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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone, and thanks for visiting my blog again.  It's a new year, and I have a new, updated focus for my blog.  Yes, there will be food, but not always an intro, recipe, and photos - that's so 2011. 

My Granola
Sometimes there will just be culinary ideas, suggestions, recommendations,  and maybe sweet and/or savory streams of consciousness.  Plus links to other blogs who I think you should check out, because their food is delicious and creative too, and their pictures are usually way better than mine.  (Recipe adapted from http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/10/granola-recipe/)*

Green-eyed Gracie from up the street on my deck



Food is super important to me, but so are other things.  Like the world around us, in general, and around me in particular.  Places to go, people to see, nature to enjoy.   Reaching out to those less fortunate, both the 2 legged and 4 legged varieties. 



Creative pursuits are up there at the top of the list too.  Trash to treasure.  Repurposing with imagination, ingenuity, and of course on a budget.  Today I found a fantastic wrought iron chair and small chest of drawers curbside down the street, and these will both be featured in a future post.  Plus I'll share ideas/posts from creative friends and bloggers near and far.

Just honest, sincere, mostly hopeful, and hopefully inspiring ideas from me  to you.  Food and otherwise.  And since we're being honest, although I've made many successful batches of the aforementioned granola in the past, this batch was a bit on the charred side from too long in my not great oven.  But that didn't stop one of the big, fat, local squirrels from occupying the bird feeder and scarfing down the crunchy stuff.



 I hope you all enjoy a very healthy and happy new year and I look forward to sharing lots of ideas with you!


*Add Melissa's Chopped Crystallized Ginger
for the last 10 minutes or so of cooking.

4 comments:

  1. Happy 2012 to you too! Gracie looks so sweet and reminds me of our neighbor's kitty when we lived in Santa Monica, who used to meow at our door every morning and then rub himself on our legs in such a friendly way.
    The squirrel photo is beautiful too. He looks so comfortable in his own "chair" while he eats. But I'm a bit jealous of him that he gets to eat your granola. In the photo it doesn't look overdone at all, and it sounds so yummy with the crystallized ginger!
    You are inspiring me to make this. I always have so much oatmeal on hand, and today I found a pepita sale and bought 3 kinds (roasted salted & unsalted, and raw). I assume you use raw for granola? Other than the pepitas and crystallized ginger, was there anything else you did that was different from the recipe in the link?

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  2. I didn't have sesame seeds so I substituted flax seeds, and I didn't have the rice syrup so I used agave. Do make some of your own and let me know how it comes out.

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  3. Happy New Year, Nancy! Love the new direction and look forward to hearing all of your ideas! xo

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  4. Thanks Valentina. We all have so much we can learn from each other. Looking forward to it too!

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