Granola

This is a copy paste of my friend over at 64 sq ft kitchenGr Warda's granola.  I make it often and wanted to thank her for such a great recipe.  thanks friend for this! 

Recipe: Adapted from here
- ½ lb quick oats
- ¼ lb white whole wheat flour
- 2 oz unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 oz flaxseeds
- 7 oz of coarsely chopped nuts (I use walnuts with almonds or with hazelnuts but you can use whatever you like)
- 1 cup, packed dark brown sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup water
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
Preheat your oven at 300F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, flax seeds, coconut and nuts. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, butter and water and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is bubbly. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture together until smooth, and then stir in the salt, vanilla and spices. Pour the mixture over the oats mixture and stir well to coat (Doing this with your hands is much better). Let stand for about 10 minutes.

Spread the mixture on a large baking sheet, separating it into irregular clumps with your fingers, and allowing space between the clumps for the hot air to circulate. Slide it into the middle of the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir to break up the mixture into medium sized clumps. Return to the oven and bake again for another 15 minutes before stirring again. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the granola is a uniform golden brown and completely dry; this usually takes me about 30-45 minutes from the beginning of baking to finish. Cool completely on a wire rack (out of reach from your companion) before using.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Serve as desired.

Garlic Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry

Sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 cup water or chicken stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons stir fry oil or veg oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil

1.5 pounds chicken cut into pieces

2 heads of broccoli cut into large florets

steam broccoli until bright green but still very crisp

heat  wok to hot and stir fry the chicken in batches small enough so that the chicken does not release so much water that it will not brown.  Cook long enough to just get the chicken cooked.  Once all the chicken put the broccoli chicken and sauce in the wok and stir fry to coat and  heat the chicken and broccoli and the sauce to thicken.

Serve with rice.

Photo will come the next time I make this

Crepe Cake Layered with Blueberry Gelee and Lemon Curd

This week my baby boy is turning 8.  He was just a baby when I started this blog, I was looking for an outlet that was not all about babies.  He was a baby and his big sister was a toddler back then and I felt like all I did was change diapers, clean the house, and cook.

Actually, there was not time for much else!  Because I was already cooking I figured I could find 10 minutes every few days to set a type out a recipe that I had tried, and to log recipes because my brain was so fried I could not remember a thing.   Truth be told I never did really find 10 minutes for uninterrupted blogging, it never failed I get a few words in a I hear "MOM".  those days have passed an I can get 10 minutes without "MOM"....ooooo, never mine, BRB.

okay where was I...

Now that L is turning 8, and I am about to graduate college and set for the CPA exam, and heading back into the working outside of the home world, I find that life has taken over and the blog has been neglected (trust me I am still cooking).  Moments like this week where I make lemon curd and blueberry gelee with my boy, and then 100 crepes, and assemble all the bits and pieces together I hear the blog calling my name again.

L asked for a crepe cake with berries and lemon curd and this is what I made...

~Crepe Cake Layered with Blueberry Gelee and Lemon Curd~

Things to try

Things that the kids (and I) would like to try.

Chicken and dumplings 

Menu

• beef short ribs braised in plum sauce on home made rolls with black kale
• oven fried breaded chicken breast with salad
• chicken and broccoli stir fry
• tempura shrimp

Menu

• Breaded Chicken thighs with roasted vegetables 
• Herb roasted Chicken thighs with steamed broccoli 
• Cabbage soup
• Tomato Soup
• Chili