New Traditions

John and I stayed in Columbia for Thanksgiving this year.  With my vicious Black Friday work schedule and his cold, we decided not to brave the highways for travel.  Instead, a day of peaceful, do-nothing relaxation was in place.  We played video games, drank home brew, watched football, and for the second year in a row, made a kick-a$$ Seafood Jambalaya!!

I feel it may become a tradition with us now, and with good reason.  You see, this Jambalaya is goood.  Loaded with lots of custom blended Creole seasoning, power-packed quinoa, and pounds upon pounds of seafood, this is too good to resist.  We opted for Oysters, Shrimp, Catfish, and Andouille sausage this go round.  We even had a new addition of flaked barley with the grains.  Flaked barley is now a staple with John's beer brewing.

Seriously, look at that deliciousness!

You can find the recipe post here.

And here's to new traditions!  We shall see what Christmas holds . . .

Home Made Granola

It's delicious.  That's all you need to know.

I made this recipe to give out to friends and family for the holidays.  I thought it would be a nice supplement to the home made Kahlua I made that had been aging since August in my cabinets.


The recipe is painfully easy, but requires some patience on baking time.

It also requires some patience from your boyfriend when you tell him he can't have any.


Luckily John is a very patient man.   :o)


.... who was later rewarded with his own stash of granola. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups pecans, chopped
1 1/2 cups large unsweetened coconut flakes

I skipped the coconut flakes and instead opted for dried cranberries and bing cherries.  I also used thick cut oats which worked fabulously.



Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Whisk together maple syrup, sugar, oil, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Add oats, pecans, and coconut, and toss well to coat.
Spread granola mixture on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
Bake, stirring every 20 minutes, until golden brown, 50 to 55 minutes.
Let cool completely on sheet.


Recipe taken from Martha Stewart Living, November 2010.

 
Store in airtight container for up to a week.  I mean, really, two weeks will be just as fine.