kitchen sink granola

I'm feeling a little guilty about my one pound of butter post and decided to throw some balance into the mix.  Unfortunately, it's only good for you if you don't eat the entire half sheet in one sitting.  This is kind of a head/heart recipe as I mashed up a little Alton Brown with a little Deb Perelman but I've made it an embarrassing number of times and it always turns out great.  So let's get cooking!

First grab 3 cups of oats (I haven't tried quick cooking yet so I'm not sure what the variance would be?)

Throw it in a bowl with 1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut (This stuff is my crack addiction!  If you can't get Bob's try any unsweetened coconut from an asian grocery store or use the bagged sweet stuff.  But you might want to dial back the brown sugar (not that I would)).

Add 1/4 cup heavily packed brown sugar (light or dark)

Then I use a mix of whatever nuts I have on hand (pecans, almonds, and peanuts is my favorite so far) and blend about 2 cups worth in the food processor until chunky.  Add the nuts to the bowl and stir.

Now here's where you can let your imagination run wild.  I wanted mine to really clump up so I added everything I could think of.  My combo was 1/4 cup maple syrup (once I used Mrs. Butterworth's and it was fine)

Add 1/4 cup vegetable oil

a few Tablespoons of corn syrup

about 1/4 cup of peanut butter (if you don't use the peanuts in the nut mix)

about 1 Tablespoon of vanilla

and a few squeezes from the honey bear

It should be about a cups worth of liquid ingredients.  I also added a few shakes of cinnamon and 3/4 teaspoon salt.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and spread it out on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 250 for about 40 minutes (stirring every fifteen to twenty minutes). 

When there's about 8-10 minutes left I stirred in one cup of dried cranberries (so they wouldn't have a burned flavor) 

Yours might take a little longer but just take it out when it's a nice golden brown color.

Try to gather any self control you have and let it cool in the pan.  Then break it up into large clumps and it will store in a airtight container for...well I don't really know since ours hasn't lasted longer then two days.  You can have it with milk for breakfast or over ice cream in the middle of the night.  I think it makes the best lunch with some vanilla yogurt and fruit.  

I have to hide the Tillamook vanilla bean in the very back of the fridge so my kiddos won't find it.  I am a lot of fun to live with.  Let me tell you.

This will be the best granola you've ever had!  I promise you won't even miss the four sticks of butter.

Six on Sunday: Things I would do if I flew solo for twelve straight daytime hours

Happy football day!  Did everyone enjoy the Superbowl?  I thought it was especially great when that one guy did that one thing and then everyone cheered.  Right?!  Actually I was cheering for the red team (sorry honey) because my friend Amy's dad works with the quarterback's dad and they played doctor when they were kids.  (Is that accurate Amy?) Ava thought the halftime show was extremely inappropriate ("too many boobies mommy") and yet somehow she knows all the words to Single Ladies.  I might need to do some investigating.

 Ok, a couple of disclaimers first:
1. I L-O-V-E my kids
2. They are just about the two cutest beings on the planet
However:
3. Ian climbed into bed with me and 5:57 AM and asked me to make him 'pantakes'
3. Ava was talking to me at dinner and spit chips into my mouth

Drumroll please!

#1 I would sleep in until 10:30.  Ten is too early and eleven doesn't leave me enough time to take an hour long shower and still make it to lunch. (this would be my bedroom if Ben let me stencil the walls and buy bird themed bedding. I'm not really allowed to redecorate after the whole painting the living room wall purple thing)

#2 I would go through the Starbucks drive through and get a medium (I don't go there enough to even know what they call their medium nowadays) salted caramel mocha poured into two small cups (one for tomorrow) with extra whip cream.

