Happy 3rd Birthday Annabelle!

Hard to believe you've gone from this sweet precious baby....


To a lively smart giggly beautiful princess in such a short time! I know you've had a wonderful birthday full of love and sweets :)

You're a great big sister and I can't wait to see your 'cousin' skills ;)

Granola.... finally!

Sorry for the delay to all who have requested my granola recipe :) Better late than never correct?

T's cousin J (amazing cook!) passed her granola recipe to me last Christmas and I've tweaked it a bit to make it my own :) Seriously granola is the ultimate mix/match recipe. Just add in whatever you have in the house! Use this recipe as a starting guide and make it your own :)

(all measurements approximate!)

Base:
8-10 C Oats (I use a 7-grain oat mix from Eats)

Nuts:
4-7 C Mix and Match - Whatever you like.
These are my usually suspects:
1C Slivered Almonds
1C Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds)
1C Pecan Pieces
1C Walnut Pieces
1C Pignolias (Pine Nuts)
1C Cashew Pieces
1/2C Sunflower Seeds

Sweetener:
Again depends on what you like. The Almond Extract adds a great kick and I love me some spice :) I'll star the base ingredients... you can embelish as I have or in your own creative way!
1 1/2 C Brown Sugar*
1/2 C Water*
1/4 C Honey
1-2 T Vanilla Extract*
1/2 - 1 Almond Extract
2-3 T Cinnamon*
1 T AllSpice
1 T Nutmeg

Dried Fruit - Add-Ins:
Again - this is all your preference. Sometimes I add in some shredded coconut too!
1C Craisins
1C Dried Blueberries
1C Chopped Dry Papaya
1C Chopped Dates

Directions:
~ Set oven to 325.
~ Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper.
~ Mix up the base and nuts in a GIANT bowl. Then add the sweetener (*Note my recipe is pretty sweet, add 3/4 of the sweetener or less based on your preference) and mix well. Keep mixing.
~ Spread out granola on cookie sheets. Should be 1-2 inches in thickness.
~ Bake for 15 minutes. Stir and switch top/bottom racks. Bake for additional 15 min.
~ Let cool and transfer back to bowl. Add the dried fruit and stir.

Eat :)

My favorite breakfast/snack is to make a little parfait with Yogurt, Granola and Fresh Blurberries! Mmm mmm Good!

ENJOY and let me know if you have any questions!

Cuteness

My bro and his family recently had a photo session with Carolina Dreams and a sneakpeak is available below.

Lots of cuteness promised when you click this link!

I CAN NOT WAIT to meet ELI this weekend and spend some quality time with his parents and big sis!

The 3/50 Project

Read more. What do you think?

What 3 (or more) local stores would you be sad if they closed?

Lefty's Main Street Grill
Runabout Sports
Eats Natural Foods
Gillies
Carol Lee Cakes and Doughnuts
Grandma's Goodies Bakery and Sweet Shop

Hmmm... what does it say about me that most of my places revolve around food?

Pancakes!!!

My go to homemade pancake recipes!!

1. The Dannon large yogurt containers have some pretty tasty recipes on top.... like Tarragon Chicken Salad and Creamy Salsa Dip. A couple weeks ago I noticed a recipe for Cornmeal Griddlecakes that reminded me of some DELICIOUS pancakes I had in Thailand made with cornmeal. They did not disappoint. Super Yum! I substitute Craisins for raisins.

2. I've been reading Mark Bittman's Food Matters this past month - the second half is full (over 165 pages!) of recipes. The Whole Grain Pancakes is a great 'base' recipe - it lays out lots of 'options' for add-ins. Saturday I skipped the coriander, doubled the cinnamon, added 1/2 cup cornmeal, 2T ground flaxseed, and 1/2 cup pecans! Next time I'll try it with oats and blueberries! Another bonus - it's all ingredients I normally have on hand :)

    a. Replace 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour with cornmeal, rolled oats, or oat or wheat bran.

    b. Add 2T of flaxseed.

    c. Add up to 1/2 cup and light, cooked grains like couscous, millet, or quinoa; freshly grated orange or lemon zest; chopped nuts; berries or sliced bananas; unsweetened shredded coconut or chopped dried fruit.

