treasury

it's been busy around here,

so naturally, i built a treasury.

[pretend that]

it's the weekend

[all week long]

pretend with me

[right here]

 ♥

homemade granola

today, i made a big batch

of really delicious granola.

it's so easy,

and so much more affordable

than even granola from the bulk bins.

i read through these granola recipes:

the kitchn

3191

analog beauty

smitten kitchen

lucid food

then adapted the batch to our tastes

and what we had on hand.

my ingredients
dry:

4 1/2 cups rolled oats

2 cups chopped pecans

2 cups sliced almonds

2 Tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

couple pinches of salt

-----------------------------------------

wet:

3/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons vanilla

--------------------------------------------------

add about halfway through baking:

1/2 cup shredded coconut {sweetened}

1/2 cup shredded coconut {unsweetened}

--------------------------------------------------

add at the end of baking

{bake just a few minutes}:

2 cups golden raisins

my method

preheat oven to 250°

in a big roasting pan,

mix dry ingredients,

then add wet ingredients.

bake for 30 minutes to an hour

stirring often {every 10 minutes},

watching for browning,

& testing as you go.

my 'test' is to scoop out a small spoonful,

then allow to cool.

once the granola is crunchy when cool,

it's done.

store in an airtight container.

♥

frozen chocolate peanut butter pie

marian requested this pie

for her birthday last month.

it's the same one i made for her 2 years ago.

super easy & super delicious.

frozen chocolate peanut butter pie

ingredients:

graham cracker crust

6 ounces dark chocolate {plus more for garnish}

2 cups whipping cream

one 8 oz package cream cheese

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

chopped peanuts

chocolate sauce for garnish

directions:

in a small pot, melt together the 6 ounces dark chocolate and 1/2 cup whipping cream.  stir until just melted and no lumps remain, remove from heat.  pour into your crust shell and allow to cool as you make the next layer.

in a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup whipping cream, softened cream cheese, peanut butter and brown sugar.  mix until light and fluffy.  add in vanilla and the remaining 1 1/4 cup whipping cream and beat until peaks form.  spoon over the chocolate layer.  cover and freeze for several hours.  

allow your pie to slightly soften before serving.  sprinkle on more chocolate, chopped peanuts and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

♥

blueberry lemon skillet cake

original recipe is here.

below is my adapted version.

2 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of sugar
zest and juice from 1 lemon {or 2}
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons buttermilk
3/4 cup coconut oil
2 cups berries

put cast iron skillet in oven.  preheat oven to 400°

in large bowl combine: 
flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, lemon zest.

in smaller bowl combine: 
eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, lemon juice. 

remove cast iron from oven.
melt coconut oil in hot skillet, swirl to coat. 

pour wet ingredients (including melted coconut oil)
into dry ingredients and gently fold.

when almost combined, fold in berries. 

pour batter into skillet and place in oven. 

bake for 30-40 minutes
or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. 

remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 5-10 minutes. 

♥

fresh this morning: cherry clafoutis

our neighbors brought us a bag of cherries

from the tree in their backyard.

naturally, i made clafoutis.

left the pits in, as that is the french way.

find the recipe at the bottom of this post.

♥

baked oatmeal

healthy & seriously delicious baked oatmeal.

found at the gardener's cottage.

ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp sea salt

----------------------

2 cups almond milk 

2 Tbsp chia seeds (soaked in 4 Tbsp almond milk)

2 Tbsp maple syrup

-----------------------

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup chopped dates 

2 apples, diced

soak chia seeds in almond milk and let sit for 5 minutes. 

in a bowl combine the oats, baking powder, spices, and salt.

in another bowl combine the chia seed mixture, almond milk, and maple syrup.

add the wet ingredients to the oat mixture, and stir in 1/2 cup walnuts (saving 1/4 cup for the top), dates, and the diced apple. 

pour the mixture into a 9" x 13" pan that has been greased lightly with coconut oil.

top with reserved 1/4 walnuts.

bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes, or until golden.

cool slightly and serve.

drizzle with maple syrup & cream.

i veered from the recipe a bit

using what i had on hand:

added flax seeds, 

swapped raisins for dates,

used walnuts and almonds,

and a mix of milks:

rice, coconut, & a little half-n-half.

all my favorite breakfast flavors

{well, except for chocolate}:

apple, maple, cinnamon, nutmeg.

almost makes me forget about

donuts & croissants.

almost.

