Mixed-up Monday

Sunday/Monday kind of blurred together, and then I forgot to blog, so in no chronological order I give you:


Mixed-up Monday


Last year around this time, Matthew made two loaves of gingerbread, and it put me right in the mood for snow/winter.   So, Sunday evening when I was starting to feel grumpy about brushing off a weekend's worth of snow from my car, we decided to make this.

Gingerbread
Makes 1 large or 3 small loaves

1 3/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt (can be omitted if using salted butter)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup warm water

We mixed the dry ingredients together, and then added in the wet.  This required a little elbow grease (because of the molasses), so Matthew threw on his manliest apron and stirred.

We added in the hot water, baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  It smelled like gingerbread, gumdrop, pine tree, santa heaven.

Matthew took most of the loaf to staff meeting today, and then informed me that it was all gone!  In the words of Stephanie Tanner: "how rude"!

Monday morning's grocery list of "cereal" had me inspired.  I shall make granola, I said! I pulled a recipe out of a lovely recipe box Matthew's grandmother gave us as a wedding gift.

3 cups whole oats

1/2 cup honey (1 bear-sized bottle)

Raisins, Craisins, Almonds, Nuts

Cinnamon

I took a picture because, well, isn't that the most lovely penmanship you've ever seen?  Seriously, they don't teach that in school anymore.

In my over-eagerness I said to Matthew "I'll just double the recipe, then we'll have plenty!"  I am so domestically deranged sometimes. More on that later, basically you just stir it all together.

I baked this (in SEVERAL batches), at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.  The multiple batches gave me the option to add in a little cinnamon for some extra spice.  The result?

So much granola! I mean, it's great and all, but y'all can come over anytime for granola and pork.  A well rounded meal.

Monday evening's meal? A gloppy combination of chicken, frozen vegetables, and a feta sauce. It tasted ok, but the recipe is hardly worth mentioning.