Hearty Granola Bar Recipe...

I wanted to make a hearty and healthy granola bar recipe. You know, something with some substance and not just a lot of processed fluff and air. I wanted it to stay together like an actual bar and not just be loose granola in a baggy. I wanted something that would travel well and hold up to bouncing around in a backpack or lunch sack.
This time of year (winter) we like to take the Sprouts snowshoeing from time to time. It is a great workout and lots of fun to boot! It's an especially great workout for those that cart a Sprout around on their back! Fortunately that hasn't been me! It burns a boatload of calories and you really need a great snack along the way.

I was really happy with how this recipe turned out. Added bonus...it can be made vegan...or, not!

Hearty Granola Bars

1/4 cup butter (sub coconut oil if making vegan)

1/4 cup of coconut oil

3/4 cup of any nut butter (I have used peanut or almond)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 TBSP of vanilla (yes, that's right)

1/3 cup raw honey (hopefully someday from our own bees!)

2 1/2 cups organic rolled oats

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (I like cashews or pecans)

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (sub carob chips for vegan)

1/2 cup oat bran

1/4 cup of flax seeds

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt

2 TBSP water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 X 13 baking pan with parchment paper big enough to hang over the sides.

In a large saucepan combine the butter, coconut oil, nut butter, brown sugar, vanilla, honey and 2 TBSP of water. Cook over medium heat stirring often until you have a uniform syrup.

Remove from heat and add the other ingredients. Stir until it is well coated and blended.

Pour into pan and press firmly with your hands or a large spoon. Sprinkle with the salt. (optional)

Bake about 20-30 minutes or until the edges start to darken.

Leave in pan to cool completely. Then take it out of the pan and cut into squares. It sets up like a granola bar but still has some great chew appeal. Not too crunchy.

These really do hit the spot! They are filling and energy producing and taste amazing.

I wrapped them individually to throw in my backpack. They were a HUGE hit with my hiking mates.
I make them often and mix it up a bit with various nuts and nut butters! Enjoy...

Beginner Beekeeping...

This title may be overstating the extent of our knowledge of beekeeping. I'm not even sure we are to the beginner stage just yet! Honestly, I'm finding it a bit overwhelming. I'm hoping my mind is making it harder than it actually is. I mean, there are a whole bunch of beekeepers out there...right? Is it wrong to assume that we should be able to figure it out? (still kind of worried)...
The information available is overwhelming. There are books and magazines and videos and classes. I have read several books and I'm still somewhat confused. I must admit...bee colonies are fascinating!
What an amazing species....honey bees! Nature came up with something pretty darn special. The way they work together is intricate and beautiful. I guess I knew bits and pieces about how the colony works but was sorely uneducated about the whole system. Bees are important!
I'm sure you've all read or heard about Colony Collapse Disorder by now. I'm sure you know how important the honey bees are to our food supply. Of course you know how much better your garden will be if the bees are stopping by. If not, I urge you to do some research.

I started by making a trip to the library. I was pleasantly surprised at the resources available. I have read through all three of these books and was happy they provided so many pictures and diagrams. Do I think I will now be able to identify the queen bee? Not necessarily...
For the most part honey bees are quite docile. They are busy doing their very important job and don't want to be interrupted. They just want to go about their biz and don't mind hanging out near you if you don't get all crazy and start bugging them.
Sometimes the nice honey bee gets confused with the very mean and ornery wasp or hornet. Now those guys are just down right brutal. They really don't do much except fly around and act like bullies. They will sting you over and over just because they can! They need to get a job like the honey bees as they are always just up to no good! Those bad guys will even go after the hard working and productive honey bees! Sheesh...
I have a confession to make. Even knowing all this I'm still a little bit afraid of having our own bees. Of course I don't want our future bees to know that! I will need to find a way to hide my fear pheromones!
Fortunately Hubs is NOT afraid of bees. He is even a little over zealous in thinking he doesn't need a complete bee suit. He is pretty sure that he and the bees will become as "one". (Whatever that means...)
We still have lots of shopping to do before our adopted bees arrive this spring. We do need to get a smoker. It seems that using a little smoke on our honey bees will calm them down a bit and keep them mellow when we are checking on them. (I'm still a little unclear on exactly what we are checking for).
There are several beekeeping tools of the trade. A soft brush to gently move them away or off your pant leg or sleeve. A tool to help you lift out the screens and make sure everyone is doing their job.
We are also on the hunt for the perfect place in our yard. The bees need a fresh water source. They like to face east so they can wake up with the sun and get busy. They don't want it to be too sunny...or, too shady...or, too hot...or, too cold! They don't want it to get too windy, either! They need a good six foot launch pad above their hive and plenty of space in front of the hive to do their fancy dances and give and receive instructions to each other. We are still looking for that ideal spot.

We did purchase our hive! It was pretty exciting. It doesn't NEED to be aesthetically pleasing but I'm sure glad it is! I love this hive. For now it's sitting in the garage. If we are successful at caring for bees we may add more hives and colonies. Hubs thinks he might like to build our next hive.
There is still so much to learn and new beekeepers aren't always successful on their first try. If the bees don't like their new home they will just up and move! I'm hoping they will like my lawn full of dandelions and the delectable fruit trees and garden in my neighbors yard. We are planning to plant Russian sage and bee balm and lavender. We want them to "bee" happy here! ;)
I think we all need to take ownership of our planet and the ecosystem of bees and what they bring to our world. I know our dandelions take over our yard now that we don't use harmful chemicals on the grass. My neighbor has a tendency to glare at them when she backs out of her driveway. Bummer...I get great pleasure from seeing the bees happily buzzing from yellow blossom to yellow blossom and satisfaction knowing they are welcome in my yard.
Okay...you know what else? Besides all of the above reasons...they give us honey! Lovely, golden raw honey. Just as nature intended. We use a lot of honey around here. It is chock full of goodness and health benefits and has wonderful healing powers! Wow...its like the perfect food filled with good bacteria and nutrition.
So...this journey is just beginning. We still have much to learn and figure out. We need to order our bees and get their home all ready to go. We need to take a few more classes and watch a few more videos and read a few more books...
Stay tuned...

