February 10, 2009

So Far

I have a to do list that is nearly a mile long. I am impatient. I want time to work on these projects and accomplish something. Between working, walking the dog, washing the dishes and all the other small things that make up everyday its all I can do to dig a tiny hole in the mountain of projects-I-hope-to-do. I get discouraged far too easily and sometimes it is tempting to give up and pretend that am content to do none of it.

Its time for a change, though. If I accomplish one thing today, it will be to appreciate what I have done lately and to keep chipping away at all that I want to do. Sunday was epic in this sense.


We went skiing for a couple of hours. Just gliding through the woods through the shadows and sun with a few sprinkles of rain and straight gray trees. Uphills were a challenge, going down was a blast.



Later I made granola from whatever we had on hand. Simple pouring, vague measuring, stirring and combining it all together, a short time in the oven and there was breakfast for the week.


After all this I started another small project, too. Eventually these will keep my hands warm, and with the winter we are having I will probably finish these before things warm up.

Not half bad for a Sunday.



Sweep the Kitchen Granola
Use whatever you have on hand to make granola that you like. The amounts below are what I had and used. This recipe makes enough for two people to eat for a week or two. I keep it in the fridge, though an air tight jar would work well, too.

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup oat bran
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup almonds, slivered or chopped
a handful of shredded coconut
cinnamon, nutmeg and fresh grated ginger for flavor
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup maple syrup, honey or other liquid sweetener
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1 cup dried fruit (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together dry ingredients until all the oats, seeds and nuts are evenly combined. Mix together wet ingredients and combine with dry ingredients until everything is evenly coated and uniformly wet. Spread granola onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-15 minutes, checking frequently. Stir the granola on the cookie sheets so that the darker and lighter parts are redistributed. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until darkened to your liking. Let sit until cool, add dried fruit if you like. Store in an airtight container.



No comments:

Post a Comment