#3 I would leisurely stroll through TJMax, Nordstrom Rack, and Marshalls.  I would buy one shirt for $6.80 and call it a success. (this would be a photo of me if I had significant plastic surgery)

#4 I would go see The Silver Linings Playbook (sorry Christy) at the cheap theater and drink a fountain Coke.  Then I would movie hop on over to theater 2 to catch Les Miserable

a special shout out to Oscar for making it entirely credible to go see a Bradley Cooper movie

all I can think of when I see this girl is Dakota Fanning

#5 I would meet my love at the most crowded and over priced taco place downtown where everything is organic and homemade and written on a chalkboard.  I would drink a margarita with sugar on the rim and eat chips and salsa until my belt needed adjusting.

#6 I would come home, crank my electric blanket up to 11, and cuddle in bed with the three half read books on my nightstand and a cup of hot tea.

this one gets first priority

P.S. I would most definitely go into my babies rooms and smell their heads and marvel at how wondrous they are, but this isn't Seven on Sunday now is it?

P.P.S.  Is it just me or do I sound dehydrated?

Texas sheet cake

Was it your New Year's resolution to come up with more recipes that incorporate Dr. Pepper and 4 sticks of butter?  I mean who's wasn't?!  If so then I have the cake for you!  If not please immediately avert your eyes.
 I had no intentions of starting the year off with such extreme calorie overload but was left with no choice.  It happened on a Tuesday when I received the Wheaton magazine.  I was casually flipping through the pages when a lovely smiling face looked up at me.  Oh, she's cute I thought.  And then I read that this girl, I think her name is Jennifer, graduated from Wheaton and went on to become a highly respected chef in Chicago.  She was actually voted best pastry chef of the year in 2011.  On top of all that she worked at Charlie Trotter's (the now closed but highest rated restaurant in the city) and now works for Rick Bayless at Topolobombo.  If your not a foodie this means nothing to you but basically she served this recipe at her staff parties for famous chefs.  I was so intrigued by the recipe I had to give it a try.  I can't even imagine how it came about or how her day looked in the kitchen when she dreamed this up.  Let's see, "what this recipe needs is more marshmallows and some Dr. Pepper."  Anyway, long story short....if you want to gain five pounds this week let's get cooking.

Lightly butter and flour a standard haf sheet pan (she says a 9x13 would work too)

Then set aside 1 cup of Dr. Pepper 

Grab a saucepan (mine was too small) and melt

2 sticks of unsalted butter

4oz. of marshmallows (15 big marshmallows)

3T of cocoa powder (I used Ghiradelli's)

1cup of Dr. Pepper

While that is melting over medium heat sift together:

2 cups all purpose flour

1tsp baking soda

2 cups sugar

just mix gently with a rubber spatula

In another bowl whisk

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

The first mixture is almost melted....

Perfect

Pour the above mixture over the dry ingredients

And then fold in the egg mixture gently until it's just combined

Pour the mixture into the pan and bake at 350 for about 19 minutes (I probably did mine 21 minutes) until the cake springs back in the center when touched. Let it cool.

At this point I started drooling a little and forgot to take any pictures of the rest of the process.  Which is unfortunate because here's where the recipe goes from crazy to ridicudonculous.
For the icing:
Comine in a saucepan:
2 sticks of unsalted butter (now it's a party!)
6 T Dr. Pepper
3 T cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla
Heat on medium until barely simmering.  Take off the stove and whisk in
1 pound of powdered sugar. (no she ding dong didn't!)
Whisk to dissolve then stir in
1cup chopped pecans toasted until fragrant (about 5-8 minutes at 350) (see it's healthy!)
You want the icing to be warm when you pour it over the cake because it sets really fast.  I also forgot to take any pictures of the finished product but here are the five remaining on my counter and they're still yummy.  It's got a really unique flavor and texture.  The cake is fluffy but it tastes a lot like fudge.  It would be great for a crowd.  I've served it as dessert for three separate dinners to rave reviews.  Enjoy and I'm sorry!

