Coconut Ginger Granola

So while posting recipes let's catch up a little.  How have you been?  What have you been up to?  Life is, and has been, crazy for me.  We now live in Casper, Wyoming.  We have been here for over a year now.  It's windy here...ALL THE TIME!  I'm not a fan of the wind, in fact we have a hate-hate relationship.  My in-laws are also living with us now.  It's a struggle having more than just my little family living in my house.  How do I deal?  I cook, I eat, I stress out way more than I should, at least my hubby thinks so.  But no matter way, life still goes on, amazingly enough.  I'm also a full-time student online right now.  Only 2 more semester left until I have completed my teaching degree...FINALLY!

So onto the new recipe.  I decided to make a granola as my first recipe back in over a year.  It sounded so good it had to be done.  I have a cookbook called Mom's Big Book of Baking and I was looking through it one morning trying to find something to make for breakfast that hadn't been made in the last two weeks when I came across a section of granola recipes.  Later in the day I looked through all the different types of granola she had listed and parts of some sounded really good so I decided to come up with my own recipe based off of hers in the book.

Coconut Ginger Granola

adapted from: Mom's Big Book of Baking

Ingredients

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 cup chopped cashews

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1/3 cup honey

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup chopped dried apricots

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  

2. Mix the oats, ginger, cashews, coconut flakes, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl.  Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.  

3. Spread the granola evenly over the baking sheet and bake, tossing twice, until golden, about 15 minutes.  Check frequently during the last few minutes to make sure that the granola does not burn.

4. Remove the pan from the oven and let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet placed on a wire rack.  Transfer the granola to an airtight container, stir in the apricots and cover.  Store at room temperature.

Making a come back!

Well, it's been over a year since I posted anything to this blog.  I've decided to recommit myself to it.  It deserves some of my attention (if I have any left to give out!)  I've already started working on a full day of fun-filled St. Patrick's Day food and drink items for you!  I'm excited to announce that I'm going to be adding a few new categories to the blog, under drinks I'm going to add a section of adult beverages (you know, the kind that has ALCOHOL in them!).  I knew that would get your attention.  I'm also going to be adding a holiday section, which will feature 7 different recipes that are themed to match the specific holiday.  I'm going to be adding a section for non-edible recipes.  Non-edible recipes???  What's that you ask?  Well it will be things like laundry soap, homemade cleaning supplies, beauty inspired things, etc.  I think you'll enjoy them.  The final thing I'm adding is a section of Paleo recipes.  I'm not sure how I'm going to do this just yet but I'm thinking on it.  Paleo is really popular right now, and for good reason, so I figured I should jump on the bandwagon.  Plus, my hubby is trying to lose some weight and is using the Paleo food style to help him along.

So now that I'm back you won't have to wait long for another recipe.  In fact I already have one for you, just need to do some editing to the photos and it will be up for you to make in no time.  And it's pretty tasty, I'm munching on it as I type this :)

Stay tuned, it's gonna get exciting around here!

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

This time of year induces my soup making mode.  I don't know what it is about the cooler weather that makes me want to throw ingredients into my Crockpot and then have warm tasty soup waiting for me a few hours later.  If you are like me then this is a great recipe to try.  Its a little spicy so if you have little ones in your house you might want to cut the amount of cayenne pepper by half.

Turkey Parmesan Meatloaf

I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf and it sounded really yummy.  Unfortunately, I didn't have ground chicken in my freezer at the time, but I did have a pound of ground turkey so Turkey Parmesan Meatloaf was invented.  This meatloaf was really good.  It had a lot of flavor and I really enjoyed the taste of the pasta sauce in place of ketchup.  Give it a try, I think it will be a family favorite.

Orange Walnut Coffee Cake

I love the taste of orange in my sweet foods.  I love the tang and zest it gives to the sweetness of foods. I knew I would love this coffee cake from the moment I saw the recipe.  It's a great way to use up oranges that may be going bad soon.  This particular recipe is so easy and quick that there is no reasonable excuse to not make it on any weekday morning.

Lime Yogurt Cake w/Blackberry Sauce

Do you ever need an excuse to make a cake?  Well my excuse for making this cake was that I happen to have all the ingredients.  Plus, it seemed, based on the ingredient list, that it would be a pretty healthy version of a cake, as far as cakes go.  It definitely wasn't as sweet as your normal birthday cake, but it was good and refreshing.  My mom, who happened to be visiting when I made it, gave it two thumbs up.

Life is too busy!

I miss my little blog, even though no one reads it.  I miss trying to come up with recipes for it.  I miss scouring the internet for creative ideas that I can make my own.  I miss the perfect spot in my old kitchen to take the perfect food picture.  Life has been too crazy for me lately and I need to change that.   Blogging on this blog makes me happy.  I will be back with new ideas and recipes soon. . . if anyone out there is even paying attention!