mozzarella.  :)

Below is the finished product on my plate, sans the cream cheese/pesto topping. 

I was also able to add some sliced hot Italian sausage to the spaghetti sauce, part of which came from my canned supply of sauce.  Every time I looked in the freezer, I found another package of this wonderful sausage from Nature's Choice Farm.  It reminded me of the account of the widow whose jar of oil never ran out.  I remember purchasing a few packages of the sausage, but we've eaten it once a week for the past month.  Either way, God is good.

Thank You, Lord, for feeding our family with good food!

Back to life,
Christine

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captured by Christine Anne

Thanksgiving Pie R Squared

Time to blog again!  I was so glad to have taken so many photos on Thanksgiving.  :)

After the guys woke up from post-meal naptime, the younger guys started tossing out hints.  Thomas was the first, because he's 14 and a growing young man, and is almost always hungry, and is always up for eating dessert, especially Thanksgiving pie.

Yep, there were six pies total.  My mom made a traditional French apple pie, and a pumpkin pie.  I added a pumpkin pecan, lemon buttermilk (my favorite), French coconut (Danny's favorite), and a traditional pecan pie.  Six pies.  Nine people.  You do the math.  :)

So the pies were divvied up, doled out, and deliciously enjoyed.  Oh, we also had fresh whipped cream and Andy's frozen custard.  We love Andy's.  :)

Enjoy the photos.

 My kid brother, who got me hooked for good on photography.  His camera is better than mine...

 My dad has a sweet tooth.  Is this seconds or thirds??

Lemon buttermilk pie with fresh whipped cream.

Back to life,
Christine

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captured by Christine Anne

Our Day of Thanks -- Post-Mealtime!

As I worked on editing the rest of our Thanksgiving pictures, I found yet one more thing to thank the Lord for--the fact that He allowed me to take so many photos!!  Usually I have five or six, and that's it.  But I get to post a "Thanksgiving, Part II" today!  Yay!

Okay, back to the story.  :)

The meal was prepared, cooked or baked, and set out on the table.  My dad gave thanks to the Lord for not only the food, but family, and health, as well.  Mealtime for our gang is always a talkative time, with laughter all around.  We share family jokes about the rolls and butter (sorry if you're not family!).  Mealtime is special.

There were a lot of leftovers this year!  We always worry about making enough food, but there's always too much.  Why is that, I wonder?  What a blessing, though, to have leftovers to share!  We usually share all the food among ourselves, making sure my bachelor brother has a good portion to take home.

Different people help each year to clean up.  My dad chipped in with rinsing some dishes and loading the dishwasher.

What invariably happens after mealtime?  You guessed it:

Our family warns you that you're fair game if you fall asleep!  We photographers have turned it into an art form, especially when we're on vacation.  Post-mealtime on Thanksgiving works just as well, too!  Happy naptime!

Back to life,
Christine

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captured by Christine Anne

Month of Thanksgiving -- Blessing 11

This post is part of a giveaway at Tamara's blog.

Please click on her tag below to find out more!

Today I thank the Lord for His food, both physical to nourish the body, and spiritual to nourish the soul.  In our fallen state, our bodies grow weak and require food and water to function.  The growling emptiness and the dry thirst remind us that we are weak, and that we need to rely on Him for strength.

Just as our physical bodies grow weak without nourishment, our spiritual souls require food.  Fellowship with the Lord--in reading and prayer--and spiritual sharpening with our spouses, children, and the community of believers is vital to the growth of our souls.

He has made His wonders to be remembered;

The LORD is gracious and compassionate.

He has given food to those who fear Him;

He will remember His covenant forever.

He has made known to His people the power of His works,

In giving them the heritage of the nations.

Psalm 111:4-6 nasb [emphasis mine]

Please visit Tamara's blog to find out more about Month of Thanksgiving,

to be encouraged by others' blessings,

and to participate!

Back to life,
Christine

visit my photography blog!
captured by Christine Anne

Tackle-It--Basement "Bomb Shelter"

Have a project that needs completion? Want to be encouraged in getting organized and checking off items on your to-do list? Visit CelticMom by clicking on her button above to learn more and to participate.

Side note:  I'm still trying to figure out my new photography editing software; so far, I can say decisively that I do not like it.  It should not be so confusing to simply save a photo and upload it to my blog.  The only way I could figure out--at this point--was to publish them to Facebook (of all places), then import them to this blog.  If you see photos below, you'll know I was successful in at least that!  Except that now, these photos--which are not beautiful by any stretch of the imagination, but are meant solely for this blog--are on Facebook for my friends to see!  Sigh.  That may very well be my next project...

For now, I will focus on what I accomplished this past week.

Last week, I had canned some green tomato salsa, jalapeños, and pepperoncinis.  But when I brought the jars to our basement "bomb shelter," as we call it tongue-in-cheek, I saw that there was absolutely no room for them.  Empty jars were set haphazardly on shelves, certain items had two different resting places on the shelves, and my one-time organization had faded to general disorder.

Time for a project!  Our storage shelf system is really just one individual shelf system, and my husband assured me that the shelves were rated to hold several hundred pounds.  I think my food weighs more than that, as each shelf has gradually bowed under the weight.  Fernando bought and cut some pieces of wood to shore up the shelves, and with a little modification--thanks for the help, Danny--this new "system" seemed to work on one shelf.

Danny and I worked together to empty one entire shelf, and he carefully placed the pieces of wood under the shelf.

We then undertook the fun task of organizing all the food I had canned!  I had not realized just how many jars I had canned and collected in just a few years!

I also organized the jars in boxes and box lids to keep similar food together and contained.  I thought it would be a little easier to tell things apart.  Maybe I need to label the boxes...

The shelf is bowed up, but it will settle down with the weight

Well, at least one plain box is labeled!  Apples.  Yum.  Speaking of which, there are even more apples waiting for me to process them!

Back to life,
Christine

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captured by Christine Anne