A WORLD OF IMAGINATION

Skyley wanted me to play with her yesterday morning so I told her I would.  When I went in her room to play, I couldn't resist taking pictures.  She was wearing my sunglasses with her princess crown and she told me that her horses were going to dance class and she wanted me to go with her.  So she made me pretend with her horse toy that we were going to dance class but first we had to take a nap.  Then we proceeded with our day at dance class.  When we were done at dance, we went to the mountains.  She told me after the mountains we were going to see the animals with Pah-pah.  We got on the airplane and went to Texas.  She then decided that it was time to read.  Well, when I tried to read to her, she told me that she was going to read it.  So she made up the words as she turned the pages.  I was laughing so hard.  She actually made up a story that went with the pictures, too.  Wow, what an imagination she has!  (Kris felt bad and wanted me to take a picture of him too.)

 

Playing with her horse.

 

Skyley's prepared for pictures.

Horse-playing Skyley!

 

Golden Granola

 

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There are a few foods for which everyone claims to have the "absolute best" recipe.  Homemade salads, guacamole, quesadillas, and oatmeal cookies are a few.  Any search for those recipes will turn up results such as: "world's best," "best EVER," "downright best."  Well, when looking at homemade granola recipes, I ran into dozens of recipes claiming to be "the world's best" and they are all comprised of about the same ingredients in different proportions.

At long last, I just went with a recipe and now I'm sticking to it (I'll adapt it each time I make it and hopefully like all the variations equally well).  I'm not claiming this is the best recipe on earth, but I will claim that hubby and I really like it.  Our preferred way of consuming aforementioned delight is as a cereal with bananas and milk and/or with blueberries.  But it also goes wonderfully just straight and dry as a snack, on yogurt, or on ice cream.

 Golden Granola
Adapted from: Abigale Detweiler

• 4 c. oatmeal (uncooked)
• 1 c. coarsely chopped nuts
• 1 c. coconut
• 1/2 cup wheat bran (optional, it adds fiber)
• 1/2 c. honey
• 1/4 c. melted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 c. raisins

 Combine all ingredients except raisins in a bowl and mix well. Spread evenly on an ungreased large rimmed cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven (350°) 15 minutes, stir, and bake 10 minutes more. Stir in raisins, cool thoroughly, and store in a tightly covered container in a cool dry place.

What are you cooking?

TT~slow cooker jambalaya~

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes   
1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound frozen peeled and cooked shrimp, thawed
2 cups cooked rice In a slow cooker, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme.
Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir in the thawed shrimp, cover and cook until the shrimp is heated through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over cooked rice.

 Do yourself a favor and visit Jennifer (Hope Studios) to see more tutorials, and maybe even share yours~