Ten for Tuesday

1. Ben sold his beloved Jetta this weekend.  It was a bittersweet moment as he's had this car his entire adult life.  It took us on many a great roadtrip and was Ava's first ride home from the hospital.  You should see Ben in action buying and selling cars.  I think he missed his calling as a trader on craigslist.  I got some very stern looks when I showed a little too much enthusiasm about the plug in the backseat.   Don't even get me started on the little telephone button on the steering wheel.  Who knew?!   

I am no longer invited on future car buying ventures.

2. Sabrina gets a little lovin from the boy

3. What do you do when you accidentally buy phyllo dough instead of puff pastry?  You make taco roses instead of empanadas.  I got a few confused looks at dinner but they turned out to be a hit.  Look for my next cookbook, Meat Roses.  Hmm...I may have to rethink that title.

4. You know your kids are on too many medications when they're giving their stuffed animals an inhaler.

5. Somebody's got 2 loose teeth!  It is such a weird feeling to look in your child's mouth and see teeth out of place.  I don't know who's more excited, me or Ava.  I did some investigating and the tooth fairy has really stepped it up since I was a kid.  Apparently I need to buy some fairy dust and gold coins.  Stay tuned!

6. Ian's current obsession is chop sticks.  Who knew they had so many uses?  He's the only three year old I know who can open a door with two sticks welded together.  Of course he still refuses to feed himself but I figure this is progress.

7. Meet our new family member.  Furby is one crazy toy.  It is not unusual to find me holding her while cooking dinner, just trying to calm her down.  One casual observer stated, "I think you guys need to have another baby." 

8. Ian had his 3 year check-up yesterday and he's a little on the skinny side.  The doctor said it's just because he's in the 95 percentile for height.  He also said that if his poop sinks we're all good.  Well you learn something new everyday.  Mom's everywhere be on the lookout for floating poops.  Non-moms, I'm sorry, you came to my blog on the wrong day.

9. I finally got the chance to volunteer in Ava's kindergarten class and was pleasantly surprised by her lovely classmates.  They welcomed me at the lunchroom table and told me that Mrs. Scott was going to put me to work.  Luckily I know how to wield a stapler with the best of them.  I also learned that snow comes from God flushing ice down his toilet.  Just FYI.

10. And while we're on the subject of toilets...this one is pretty self explanatory.

Hope you found the wacky in your Tuesday!

Adventures in waterfalling

  The beauty here never ceases to surprise me.  All we needed was the promise of some sunshine to throw our hiking boots in the new station wagon and head east on I-84.  We passed our first waterfall in five minutes of hitting the trail.  Ava found the icicles of her dreams and Ian recited the entire Going On A Bear Hunt book from memory.  Today was a good day.

The glow of the trailhead

The first corner surprised all of us

Ian hitched a ride after about ten feet of walking

Ava decided to brave the bear cave

A waterfall of broken icicles

If it was eighty degrees warmer I would have jumped right in

Taking in the views

Just one more puzzle piece laid down in this beautiful corner of the world

genetics

Things my children inherited from their Dad:

cinnamon skin

a wacky sense of humor

musical ability

and almond eyes

Things my children inherited from mama:

um...

um...

um... oh yeah,

bedhead

this one's for Gigi

Ava has a very special relationship with her Gigi.  Every couple of weeks they exchange letters with little tidbits about the going-ons in their lives.  Every once in awhile Gigi includes a dollar with her letters which excites Ava to no end.  But the most special part of their correspondence is the artwork.  With each letter they send a drawing.  Now Gigi is a watercolor artist and has done some amazing work throughout her life.  She's traveled all over the world with her paints and captures her vantage point beautifully.  When Ava gets a letter in the mail I cannot even describe her face.  "What do you think Gigi drew?"  She says it in an almost whisper voice on the edge.  

Yesterday Ava asked to do some painting so we got out the easel and she painted some flowers.  "I think it's too big to send to Gigi, " she said sadly.  We took a picture to send instead.  

She's also decided that her signature on each painting will be a handprint.  I think it's genius.  So thank you to Gigi for being an inspiration to my little girl.