Homemade Granola

Thought it might be nice to post a recipe on the "lighter" side amidst all the heavy holiday food we're all eating! This is a favorite of ours, and it's adapted from Barefoot Contessa's recipe. I've just added cinnamon & vanilla.

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups dried apricots, small diced
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup dried figs (I leave these out)
• 1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix oats, coconut & almonds. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, honey, cinnamon & vanilla. Pour over oat mixture and with a wooden spoon, toss to coat.

Spread mixture on a 13x18 rimmed baking sheet, and bake 25-30 minutes stirring every 5-10 minutes until it turns a nice, even golden brown color. Remove from oven, and let cool, stirring occassionally. Once cool, add dried fruit & cashews, and store in an airtight container. Serve over yogurt, or simply with milk. Enjoy!

Also, makes a lovely gift. I like to give this in old fashioned glass canisters.

The Simple Things

Here's to the simple things in life - and being thankful for each one.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Greek Chicken Kabobs

What says summer like kabobs?

I love them - they are so easy, healthy, and most importantly - delicious!

My search for a Greek Chicken Kabobs recipe was inspired by a local Greek restaurant called The Mediterranean in West Chester. My sister Julie http://twirlysteps.blogspot.com/ and I ate lunch there last week and everything was so good!

The chicken was so moist and tender - not dry little pellets like kabobs can often be.

What was the secret?

Yogurt.

Combine the following ingredients and

marinate 1 lb kabob sized chicken pieces for at least 3 hours:

1 6-8 oz. container fat free plain yogurt

1/3 tomato basil crumbled feta

1/2 tsp lemon zest

2 T fresh lemon juice

2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp rosemary (I didn't have any so I used herbes de provence)

1/2 tsp greek seasoning (optional)

Skewer with vegetables of choice.

I used Red Peppers, Squash & Onions.

Heat your grill on high for 10 minutes. Clean and wipe with vegetable oil. Place kabobs on grill and sear for 2-3 minutes, turning to sear evenly on each side. Turn heat down to medium, close cover, and grill 8-10 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temp of 165.

I served these kabobs with cous cous and watermelon. I totally forgot to take a picture of the finished product, so you'll have to imagine grill marks and the meat & vegetables resting on a mound of cous cous. When I'm hungry, all goes by the wayside!
Hope this gives you a new recipe to try for the summer.

Enjoy!

Happy 2nd Birthday Grace!

We can't believe how fast you are growing up! You are such a sweet little girl, shy around most, but very affectionate and 'hammy' for a select few. You were perfectly designed, and masterfully made. We thank God for you every day!

"Backward, turn backward, O Time in your flight; Make me a child again just for tonight." ~Elizabeth Akers Allen

Lemon Chicken

In a recent Taste of Home magazine, I found this delicious recipe for Lemon Chicken. The secret ingredient? Lemon Pie Filling! I found that a little odd, but it helps to create a mild sweet and tangy glaze for the chicken. I am always looking for new chicken recipes, as it's easy to get into a rut. This one is a keeper!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup bisquick
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4 bone in chicken breasts, skins removed (I used boneless, skinless)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/3 cups lemon pie filling
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine bisquick, seasoned salt, and pepper. Add chicken pieces one at a time, shake until coated. In skillet, heat oil, and brown chicken on both sides. Place in a 9x13 pan.

In a small bowl, combine the pie filling, water, vinegar, and soy sauce. Pour over chicken and bake, uncovered, at 375 for 40-45 minutes. Or until chicken reaches 165-170.

**I actually skipped the bisquick part, and just seasoned the chicken breasts in the baking dish, skipped the browning, and just poured the glaze right over the chicken. Turned out tender and delicious!**
I served this with some leftover cornbread that I toasted in the oven, a brown & wild rice mix, and some veggies. Voila! Dinner is served. Hope you enjoy it!

Catching up from Spring

Well, it has been MONTHS since I've posted. Too many events! Too many pictures to catch up! I will just start with a few recent pictures...and catch up another time.

An April visit down to Bethesda Maryland for Easter.

We were blessed to be there during peak Cherry Blossom season.

This is in a beautiful nearby neighborhood we walked through one morning.One of the 27,000 dream houses of mine!A special birthday celebration for my Mother In Law Boni!

Rocking together - A favorite pastime at "Oma's" house.

A day in the life of Grace...these kind of happenings usually occur 2 minutes before we need to walk out the door. Thank goodness for my Dustbuster. I reccomend everyone getting one!!!

We will miss you Grandpa.