Wordless Wednesday

No Joke

Unless he's cutting teeth, my boy is serious about his food.

And that is a huge blessing, even if clean-up afterwards is also no joking matter.

Crockpot Granola

I recently posted my own CRUNCHY QUIZ just for kicks.


How fitting that I recently gave this recipe a try. It has quickly become a household favorite, so I thought I'd share it. It comes courtesy of my friend Stephanie Yoder--I'm not sure if it's her own creation or something passed along.


It is super easy, healthy, AND requires no bending over a hot oven door to stir, only to spill it everywhere! Or am I the only one that does that?


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4 c. old-fashioned oats
3/4 c. slivered almonds
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. oat bran (or wheat germ, ground flax seed...)
*dried fruit (optional)

Sauce:
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. honey
1/8 c. pure maple syrup
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Measure dry ingredients (except fruit) into crockpot.
2. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring, then pour over dry ingredients and mix to evenly coat.
3. Vent lid with a chopstick and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
4. Spread onto wax paper to cool completely before storing.

*Dried fruit should be added after cooled.

**THE ONLY CHANGE I MADE: stir more frequently during the last 20 minutes, just so none of it blackens.

Makes about 9-10 cups.

The Things They Say...

Natalia's going to have some competition in the SILLY SAYINGS department I think. Adam is adding new words every day it seems, and while we still hear some incoherent babble, we're understanding more! He's turning into quite the character!



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Recently, Natalia has made similar remarks as we've been crossing over the Susquehanna River bridge or driving along a high ridge that looks down and out over a large area of farmland. "Mama! I can see the whole world from up here! LOOK--there's Belgium! And over there is California!"

(Belgium is where Uncle Tek lives, and California is where Uncle Ryan and Aunt Sarah live.)





A few weeks ago while we had a patch of warmer weather, we grilled up some hamburgers. As we were at the table eating, Adam pointed to the jar of mayonaise and said, "DA-DEES MAN-NAZE?" (For those of you not familiar with Pete's love of mayo, let's just say he considers it a food group. He couldn't have been more proud of his son in that moment. LOL.)





Other things Adam is pointing out to us and saying:

FWOWER (flower)

DACK DOOR (tractor)

BUS

CAW (car)

HEE HAW (what a donkey says)

GACK (what a duck says)

HONEY (he called Natalia this the other day bc I call Pete, "Honey")

DAH-YAH (Natalia)

IT HORT (something hurts)

I YEE YOO (I see/hear you!)

EE-YI-EE-YI-OO (when he's "reading" a book, or to mimick us spelling something we're trying to talk about in disguise)

PWEEZE (please)

DA-DOO MAMA/DADDY/DAH-YAH (Thank you, Mama, Daddy, Natalia)

DOOZ ME (Excuse me)

IT YOO! (when pointing to a picture of himself)



And his favorite sentences:

HORSEY, BARN, NIGH NIGH (The horse is in the barn, going night-night.)

I HON-GWEE! (I'm hungry!)

Bourbon Chicken

I found this recipe online somewhere months ago, and have been anxious to try it, but Jim Beam bourbon whiskey is not something I usually have on hand. :-P



I found a small (8 oz.) bottle of it for $5, a good size considering that the recipe calls for a few tablespoons, and I didn't want to make a return trip if we really liked the dish and I'd make it often.



We really liked this dish and I will be making it quite often!!!



IT COULDN'T BE EASIER!!! It is an excellent way to use up all of the legs and thighs I have in my freezer. Those cuts are always the last ones remaining, despite our family enjoying the dark meat as much as the white. I just don't have many different ways to prepare bone-in chicken.



Let me know if you give it a try!


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4 chicken quarters (4 legs and 4 thighs)
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. light soy sauce
4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
4 Tbsp. bourbon whiskey
4 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. dried minced onion, (or 1/8 c. raw onion, diced fine)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic


Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a 9 x 13 baking dish, then put in the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Turn the chicken occasionally to marinate on all sides.


Preheat oven to 350, then bake the chicken, uncovered, in the marinade for 1 hour, turning every 1/2 hour. (The chicken we raise is more muscular, so I baked it 1-1/2 hours.)


Makes 4 servings.

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Juicy and delicious! A perfect balance of sweetness and spice.
We like this with rice and honey-glazed carrots.

Book Reviews

I recently finished Kathryn Stockett's THE HELP, a title I've long been wanting to read. Finally a copy was available from my local library.

What an wonderful web she weaves! I have nothing but praise for Stockett's maiden voyage into the world of literature.

THE HELP is a piece of historical fiction, set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960's. The chapters offer alternating glimpses into the daily realities and minds of 3 women, two of them middle-aged, black maids, the other a 20-something, college-educated, white woman.

I found it extremely well-written, and though the dialect used for the maids is a bit tricky to navigate at first, it fits the characters so well. Without being black herself, Stockett sure does a magnificent job of climbing inside their heads, and her handling of such a sensitive subject and tumultuous period in our nation's history is wonderfully balanced. It's infuriating and endearing, suspenseful and funny.

For days afterward, I kept thinking of all of the black maids, lovin' on those white children, basically raising them. And the children, returning that love, until they grew old enough to adopt the prejudices and hatred of their white society. I was encouraged by the "exceptions" in this book, because I know they must have existed, even in the deep South.

I couldn't put it down! I think I may just buy a copy to re-read!

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The other book I finished recently is Maya Angelou's autobiographical, I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS.

This one was a much slower read, but still interesting. The abuse she suffered at a such a young age, and the constant moving back and forth between her "disinterested in parenting" parents and grandmother was heartbreaking. But what a strong woman she becomes, despite the challenges life continues to throw her way.

Her writing is beautifully poetic, and though I expected as much from her, it didn't lessen the thrill her handling of the English language provided.

A book to be enjoyed, slowly, morsel by morsel.

Wooly Bears

There is a nip in the air. I love it!

Aside from all the other things I love about autumn, there are these WOOLY BEARS to snuggle with.

Awwww...see?! They DO love each other! They DON'T always fight like alleycats!