♥

things i want to tell you

happy birthday, grandma

today, my grandma would be 101.

she was born april 2, 1913.

her name is catherine, like mine.

when her first grandchild, my cousin shelly,

attempted to say "grandma catherine"

it came out "grandma kacky" {yes, like khaki}

and that became her name.

♥ ♥ ♥

yumm sauce

our research & development team {that's me}

has created a new & improved recipe.

go here for details.

clafoutis

last night, i made three clafoutis aux cerises.

one for us & two for culture day

in marian's french class.

i'm adding the recipe with my edits here.

emily's hair

it's blue-purple-aqua.

she's basically a mermaid.

taxes

done.

thank the lord.

world's best mac & cheese

this is in the works for tonight.

i'm making a double batch,

one for us & one for our friends who need

some extra love in the form of melted cheese.

beatrix

this sweet little digging machine will have

her spay surgery tomorrow.

please, keep her in your thoughts.

i grew up listening to this record.

i love this song,

although the interwebs claim they are divorcing.

♥

saturday

my morning started like this

then proceeded in this fashion

have you ever tried these?!

chocolate croissants from trader joe's.

i had to show you the way they look

when they come out of the freezer,

like a small, pale brick.

you let them "proof" on the counter

for 9 hours {overnight}.

then bake for 25 minutes in the morning.

wow.

they are $4.00 for a box of 4.

well worth $1.00 apiece.

there was a break in the rain,

so ned & i took a walk.

it started to rain again

& the wind started blowing.

we froze.

but we found this little nest on the ground.

it is made mostly of mud.

ned wants to know how birds carry mud.

do you know?

in their beaks?

happy saturday, everyone.

it's my favorite day.

♥

finally made these muffins

leftover oatmeal muffins

dreamed up by amanda soule

{original recipe at the bottom of this post}

1 cup cooked oatmeal

1 egg

1 Tablespoon melted butter

1/2 cup milk

4 Tablespoons honey/sugar/maple syrup

2 Tablespoons baking powder

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup extras {i used pecans & cinnamon}

bake at 400° for 20 minutes

such a good use for leftover oatmeal.

yes, they are delicious.

even marian {oatmeal-hater} loved them.

♥

toasty oatmeal muffins

to ensure a happy weekend,

i baked these toasty oatmeal muffins

{original recipe is here - i made a few changes}

toasty oatmeal muffins

dry ingredients:

8 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cups rolled oats
1 3/4 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons baking soda

{i added 1 cup chopped pecans}

wet ingredients:

1 1/3 cups brown sugar, packed
1 3/4 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten

{i added 1 teaspoon vanilla}

topping ingredients:

½ cup rolled oats
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup pecans, chopped fine
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted

melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. 

add the oats and stir over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes until golden brown. 

blend into flour in a blender. 

add the remaining dry ingredients (not the brown sugar) and blend to combine.

melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter.

in a large bowl, whisk the butter with the sugar. 

add the eggs and milk and vanilla. 

whisk in the dry ingredients. 

the batter will be very thin. 

allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes to thicken up before ladling into muffin tins.

stir together topping ingredients & sprinkle over the muffins.

bake the muffins at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

yield: 12 large muffins or 18 medium muffins.

♥

it's the weekend

here's hoping your weekend

looks something like this

{source}

tastes something like this

{i made this one with raspberries}

sounds something like this

smells something like this

{today's sungolds may well be our very last}

and has you this excited

♥

earthly delights farm :: fall harvest festival 2013

we've been members of
earthly delights csa for 5 years.

we love our weekly produce.
we love our farmer, casey.
our connection to the farm
enriches our lives beyond measure.

the earthly delights farm
fall harvest festival
happened last saturday.
we look forward to this all year long.
it is hands-down our favorite event.
here are some reasons why...

music

politics

adorable people

delicious food

{this dip won the local food contest}

dedication

{our 2013 farm interns}

{nell}

{kailie}

{michael}

{katie}

intense competition

{sack races}

{3-legged races}

awesome prizes

{aka winter squash}

and a live pie auction

{i'm not even making this up}

the auctioneer

{casey's grandpa - he's a local celebrity}

{with ron, casey's dog}

the bakers

{kailie}

{joe}

the auction

the winners

{with their pies & bakers}

earthly delights farm

is accepting a few new csa members

for the 2014 season.

all the info is on their website.

we

◄-l-o-v-e-►

our farm

♥