(You can also turn this recipe into an exotic bread replacement - Omit the sugar, increase the salt a bit, replace the cinnamon with cumin, and serve the pancakes as flatbreads with soups, stews, or salads!)

(Photo from http://www.tasteofhome.com)

3. Last but not least - old faithful. I've been making these Hearty Oatmeal Pancakes for years! The only issue is I don't normally have buttermilk on hand - so I have to plan ahead!

Simple Simple Summer Supper!

I hadn't been to the grocery store since early last week - so come Friday the pickins' were slim..... I went to one of my trusty recipe sites and entered 'shrimp' and 'zucchini'. Orzo with Grilled Shrimp, Summer Vegetables, and Pesto Vinaigrette caught my eye - but I didn't have everything I needed - so I just used it for inspiration.

1. Threw some long grain brown rice in the rice cooker with a couple (big) shakes of Garlic N Just Herb Pepper and Lemon & Herb Blend*.

2. Slice squash and zucchini in long strips, mix 2T red wine vinegar w/ 2T EVOO, brush strips, sprinkle with S & P, grill.

3. Peel/devain about 1lb shrimp, mix 2T red wine vinegar, 3 1/2T EVOO, 3T pesto, 2T lime juice to make vinaigrette, add 2T of vinaigrette to shrimp and toss to coat, skewer and grill.

4. Toss cooked rice with remaining vinaigrette - serve with shrimp and veggies!

Super simple, quick, and screams summertime!

*Just Herbs will be at Steppin' Out in less than 4 weeks!

Weekend Tri

1. Saturday morning I conquered Happy Hollow. If you are a local cyclist you know there is nothing 'happy' about Happy Hollow! I made it from Harding to Mt Tabor without stopping - and then thought I was going to die. After a little break I managed to make it back home :) The asthma really gets in the way of climbs - but hopefully I can push myself this summer and beat that.

2. Saturday night I finished the Downtown Sundown 5k in 29 minutes! I usually run a nice 10 min cruise control pace. I haven't been training hardcore this Spring but I have been throwing in some sprints and intervals to help me on the soccer field. I guess they paid off! That's a 9:20 pace! Thanks to Robert for keeping me company just like old times!

3. Today I shot a 109 at Auburn Hills! I'm not sure I've ever kept my own for 'real score' for 18 holes. Usually I'm playing 'best ball' - that's way more fun for the novice golfer!! I will admit I probably took 2 or 3 'mulligan' tee shots - but as Todd says we follow the 'weekend golfer' rules. I did have an honest to goodness 'on in 2' - '2 putt' - Par 4 on the 8th! My highlight of the day. Oh yeah and I sunk a beautiful 35-40 foot downhill putt to end the round :) Two highlights! T says if I can start shooting in the 70's I can quit my job and play golf full time.... maybe someday :) I'm so glad we have great friends to join us on the course!

Downtown Sunday 5k

This weekend was Blacksburg's second annual Summer Soltice Fest. Among other fun events was the 2nd annual Downtown Sundown 5k which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My friend Maria has been bravely fighting Lymphoma this year. What an inspiration she has been facing this awful disease head on and conquering it one step at a time! It was an honor for us to come together last night as a team to run (& cheer) in her honor during the race!

Thanks to another friend Lauren who helped design the t-shirts!

Team Maria!

Maria & I

MARIA ROCKS!

PS. Maria next year we're training for this together! It'll be part of our work out plan :)

Lucky me.

Thirty - Something

I think after 30 birthdays I finally worked out my perfect recipe for a great birthday! Cram the day full of fun things!

~ Start the day with a yoga class.
~ Enjoy an egg souffle & mango tea at Panera (while using the free wi-fi to get a little work done)

Before

~ Haircut!

After

~ Lunch with the boss followed by a Mangoloda from TCBY :)
~ Listening to my 2 year old niece (& brother) sing me Happy Birthday over the phone!
~ A couple hours of work.
~ Tee time with the ladies (golf league)
~ Dinner with friends!

Awesome. If only I could figure how to get ALL my friends and family to Blacksburg. hmmm.

The facebook messages, phone calls, & emails also contribute to making the day great! Thanks to all my friends & family for sending me love today!

31. Let's go. Plans are to make this the best year yet :)