How To Make Vanilla Extract...

Okay...making your own vanilla extract is hardly rocket science! I have no idea why I've never made it before. This is what happens...you start making your own stuff and it just gets a life of its own. You start looking around your pantry and imagining ways to fill your shelves with healthier products and less processed items.
Now that we make most of our food at home I've noticed I go through a boatload of vanilla extract. It isn't inexpensive! I've experimented a bit cooking with the actual vanilla beans but feel like I'm still a bit of a rookie.
I looked at a few different recipes when I decided to make the vanilla extract. You'd guess they are all exactly the same! I mean how many ways can there be?! Well...it seems there are several options.
You can save up your "spent" vanilla beans. You know, after you split them, scrape out the tiny mushy beans and use them in some delicious vanilla pudding or something equally divine. I opted out of this method. I figured by the time I have enough "spent" vanilla beans to make extract it will be a very long wait.
Vanilla beans are expensive. Buying them in a swanky cooking store or even at a grocery store or restaurant supply will set you back about ten bucks for a little vial of 3 beans. That would defeat the purpose of making your own. I started searching online for a good deal on beans and to see what I could find out. There are beans from Mexico and Madagascar and a few other exotic destinations. It seems for true connoisseurs there are different nuances to different beans depending on what you are going to use them for.
After looking at a few different websites I decided upon these beans...

Did I choose these vanilla beans because of my amazing knowledge of vanilla beans? Nope...I chose these because it says they are "extract grade vanilla beans"!  The description also gave me a couple of pointers. It suggested using one vial (24 grams) per 8 ounces of vodka. I also decided on these because of the price point. They were $9.99 each. I would guess there are even better deals out there.

I had a partially used bottle of cheap vodka leftover from making Kahlua.

Remember...don't waste your money on top shelf booze for making stuff like this...

This is what 24 grams of vanilla beans looks like. I think they may be the scratch and dents from the vanilla bean factory! No worries...a perfectly good use for them. They smell musky and sweet and alluring.

That's it! Nothin' to it! I made a double batch. Two vials of beans and 16 ounces of vodka. This will go onto a dark shelf in my basement. I will agitate it from time to time and plan to let it work its magic for about 8 weeks. You can also cover it with brown kraft paper or a brown paper bag if you don't have a dark hiding place.
I'm super excited about this. This is the start of my perpetual source of vanilla extract. My never ending supply of sweet and enticing burnished liquid. As you use it you just top it off with more vodka and shovel in a few more beans from time to time. I plan to start using more actual vanilla bean in my cooking adventures and will use those spent beans to replenish my bottle.
Oh...and, I love these bottles soooo much. I bought them a couple of years ago and use them for all sorts of fun activities! WECK is the brand. They are beautiful and well made and versatile. You can actually "bottle" fruits and vegetables in them with the unique glass lids, gaskets and clips. As a newbie to canning I found them a bit tedious for my level of experience but have found numerous uses for these fun jars...

Applesauce Oatmeal Cake

I'm telling you right off...this is just a very simple, uncomplicated, humble little cake. It won't knock your socks off, it won't be the best thing you've ever eaten...but, you will enjoy it for breakfast on a cold winter morning!
I had been eyeing my pantry shelves the other morning and admiring all the things I "bottled" last summer and fall. I was casually taking inventory of the goodies I made so we'd be able to enjoy them this winter when local fruit and veggies are scarce and harder to find.
Then I realized...it's already January! It's time to dig in and enjoy the bounty!
On Christmas morning I brought out a bottle of peach pie filling and made a lovely dessert for our Christmas festivities. I was thinking it was kind of an odd choice for Christmas and peach pie isn't necessarily what I think of when I'm planning a holiday menu. But, hey...I took the care and time to preserve those juicy organic peaches last summer so we could enjoy them in the dead of winter! Nobody felt inclined to point out that a peach pie was a random choice for Christmas Day. Instead they just ate it!
I opened a bottle of applesauce to share with one of the Sprouts. She decided she wasn't overly interested in it after eating a spoonful or two. She preferred the fresh scrambled eggs that morning. So, I decided I should make something with my lovely bottle of applesauce and decided on this filling and simple cake.

You start by cooking the oats with the water and applesauce...

APPLESAUCE OATMEAL CAKE

Preheat oven to 350F degrees

Grease a 9 X 13 pan

1 cup of old-fashioned organic oats

1 and 1/2 cups of applesauce

3/4 cups of water

1 stick of salted butter

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1 cup of pure cane sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. of almond extract (or, 1 tsp. of vanilla if you prefer, instead of almond)

1 cup organic unbleached flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

Cook the oats with the water and applesauce. Follow the package directions for oatmeal cooking time.

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add eggs and almond extract and continue to mix until well beaten.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

Add dry mixture and applesauce oatmeal mixture to creamed mixture and gently mix together.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a  toothpick or knife comes out clean.

I dusted with powdered sugar after it cooled slightly.

I enjoyed it for breakfast with a hot cup of joe! It was quite hearty and satisfying...especially because I used my prized applesauce ;)