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Springtime in a Jar
This Breakfast Food Changed My Life
Granola is, admittedly, a rather boring subject to blog about.
However, I’ve been making this humble breakfast food from scratch for a few months now and I swear it’s changed my life. It’s so delicious! And easy to make! I confess, I had no idea toasted oats and nuts could be so transformative.
There’s a bit of an overhead cost to making granola from scratch, since you have to buy a combination of nuts (I buy everything in bulk), but one batch makes enough to last us about two weeks. It couldn’t be easier to make and it tastes delicious with yogurt (or milk) and berries and is also a great snack.
I must thank Mark Bittman for this recipe and for giving me such a scrumptious reason to get out of bed in the mornings.
6 cups rolled oats (do not buy quick-cooking or instant)
2 cups mixed nuts and seeds: a combination of sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, etc.
1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Dash salt
1 /2 to 1 cup honey or maple syrup, or to taste
1 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit
2 cups mixed nuts and seeds: a combination of sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, etc.
1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Dash salt
1 /2 to 1 cup honey or maple syrup, or to taste
1 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit
Heat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine the oats, nuts and seeds, the coconut if you’re using it, cinnamon, salt, and sweetener. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, stirring occasionally. The mixture should brown evenly; the browner it gets without burning, the crunchier the granola will be.
Remove the pan from the oven and add the raisins. Cool on a rack, stirring once in a while until the granola reaches room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container and store in the refrigerator; it will keep indefinitely.
Just-Because Chocolate Chip Cookies
Last night I made chocolate chip cookies.
There wasn’t a birthday or anything particularly special to celebrate. Just a random Monday at the end of March and a girl’s craving for something sweet.
Sometimes the soul just needs ooey-gooey, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
How Size 8+ Mannequins Might Actually Help Retailers
You might’ve seen it on Facebook or Twitter last week — a photo of two Swedish H&M mannequins with a little more meat on their bones than we’re used to seeing in major North American retailers.
In the photo, which surfaced on Facebook last Monday, the mannequins wear sexy lingerie (and questionable knee-socks, but whatever) and have visibly softer bellies and fuller thighs than your typical mannequin. The photo received tons of comments along the lines of “Finally!” and “About time!” from women around the world who are — gasp! – sick and tired of seeing a cookie-cutter “ideal” of the female body in their retailers’ windows: pin-thin legs, narrow hips and a waist so nipped you could pinch it between your thumb and forefinger.
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
When I saw a photo of these peanut butter balls on Pinterest in the fall, I was skeptical. “How cute, someone put chocolate chips in horse feed and called them treats.” Well, I’m not fallin’ for it!
But after spending the Christmas holidays overindulging in sugary, high-fat baked goods, which seemed to be lying about, smug in their seductiveness, everywhere I looked, I thought I’d give these healthier treats a whirl.
Sorta New Year’s Resolutions
Winter sucks. But sometimes you have to stop complaining about the cold, and the darkness and the dirty slush and just get out and play in the snow.
That’s a sorta New Year’s resolution that I’m gonna try out this year: Embrace winter.
