Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Shannon's push toy

Here's a picture of Shannon's new push toy that Kiki/Grandma got her.





And then below is a video of what she really likes pushing around. Who needs toys when we have stools?

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. Shannon went into this weekend with a little fear of baskets and bunnies. We got a package from my Aunt Lisa in Chicago and it was a bunny in a basket. I don't know if it was the plastic wrapping or what but she totally freaked out. Luckily she warmed up to the bunny. We had a great weekend. Dale's cousin Elizabeth came to town on Friday. Then on Sunday we went to church with my parents which was a trip. In Shannon's defense everyone was signing and being loud so naturally she thought nothing of a little singing and shouting even when everyone else wasn't. We finished off the day with dinner at my Aunt and Uncles. I have some really cute pictures that I need to get from that but for now here is her Easter dress. This was post church so the cute shoes that went with it were taken off and thrown across a pew no idea where they are now.


Saturday, April 4, 2009

Homemade granola bars

I've been asked for this recipe a couple of times so here it is. Such a bummer that we can't get those Kashi Trail mix bars anymore those were the only one's I could find without the high fructose corn syrup.

Here is the granola bar recipe I adapted the one from Alton Brown on the food network:

8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup
1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup
1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed
1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts


Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside (I used a bigger baking dish for thinner bars). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and peanuts and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the
oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.